Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
MARLOWE
“ M arlowe, what did you mean when you said that knowing Josh longer would be a good thing? You said that then I would know that this was really real. You know, what we have together.” Her sister's words came out slowly. They’d gone round about this before, but Sam still didn’t see it and maybe she never would. Marlowe wanted to kick herself for saying anything. She could not risk hurting Sam’s feelings. “I feel like I’ve known Josh forever,” Sam said in a dreamy, little girl voice.
Oh boy . Despite their gentle coaxing about staying, Sam had decided to go back to Chicago after dropping Marlowe at the airport. The snowy landscape was flying past as Sam drove toward the airport. Marlowe wanted to bite out her tongue. She had these precious moments alone with her sister. Had she blown it with this stupid but well-intentioned question? When would she learn to think first? Her older sister analyzed everything four times and got four different meanings. Why had Marlowe thrown out that comment last night in the kitchen? Now Sam would worry.
“I didn't mean anything. Forget that I said it. It was stupid.”
Sam’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Your opinion means a lot to me. Please don't brush this off. You said it, but what did you mean?”
The car was still cold and Marlowe crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to kick herself. Now she had to deal with that unfortunate warning or neither one of them would sleep that night. They were about half an hour from Traverse City and the airport. She had a lot of time to dig herself out of this hole. No wonder Sam wanted to go home instead of staying longer in Charlevoix. Marlowe had spooked her.
“All I mean is that you recently finalized a divorce. At one point in your life you thought Kurt was your forever man. I would hate to see you go into something permanent so quickly again. Just in case.” Was she making any sense?
Glancing over, she saw her sister's forehead wrinkle tighter. Good job, Marlowe.
She plowed back in. “You know the old Josh, the guy back in high school. But do you know the new Josh, as he is now.”
Her sister was thinking hard about this. Marlowe had to explain. “I’ve known a couple of women in Florida who were married for a decent number of years, got divorced and then quickly remarried again. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.”
“It doesn’t?” Sam’s knuckles had turned white. “Why not?”
Marlowe ploughed on. “One newly divorced woman went to a high school reunion. Saw a guy she'd known in high school. But what she didn't know was that he'd been in and out of a psych hospital. That all came out after they got married. She ended up paying for the hospitalizations that came during their marriage. Depleted her entire IRA.”
“Oh my word.”
Now she'd really done it. Sam had turned pale and Marlowe wished she was the one behind the wheel. Marlowe licked her lips and jumped back in. “All I'm saying, Sam, is please take your time with Josh. Yes, we were friends with him in high school. He lives and works in Charlevoix so everyone knows him. He’s not a serial killer or a person with deep problems. But in that short amount of time since his wife died, do you think he’s ready for another serious relationship?” And are you? But she wouldn’t say that.
“It’s been two years but maybe he isn’t ready. You're always right.”
Marlowe snorted. How could her sister be so wrong? “No, Sam. I'm not always right. I'm just raising some points. How did dinner go at his house?”
The car fell silent. Marlowe wished she could read her sister's mind. But the air in the car stretched like a taunt rubber band. Not a good sign.
“Maybe I'm just imagining things.” Sam’s voice trembled. “But I don't think his kids like me.”
“What makes you say that? What did they say or do?” Good thing she was leaving town.
Marlowe wanted to march over to that house and wring their necks.
“Hayden wanted to spend all his time playing video games. Josh has a really nice house with a big family room and Hayden was tied up almost all evening with these games on the TV.”
“He’s a teenager, right?
“Thirteen, I think.”
“Maybe you could learn how to play video games too.”
“Who has time? What am I doing?” Sam ran a hand through her hair, which was not a good look. “If my house sells quickly, I’ll be packing everything up. We have to make decisions about Sunnycrest. And now I have to learn how to play a computer game?”
Samantha's voice had risen to panic mode. Traverse City was just ahead. Marlowe didn't have that much time left to fix this. “What about the girl?”
“Oh, she hates me, all right.” Sam's voice was flat and conclusive. “Wouldn’t even look at me. Barely said a word at dinner.”
Marlowe's heart squeezed. How she wished she could be there to help Sam work through this. Those brats! Didn't they realize that her sister was the kindest, most generous woman in the world?
“She probably just misses her mother. Remember those days?” She’d struck a painful chord. Sam had been seventeen when their parents were killed, and she’d taken on an adult role.
“You're right. She's probably miserable.” Sam shook her head. She was being tough on herself. Her sister was very good at doing that. But Marlowe wanted her to see this realistically. Josh had a role and a responsibility here. Why wasn’t he talking to his children about where he was in life and what their next step might be as a family? “I get that,” Sam said, sniffling and jabbing a hand at her red nose. “But everywhere I looked, there was a picture of Cynthia.”
A red flag popped up in Marlowe's mind “Really? He invited you for dinner and his wife's picture was still all over the house?”
Sam nodded. “Right. Big family portrait in the family room. Lots of vacation pictures on tables and the mantel. And Cynthia was beautiful, Marlowe. Blonde and beautiful. The pictures of her with Josh and the children were heartbreaking.”
Marlowe could not let this pass. “Sam, you’re beautiful and you’re a caring woman who deserves better. I don't know about all the pictures. But I would hope that Josh would be more sensitive.” The pictures of his wife must have been a shock. Why didn’t Josh see that? What woman could cope with that?
“Josh’s kids are important and they’re part of the whole picture. Maybe because I don’t have any children, I didn’t see that. It isn’t just us on the beach anymore, Marlowe. No, it’s Josh and me, and then Hayden and Mia. I never should have gone there for dinner. Not so soon, anyway.”
She had a point but Marlowe didn’t want to dissect the timing issue now. “Right. But if Josh is serious about you--and having you over to meet his children is certainly serious--then he should be at the point of talking with his children about those pictures.”
Was Sam listening? “Mia wouldn't even talk to me. Josh grilled steaks and right after dinner she went up to her room. She's sixteen and seems angry a lot of the time…or sad.”
“Of course she’s sad. We both know how losing a parent feels. Having you there was probably very difficult.” The last thing that girl wanted to see was another woman coming into that house.
Marlowe didn't know what to say. Was this what it would be like to date a widower? Cripes. “Just take your time. Josh has to think this through too. He's a doctor, for Pete’s sake. Certainly he knows therapists who could help the family.” Was that all she could come up with? Kicking the can down the road to a therapist didn't seem like the best solution.
“How about you?” Sam asked in a choked voice. “Dating anyone?”
After twisting to look at her sister, Marlowe snapped off a tissue from the box on the floor. Sam’s nose was really red now and tears dribbled down her cheeks. “Do you want me to drive?”
“Absolutely not.” Sam blotted her tears with the tissue. “Back to my question. Is there anyone you'd hate to leave behind in Naples?”
Turning back to study the road, Marlowe shook her head. “Sadly, no. I'm not seeing anyone. I don't even want to think about that right now.”
“Why not?” Her sister's voice rose. “After all, you’re...”
Oh, here it comes . “Turning forty? Samantha Quinn, I know that.” She was working on being less sensitive about her age…but forty? Really?
“I’m in my forties,” Sam said slowly. “Welcome to the group. I'm sure there'll be some men in Charlevoix.” Her voice trailed off.
“Right. At my age? Widowers like Josh? Guys who keep their wives’ pictures plastered all over their walls?” Her frustration was building. Darn it. That had come out sounding snarky and she sure didn’t want to hurt Sam’s feelings. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. Josh is a good guy and I’m sure he’ll help you figure this out.”
“And there’s something else…something I should tell you.”
This did not sound good. Was it possible that Sam was pregnant? Marlowe didn’t think that the relationship with Josh had taken that turn. “What? What else?”
“I think I’m going through menopause.”
“What?” Horror and disbelief collided in Marlowe’s voice.
“I’m not regular anymore. Haven’t had time to see my doctor to check it out.”
An emptiness opened inside. Marlowe raked a hand through her hair. “Izzy was a menopausal baby. Remember Mom saying that?”
“Right.” Sam sniffed. “Mom joked about it. Thought it was funny. Dad had been really happy about the baby.”
“We all were.” This was one of the many times that Marlowe wished they had their mother back to ask questions. “Aunt Cate could probably tell us about the menopause thing. Her experience with it.”
“I don’t know how I feel about discussing something so personal with Aunt Cate.” Sam sounded worn out. Maybe they all needed more time to think about what they were doing.
They didn't say much for the rest of the ride. Sam gnawed her bottom lip while Marlowe took in the scenery of Traverse City. A gas station or two would pop up along the road but the woods behind looked magical, so lush and green. This was a tourist town with colorful motels lining the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. Once she relocated, Marlowe wanted to spend time down here, becoming more familiar with the area.
Before her career had swallowed her whole, Marlowe had loved to run. In the good weather, she pictured herself exploring the roads around Charlevoix. When did the snow melt in this area? April? May? In the cold weather, she’d cross country ski. But then she’d come down here to poke around. Maybe Sam would come with her. Marlowe’s imagination took her to magical places that eased her mind. Finally they pulled into the airport parking lot. Ideas thrumming through her head, Marlowe was eager to get home. She wanted to start crossing things off her list.
If everything went as planned, she would have wrapped up her current listings in the next month. The commissions would build up her bank balance. Hopefully by then her own condo would have sold. In Naples, condos were often a cash sale so the closing could be quick.
And then she had to check into the Michigan certification process. Last night she’d paged through the folder Chip had given her and the process didn’t look too complicated. When Sam pulled into the parking lot at the airport, Marlowe pushed open the car door and took a breath of the cold air.
After Sam helped drag her suitcase from the back, Marlowe gave her a tight hug. “We'll get through this, Sam.” Backing away she surveyed her sister's expression. This wasn’t looking good. “Josh is a good man and a sensitive guy. He might have some issues to work through before the two of you become more serious. And as for the other thing…please make an appointment with your doctor.”
“I guess.” Raising her shoulders, Sam eventually let them fall. Her troubled sigh billowed white in the cold air. “You're right. I probably shouldn't talk to Josh every night.”
Whoa. “Is that what you're doing? I had no idea.”
“Yeah, I like talking to him.”
“Of course you do, but a little distance might be a good thing right now.” Her sister had been through a hard time and to have a handsome guy paying a lot of attention to her would be very flattering. And to top it off, they had a history. They’d shared so many wonderful times in their teens. Those memories were heavy duty. Still, that didn't mean that Sam had to narrow the field to one man right now. But Marlowe didn’t think her sister wanted to hear that right now.
“Don’t come in. Let’s talk soon.” Sam gave her a tight hug. “Soon we’ll all be living up here together.”
Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, Marlowe turned to go. “You might want to ease up on the calls with Josh. That's all I’m saying.”
“I think I’m going back to the house to pack up and leave.” Her hair mussed and face flushed, Sam looked miserable.
“Look, I’m sorry I said anything.” Why had she interfered with her sister’s personal life?
“That’s what sisters are for,” Sam said in a quiet voice. “And I call it good advice, not interference.”
“If you say so.” One more tight hug and Marlowe backed away. She threw her big sister a kiss. “Miss you, Sam.”
“Right. Have a good trip and text me to let me know you've safely landed, okay?”
Marlowe smiled. How often had her sister told her that when they were growing up? Sam really deserved a break. “Okay, Mom. We'll talk soon.”
But on the way back to Florida when she should have been planning her own next steps, all she could think about was Sam. How could she protect her sister from having her heart broken again--and by a couple of teenagers, no less? And then there was the whole menopause thing. Her sister’s worries surprised her. Had Sam hoped to have a baby? Maybe a baby with Josh?
Early menopause. Was Marlowe’s own door closing? That thought chilled her. Soon she’d be forty and in a lot of ways she was not ready. Izzy had needed surgery that had ended her chances for a family. And then she adopted Holly. What did Sam’s news mean for her…and what would it mean for Marlowe?