Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Audrey opened her eyes to find gray sunlight flickering across her hotel bed.
She scrunched up her face in a yawn and rolled over to look at the time on the bedside clock.
It was a little after seven in the morning.
She could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and one look at Elaine’s perfectly made bed told her that her mother was already awake and getting ready.
Audrey sat up and reached for her phone. She had a good morning text from Evan, which made her smile. Before she replied to it, she checked her email for an update from the airline. Her heart sank when she saw that their flight was still delayed.
Groaning, she lay back down on her pillows and stared up at the ceiling. She had become very fond of Boston, and part of her wasn’t opposed to the idea of sticking around there a while longer. But she was aching to get back to The Birchwood House, and to Evan and Michelle.
She sighed and slipped out of bed. She got dressed in a pair of jeans, a cranberry red sweater, and her leather jacket. She put her hair up in a low messy bun and added a pair of diamond stud earrings to her look. As a finishing touch, she put on her red heels.
A few minutes later, Elaine emerged from the bathroom, wearing her white three-piece suit again.
“You look elegant, Mom.” Audrey smiled at her.
“Oh, I saw the email.” Elaine sighed. “I’m guessing you did too, since you put on those red heels of yours. I know you wouldn’t wear those on a flight.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Audrey chuckled. “I’m a firm believer in wearing comfy shoes while traveling.”
“And I’m a firm believer in putting on a nice outfit to help boost your mood,” Elaine said. “Hence me wearing this suit.”
“That was kind of my thought with these shoes. Let’s go get some breakfast,” Audrey said. “But I don’t think we’ll be doing any sightseeing, at least for a while. It’s snowing hard out there—I bet most places are closed.”
Elaine and Audrey made their way down to the dining room and ate a delicious breakfast of quiche and hash browns next to a large window that offered a lovely view of the falling snow. Audrey enjoyed the meal and the beautiful sight of the snowy streets of Boston, but she felt a little restless.
Once she and Elaine had finished their meal, they strolled around the hotel together for a while.
It was a beautiful old building, and Audrey felt a little like a teenager going exploring.
There was a gift shop in the hotel, and she picked out a few small gifts for Michelle, such as a fun touristy magnet and a book about the history of Boston.
After a while, they went back up to their room, and Audrey changed out of her heels and into a warm pair of socks. Stuffing her feet into her comfortable winter boots, she said, “I think I’m going to call Evan.”
“Sounds good.” Elaine smiled at her. “I think I’m going to stay here and write up a detailed marketing plan based on everything we learned this week. This little desk is so picturesque, looking out across the snow.”
“Have fun.” Audrey kissed her mother on the side of the head. “I’ll be back soon. Maybe once the snow lets up we can venture out around the city again.”
Audrey made her way down to the hotel’s beautiful lobby. There was a little café there, and she purchased a cup of peppermint tea and a soft gingerbread cookie before curling up in an armchair in the corner and dialing Evan’s number.
She listened to it ring, breathing in the fragrant scents of the peppermint tea and the Christmas tree that was twinkling alongside her armchair. It only rang a couple of times before Evan picked up.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey, Evan.”
He sighed, and she knew he’d heard in her voice that she had disappointing news. “Your flight is still delayed?”
“I’m afraid so.” She took a long sip of the tea, comforted by its herbal flavor. “It’s getting kind of maddening at this point. I really want to come home to Michelle, and to you. I miss you even more than I thought I would.”
“I miss you too.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “But don’t fret. You’ll be back again before you know it, I’m sure. Are you and Elaine having a good time in Boston, at least? There are worse places to be stranded, that’s for sure.”
“We are having a good time. Yesterday turned out to be a lot of fun. We wandered around the city and stopped in a few gift stores and museums. There’s a lot of history out here, obviously, and you know my mom and I both love that.”
“I can imagine.” He chuckled. “I’m glad you’ve had some things to do over there besides just going to the conference. Good thing they didn’t host it in the middle of a corn field.”
She laughed. “So true. Yesterday was a lot of fun. I feel worried that Michelle has to keep running the hotel by herself, but apparently she’s got it handled.”
“Michelle is very capable. I can call her though and ask her if she needs me to stop by and help her with anything.”
“Would you? That would be amazing.” Audrey felt a surge of gratitude for her dependable boyfriend. “She’ll probably tell you she’s all good and she doesn’t need any help, but if she hesitates at all before answering your question, don’t believe her.”
Evan chuckled. “Noted. Maybe I’ll just stop over there later.”
“Sounds great. Oh! Hang on.” Audrey felt her phone vibrate with another call and she looked at the screen.
The caller was Penelope, and a feeling in her gut told her that her friend needed her at that moment.
“It’s Penelope. She’s still in the middle of this divorce mess, and I have a feeling this is important. Can I call you back later?”
“Sure thing. Talk to you later.”
Audrey said an affectionate goodbye to Evan and hung up. She hurriedly answered Penelope’s call, not wanting her friend to be sent to voicemail.
“Hey, Penelope, I’m here.”
“Hey.” Penelope’s voice was thick with tears, and Audrey sucked in her breath, immediately concerned.
“What happened?” Audrey asked, dropping her voice to a private volume. Even though no one at the hotel knew who Penelope was, it felt like the respectful thing to do. “Is it something with Robert?”
“Oh, it’s not a bad thing.” Penelope sighed.
“It’s all fine, really. It’s good, in the end.
We just finished a meeting with the lawyers and it sounds like everything’s finally settled once and for all.
That may have been the last time I ever talk to Robert again.
” Penelope’s voice caught, and Audrey’s heart ached for her friend.
She knew Penelope’s marriage had been a bad one, and that divorce was going to open up her future to much better possibilities.
She knew that Penelope knew that too, but Audrey also understood that divorce was painful no matter what.
“I wish I could give you the biggest hug right now,” Audrey said, aching for her friend. “When I get back, we’ll all go out to dinner. We’ll get some wine, and maybe we can go see a movie. Or go dancing! We’ll plan an amazing girl’s night.”
Penelope laughed breathlessly, but her voice was shaky enough that Audrey could tell she was still crying.
“That sounds great. I’ll be okay, don’t worry about me.
I feel melancholy and kind of gut-punched about the whole thing, but I also feel relieved.
Every day was hard being married to Robert, and it’s still hard, but it’s hard in a different way.
I feel sadder than I did, but lighter too. ”
“I think it’s totally natural to feel that way, and I’m sure you’ll feel less sad soon.
A huge chapter of your life is coming to an end, and grieving that is natural.
But try to focus on the fact that this is a new beginning.
I’m sure this is going to turn into a very positive thing for you.
And the first positive thing is that you and Harper and I are all going to do something special together when I get back. ”
Audrey talked with Penelope for a few more minutes, and then Penelope said she needed to hang up so that she could go to work at the hair salon.
As soon as the call ended, Audrey called Evan again and the two of them talked for a few more minutes.
Audrey sipped her tea and nibbled the delicious gingerbread cookie while they talked.
She felt comforted by her conversation with Evan, but as soon as the two of them ended the call, she sighed.
I feel so bad for Penelope, she thought, standing up and beginning to wander around the lobby.
I know this is the best choice for her and that soon she’s going to feel so much better than she did while she was married, but I hate to think of her being upset right now.
Big life changes are always hard, even if we know they’re for the best.
“Audrey!”
Audrey turned around and saw Elaine walking toward her, smiling. Her mother was wearing her coat and hat, and she was carrying Audrey’s coat, scarf, and hat in her hands.
“The weather is clearing up,” Elaine said with a smile. “I thought we could go for a walk together. Maybe scout out somewhere fun to eat for lunch.”
“Sounds great.” Audrey offered her mother a half-hearted smile. “Thanks for bringing my stuff down.”
“Of course.” Elaine handed her daughter the coat, scarf, and hat, giving Audrey a quizzical expression. “Are you okay? You seem like something’s bothering you.” Her eyebrows lifted in concern. “Did you talk to Michelle? Is she okay?”
Audrey shook her head. “I didn’t talk to Michelle. She texted me back earlier though and she said that everything’s okay.” She sighed. “I talked to Penelope. Sounds like everything’s final between her and Robert, and that’s hard for her even though it’s what she wants.”
“I can imagine.” Elaine gave Audrey a sideways hug, and Audrey had a feeling Elaine was thinking about Audrey’s own messy, painful divorce. “Come on, let’s go get some fresh air and all the sunshine that’s available to us on this cloudy day. I’m sure that will help lift your spirits.”
Audrey bundled up in her coat, scarf, and hat, and pulled on the mittens that were tucked inside her coat pockets. Once she and Elaine were both properly wrapped up against the cold, they stepped outside together.
“Oof, that’s brisk,” Audrey said as a gust of wind rushed against their faces. “I hope we find a nice building to go inside soon. It’s frigid out here.”
“A little cold is great for the body,” Elaine said cheerfully. “It gets the blood moving.”
Audrey laughed. “If you say so, Mom. I guess I do feel a lot more awake than I did.”
“So tell me how Penelope’s doing,” Elaine said, adjusting her scarf so that it covered more of her face. “You said it seems like this is hard on her?”
“Yeah.” Audrey sighed. “She’s trying to put a brave face on it, of course, because she’s Penelope, but I can tell she’s really upset. I know deep down she still wishes that everything had worked out. That the original dream she’d had about Robert had stayed intact.”
Elaine nodded. “She’s been dealing with sadness for a long time. This is the last hoop she has to go through in order to find healing and a better life. It’s hard for her, but it’s good.”
“You’re right.” Audrey stuffed her hands in her pockets and half-closed her eyes as another gust of wind rushed against their faces. “I just wish I could be there with her right now. And Michelle too. I feel bad about not being there for either of them.”
“It’s not your fault.” Elaine patted Audrey on the back as they walked.
“You would be there if you could be. And I think they’ll both be just fine.
Who knows? Maybe it’s even for the best. Community is what holds us together, but sometimes we need to learn how to depend on ourselves more.
Maybe both Penelope and Michelle need this time to practice self-reliance and figure some things out for themselves.
I know you would love to be able to step in and help them whenever they need, but the reality is that we have to face a lot of things in life by ourselves.
The more we learn to trust ourselves, the easier everything feels. ”
Audrey nodded, feeling comforted by her mother’s words. “I think you’re right, Mom. I would be there for them if I could be, but maybe I’m not meant to be there right away.”
The two of them walked quietly for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Audrey was just beginning to feel too chilly, and she was about to suggest to Elaine that they go inside somewhere, when Elaine touched her arm.
“Look!” Elaine said eagerly. “There’s an old church. It looks like it’s open for tours—we should go inside.”
“Sounds great.” Audrey shivered. “I need to warm up somewhere.”
They pulled open the heavy wooden door of the old church, which creaked in low tones. Inside, the church was hushed and smelled faintly of incense. It was cool inside, but significantly warmer than it had been outside.
Audrey and Elaine stepped forward carefully into the sanctuary, their footsteps echoing slightly in the vast room. Magnificent stained-glass windows glowed in the dim winter light, and the sight was so awe-inspiring Audrey had to stop and take a deep breath.
The beauty of the church reminded her of the permanence of important things.
They might all be going through struggles at the moment, but those struggles were temporary.
Audrey gazed up at the beautiful, glowing windows and listened to the sound of distant bells playing a Christmas carol.
She couldn’t wait to be home with her whole family again, celebrating the most joyous season of all.