Page 52 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
The car was still cold and Marlowe crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to kick herself. Now she had to deal with that unfortunate warning or neither one of them would sleep that night. They were about half an hour from Traverse City and the airport. She had a lot of time to dig herself out of this hole. No wonder Sam wanted to go home instead of staying longer in Charlevoix. Marlowe had spooked her.
“All I mean is that you recently finalized a divorce. At one point in your life you thought Kurt was your forever man. I would hate to see you go into something permanent so quickly again. Just in case.” Was she making any sense?
Glancing over, she saw her sister's forehead wrinkle tighter.Good job, Marlowe.
She plowed back in. “You know the old Josh, the guy back in high school. But do you know the new Josh, as he is now.”
Her sister was thinking hard about this. Marlowe had to explain. “I’ve known a couple of women in Florida who were married for a decent number of years, got divorced and then quickly remarried again. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.”
“It doesn’t?” Sam’s knuckles had turned white. “Why not?”
Marlowe ploughed on. “One newly divorced woman went to a high school reunion. Saw a guy she'd known in high school. But what she didn't know was that he'd been in and out of a psych hospital. That all came out after they got married. She ended up paying for the hospitalizations that came during their marriage. Depleted her entire IRA.”
“Oh my word.”
Now she'd really done it. Sam had turned pale and Marlowe wished she was the one behind the wheel. Marlowe licked herlips and jumped back in. “All I'm saying, Sam, is please take your time with Josh. Yes, we were friends with him in high school. He lives and works in Charlevoix so everyone knows him. He’s not a serial killer or a person with deep problems. But in that short amount of time since his wife died, do you think he’s ready for another serious relationship?”And are you?But she wouldn’t say that.
“It’s been two years but maybe he isn’t ready. You're always right.”
Marlowe snorted. How could her sister be so wrong? “No, Sam. I'm not always right. I'm just raising some points. How did dinner go at his house?”
The car fell silent. Marlowe wished she could read her sister's mind. But the air in the car stretched like a taunt rubber band. Not a good sign.
“Maybe I'm just imagining things.” Sam’s voice trembled. “But I don't think his kids like me.”
“What makes you say that? What did they say or do?” Good thing she was leaving town.
Marlowe wanted to march over to that house and wring their necks.
“Hayden wanted to spend all his time playing video games. Josh has a really nice house with a big family room and Hayden was tied up almost all evening with these games on the TV.”
“He’s a teenager, right?
“Thirteen, I think.”
“Maybe you could learn how to play video games too.”
“Who has time? What am I doing?” Sam ran a hand through her hair, which was not a good look. “If my house sells quickly, I’ll be packing everything up. We have to make decisions about Sunnycrest. And now I have to learn how to play a computer game?”
Samantha's voice had risen to panic mode. Traverse City was just ahead. Marlowe didn't have that much time left to fix this. “What about the girl?”
“Oh, she hates me, all right.” Sam's voice was flat and conclusive. “Wouldn’t even look at me. Barely said a word at dinner.”
Marlowe's heart squeezed. How she wished she could be there to help Sam work through this. Those brats! Didn't they realize that her sister was the kindest, most generous woman in the world?
“She probably just misses her mother. Remember those days?” She’d struck a painful chord. Sam had been seventeen when their parents were killed, and she’d taken on an adult role.
“You're right. She's probably miserable.” Sam shook her head. She was being tough on herself. Her sister was very good at doing that. But Marlowe wanted her to see this realistically. Josh had a role and a responsibility here. Why wasn’t he talking to his children about where he was in life and what their next step might be as a family? “I get that,” Sam said, sniffling and jabbing a hand at her red nose. “But everywhere I looked, there was a picture of Cynthia.”
A red flag popped up in Marlowe's mind “Really? He invited you for dinner and his wife's picture was still all over the house?”
Sam nodded. “Right. Big family portrait in the family room. Lots of vacation pictures on tables and the mantel. And Cynthia was beautiful, Marlowe. Blonde and beautiful. The pictures of her with Josh and the children were heartbreaking.”
Marlowe could not let this pass. “Sam,you’rebeautiful and you’re a caring woman who deserves better. I don't know about all the pictures. But I would hope that Josh would be more sensitive.” The pictures of his wife must have been a shock. Why didn’t Josh see that? What woman could cope with that?
“Josh’s kids are important and they’re part of the whole picture. Maybe because I don’t have any children, I didn’t see that. It isn’t just us on the beach anymore, Marlowe. No, it’s Josh and me, and then Hayden and Mia. I never should have gone there for dinner. Not so soon, anyway.”
She had a point but Marlowe didn’t want to dissect the timing issue now. “Right. But if Josh is serious about you--and having you over to meet his children is certainly serious--then he should be at the point of talking with his children about those pictures.”
