Page 18 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
The men in her life would have remained good men, and she would have remained unenlightened.
That would have been really nice.
The sleeping pill worked faster than she thought it would. One moment her heart was pounding with confused rage, and the next, she was being dragged gratefully under, to a sandy floor where the waves far above crashed so loudly she could barely hear herself cry.
CHAPTER NINE
If a spirit comes through that you’re not expecting, don’t be rude. They’re not like the religious zealot knocking at your door. They’re not trying to convert you. They just want a connection with a human. With you.
—Evie Oxby,NYTStyle section, “What Not to Do with Ghosts”
The next morning, Beatrice hung up the Do Not Disturb sign and resolved not to open the door for anything but the coffee she ordered from room service. Thanks to her shopping spree at the market, she was set for bread and cheese and chocolate, and there was always delivery if ice cream became essential for survival.
At seven thirty, she heard a knock. When she opened the door, a coffee carafe was waiting for her on a tray. Good and strong and hot. She drank her first cup on the balcony and tried to concentrate on synchronizing her breaths with the waves rolling into the cove below. Eventually, she’d figure out how to buildenough bravery to text Minna, to ask if she could perhaps see her and Cordelia again.
Or maybe she’d stay in the room all day and night. Maybe she’d leave tomorrow and work on building bravery at home. Nowadays, people built whole relationships online. That’s what Zoom was for, right? She could do that with Cordelia and Minna from home. She could come back and visit them when she knew them better.
Except—Beatrice didn’t have a home. Although technically her name was also on the deed now, Grant’s house had always felt like his home, not like hers. Six years ago, when she’d moved in, she’d sold her condo and all her furniture because his house was already so perfect: heated slate floors, wine cellar, skylights and a greenhouse, furniture finer than she’d lived with before. He’d always said that at some point they’d sell and buy a new place that was their own from the bottom up, once both boys were done with college and settled somewhere, when they didn’t need a bedroom to come home to when it was his turn to have them.
And she obviously couldn’t stay any longer with Dad.
He’d sent a couple of texts already this morning. Loving ones.Is it the vanilla granola you like or the maple kind?Then,I got the Wordle in four but knowing you, you got it in three, am I right?
The tightness in her chest made her lungs ache, as if they were made of thin glass that was starting to crack.
Focus on the waves.Maybe if she got the breathing just right, the knot in her stomach would ease.
At 8:00 a.m. came another gentle knock.
It had to be important if someone was knocking even though the sign was on the door, right?
Beatrice cracked it to find a housekeeper holding up a pile of fluffy towels.
“Just checking to see if you need anything, ma’am.”
“Oh.” She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
After the woman had left, Beatrice double-checked the sign. No, she hadn’t accidentally hung up theService Pleaseside of the card. It still read,Shhh. I’m Counting Sheep.
At nine came another knock.
What the actual hell?
Maybe Beatrice didn’t understand what counting sheep meant. Maybe up here it meant “come say hello to me” or something?
“Yes?” she called through the closed door, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice.
“More coffee, ma’am? Or a crumpet, fresh baked? Or your bed made up?”
“No! I mean, no, thank you!” What kind of hotel was this? Was there something wrong with wanting to be left alone?
At ten came another knock. Beatrice gave a short, tight scream she couldn’t hold back. “Jesus! Go away and leave mealone!”
Silence was the only response.
She felt terrible for yelling, and at the same time, she was relieved to hear footsteps in the hall recede.
Fifteen minutes later, a text landed.I’m very sorry I knocked I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out or something.Coffee cup emoji. One tear emoji.Minna
