Page 16 of Between the Shady Groves
“My husband… I know he cared. But he wasn’t devastated the way I was. My sister-in-law, whom I love dearly, was pregnant the same time I was with my second miscarriage. She had a healthy baby boy. And it was about one month before my due date. It was hard. And then, three years later, right on my due date for my third miscarriage, she had a set of twins. That was pretty devastating, because it was right before my mom died.”
“Wow. What timing.”
“I know, right? And they were so happy. And I was happy for them. And I went down to help. The babies were adorable. I was thrilled I got to see them… I really was happy. But it was hard too. And then my mom died, and yeah. Things just spiraled from there, I guess. And now I’m here. And?—”
“And your husband is not coming?” Claire asked gently.
“Probably not. I can’t imagine he would leave his work for that amount of time. I haven’t ever been able to get him to take off, and he kind of resented having to take off for my mom’s funeral.”
“You’re kidding. That’s terrible!” Claire said. It made Lauren feel better to hear someone sympathize with her, but at the same time, she felt like she needed to defend her husband.
“He really is serious about his business, and it paid for everything. I was able to quit my teaching job and just stay home and be a caretaker for my mom. And when I went for a couple days to help his sister with her new babies, we could afford to hire a nurse to take my place. I do really appreciate the fact that his business is successful. I just… I guess I’m jealous of his business. I feel like he didn’t really cheat on me, but he definitely loves his business more than he loves me.”
“I see. So that doesn’t count as cheating, but it definitely counts as not being a good husband.”
“Yeah. And I guess I’m not a good wife, because he told me he wanted me to come home and I told him no.”
“That’s understandable too,” Claire said, squeezing her with the arm that was around her.
Somehow, just talking to her friends made her feel better. They didn’t have any advice for her, and they certainly couldn’t fix her circumstances, but just knowing that they cared made her not feel so alone.
It’s what she needed from her husband. To feel like he cared. To feel like he was willing to put time in to show her that he cared. To act like he wanted to help her feel better, and that time away from his business wasn’t upsetting or annoying to him.
“I think this happens with a lot of couples. You just grow apart, and no one says anything,” Claire said.
“Yeah. Although, it seems like he knew that he wasn’t paying a lot of attention to her and he expected her to just accept it, as that’s what needed to happen in order for his business to take off.”
“Yeah. That’s pretty much it,” Lauren said.
They sat there for a little bit longer, both Grace and Claire talking a little bit more about what was going on in their lives, and finally Lauren had to interrupt.
“I’m sorry, but I really do need to get back to my bread. It’s going to rise up all over the place, and I’m going to have a mess on my hands if I don’t get it in the oven.”
“I might feel the need to stop by later,” Grace said with a wink as they stood together.
“I’m feeling that same need,” Claire said. “Probably in an hour or so, about the time the bread comes out of the oven.”
“You ladies are welcome to stop by anytime.”
“And if you need someone to help you get your store open, let me know. I would love to be able to come over and lend a hand, especially if you need any painting or decorating. You know that’s my thing. And my husband is pretty handy with wood and stuff, and I know he’d be willing to give you a hand as well.”
“My husband is a fix-it guy, and we’re the same. You can pay us with food. I’ve been working on bread recipes on my own, although I haven’t branched out to cheese bread yet. I guess I just don’t think I could stand the disappointment when it doesn’t taste like your mom’s.”
“I don’t think anything would taste as good as hers, although cheese bread was my thing, so maybe.”
“I think I’ll have to taste and tell you,” Claire joked as they started walking out.
They chatted a bit about the things that they missed about her mom’s baked goods shop until they reached the end of the healing garden, and Claire headed toward her car after embracing Lauren and telling her that she’d love to get together anytime.
Grace gave her a hug as well. “I’m supposed to meet my husband on the beach, so I’m going to head that way. But I’m the same as Claire. Hit me up anytime you need someone to talk to.”
They parted, and Lauren found herself almost smiling as she walked back to the bakery.
Ten
Cannon couldn’t remember the last time he had been in Raspberry Ridge. It was a quaint town, cute, quiet. He could see why Lauren liked it here. Especially after losing her mom and the babies. If she needed a place to decompress, this little lakeside town was perfect.
And Lauren probably knew some of the residents, who were here when she was growing up.
