“Just because you had one loser doesn’t mean you’re a loser magnet.”
That stung.
“God Himself said we weren’t meant to be alone. Quit all your resisting and let life happen. He’s got it all planned out, you know.” Tara turned toward her kitchen project. “I’ve got to finish this up so I can call it a night.”
“What is it you’re doing?”
“Putting up those lights we picked out for the kitchen. Come look. They are perfect.”
“They are.” Merry Anna didn’t tell Tara that when she’d said she was going to put sconces in the kitchen, it had seemed like an old-lady look. She was glad now that she hadn’t mentioned it, as the carriage house–style lights were stunning against the brick. “It’s beautiful.”
“Sometimes it just takes the right accessories to bring something back to life.”
“Are you referring to this house or me?”
“Take it how you see fit.”
Really?She was a spitfire, but it probably wasn’t bad advice. “You know, my ex-husband was like an entitled teenager. We were teenagers when we got married, so I guess I just never realized that he didn’t grow up. I made so many excuses for him over the years that my parents, to this day, have no idea that I was the only one paying for things.”That sounds pitiful. How embarrassing.She wasn’t sure that she’d ever admitted that to anyone else. “He’d take a job for a while and then quit, always on to the next thing. Part of why I’m here is to figure myself out. I made some horrible decisions, and my priorities were crooked. I didn’t even know it until I took myself out of the situation. Being here has been a real eye-opener.”
Tara took off her tool belt and sat on a stool. “Thank you for confiding in me. I’m sure you haven’t shared that with many others.”
“No one.”
“It’ll eat you up if you keep it inside like that.”
“My parents think I’ve been totally unreasonable with Kevin. He cheated on me. He never contributed to our marriage anyway, so I don’t know why it surprised me. All I everasked was for him to honor the vows we’d made. Why is that so hard for some people? How do you forgive that?”
“Only you can be the one to judge that, and it’s no one else’s business but yours. Not even your parents’.” She picked up her hammer. “Come here.”
Merry Anna walked over to her.
“You are going to love demolition. Tell you what. You take this hammer in your hand like this and swing for all you’re worth right there on that bigXI have on the wall. You give that past a heaping hard hammer hit goodbye, and don’t ever think about it again.”
Merry Anna laughed.
“I’m not kidding.” She held out the hammer, shaking it toward her. “Take it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
When Merry Anna hesitated, Tara turned, pulled the safety goggles from her head over her eyes, and wielded her hammer like it was nothing. Plaster, dust, and pieces of wood flew into the room. She looked like a giant bug with her safety glasses on.
Merry Anna stood there in shock.
“Your turn.”
After putting on Tara’s safety glasses, Merry Anna grabbed the hammer and hit the wall.
“That’s all you’ve got? That guy cheated on you.”
She reared back and really slammed it this time. A big chunk of plaster dropped to the floor with a thud. “That felt really good.”
“I knew it would.” Tara patted her on the shoulder. “I’m not saying you and Adam are a thing, but promise me you’llrelax and just listen to your heart. You might be delighted by where it leads you. A man that is worthy of you will make you feel like a treasure. You do not want to miss out on that.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“You deserve it, Merry Anna, and a healthy relationship is equal. I’m not saying it has to be fifty-fifty financially, but you’ll find your balance. One of you will excel where the other falters, and together you will add up to be more. I had that. I’m telling you that you want it.”
