She finished her dinner, then went upstairs to shower and change into a pair of sweats. Cherie covered her feet with a pair of thick cotton socks, picked up her cell phone, and went to sit out on the porch. The former owners hadn’t taken with them the all-weather Adirondack chairs with blue-and-white cushions in various prints and designs that were a match for the shutters. Along with the balcony outside the master bedroom, the porch was a perfect spot to begin or end the day.
The scent of saltwater wafted to her nostrils with the rising wind off the ocean. The temperatures had dropped appreciably with the onset of dusk, but she loathed getting up and going inside to get a jacket or heavy sweater. How different, she thought, from when she’d sat on her condo’s balcony to watch cars enter and leave the development. Not only didn’t she have to encounter any of her neighbors or engage in chitchat with those who had tried unsuccessfully to get to know her intimately, but to those who had been bold enough to ask her how she could afford to purchase a two-bedroom unit, she’d responded that she’d had a wealthy benefactor who had rewarded her for looking after his son. None knew that she’d been involved with the property owner’s son.
Her cell phone rang, and she answered before the second ring. “Are you calling to check up on me?” she asked Kayana, teasingly.
“You know I am. After all, I have to make certain our book club sister is okay.”
Cherie smiled. “I’m fine, Kayana.”
“The offer still holds if you want to stay in the upstairs apartment until you’re settled in.”
“Thank again for your concern, but I am really okay here. I’m glad you called before going away because I’m thinking about having some of the rooms painted. Could you give me the name of someone reputable I could use?”
“There is someone we’ve used a few times. He has a business on the mainland. After we hang up, I’ll text you his name and phone number. When you call him, let him know that I recommended him to you. His name is Sylvester Connolly, but everyone calls him Sly. He’s a perfectionist, so you may have to put up with his idiosyncrasies and get familiar with his mercurial moods.”
Cherie laughed. “If that’s the case, I’ll make certain to stay out of his way.”
“You learn fast. I’m not going to keep you, but let me know if you need anything before we leave.”
“I don’t think so. I really appreciate you thinking about me, but I want you and your boo to enjoy yourselves. And if you can’t be good, then please be careful.”
Kayana’s sultry laugh came through the earpiece. “Unlike you, there is no risk of my getting pregnant, so we don’t have to be careful.”
The mention of pregnancy rendered Cherie temporarily mute. She’d gotten pregnant once, and there was always the possibility that she could do so again, yet it was something she refused to think about. And if she did decide to have another child, the circumstances were certain to be vastly different from the first time. Not only did she want to bring her baby to term and keep it, but she also wanted to be married and have her child grow up with two parents.
“Right now, having a baby is not on my to-do list.”
“Perhaps not now, Cherie. But what about in the future?” Kayana asked. “Maybe you’ll meet someone, fall in love, and start a family. Leah and I can take turns babysitting whenever you need to take some time to yourself.”
Cherie smiled, although Kayana couldn’t see her. “You have it all planned out for me, don’t you?”
“Why not? Leah and I are booed up, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be, too.”
“Right now, I don’t have time to be, as you say, booed up. I have much too much on my plate to get involved with a man. Give me a few years, then I’m certain I’ll get there.”
“I’m glad you’re keeping your options open. I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but you’re a lot more enjoyable now than you were when you came down here last summer.”
“I know I wasn’t very nice to Leah. At the time, I was dealing with my own shit, but that’s behind me now.” Cherie didn’t want to admit to Kayana that relocating was the best thing she’d done to put her past behind her.
“Good for you. Leah and I were talking about when you want to begin holding our book club meetings again.”
A beat passed. “I’d like to begin again in the spring. That will give us a lot more time to read several books before the summer season when you guys will really be busy.”
“How often do you want to meet?” Kayana asked.
“Once a month works for me,” Cherie said. “It takes the pressure off trying to finish a book in a week.”
“I’ll let Leah know. I’ve held your ear long enough, so I’m going to hang up now. Have a very merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.”
“Same to you.”
That said, Cherie ended the call. It wouldn’t be the first time she would spend Christmas and New Year’s alone since her brothers left to attend the military academies, but this time it would be different. She planned to gift herself with a piece of jewelry to commemorate a new beginning and prepare a special dinner with champagne to celebrate the new year.
She would be alone, but not lonely. Not when she’d spent more than half her life alienated from her prep school and college classmates and those in the neighborhood where she’d grown up. She was glad that she’d rekindled some connection with her mother and truly looked forward to the time when Edwina would come down to visit with her.
Her grandmother was gone, Jamal was gone, and her twins brothers had embarked on a life in the military, so that left Edwina, and Cherie hoped they could have a normal mother–daughter relationship sooner rather than later.
The solar porchlights came on automatically as she got up and went into the house. She planned to go to bed early and get enough sleep to be ready for the movers, who were scheduled to arrive at eight the following morning.
