Chapter Seven
The next morning, Marsha awoke to the smell of coffee winding its way up the stairs and the sound of the ocean on the beach below. She couldn’t wait to enjoy both.
Showering and dressing in jeans and a sweater, Marsha went downstairs to the dining room, where guests were enjoying a variety of food and several choices of coffee. She placed a cinnamon roll on her plate, along with a cup of strawberry yogurt and chunks of fresh fruit, and sat at a table by the window overlooking the lush gardens.
“Did you find everything okay?” a middle-aged woman with short blond hair asked as she walked among the tables offering refills of coffee.
“Yes,” Marsha said, smiling. “Are you the owner?”
“I am,” the woman said. “My name is Joanna, and that handsome gentleman over there refilling the fruit bowl is my husband, Casey.”
Marsha looked over by the food area and saw a tall, handsome man with dark hair.
“Our daughter must have checked you in last night,” Joanna said.
“Yes, she did,” Marsha said. “And she is such a nice young lady. I’m happy to meet you. I’m Marsha Winslow.”
Joanna smiled. “Welcome to our inn, Mrs. Winslow. I hope you found your room comfortable.”
“I did,” Marsha said. She’d actually slept so soundly that the night had sped by. It was the first good night’s sleep she’d had in a while. “But please call me Marsha.”
“Okay, Marsha,” Joanna said.
“I was thinking of extending my stay through the weekend if that’s okay,” Marsha said.
“That will be fine,” Joanna said. “I’ll put you on the schedule until Monday.”
“Thank you.”
Joanna left, and Marsha took a bite of a cinnamon roll which she presumed was homemade. It was heavenly.
As she ate, Marsha scanned the room and noticed that most of the guests were older couples, and one younger couple was there with their young daughter. An elderly man caught her eye, sitting in the opposite corner from Marsha. He had to be in his seventies or eighties, and he wore a brown suit with a white shirt and no tie. He reminded Marsha of one of her uncles when she was young who’d always worn a suit even when he was just visiting on a weekend.
Melinda came over to say good morning and to tell Marsha she’d booked her room until Monday. “But you can stay as long as you like,” she said.
“Thank you, Melinda. If breakfast is this good every morning, you might not be able to get rid of me,” Marsha teased.
Melinda laughed and went back to the desk.
After breakfast, Marsha went upstairs to get her jacket and put on a pair of sneakers. She wanted to go down to the beach and walk. She always loved doing that when Craig was on his business trips. It was her way of relaxing and clearing her head.
The morning fog had lifted and the sun was shining brightly when she walked out the front door. In front of her, Marsha was surprised to see such a beautiful garden filling the space between the inn and the cliff. There were arbors filled with trailing flowers, flower beds, and big, beautiful trees that made nice shady spots to sit under. In one garden sat an ornate metal bench. It reminded Marsha of a fairy-tale garden.
She followed the cobblestone path through the garden to the wrought-iron railing with glass inserts at the cliff’s edge. To her right, she saw a set of wooden stairs that she knew would lead her down to the beach.
As Melinda had warned, it was quite a workout going down the cliff, but Marsha felt safe on the stairway. There were small landings every-so-often if you wanted to rest for a moment before continuing your descent. At each landing, Marsha stopped and took photos with her phone. The view of the ocean with the beach below was breathtaking. Marsha was used to beautiful views from her home, but this was so much more dramatic and gorgeous.
Once on the beach, Marsha walked on the sand closest to the water’s edge. It was cooler down by the water and windy as it always was by the ocean. But it felt wonderful. With every step, Marsha felt like she was putting the chaos of the past two weeks behind her and forming a new beginning ahead of her.
She walked the entire stretch of the beach, then turned and headed back to the inn. By now, the family with the little girl had come down to the water as had two of the other couples staying at the inn. Marsha waved and smiled at the people as she passed them, and they returned her greeting. It was like they were all on a small, secluded island together, enjoying the peace and quiet as a small group.
The climb up the staircase was tougher than going down, but Marsha didn’t mind. She stopped momentarily on each landing to catch her breath. Luckily, she was in good shape, otherwise she’d never have been able to go down in the first place. When she reached the top, she stopped for a moment to take in the view. It was glorious. Her heart felt joyful again, at least for a moment. She thought about how beauty could transform anything—even your mood.
Marsha walked slowly through the garden, gazing at each flowering plant and enjoying the large trees. The day was cool but comfortable, especially after the climb up the cliff. As she passed the small garden with the metal bench, she saw the elderly man in the suit sitting there. She smiled and waved at him, and he perked up and waved back. But she left him alone to his thoughts as she reentered the inn and went up to her room.
Marsha did something she hadn’t done in ages—she took a nap. She’d left her window open a crack so she could hear the ocean waves and fell into a deep sleep. Waking up later in the afternoon, she felt refreshed. And hungry. She decided to go to the attached restaurant and have an early dinner.
“Did you have a nice walk?” Melinda asked as Marsha passed by the desk.
“I did. It’s such a beautiful beach. And so private,” Marsha said.
“How did you do on the staircase going down and coming back up?” Melinda asked. “It’s quite a workout.”
Marsha laughed. “It was, but such beautiful views. I plan on walking the beach every day that I’m here. It’s therapeutic.”
“I agree with that,” Melinda said.
Marsha went outside as the sun fell lower in the sky over the water. She walked over to the railing overlooking the cliff and took a photo of the sun turning the Pacific Ocean orange. At home, she looked at the ocean every day and had for the ten years she’d owned the house. And she had always appreciated her lovely view. But here, it seemed even more intense and amazing. She thought how odd it was that you could see something every day and take it for granted, believing it was always going to be there. And then, one day, it wasn’t.
Brushing away her morbid thoughts, Marsha turned and made her way through the garden toward the restaurant. She’d changed into a simple dress and low-heeled shoes, wearing a sweater to ward off the chill. As she walked inside the cozy restaurant, her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and after that long walk and nap, she was hungry.
“Sit anywhere you wish,” a tall man with blond hair and bright blue eyes said. “There are still tables by the window available so you can enjoy the view.”
“Thank you,” Marsha said. She chose a small booth by the window, and the man handed her a menu.
“My name is Trevor, and I’ll be your server tonight,” he said. “Can I get you something to drink? We have wine and craft beer, and also soda, iced tea, or filtered water.”
“I’ll have a glass of white wine,” Marsha said.
“I’ll be right back.” Trevor left to go to the bar.
The place was small but nice. The lighting was soft, and there were tables and booths all around. The bar was up front, and Marsha was happy to see there were no televisions around the place. It felt like all restaurants these days had TVs running all the time, which was fine for some but distracting, too.
Marsha studied the menu. There were good, old-fashioned choices like hot roast beef sandwiches and stew, but also salads, homemade soups, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches. The salad with grilled shrimp looked good to her and she decided to order that when Trevor returned.
“I’ll put in your order,” Trevor said, smiling before he walked away.
Marsha thought Trevor would be perfect for Melinda over at the inn. Then she laughed at herself. Here she was, trying to match up complete strangers.
Glancing around as she waited, Marsha noticed the place was only about a quarter full. Two of the couples from the inn were sitting in booths near her, and a couple of men she hadn’t seen before were at the bar, drinking beer and eating burgers. She turned her attention to the view outside the window. Despite the lush gardens in front of the inn, a space had been left open so visitors to the restaurant could view the ocean. She watched the sun go down slowly. The colors were rich and golden. Absolutely beautiful.
Trevor brought her food, and she was thrilled to see a breadstick came along with the salad. Right now, small things made her happy. A breadstick, the sunset, a glass of wine. After all the turmoil she’d been through the past two weeks, she was relieved she could still enjoy the small things in life.
Marsha didn’t mind eating alone. Craig was often on business trips, and she’d learned that if she was afraid to do things alone, she’d never do anything. So sitting in the restaurant alone, eating, didn’t bother her. She didn’t need a book or her phone to entertain her. Watching the sun set and enjoying the delicious food was enough.
For the first time since Craig had died, Marsha felt at peace.
Just as she was finishing her dinner, one of the other couples from the inn approached her table. They looked to be in their late 40s and were dressed nicely. Marsha hoped they didn’t feel sorry for her for eating alone and wanted to join her.
“Mrs. Winslow?” the man asked quietly. “We’re sorry to bother you. You’re Craig Winslow’s wife, aren’t you?”
Marsha’s heart sank. Just as she was feeling good, she was reminded of Craig. “Yes,” she said.
The couple smiled. “We are so sorry about the loss of your husband,” the woman said. “He was such a kind and generous man. He will be greatly missed.”
Marsha was taken aback. She hadn’t expected this. “Thank you. That’s very kind.”
“We own a business in Torrance,” the man said quickly as a way of explaining how they had known Craig. “Last year, when there was so much rain, our roof leaked, and Craig came out himself to assess the damage and assure us we were covered. When the insurance company tried to pay us less, he fought for us, and we were paid in full to fix the roof. You’ll never know what that meant to us.”
Marsha gave them a small smile. “Yes, I do. I own my own business, too. It can mean the difference between succeeding and losing your business.”
The woman nodded. “Yes. Exactly. Your husband was so kind. We also have friends who lived in the Palisades and insured their house through Craig. After those devastating fires, he fought for all his clients in Malibu and the Palisades to get them the money they deserved. He was a good man.”
Marsha nodded, forcing back tears. The fires in California earlier that year had been horrendous. Craig had worked tirelessly to ensure his clients weren’t canceled and they got the money they deserved. Many insurance agents couldn’t say the same thing.
“Thank you both so much,” she said, her voice shaking. “He was a good man, and I appreciate your kind words.”
They both nodded. “We’ll leave you alone. We just had to tell you how much we appreciated Craig. I hope you have a nice stay here. It’s the perfect place to relax and reflect.”
“Thank you,” Marsha said. She watched as the couple left the restaurant and took in a deep breath to calm her shaking nerves. They were right. She’d been so angry at Craig for what he’d done that she’d completely forgotten what a good person he was.
Marsha thanked Trevor and paid her bill, leaving him a large tip, then walked out into the night toward the inn. The garden was lit with walkway lights and twinkle lights in the trees and bushes. It looked magical. But her mood had changed from uplifting to melancholy, and she didn’t feel like walking the paths or going closer to the ocean to let it’s sound soothe her. Instead, she headed inside to go up to her room.
When she entered the inn, she saw several couples in the living area enjoying the fire and playing cards. Melinda rushed over to greet her.
“Would you like to join us for a game of cards?” she asked, cheerful as ever.
“Not tonight, but thank you,” Marsha said. “Maybe tomorrow.”
Melinda nodded. “Good night,” she said, then headed back into the living room.
Marsha hurried up the stairs and into her room, all the happiness of the day now gone. She dropped her purse on a chair and fell onto the bed. She knew the couple who’d approached her had only meant to make her feel good about Craig and all the good he’d done. But the effect had done the opposite. It had made Marsha feel sad and petty like she’d forgotten the whole picture of who her husband had been. All she’d been dwelling on was how he’d cheated on her for years and lied to her, and also gone through their money without telling her. Of course, she was justified in being angry with him, but she knew he’d been more than all that. He had loved her for years and cared for his clients and worked hard to help those in the community.
It was all too much to take in at once.
Instead of feeling peaceful and relaxed as she had earlier, Marsha broke down into tears about all she’d had and all she’d lost.