Page 37 of A Winter Thaw

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.”