Chapter Sixteen
Marsha
On the last day of the month, Marsha had one last thing to do to fix Craig’s mess. She took the day off from the gallery, got into her car, and drove north on Highway One. Despite Jeffrey telling her she could let someone else handle this, she had to do it herself. Marsha knew people would judge her for what she was about to do or tell her she was crazy, but she didn’t care. It was something that had to be done.
Once she was in Malibu, she took the winding road up into the hills and pulled into the peaceful neighborhood. Parking on the street, Marsha picked up the large manila envelope sitting on the passenger seat, took a deep breath, and walked up the sidewalk to the front door.
Knocking once, she waited. Marsha hadn’t called ahead, so there was a possibility that no one was home. But Marsha knew where she worked and could take the envelope to her there if necessary.
The door opened, and the woman on the other side looked stunned to see Marsha standing there.
“Hello, Amanda. Can we talk for a moment?” Marsha asked steadily.
Amanda opened the door wider. “Yes. Of course.” She moved out of the way to let Marsha walk inside. Instead, Marsha stood in the doorway, gazing inside the house.
“You haven’t moved any of your furniture yet,” Marsha said, surprised.
“I know I’m supposed to move out by today, and I’m trying to pack what I can,” Amanda said apologetically. “I spoke to your lawyer, and he said I could have a few extra days. It’s been difficult finding a new place I can afford.”
Marsha studied her face for a moment and was about to speak when Amanda rushed on.
“Besides. The furniture isn’t mine. It all belonged to Craig. I’m only taking our personal items with us.”
Marsha wasn’t surprised. Craig would have taken care of everything for Amanda and her son. That was who he was. “It’s your furniture now,” Marsha said. “I have no interest in taking anything from this house.”
“Oh,” Amanda said softly. “Thank you.”
“I just came here today to give you this,” Marsha said, handing her the thick envelope.
Amanda frowned as she stared at it. “What is it?”
“I know Craig didn’t leave you anything in his will or give you any money to take care of his son in the event he died. And that was wrong,” Marsha said. “So, I signed over this house to you. It’s yours to do whatever you want with. Keep it, sell it, whatever.”
Amanda’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
Marsha remained stoic. “Yes. Granted, there’s still a mortgage on it, but there’s also a lot of equity in the house. If you sell, you should be able to afford a nice home for you and your son and have some left over. I’ve paid this month’s mortgage payment. You’ll be responsible for it from now on. You’ll need to stop by my lawyer’s office to finish filling out the paperwork in that envelope, but then it will be yours.”
Tears filled Amanda’s eyes. “Thank you so much. I didn’t know how I would be able to pay for another place. This is so generous of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Marsha said, her voice kinder. “Just promise me you’ll take good care of Craig’s son. As Craig would have wanted you to.”
“Absolutely,” Amanda said, wiping her eyes. “He’s the joy of my life.”
Marsha nodded, then turned to leave.
“Wait!” Amanda called after her. “Do you have time to come inside and talk? I’d really like you to know something important.”
Marsha doubted that this woman could tell her anything she’d want to know. She turned back toward Amanda. “No. Thank you. I’d better leave before I change my mind and take that envelope back. I wish you well.” She turned and hurried to her car. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she heard Amanda call out, “God bless you.”
Marsha wasn’t sure if God even cared about her anymore. But she’d done the right thing; she knew that in her heart. And as she drove down Highway One toward her Palos Verdes home, she felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
As the weeks went by, the pain Marsha felt over Craig’s betrayal faded. She was too busy looking for a new place to live and working at the gallery to dwell on it. She knew Amanda had gone to Richard to finalize the transfer of the Malibu house into her name. Marsha had also put Jeffrey’s card in the envelope, and Amanda had hired him to sell the house for her.
Jeffrey had been shocked when he’d heard that Marsha had given the young woman the house. He’d called Marsha and told her that it was a kind, selfless thing to do.
“It’s what Craig would have wanted,” Marsha told him. Because despite everything, she wanted to do what was right.
A month after talking to Amanda, Marsha was working on invoices at the gallery when Kristi walked in with the mail.
“I saw the postman when I went for coffee,” Kristi said, handing a coffee to Marsha and setting the mail down. “There’s a letter here for you.” She lifted her eyes to meet Marsha’s eyes. “It’s from Amanda.”
Marsha stopped working and stared at the plain white envelope. The last thing she wanted to do was read what that woman had to say. She was working at putting everything behind her and didn’t need a reminder of the one thing that had hurt her so deeply.
“Toss it on the desk in the back, please,” Marsha said, going back to her invoices. “I’ll read it another time.”
Kristi knew about Marsha giving away the house and that Jeffrey was selling it for Amanda. “Aren’t you curious about what she has to say?”
Marsha sighed. “No. Not really. It just brings up too many painful memories.”
Kristi nodded her understanding and took the mail to the back room.
That night, after arriving home, Marsha gazed around her home. She’d done a good job of trimming down the excess in the house. She had her furniture, of course, but she got rid of anything that didn’t bring her joy. Her closet was less crowded, too. She’d given away clothing she hadn’t worn in a while and so many pairs of shoes she knew she’d never wear again. It felt good to purge. If she found the right place to move into, she’d start over without clutter or junk.
Only two months had gone by since losing Craig, yet it felt like he’d been gone for a lifetime. Her life had changed in so many ways since the accident. She worked longer hours at the gallery, yet didn’t mind it. And even though she loved this house, she was looking forward to buying a new place and making it her own.
She also got tired of frozen dinners. Now, she planned ahead for meals and ate mostly fresh foods like salads with grilled chicken or shrimp and pasta meals. She’d become quite adept at using the gas grill, and it tasted so much better than the frozen stuff.
Tonight, she grilled a small piece of salmon and pulled out the large bucket of salad she kept in her fridge. She sat at the table, even though it was dark outside and she couldn’t see the ocean. But she could hear it, and she was soothed by the sound.
As she ate, she thought about the letter Amanda sent her. She hadn’t opened it at the gallery and wasn’t sure if she’d open it at all. But Kristi had been right. She was a little curious about what the young woman had written. She doubted, though, that anything she wrote would make Marsha feel better about Craig’s betrayal.
After eating, she placed the dishes in the dishwasher and changed into night clothes. Passing her purse in the bedroom, Marsha saw the letter sticking out of it. With a sigh, she lifted the envelope from her purse, went out to her living room, and sat on the sofa. She guessed it wouldn’t hurt to at least read it.
Opening the envelope, she pulled the handwritten pages out, surprised at how many there were. Steeling herself, she opened the pages and read the script.
Dear Mrs. Winslow,
I hope you decide to read my letter. I couldn’t live with myself if you went through the rest of your life not knowing the truth. First, thank you for giving me the house. You can’t imagine what a difference it will make in my life and my son’s. I have it up for sale and am searching for a less expensive place. Craig was very generous, allowing me to live there for free all these years, even when I fought him on it at first. But it was such a lovely place to raise Max that it was hard to say a firm no.
I want you to know that Craig and I did not have an intimate relationship. We only had one (intoxicated) night together, and we both regretted our actions immediately afterward. Craig loved you so much and was scared to hurt you and lose you. Neither of us wanted a relationship in the way I think you believe we had. We were co-workers and friends. He was a kind, thoughtful, and caring man. But all his love was for you alone.
Max was the result of that single night, and from the moment I told Craig, he was supportive. He offered to do whatever was necessary to help me with Max. Every step of the way, I told him he didn’t have to do anything, but he insisted. When he showed me the house a year after Max was born, I refused it. But as I said, it was hard to say no to Craig. So, I lived there and he’d come to visit while he was in town. But our relationship was completely platonic. He just wanted to be a part of Max’s life, and I wanted that for my son. I never meant for you to be hurt by it, and I’m so sorry.
As for the necklace, it was not given as a token of love for me. Craig gave it to me one Mother’s Day as a token of gratitude for allowing him to have Max in his life. While I agree it was a bad choice for him to give you and me the exact same necklace, I can only say he meant well. I hope you can forgive him for that.
I also hope you can forgive Craig for our one night together. He never meant to hurt you, nor did I. Even the most perfect people can make mistakes. But at least that mistake brought Max to me, and he will live on as a reminder of Craig, who was the kindest man I’ve ever met.
I wish you nothing but the best in the future, and thank you again for making the future better for both me and my son.
Sincerely,
Amanda
Marsha stared at the letter for a long time. Was it true? Or was Amanda lying to make her feel better? Then again, why would Amanda lie? Marsha had already given her the house, so there was no reason to lie about their relationship.
If what Amanda wrote was true, Marsha would be able to forgive Craig. Yes, he’d had a one-night stand, which was so out of character for him. But he’d taken responsibility for his actions and took care of his son. Marsha had to give him credit for that.
She stood, walked to her bedroom, and opened her jewelry box. Lying there was the heart necklace. She lifted it from the box and stared at it for a long time as tears filled her eyes. She’d loved the gift so much. Now that she knew the truth about the necklace, she thought that maybe she could love it again.
“Oh, Craig,” she said softly.
Marsha sat on the bed and wiped away her tears. She wondered if she would have been able to forgive him if she’d known about the one-night affair all those years ago. She didn’t know the answer to that, and she realized it didn’t matter anymore. Craig was gone. As Andrew Trelow would say, it all came down to the heart of the matter. Craig had been an attentive, hardworking, and loving husband. Even with his one mistake, he’d been a good man.
Marsha thought she could live with that.