Page 37 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
“Don’t know and really don’t care. How can he afford that area on half the income we once brought in together?”
The situation still sounded unfair after all those years of marriage. But Marlowe was glad that her sister wasn’t going to let her divorce get to her. Some women went on a revenge tour with their ex. From what Marlowe had seen, it didn’t help you move on with your life. “We’re working on our future,” she reminded her sister. “Not rehashing the past.”
“You bet,” Sam said, heaving a sigh.
By that time they were on Highway 31, headed north. The road skirted Grand Traverse Bay. In the late afternoon light, the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon. Sunsets over the lake were spectacular and Marlowe's spirit lifted. Once she moved up here, she wanted to watch as many as she could. The snow sparkling around them brought such peace. But her sister's news about Kurt was still disturbing. “I hope he didn't take anything you really care about.”
Sam snorted. “How can you have an emotional attachment to leather recliners? He'd never liked the oriental rugs and most of those are still on the floors. I think they'll look great in Sunnycrest.”
“So you’re thinking of living there?” This was a delicate topic, one they hadn’t discussed in detail. There were four bedrooms and one would most likely be under construction all the time.
“I'm not sure.” Sam looked pensive, staring out over the steering wheel. “But at the beginning, I might. Izzy needs some help.”
Her sister had a point. “Definitely. She sounded a little overwhelmed after that first meeting with the contractors. We promised to support her during all the changes. That means staying at Sunnycrest for a while. There's plenty of room. We’ll make it work.” The four bedroom home was huge, but Marlowe still wasn’t sure about the timing for herself. Rollaway beds were always a possibility.
“If they start tearing out the walls or whatever they're going to do, that will probably be a noisy mess.”
“Right. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” They were driving through Elk Rapids and traffic slowed. The little towns that characterized northern Michigan were charming. She loved the historical feel to them and hoped to explore more once she was up here to stay.
“What about you, Marlowe?” Sam asked. “Did you put your condo on the market?”
That was a tough question and she hoped Sam would understand. Marlowe drew in a deep breath. “Not yet. If I put my condo up for sale, everyone in the agency will start asking questions.”
Sam nodded. “You probably don't want them to know until you pull the plug, right?” They were out of the town and Sam picked up speed.
“Exactly.” It gave her butterflies when she thought of telling Landon that she was leaving the agency. But it also filled her with a deep satisfaction. He'd been such a rat. She'd been trying to establish some kind of relationship with Jenna again so that she could warn the younger girl about their married boss and his big lie. But the right opportunity had never come up.
They’d reached an area of farm fields. Nothing was growing now and the fields were still white with snow. During the summer, vegetable stands sprang up along this road with plenty of room for cars to turn off. “At least it's not snowing today.”
“No, this is one of those days where you can see forever. I wonder if the ice floes have formed down on the beach.”
Marlowe laughed. She'd forgotten about the winter waves that turned into ice edging the lake in winter. “Remember when Dad caught us hauling the red plastic sled onto the ice?”
“I thought he was going to have a heart attack.”
Her laugh faded. The ice floes were no laughing matter. “And for good reason. There was that accident in South Haven where a child fell through the ice.” The car got quiet. The lake could be treacherous in the winter. City people at the time, as children they hadn’t fully understood that.
“We got into plenty of trouble together,” Sam finally said. “Most of it was harmless fun.”
“When you're in your teenage years, you don't see danger lurking everywhere. Shimmying down the drainpipe from the flat roof outside my bedroom probably wasn't very bright either.”
“Adventurous,” Sam offered with a smile. “We never thought about what would happen if we missed the bushes below.”
“Back then everything was fun. Luckily we never broke an arm or a leg. Speaking of which, how's your ankle?”
“I don't even think about it anymore.” Her lips tipped up into a soft smile.
“You have Josh to take care of it, right?” She hated to press her sister too much about Josh.
“Sort of. He did say he wanted to look at it when I get to Charlevoix.”
For a while they rode in companionable silence. The forests they passed through were throwing deep shadows over thesnow. Marlowe was thinking about her guilt over what had happened when she took Sam cross country skiing.
What was on Sam’s mind right now? A secret smile lifted her lips. She was probably thinking about Josh, who’d appeared at the top of the ski trail that day. He’d helped them back up to the trail and had called the paramedics. In charge and considerate. Even as a young man, Josh McCall had been a considerate guy who knew how to laugh, but never at anyone else’s expense. Now he was a widower with two children. Who knew what would happen with Sam and Josh? But for now her sister seemed happy.
“What about working up here?” Sam said. “You collected all those cards of realtors over the holidays. Have you made any connections?”
“Gabby mentioned that they could use help in their agency. She wants me to come over and meet her husband. I have an appointment with them tomorrow. I'm kind of excited because her agency deals mostly with the Bar Harbor area.”
