“Two more weeks. But it’s not the divorce I want to talk about.” May hesitated. She wanted to cry. Please Lord, she thought, don’t let me cry. But she needed to talk to someone, and not anyone in her family. “I wonder if you’d be willing to meet me somewhere. I got a problem I’d like to talk about.”

“Of course.”

“Today maybe? I’d come wherever you want.”

“How about Weaverville at the new coffee shop, what’s-its-name?

“The bakery on Main Street.”

“That’s the one,” Amelia replied. “On the corner where the drugstore used to be.”

“What time?”

“In an hour?”

“I’ll be there.” For a moment, May regretted calling Amelia. She ought to be able to handle life without needing to run to anyone for help. But this was an extraordinary circumstance, unlike any she had ever experienced. She couldn’t eat or sleep for thinking about Pastor Denny Ledbetter, wondering how he felt, worrying about the age difference. No, she had to talk with someone older and more experienced, and she liked and trusted Amelia. May hung up, reached for a box of tissues, and blew her nose. Anticipating that she might need them later, she stuffed a handful in her purse.

May showered and applied makeup, which always made her feel better, and dressed. She stood in the center of the small bedroom and looked about her. Jammed into the closet and shoved beneath her bed were boxes and bags, her life in a nutshell, hastily thrown together when she left her home. She hadn’t opened box or bag and couldn’t remember their contents. A short while ago, she had had a home and furniture, bedspreads to choose from, television sets in several rooms, and June living a half block down the road. Where would she end up? What would her life be like? Where and when would her possessions ever again see the light of day?

Returning to McCorkle Creek was out of the question. Ida was furious with her for divorcing Billie and blamed her for the failure of the marriage. Ida would kill her if she knew about the pastor. May leaned her head against a wall. Lord, what was she going to do?