Charlotte smiled as she read the e-mail. “Leave it to Myra and Charles to take care of everything.” She immediately felt a weight lift from her shoulders.... Or was it from her mind?

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Myra gushed on the phone to Annie. “Guess who’s coming for a visit?”

“Knowing you, Myra, it could be the queen of England,” Annie teased.

“Well, at least you have the country correct, smartypants. But it’s Charlotte! She was visiting her daughter in London and is stopping here on her way back to Aspen.”

Annie had first met Charlotte when they were young teenagers, when Charlotte’s family had lived on Myra’s parents’ farm. The last time the three of them had been together was when they took a trip to Sedona, Arizona, to “sit on a few rocks.” They still giggled over how sore their backsides were after climbing Bell Rock and perching on the Schnebly Hill Formation to experience the sunrise at the summer solstice. They would often debate about what hurt their bottoms more: the red rocks or sliding down the banister of Myra’s farmhouse.

“It will be nice to see her again,” Annie replied. “What brings her here? Besides to visit with her girlfriends?”

Myra fiddled with her pearl necklace, a habit she had developed many years ago, when she would be lost in thought after the death of her daughter, Barbara. “Hmmm . . . I—”

Annie immediately interrupted her. “I know that ‘hmmm,’ and I bet that right now you’re clinging to those pearls.”

“Oh, aren’t you the clever one?” Myra shot back.

“Maybe it’s because I know you so well. Spill. What’s going on?” Annie could be a relentless interrogator when she wanted to get to the heart of the matter.

“I received a letter from her yesterday. She seemed . . . out of sorts, you could say.”

“We all feel out of sorts from time to time. How out? And what kind of sorts?” Annie often said it was like pulling teeth to get Myra to talk about her feelings or something she wasn’t sure she could share.

“She’s having some . . . How did she put it? ‘Foggy moments,’” Myra replied.

Annie kept prodding. “That’s not unusual. What else is going on?”

“I’m not sure.” The sound of Myra’s voice told Annie that she was worried.

“My dear friend, if I know you—and I am sure I do—you will get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later.”

Myra chuckled. “You do know me, don’t you?”

At that moment, Charles appeared with a tray of freshly baked scones and tea. “How about a little break?”