Page 31 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
Wow, that was a leap. What a nice thing to say. Marlowe’s heart was pounding in her chest. The call ended and the front door of her listing flew open. Trevor stood in the door, waving to her.Showtime.Marlowe grabbed her portfolio, got out of her car and walked to the door. But her mind was back at the office, tidying up her resume and her bio on the company’s website.
Chapter Thirteen
SAMANTHA
Sam couldn't stand pity. When she shopped at Whole Foods and people stopped to say hello, she saw it in their eyes. Pity, plain and simple. That sympathetic tilt to their head made her furious. What was that all about? Divorce. What she had kept so private was now available for public consumption. Her darn ex-husband had probably been busy, spreading his newly found joy.
How dare he?
Now she had plans and was moving on. How could she get that message across? Meeting friends for dinner seemed like a good start. But maybe not. While she’d been up on Charlevoix, her friends Suzanne and Christy had gone to the usual parties. Christy wanted to tell her all about it. As the happy chatter continued, Sam wondered why she’d agreed to meet them at Beatrix. The popular spot was full of happy conversation and that’s not where they were. How could she get them there?
“She’s too young for him.” Christy spooned sticky cauliflower appetizers onto her plate. Although Sam hadn’t eaten lunch, she had no appetite. Getting together with friends had seemed like a good idea, but she hadn’t expected this defensive feeling chokingher now. “Just wait until he’s fifty and she’s thirty-five.” Christy sent her a satisfied smirk but the remark didn’t lift Sam’s spirits.
“Christy.” Suzanne shot Christy a warning glance, which went unnoticed. Sometimes Christy could be a little dense. For a fleeting second Sam wished she were here with her sisters and Aunt Cate. They’d order exotic drinks and buzz through this appetizer menu while they laughed and bolstered each other’s spirits.
“Did he talk about his trip to Ibiza?” Sam wanted to flush out this petty stuff. Give it a good look, tell herself she was lucky and then toss it into her past. Had Kurt spun his fictitious story about going to Ibiza?
Suzanne shook her head. “I don’t think so. Is that where they went? Chelsea did look tan.”
“Spray tan.” Christy reached for more cauliflower. “Yuk, she was almost orange.”
“Kurt told me he’d be in Ibiza,” Sam told them. “But instead, he was raiding the house.”
“Raiding?” Christy’s ears perked up. “As in stealing, as in…you didn’t know?”
“Right. Went through the house like it was a furniture showcase,” Sam said glumly. “Took what he wanted.”
“That’s terrible,” Suzanne said with disgust. “Thought you said he wasn’t interested in having anything from the house.”
“That was months ago. Now he might realize they need furniture. Nice furniture.”
“Call your attorney,” Suzanne said. “He can’t do that unless it’s in your decree.”
“Rotten. That’s what.” Christy munched that cauliflower as if she were chewing out Sam’s ex. “What a creep. And he made an announcement at Joy and Rob’s New Year’s Eve party.”
Sam struggled to keep a smile on her face while Suzanne ducked her head.The baby.The creep had told them a baby wason the way. “I suppose that situation made him more desperate about their living arrangement. He needs the furniture.” Sam sighed. When had she lost track of Kurt? Who was this man anyway? Her ex-husband and with each day she was happier about the ex part.
While Suzanne and Christy spun stories to make her feel better, she wondered about her friendships. Why had she come out for dinner? Maybe because the house seemed so empty. Sam hadn't seen her old friends for a while. But she hadn’t anticipated this update on Kurt and his new love.
Thank goodness Suzanne soon steered the conversation to their great family Christmas and Izzy’s baby.
“Boy, your sister’s brave,” Christy said, her heavily lined eyes widening.
“She is,” Suzanne said. “I have a cousin who adopted as a single. Hard road for sure, but she always wanted a baby.”
“That’s Izzy. And I’m proud of her.” The baby had caught them all by surprise but also left them in awe of Izzy’s decision.
Suzanne chattered about her twin granddaughters while Christy described a wonderful Christmas cruise to various European Christmas markets. Although Suzanne seemed to avoid details about the holiday parties, Christy gave a blow-by-blow description of food and attendees. Hearing about Kurt, Sam was glad she’d escaped to Michigan.
Glancing around the dimly lit restaurant, Sam realized with a sickening feeling that she'd chosen the wrong place to meet her friends. In the early days of their marriage, she’d come to Beatrix with Kurt. Back then, they’d had a lot to talk about. They were both so excited about building their new marketing agency together. Targeting pharmaceutical companies had been their lofty goal, which made achieving it even more precious. Making plans for their future together had kept them both excited and happy. Tonight she could see that excitement on the faces ofsome younger couples huddled at nearby tables. The shared anticipation. The joy in each other.
Those days were gone. Kurt was moving on with a new wife and a baby to come. She was sitting in their home, where she'd had the locks changed so that her ex-husband couldn't grab more of their furnishings. Somewhere she had to find her own joy. Would it be with Josh McCall? Or was this all happening too fast, as Marlowe had said?
“Earth to Samantha.” Over the rim of her Cosmo, Suzanne was viewing her with concern.
“Sorry. I'm just kind of…” Her voice drifted off. Christy and Suzanne exchanged a worried glance and both fell silent. “Sorry if I'm such a buzz kill. I should be wishing you guys a Happy New Year.” Sam raised her mango gin and tonic and, smiles back on their faces, her friends did the same.
“To the new year?” Suzanne said.
