The Friendship List(96)

twenty-four


Unity drove the entire way home waiting to cry. She’d already planned she would get off at the closest exit and pull safely into a parking lot to have her breakdown, only it never happened. Not the tears, not the regret, not anything but happy aftershocks from a night spent with Thaddeus.

When she arrived back in Willowbrook, she drove past her own place and headed to Silver Pines where she parked in front of Dagmar’s house. Her friend opened the door before Unity could knock and invited her in.

When they were seated on the sofa, coffee and a tray of cookies in front of them, Unity looked at her friend.

“I spent the night with Thaddeus.”

Dagmar didn’t look impressed. “You were there a couple of weeks ago, weren’t you?”

“I spent the night in his bed.”

Dagmar’s eyebrows rose. “Ah, that’s a different story. Tell me—” She looked away and then back at Unity. “Oh, dear. I’ve found a boundary I can’t cross.” She laughed. “While I want to hear my dear boy is a wonderful lover, we are just too close.” She smiled. “Just tell me everything worked out.”

Unity grinned at her. “It did. You don’t have to worry about him sullying the family name.”

“Oh, good. Are you all right?”

A logical question. “I am. I’m good. Last night was incredible.”

They’d made love several times and she’d slept in his arms. She had assumed it would be difficult for her to share a bed again, but she’d fallen asleep easily and had slept deeply until his roaming hands had awakened her in the most delicious way possible.

“I’m ready to let go,” she said firmly.

Dagmar didn’t look convinced. “Do you want to let go? Truly?”

“It’s time. I’ve learned that I’ve spent my whole life waiting. Waiting to marry Stuart, waiting for our lives to start, waiting to have children. I’ve followed rules that made no sense because I thought I was supposed to.” She swallowed. “I’ve wasted so much time I’ll never get back. I want more. I want a man who loves me and babies. I want to be happy. I don’t want to spend the next twenty years waiting to be old enough to move to Silver Pines so I can live out my life, waiting to die.”

“Then start doing that,” her friend told her. “Make a plan. Take the steps. You know the clichés. Some days it’s easy and some days it isn’t, but eventually you make progress.” She took Unity’s hand. “You’re not going to forget him, my darling girl. Stuart will always be with you. Over time the memories become treasures rather than blows to the heart.”

“I hope that’s true. He was a good man, but he’s not with me anymore.” And while she didn’t speak the obvious, she knew it down to her bones. Stuart would not be happy with how she’d been living her life. Or not living it.

Dagmar sighed. “You’re going to break my boy’s heart, aren’t you?”

The question surprised Unity. “Why would you say that? Of course not. We’re in a great place.”

Sadness darkened Dagmar’s eyes. “For now. But the reckoning is coming. Oh, dear. I should have seen that before. What was I thinking?”

Unity touched her arm. “I won’t hurt him. I promise I won’t.”

“Don’t promise that, silly child. The pain is inevitable. It’s the afterward that will tell us the future.”

  The Willowbrook fruit stand had been located right off the freeway at mile marker 109 for as long as Ellen had been alive. What had started as a simple roadside stand had grown into a destination for travelers from June until early October.

The big barn had been converted into the actual market. In addition to local produce, they sold honey, baked goods, eggs and crafts. In the back was a petting zoo for the kids, a couple of friendly dogs, available for adoption from the local animal shelter, a picnic area and food stand that sold sandwiches, barbecued burgers and hot dogs, along with drinks and chips. There was a playground where kids could burn off some energy and very well-maintained bathrooms for all.

Ellen had started working summers at the fruit stand when she was just fifteen. The hours were flexible and the pay excellent—both of which she’d appreciated even more, after she’d had Coop. Now that she was an adult, she continued to work a few hours a week there in summer.

She’d just finished putting out several baskets of apricots when Coop wandered into the barn. He glanced around, as if looking for someone, then smiled when he saw her.

“Mom, I got the tickets!” he said as he crossed to her.

“I leave on Sunday,” he said, practically bouncing in place as he spoke. “I’m gone for two weeks.” His grin broadened. “And I’m flying first class. Can you believe it?”

Each word knocked her around a little until she was unable to focus on anything other than the Sunday part.

“You’re leaving in four days?” she managed.

Coop looked concerned. “Why are you upset? We talked about this.”

They had talked about him going to visit his father for a week and later in the summer. She pressed a hand to her chest to try to catch her breath.

She wanted to throw herself at Coop and beg him not to leave. She wanted to make him promise that no matter what, he would come back. Because that was her greatest fear—that Jeremy would be all perfect and such a good time that Cooper would want to finish his senior year at some upscale private school, and that he would totally forget about his mother.