So maybe it was time to reconsider her relationship with the sister who’d trekked more than three thousand miles on a moment’s notice to offer love and support—and who seemed ready and willing to make a new start.
12
Diane finished the last bite of her Sunday afternoon dinner from the Myrtle, closed the takeout container, and picked up the one remaining cookie from the plate of a dozen Anna had left for her.
Despite being used to solo meals after the long hours Martin worked, it would have been nice to eat at the café instead of bringing her food home. It was sad to have only a book or TV show for companionship night after night. The best meals were social occasions shared with family or friends.
A solitary dinner at the Myrtle wouldn’t have offered much companionship, of course, but the chatter and laughter of other diners would have added a pleasant backdrop.
However ... after the murmur that had run through the crowd when she’d auditioned forOklahoma, the thought of subjecting herself to more scrutiny and speculation had dinged her appetite.
On the plus side, no one at the Coos Bay library had taken much notice of the new staff member. Martin might be a big fish in the small pond of Hope Harbor, but the sphere of interest in the Fisher family had a small radius.
She rose and wandered over to the window as she munched on her cookie.
Anna was on the patio, watering the pots that rimmed it. Nurturing the flowers, coaxing them to bloom.
Like friends did for each other—if you were fortunate enough to have any.
She didn’t, despite what Martin seemed to think.Friendwas far too generous a term for the women she’d met in the Coos Bay every-other-month book club she’d joined.Acquaintancewas more accurate. Friendship required trust and sharing, and given Martin’s obsession with image, he would have been furious if she’d vented to anyone about her issues at home.
Anna moved on to the birdfeeder and replenished it from a bag of seed. More evidence of her caring nature, and consistent with the scuttlebutt that the woman liked to take in strays—both human and nonhuman.
After brushing the crumbs off her fingers, Diane folded her arms.
Lucky for her, the woman’s annex had been available and Anna had been willing to take her in. It wasn’t as if she’d had any family to turn to. No siblings, and Mom and Dad were both gone. Not that they would have been sympathetic to her plight, anyway. Dad had been an overbearing world-class chauvinist, and Mom would have scolded her for complaining about a faithful husband who worked hard and gave her a comfortable life.
At least her charity work had kept her occupied over the years. Otherwise, she’d have gone stir—
Her cell began to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket.
Lucas?
When had he last initiated a phone call with her?
Too long ago to remember.
Truth be told, she’d been lucky to get an occasional response to her texts once he went away to college—until this week, when he’d replied to both of her pings.
But a phone call was different.
Either they were forging new ground faster than she’d hoped for, or something was up.
She put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Lucas. This is a happy surprise.”
“Are you busy?”
“Never too busy to talk to you. How was your first week at the design studio?” She’d already texted that question, but maybe in a phone call she’d get more than a thumbs-up emoji.
“Good. The people are cool, and my boss said after I learn the ropes, he’s going to give me a couple of projects to work on. Those could be portfolio items.”
Diane’s lips curved up at his enthusiasm. Day and night from the cocky teen who’d vandalized and bullied and ended up with an underage DUI.
Thank heaven the chaplain in the juvenile detention center had helped him turn his life around after she and Martin failed at that task.
But that was in the past, and lamenting her mistakes wouldn’t fix them. All she could do was try harder to be the kind of mom he needed in the future.
She forced a bright note into her voice. “I’m glad it’s going well.”
