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She ignored my jab at her husband and went on, “You were gone for most of those years, so you didn’t see the aftermath. I wasn’t—” She paused. “I wasn’t myself. I was lost. Alone. Bitter.”
“I can’t picture you being any of those things,” I said, having only ever seen her like this—happy and content. Even when she was with Dean, her life seemed perfect.
She shook her head. “I’m a good actress but those first few years, even I couldn’t hold it together.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, unsure how our conversation had taken such a bleak turn.
“Maybe I’m just trying to tell you not to give up hope.”
“Kristy and I are not?—”
“NotKristy,” she said with an emphasis on the first word. “You’re kind of a bully, but even you deserve more than that.”
She turned, looking at the truck with appreciation. “Now, what do I owe you? I know you’ve already fixed it. I saw you lurking around out here while I was changing linens in the yellow room.”
“It’s on the house.” I shrugged.
“Seriously?” Her eyes were wide with shock. “I might need to take that bully comment back.”
“It was a quick fix. Nothing major. Just make sure to tell Jake she’ll run for a few more years. Knowing he was wrong will be payment enough.”
“Oh, I will,” she said with a satisfied smirk. “But are you sure there isn’t anything I can give you as a show of thanks? I have freshly made cookies in the house.”
Still full from lunch, I had to pass, but the idea of baked goods did give me an idea. “No cookies, thanks, but do you happen to have any cake?”
Her brow arched. “Cake? Something you’re celebrating?”
“No,” I answered. “It’s not for me. But the Crewes are. And they’re in need of some cake.”
CHAPTER THREE
My car was packed to the gills as I watched Elena try to shove another suitcase in the backseat.
“Just forget it,” I said. “I don’t need this much stuff.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t been back there in ages. For all you know, everything could have been eaten by moths. Or alligators.”
As we stood on the sidewalk outside my apartment, I couldn’t help but grin. “There are no alligators in Ocracoke. And I hired a company years ago to come and take care of everything—the house, the landscaping; it’s all been well kept. So, it’s not like the place has been rotting down there for five years.”
Five years.
I inwardly gulped.
I tried not to think about the last time I’d been there—the last time I’d raced out of our little house, on my way to catch a plane.
I’d never been able to go back.
As if sensing my emotional shift, Elena set the bag down and turned toward me. “Hey, look at me.”
I hesitated, but eventually, my eyes met hers. Right after Daniel had died, I sometimes found it difficult to look into her eyes when they looked so much like his. But now, I found them comforting—especially when he felt so far away. Shortly after we had married, his parents had relocated back to New Mexico, and when he’d died, they’d pleaded with me to have him buried there in the family plot.
I cherished that connection to Daniel. Sometimes Elena felt like the only one I had.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “You’re doing the right thing.”
I rolled my eyes, wrapping my arms tight around my chest. “Seems like you’re the only one who thinks so.”
She made a face that told me exactly what she thought of my family and shook her head. “They’ll come around.”
