No matter that she thought about him constantly, or couldn’t wait to see him again.
Nothing could turn this moment in time into forever.
CHAPTER 35
The rain soaking the grass seeped into her soft leather shoes as Colette walked umbrella to umbrella with Simone on their way to the burial site. The church funeral was simple and touching. A soft weeping could be heard drifting from the pews, laying a heaviness on her that settled in her chest. She hadn’t often had to deal with death in her life, and nothing had ever felt so final. There was no going back from such a loss. Jack’s loved ones had to reconcile with the reality of him being there one day, then forever gone the next.
It was a lot to wrap her head around.
The finality of death was breathtaking.
His story ended abruptly, leaving only blank pages to finish the book.
Though she didn’t know Jack that well, she could see how the loss affected everyone around her. It wasn’t hard to imagine the pain of his lovely widow, the older woman’s nose buried in a tissue as the priest spoke. For some, religion provided solace and comfort. Colette was amazed how even the smell of the church could be evocative, the scent of polished wood, old books, and fabrics mingling with the moisture-laden air coming from outdoors.
A cold drizzle tapped softly on her umbrella she stepped carefully toward the open grave. Death wasn’t something she thought about often. Having the heart condition always made her feel a little closer to death than others, given that her major life-giving organ had been flawed since the day she was born. She didn’t give it much thought in her day-to-day life. Colette wanted to spend her time living, not worrying about what could be, or what would never be.
For her first funeral as an adult, the atmosphere was sobering. The gloomy shades of clothing, the way the grave was perfectly dug for the coffin, which rested upon straps to be lowered into the ground. The bump of Simone’s umbrella against hers was a comfort, a reminder that they had each other. And that they were probably standing too close.
Her attention caught on the fresh earth as they came closer to the group of mourners. The dirt looked so soft, like she could run her hands through the fluffy mounds, and it would drift through her fingers like flour. The scent of rain mingled with exposed earth reminded her that it was more likely soaked.
A deep sigh escaped her mouth as her eyes rested on the gleaming wood casket. Where Jack was once a living, breathing person, in the blink of an eye, he was a cold body in a box, off to a place where no one could follow. Colette’s lip trembled as she searched the crowd for the widow. Having sat at the back of the church, Colette and Simone had slipped out easily, both eager to breathe the freshness of the air after the stifling church.
The rest of the King family emerged from the church in a cluster and walked closer to the grave, closer to Jack. Colette respectfully hung back, not feeling like she could take a front row spot when she had only known the man for a little while. Surrounded by other members of the town, Colette watched the ceremony unfold from a distance. She was unsure if she wascomfortable with the concept of death. It seemed so surreal. The finality of it was incomprehensible.
Her gaze was drawn to Marshall; his arm draped over his mother’s shoulder as she dabbed a tissue at the corners of her eyes. They were tucked under a black umbrella together, walking toward the front of the crowd. Evan held an umbrella for a woman Colette hadn’t met before, their faces somber as they made their way past them. As though sensing her eyes on him, Marshall turned, their gazes meeting for a fleeting glance before he bent his head to whisper words in his mother’s ear.
A chill ran down Colette’s spine as she rubbed her lips together and waited for the rest of the funeral guests to arrive. Shivering in her rain jacket, Colette tucked her free hand in her pocket, hoping to warm it up. She watched as Marshall joined the front of the crowd, turning and shaking hands with neighbors and friends. He gave a sad nod and hugged another person, whom Colette could not identify from her vantage point. She wished she could see him, hold his hand, and help him through this difficult time, but they were so new.
She hadn’t earned the right to be there for him.
At least not openly.
Being groped by his accountant would not be well perceived by his family, her employer. Though Marshall had cleared it with his grandfather, she didn’t know what everyone else in the family knew. From her place at the back of the crowd, it was hard not to feel like an outsider, an intruder on an intimate moment with the townspeople of Rosebud.
Huffing a breath, she schooled herself to focus on what was important.
She was here for Jack as he was put to rest in his final resting place. Standing on her tiptoes, she searched for the best angle from which to see the casket, hovering silently as the rain slowlycovered every inch of the lid with a scattering of drops. Blinking back tears, Colette spared a thought for Jack.
He couldn’t feel the rain anymore.
The pain of losing him would leave them with more devastation to spare.
Dropping the umbrella to her side, Colette tilted her head up to the sky.
She welcomed the numbing pain of the cold and the splatters of the raindrops on her exposed skin.
Both were a reminder of the blood pumping in her veins and the heart beating in her chest. Moving beneath Simone’s umbrella, she wrapped her arm around her friend and rested her head on her shoulder.
CHAPTER 36
Huddled under his umbrella, Marshall squeezed his mother’s shoulder.
“They’re coming,” Evan said, turning to look beside the mass of people that gathered for the funeral. Marshall watched the group of five women clad in black suits and coats, with a variety of hats propped stylishly on each of their heads.
“It’s sweet how they hold each other up,” Marshall said quietly, his gaze following the older women as they came to join them in front of the casket.
“Yeah, but like, only one of them lost their husband. Why do they all have to make such a dramatic entrance like that?” Evan grumbled. “It’s pure theater.”
