You want nothing but patience—or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope. —Sense and Sensibility
18
Elinor
The painting on the wall makes my office complete. Perhaps I should offer it to my sister, the only other descendant of Grandma Nora—but no, there’s no way I’m giving up this portrait.
I admire how perfectly it fills in the blank space on the wall next to the door. And then I begin to feel a little anxious. Is the painting a thoughtful gift—or a bribe?
Stop overthinking, darling!I can almost hear my grandma say as her black painted eyes watch me with amusement.A handsome man gives you an expensive gift. There’s only one way to interpret that.
“But grandma...” I say out loud and snap my mouth shut. What am I doing talking to an inanimate object?
***
When I finally leave the hotel, thesky is pink and purple with sunset. I delayed going home as long as possible. Not willing to risk a chance sighting of Edward—or worse, Lucinda—as I walk about the resort, I used the time to catch up on paperwork
As I wend my way home, I decide not to tell my mom and sister about Edward’s visit. I’m not sure who I’m protecting here—Edward or myself.
His motives are sweet, but what was he thinking? I value logic and sense, and promising that we could live in his cottage is, at best, impractical, however well meant—and it complicates everything between us in a way I don’t know how to undo.
Yet, if I tell my mom and Annie about it, they won’t see the conflict. They’ll view Edward’s offer as nothing more than romantic.
I find them on the front porch, snacking on a charcuterie board Annie put together. I know my sister made it because it’s garnished with edible flowers. I never eat them, but they do make her cheese boards so much prettier. The sun has set, but full darkness hasn’t yet settled. The sky is a soft gray blue, the pine forest behind our home a deep navy, and the mist rolling in a muted silver. My mom has opened a bottle of wine, which is not the norm for a Tuesday evening. She offers me a glass, and though I rarely drink, I decide that after my day, I could use one.
I’m surprised by how good it tastes. “This is really nice,” I say after my first sip.
“Edward brought it by,” Annie says with a sly smile.
“Did he?” I take another sip.
“Yes, he said he already saw you.” My mom looks at me curiously. “I invited him to dinner, and he said something that made me think maybe things between you two are...” My mom takes another drink as she searches for the right word. “Complicated.”
“That would be accurate.”
“What did you do to him?” asks Annie. “The guy looked heartsick.” My sister has a tendency to overstate things—especiallywhen it comes to romance. So I must assume this is also an exaggeration. Edward can’t be too upset about his falling out with me. We hardly know each other. I look to my mom for verification, even though I know she is only one degree more reasonable than Annie.
“He was his charming self, but a bit subdued,” says my mom. “He seemed a little forlorn—like his puppy just died.”Cat, I think to myself,Edward is a cat person.The thought makes me smile.
“What did you do to the poor man?” asks Annie.
“Nothing—that was just his guilty conscience. His boss visited me this afternoon.”
“Oh! I think I saw her!” exclaims Annie. She must be the lady who was talking with Edward and Brandon in the lobby. I hate her.”
“Really? I mean, I don’t like her either. But what makes you say that?”
“She was all over poor Brandon from the moment Edward introduced him. And she’s like mom’s age.”
“Weren’t you the one who called Brandon ancient?” I ask, momentarily distracted.
“Ancient compared to me. But he’s at least a decade younger thanthatwoman. And he looked so uncomfortable. She placed her hand on his chest and asked him about his fitness routine. Can you imagine?” Yes, after meeting Lucinda Steele Icouldimagine. She struck me as a woman who learned young to use her sexuality as a tool. It’s not how I would want to go through life. But perhaps at one time it was the only way she knew to survive.
“What did Brandon say?” my mom asks. “Ihavebeen curious—that man’sbuilt, and considering his healthy appetite, he must be doing something.” Brandon and Pepper have become regulars at the cafe. My mom loves to spoil both of them, often throwing in a free cinnamon roll with breakfast or a slice of pie with lunch.
“He didn’t bother to answer her. Brandon would never go for a woman like that. He just called for Pepper, and the three of us high-tailed it out of there.”
Since the sea otter kayaking trip last weekend, Annie has been spending more time with Brandon and Pepper. My mom has hopes that she and Brandon will fall in love. It’s a match I could certainly get behind. We all love Brandon and Pepper, butcontrary to all the laws of nature, Brandon doesn’t seem that interested in Annie—which is just as well, since she swears up and down that she has no interest in him.
