“Have you always lived in Hope Harbor?” Diane pulled out of the church parking lot.
“Yes. In fact, I still live in my childhood home. I stayed there with my dad until he passed away, and my husband and I lived there after we got married.”
“Is he out of town?”
Lauren blinked.
Her divorce may not yet be common knowledge, but everyone in Hope Harbor knew she was separated.
Except maybe a woman who didn’t mingle with the locals and wasn’t privy to town scuttlebutt.
Diane sent her a contrite glance. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy. I just thought that could be the reason you were stranded at rehearsal.”
“No apology necessary. Most people know my husband and I separated last year. Not many know that our divorce came through a few weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Diane flipped on her turn signal, distress etching her features. “It’s always sad when a marriage falls apart.”
Lauren peeked over at her.
Was that an invitation to start a conversation on the subject—or a general comment?
“How long were you two married?” Diane hung a right.
Question answered.
She wanted to talk.
“Too long, in hindsight. But eleven years, to be precise. And it was a mistake from the beginning, which is also clear in hindsight. Dennis was controlling and jealous from the get-go. I learned to live with that, but his infidelity was the final straw.”
As the words fell from her mouth, she scrunched up her brow.
Why was she being so open with a woman she barely knew? One who’d kept herself apart from everyone in town for years?
Diane glanced over, distaste etched in her features. “He cheated on you?”
“Yes.” She could leave it at that, but the temptation to share more with this woman who was also in a troubled marriage was too strong to resist. “Multiple times, apparently.”
“That’s despicable.”
Lauren assessed her.
Unless her instincts were off, unfaithfulness wasn’t the problem in the Fisher household.
“I agree. It’s also very hard to forgive, even if your spouse asks for that. Mine didn’t.”
Diane eased back on the accelerator as the car in front of them made a sudden left turn. “Forgiveness is hard even when peopledoask for it. I mean, how do you know the same behavior won’t come back?”
Strange how easy it was to talk about this with Diane, despite the ten-year or more age gap between them. Much easier than with a sister who, as far as she knew, had no romantic ghosts in her past.
“I suppose that’s where trust comes in. If someone has a history of honoring promises, that’s a positive sign. The ability to recognize and acknowledge mistakes is too. Dennis failed on all counts.”
A few beats ticked by as Diane signaled another turn. “You make a good point.” She navigated the corner. “I can’t believe how much you’ve had to deal with. A cheating spouse would be bad enough, but a brain injury too? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Not by a long shot. “But the brain injuryisgiving me and Devyn a chance to reconnect.”
One side of Diane’s mouth quirked up. “I like your positive spin.”
Lauren assessed her out of the corner of her eye, fingering the clasp on her purse.
