The three friends sat in silence. Evie didn’t know what to say. She wanted to be supportive, but the look of anguish on Penny’s face was more than she could bear.
“Honey, are you sure about this?” Taya asked, her expression kind.
Penny gave a quick nod. “It’s the best thing for us right now.”
“But your animals…” Evie began.
“They’ll be fine. In fact, I think it’s a good thing for me to have a break. I’ve been working so hard for so long. I haven’t had a real holiday in years, besides our honeymoon. This is my chance to have a rest, for us to build our marriage and for Rowan to show me what he does for a living.”
“I think it’s great,” Bea said, her eyes full of sadness.
“Definitely. You’re going to love it,” Evie added. Penny needed their encouragement—the decision was already made. And besides, she was right. She needed a break.
“I knew Rowan wasn’t satisfied working at the refuge, but there must be more to it,” Taya added. “You don’t have to tell us anything, but you’re looking so gaunt.”
Taya was worried about Penny. Evie knew her better than anyone, and Evie felt the same way. She didn’t want to encourage Penny to leave her support network if Rowan would make her life miserable no matter where they lived.
“I’m fine,” Penny replied. “I don’t eat when I’m anxious, and having an unhappy husband is stressful. I’m worried we made a mistake getting married so quickly. I feel like I hardly know him. The happy, easygoing man I knew is gone. Instead, I have an irritable bear of a man who hardly speaks to me other than to complain about our lives together. I’m being unfair, I know that. He’s not so bad, but it feels that way to me. I’m walking on eggshells all the time.”
“That’s awful,” Evie said, her heart aching. “Are you certain you want to leave the island to spend all your time with him, relying on him for everything?”
“I’ve got to give it a shot,” Penny replied. “If it doesn’t work out, I can come home, but I’ve got to try. We committed our lives to one another. If he’s unhappy, I’ll do what I can to help him. If I’m unhappy, I hope he’ll do the same.”
Taya inhaled a sharp breath. “I hate this.”
“Me too,” Penny said. “But I don’t hate the idea of traveling the world with my fancy-pants journalist husband. My dream is that he wakes up from his foul mood and becomes the man I fell in love with all over again.”
“Maybe he needs counselling,” Bea offered. “It can help sometimes.”
“I think that’s a great idea. When we’re out on the road, I’ll suggest it. He might be open to it. I know he’s seen a therapist in the past.”
“A lot has happened in the past six months,” Evie said. “I’m sure you’re both feeling a lot of emotions about everything.”
“You’re right. He won’t talk about any of it. I think it’s eating away at him,” Penny replied, then rubbed her eyes. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“No wonder,” Taya replied. “You poor thing.”
“We’ll be thinking of you,” Evie added.
“Yes and you can call us anytime,” Bea said.
Penny laughed through a blur of tears. “What would I do without you?”
On the drive home from Bea’s house, Evie listened to some upbeat music and wound the windows down on her four-wheel drive. The wind blew her hair until it was tied in knots while she sang along to the music at the top of her lungs. The lunch with her friends had left her emotionally drained, but strangely uplifted. Being around them reminded her that she wasn’t alone, even though it often felt that way.
She cruised past the smouldering ruins of her bookshop and was reminded that she had to call the insurance company among a hundred other tasks that she’d written down on a yellow notepad in her kitchen before she left that morning. It was overwhelming, and she wasn’t sure where to begin.
Her phone rang. She turned down the music. “Hello?”
“Hi, Evie. It’s Brett here. I thought I’d give you a call since I didn’t hear from you this morning.”
She slapped a hand to her forehead. She’d forgotten to call her contractor. He didn’t know about that the building had been burned to the ground and was still planning on finishing the painting later in the week.
With a clenched stomach she explained to him what had happened. He was thoughtful and kind and expressed his condolences. When they hung up the phone, Evie’s good mood was gone. She wound up the windows and slumped down into her seat as she parked in the garage and switched off the engine. Then with a sigh, she climbed out of the car and wandered into the house.
Emily sat on the couch with a cup of tea. “I boiled the kettle if you want a cuppa.”
“Thanks.” Evie poured herself a cup and joined her sister.
