Page 3 of Lakehouse Mistletoe
Now, all that was left of this life were a few boxes stacked by the door.
Twenty years of marriage had boiled down to a bunch of boxes.
A knock on the front door seemed to echo within the barren walls.
She walked slowly to the door and glanced out the glass before opening it.
Cybil stood on the other side with two cups of coffee balanced on top of a box of donuts. “Thought you might need some cheering up.”
Helen gave her a sad smile and stepped out of the way so she could enter. “That’s very kind of you, Cybil. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
Cybil kissed her cheek and headed toward the kitchen. “Nonsense. That’s what friends do. They bring you coffee and donuts to recognize the momentous day of the divorce being finalized.” She glanced at Helen. “From the looks of it, you need to eat two donuts.”
One of the side effects of divorce was losing fifteen pounds. She thought to herself, I guess a donut or two won’t hurt.
Helen smiled and pulled out two of the bar chairs from the kitchen island. Cybil slid into one and Helen into the other one.
“How did the estate sale go?” Cybil took a sip of her coffee, her gold bangles jingling together.
Helen picked up the cup and held it between her hands. “Everything sold. Even my grandmother’s buffet. The bank said I had to be out of the house by ten o’clock tomorrow.”
Cybil shook her head. “I can’t believe Carl had gotten into so much debt and even took out credit cards in your name. You’re a better woman than I am. I would have killed the man,” Cybil said with an arch of her brow.
Helen chortled mirthlessly. “As bad as that was, and the gambling, I think what sealed the deal for me was the adult online sites he kept visiting. Do you know he was paying a hundred dollars an hour to ‘talk’ to women online?”
Cybil pursed her lips into a thin white line. “He’s an idiot. And I’m glad you filed for divorce. Some women think they must stand by their man no matter what. Not me.”
Helen sighed softly. “I feel like an idiot. I never really knew who my husband was. I wasted twenty years. And the whole town is judging me.”
Cybil set her coffee down on the counter and took Helen’s hands into hers. “Now listen to me. The whole town is not judging you. In fact, the whole town wants to beat Carl within an inch of his life for what he has put you through. Besides, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It matters what you think.”
Helen’s shoulders slumped. “What I think is that I’m a fool. A broke fool. In the divorce agreement, I must pay back some of Carl’s debt as well. With the foreclosure of the house, the only assets I had were the furniture. While it put a dent in what I owe, it’s a small one, and I still need a job.”
Cybil nodded. “I can help with that. I can give you an opening as manager of one of my boutiques downtown. With kids going back to school, it’s one of my busiest times of year.”
Helen reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Cybil, I don’t know what I would have done if it had not been for you. You helped me get through a lot of nights when I couldn’t think straight. And dried all my tears.”
Cybil smiled. “That’s what I’m here for, darling.”
Helen reached for her phone. “While I appreciate the offer of a job, I can’t accept it.”
Cybil’s brows went up. “Can’t accept it? Why not?”
Helen pulled up an image and held it out for Cybil to see. “Because I accepted a job in North Carolina. As a caretaker for a bed and breakfast.”
Cybil went wide eyed. “But all your friends are here. You can’t just pick up and leave! You can’t just leave Arkansas and move to North Carolina. You don’t know anyone there.”
Helen knew her friend was going to say that. For the last three days she’d thought of nothing else but how to tell Cybil she was leaving.
“I know this feels like this is sudden. I applied online for the position three weeks ago. It’s in a small town called Hopeton. The bed and breakfast is on a lake.”
Cybil shook her head. “But you’ve never worked outside the home, Helen.”
Helen’s heart sunk. “That’s true. But I don’t really have that option now, do I?”
Cybil groaned. “That came out wrong, honey. I didn’t mean to sound like you’re not capable. What about your life here?”
Helen studied the floor. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. It’s true. But I need to start over somewhere and get a fresh start. Maybe this job won’t even work out. Maybe I’ll hate it. But you know what I hate even more?”
