Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Izzy was bouncing on her toes with excitement as she rang the doorbell at her grandparents’ house.
Cadence had always felt lucky to have her parents close by and happy to help, but it felt like an unspeakable blessing ever since she had separated from Tyler.
Not only was their help even more important now that she and Tyler were trying to balance schedules across two households for Izzy, but a fun afternoon with grandma and grandpa provided some much-needed normalcy for Isabelle during this tumultuous period.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my two favorite girls,” Cadence’s mom, Alicia, said as she opened the door.
“Grandma!” Izzy cried, throwing herself into her grandmother’s arms. “Hi, hi, hi! You’ll never guess what happened at school this week!”
This was, Cadence knew, the kind of story that could go on for a while, so she gently interrupted before Isabelle could get started.
“Hang on, Izzy. Hi, Mom.” She leaned in over Isabelle’s head to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for hanging out with this squirt today. You know I really appreciate it, right?”
Alicia brushed the thanks off. “Nonsense, Caddy,” she said, using Cadence’s childhood nickname, which only her mother used these days. “I won’t be thanked for hanging out with the very best granddaughter in the whole wide world.”
Isabelle swished her skirts happily at the compliment.
“Okay, well, tough luck,” Cadence said cheerfully. “I’m thanking you anyway. Izzy, be good for Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”
Isabelle shot her a look as if to say, aren’t I always?
Cadence raised an eyebrow, struggling not to laugh.
“I know, Mommy,” Izzy said, her own look breaking into a smile. “Grandma said she’s going to teach me how to make dumplings for soup today.”
“We’ll pack you some chicken and dumplings for dinner too, so you don’t have to cook after work,” Alicia said warmly.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Now what did I just say about that?”
With a laugh, Cadence got back in her car and drove to work.
As soon as her daughter was out of sight, however, her mood deflated a bit.
She never knew what to do with herself in the moments where she found herself missing Tyler.
She wasn’t supposed to miss him, was she?
She honestly didn’t know. Their separation felt like this horrible way station, where she didn’t know what to think or feel about her marriage… or if she even still had a marriage.
It just made her feel lost. And a little like she wanted to cry.
But she had work, so she couldn’t indulge in her feelings.
She shook herself briskly as she pulled into the gallery parking lot.
It was Sunday, and the gallery was only open in the mornings, so she didn’t have very much to do.
Even so, she puttered around, straightening some already straight paintings, wiping invisible dust from surfaces.
Anything, she admitted to herself wryly, to avoid her own thoughts.
Although she helped a few errant customers who wandered into the gallery, Cadence found her morning mostly quiet, as was common for Sundays when it wasn’t tourist season.
When noon hit and she closed up shop, she confirmed with her mother via text that Isabelle was still having a blast with her grandparents, and that neither adults nor child were ready for Cadence to come retrieve her daughter.
Facing a couple of free hours, a rarity for any parent and especially now that Cadence was single parenting, she decided to treat herself to lunch at the Main Street Diner.
When she walked into the bustling restaurant, she immediately spotted Eleanor, who was nibbling on some fries and reading a book.
Cadence raised a hand in greeting, hesitating in case her new friend didn’t want to be distracted from her reading. Eleanor, however, immediately tucked a bookmark inside the pages and beckoned Cadence over.
“Hi!” she greeted. “Want to join me?”
“I’d love to,” Cadence said at once. She slid into the seat across from Eleanor, the cool vinyl booths pleasingly ageless in this setting. “What are you reading?”
Eleanor lit up in the way that book lovers always did when receiving this question.
“Well,” she said, “it’s this very spooky mystery where all the characters go on this reality show, but then they learn that their pasts are all connected, and they have these secrets they’re afraid will come out.” She grinned. “I’d say more, but spoilers!”
Cadence nodded, intrigued. She’d been in a book rut recently, but maybe this could break her out of it. A spooky reality show mystery didn’t sound like the kind of book where couples rode off happily into the sunset, did it?
“That’s interesting,” she said. “Do you mind if I borrow it after you’re done?”
“Well,” Eleanor said, “I found this one on that shelf of used books for sale at the library and got it for about a dollar. Then I got home and realized I already had a copy!” She laughed at herself.
“I guess I’m predictable in what I like.
But that means that you can have this copy, if you want it.
I’ll finish up in the other one… just let me note my page.
” She peeked at the spot where she’d placed her bookmark, then slid the volume across the table to Cadence.
Cadence tucked it into her purse with a smile. “Well, thank you! I’ll read it and we can chat when we’re done.”
“Let me know if you solve the mystery before the end,” Eleanor said excitedly. “I always try, but I almost never manage it.”
“Will do,” Cadence agreed.
Their waitress stopped by and took Cadence’s order, a turkey club sandwich with a side of fries, since Eleanor’s looked so tempting. Her meal came quickly, and the two women chatted about their week while they ate.
“It’s always slow at the gallery on Sunday mornings,” Cadence reported. “So I took a look at some of my suppliers, to see if they have anything for Diana.”
“Oh? What is Diana looking for?”
Cadence gave Eleanor a conspiratorial look. “Well, you’ve seen her apartment. It’s not very decorated, for all that she’s a great designer and hostess.”
“I did think it was a little spartan compared to the luxurious spread she put out for dinner,” Eleanor admitted.
“Exactly. I’ve been badgering her to get a nice statement piece for that big expanse of wall over her couch, and she finally agreed.”
Eleanor nodded, the absent look on her face suggesting that she was picturing Diana’s living room.
“Oh, yeah. I can see how something big and bright there would really pull the space all together, even before she does anything else, decorations-wise.”
“You get it,” Cadence said, nodding approvingly. “Although, speaking of houses, how’s yours? Unpacked yet?”
“I am, but…” Eleanor sighed. “I am learning that my home-repair credentials are sorely lacking. I managed to put up a shelf after more tries than I want to admit, but there’s something going on with the kitchen sink. I can’t get it to stop dripping.”
“Ugh, how annoying.” It was on the tip of Cadence’s tongue to offer to send Tyler over to take a look at it before she remembered that she wasn’t allowed to make those kinds of offers anymore. She hoped the pang of sadness that shot through her didn’t show on her face.
“I’ll figure it out,” Eleanor said, although she didn’t sound entirely confident. “What’s more of an issue is that the place is huge. I could run, like, a boardinghouse from an old timey novel out of it.”
“Turn it into one of those escape rooms, only to escape, they have to do one of your home improvement tasks for you,” Cadence joked.
Eleanor laughed. “Ooh, now you’re thinking. Or… oh! I could host sock-sliding competitions. Charge a small entry fee and the winner gets half. Then it’s a business and a home.”
“Oh my goodness,” Candence said, pressing a hand to her chest. “I’m going to choke from laughing so hard.”
The two women dissolved into laughter.
Maybe, Cadence told herself, a new friend was exactly what she needed to remind herself that change wasn’t all bad. After all, if Eleanor was making a new start after her marriage fell apart, couldn’t Cadence do so too?
She could, she told herself, even if the words rung a little false in her mind. She could and she would. She had to.
Even if a life without Tyler in it still felt unimaginable.