Page 7 of The Lake House

“Oh, my god! Little Giuliana Bianchi? I knew I knew you! It’s me, Mrs. Abner! How have you been, dear?”

Oh my goodness, of course! How could I have forgotten Anna Abner? She used to be the daycare director before it shut down a few years ago. I remember Grandma telling me all about it.

“Mrs. Abner, hi! I’ve been good, and yourself? How is Mr. Abner?”

She smiles warmly at me. “Oh, you know, Greg. He’s always running around doing something. We’re both good.”

I nod with a smile of my own. “You’re working here now?”

“Not quite. We actually own this little place.”

My eyes widen. “Nice! That’s great!”

She shrugs. “Yeah, it’s not too bad. And besides, this is much easier than running around, chasing little legs under three feet tall.”

The both of us chuckle and then she asks, “So what brings you here after so long? You said you’ve moved into the house? How is your husband, by the way?”

Ugh, yeah. Of course, she didn’t know. I’m sure Grandma had told everyone about how her granddaughter married her college sweetheart, and she was living happily ever after. Who would have guessed things would have turned out this way?

I shrug, shaking my head. “I have no idea. We got divorced.”

She frowns. A genuine look of sorrow graces her face. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

“It’s okay. Thank you.” I don’t know what more to say. Whenever someone finds out about the end of my marriage, I always feel weird. How do you pick up the conversation again?

After a few moments, she adds, “I never thought he was good enough for you, keeping you away from home and all.”

Guess grandma told her he did that too. Silver Mist wasn’t my home, but it sort of felt like it. My childhood summer days were all spent here, and they were the ones I looked forward to the most.

“Yeah. He’s not a bad guy, but he just wasn’t happy anymore.” Okay, yeah. Maybe he is a bad guy. Maybe that’s what people think when they find out he cheated on me. But right now, I don’t really want to get into the whole cheating spiel with her. I hate admitting he cheated on me, like it’s something I did wrong. I know I’m not the one who should be ashamed, but I am. It’s as if I couldn’t satisfy him. And yet, I knew he was the one with the problem.

Her eyebrows furrow. “He wasn’t happy? Hmm. Well, I’m thinking you’re much better off, dear. Anyone who keeps you away from this beautiful town can’t be all that bright.” She winks.

Maybe so. Of course, I’d heard that before, but I don’t know. I hate that my marriage ended up in divorce. That was the one thing I never wanted to do: get divorced. In the end, I didn’t have a choice.

“Are you going to pick up teaching here now that you’ve moved in?” She cuts in again, maybe figuring this is not something easy for me to talk about. Although I’m the one who brought up what happened, it still stings. How can it not?

I’m just thankful the conversation has moved on to something else. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes. Maybe she sensed that. Maybe that’s why she changed the subject.

I slowly shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’m going to take some time to myself, sort of take a break from it all, and then maybe find something else to do. I think I need a change. Maybe apply for a receptionist position somewhere. I don’t really want anything more than a few hours a week once I decide to go back to work. At least not in the beginning.”

Mrs. Abner nods. “Well, dear. If when you’re ready to work you’re looking for something light just to keep you busy, you can always come down and help here. Greg and I would love to have you.”

A big smile stretches across my face. That would be perfect. “Seriously?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Abner! That would be wonderful. I will surely do that.”

We talk a bit more before I grab the bag off the counter, bid her goodbye, and make my way back. As I walk, I sip on my coffee, taking in the rich flavor.

“Mmm, just the way I like it,” I say.

Once I make it back to the house, I put away the few items I had purchased, trying to keep them as organized as possible. I think I know exactly where I want everything to go, but I’ll reorganize once I finish my coffee. There’s nothing I hate more than cold coffee that was once hot. Iced coffee is different. It’s supposed to be cold, and I love it. But when my piping hot coffee gets warm and then cold, it’s so gross to me.

Letting out a sigh, I take my cup back out on the porch. The beautiful sunny day overlooking the lake makes it look like a dream or a scene right out of a movie. The sky is cloudless, with the birds and butterflies dancing around in the air. I smile and plop down onto a recliner. I take one last sip, draining my cup, and place it on the ground next to my chair. It’s so peaceful out here, I can literally feel myself relaxing as I sit back and close my eyes. I wish I would have come here sooner. Maybe all this serenity would have helped me get over Todd and our divorce faster. Maybe.

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