Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“You’re still watching his old games?”
“Cheez-Its on a cracker.” Opening my eyes, I grab my chest but then slam my laptop closed like I was caught watching porn. “You scared me, Fall. Announce yourself.”
“Do you prefer I go with ‘I, Lady Autumn of the Seasons of Mountain Laurel Cove’?” She cracks herself up. “Or does shouting ‘I’m coming in’ work better for you?” She sits in the chair at the desk, crossing her legs and looking bored.
I drop my hands beside me on the bed, and I roll my head to the side to see her. “A knock will suffice.”
“The door was wide open. Isn’t that the universal signal for come on in?” She turns toward the mirror and takes a green bauble necklace down to try on. “Still blue over your beau?”
“I half watch just to see him or hear his voice in interviews. It relaxes me.” My arms fall wide beside me. I don’t tell her that I fall asleep with his games playing and have been spending time learning about hockey. “I’m hopeless.”
“You’re not. You’ve just lost some of your spark. You’ll get it back, and you don’t need a man for that.”
“What about a cottage? Think that would help?”
Getting up, she comes and flops on the bed next to me. “A cottage should do it.” Rolling over, she says, “Will you fasten this for me?”
“It’s not helped that I’ve worked so much at the Honey Hive this month.” I sit up again and take the clasp of the necklace and hook it together. “Fall, I’ve been putting in forty- and fifty-hour shifts to help get the shop off the ground.”
“July is peak tourist season, Sum. I even picked up a Honey Hive shift after a twelve-hour shift at the hospital.” She rubs my arm. “I know Winter appreciates our help.”
I know she’s right and that Winter does appreciate it. But even if she didn’t, I think I’d probably find myself doing the same thing, anyway. I can’t fill every minute of my day with old hockey videos.
“I keep thinking maybe it’s a godsend to keep me occupied. The other cottage has had a lot of turnovers, too. A new renter every week. Cleaning, prepping, shopping. My spark is exhausted.”
And … sad.
I catch my sister’s kind eyes and the sympathy she has for me. I’ve tried desperately to keep myself busy and moving, filling every moment so I don’t have time to think too much about him. It’s kept me from having a total meltdown because I don’t have time for it. But seeing my sadness reflected hits hard, and when she places her hand on top of mine, my bottom lip begins to quiver.
“I miss him,” I whisper, the words freed in the room for the first time. Will I ever be able to catch them to hide in the back of the closet and ignore again? I’ll have to. They’re too heavy to carry around and weigh my shoulders down. “I’m afraid of how terrible it’s going to be when I’m not so busy that I have to sit with my feelings.”
Taking my hand between both of hers, she says, “He’s an athlete who travels a lot for his job. This isn’t a one-off. This is how it’s going to be more often than not. You, sweet sister, need to figure out if this is the life you want, if it’s one you can live with or not.”
“That’s what I was trying to do with the meditation. Figure out life’s path for me.”
She grins. “Have you tried a shorter, deeper ohm?” She slides off the bed to admire the necklace on her neck in the mirror, her gaze latching to mine in the reflection.
“I can’t tell you anything.” I know I can trust my sisters to take our secrets to the grave, but it’s fun to still tease her.
“You can. Always, and it will stay between us.” Walking to the door, she waves her arm in the air. “Put the hockey game back on.” She laughs. “If it works, it works, and I’m sure there’s some peer-reviewed study to back the science behind seeing a partner succeed as encouraging and motivating … or something like that. Can I borrow this necklace?”
I don’t need an obscure study to tell me that seeing and hearing the love of my life puts me in a better mood. I feel it as strongly as his love for me. “Yes. It looks good on you. Where are you going?”
She grabs the doorframe and balances her weight with a smile that feels like she’s up to no good. “Lunch date. I’m off for the next two days, so I said yes. He came in with a broken arm last night.” She giggles. “As you know, it’s hard to find a guy in the Cove when they aren’t spontaneously dropped into your lap or renting the house next door. Lucky you. What a score.” Her giggles turn into all-out laughter. “Good luck today. You got this!”