Contents ( 66)
- Cover
- Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Map of Florida
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
- forty-three
- forty-four
- forty-five
- forty-six
- forty-seven
- forty-eight
- forty-nine
- fifty
- fifty-one
- Epilogue
- Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
- Prologue
- one
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
“You’re not jealous of Peyton. You just feel cheated, and not by him. Right now he’s feelin’ for the first time something you remember all too well and weren’t ready to give up when it was taken from you. That’s normal, Katie. Answer me this: If Peyton had called and told you he couldn’t find Lisa and was lyin’ miserable and alone in some Key West firehouse, would you be happy about that?”
“Of course not. I can’t stand it when he’s unhappy, and I’d never ever want him to be lonely.”
“Well then? You don’t want to deny him any happiness, and you don’t want what he has. You just miss what you had. That’s not jealousy. That’s grief.”
Kate stretched her legs out and leaned back in her seat, looking up at the gray sky overhead. “I don’t know how to do this, Aunt Gert—how to get to a place where I can carry Marshall with me without crying all the time.”
“Every widow who truly loved her husband has wondered the exact same thing. That includes me. Some days, I still wonder it. Look, Katie, I know you’ve been waitin’ for me to tell you enough is enough and get on with it and all that, but it’s not gonna happen. You have to come to terms with losin’ Marshall in your own way. I’m here to give you all the time and space you need—and to help Peyton through it so the burden’s not all on you. There’s no dodgin’ this one, honey. And there are no shortcuts. It has to be gotten through, one day at a time, one memory at a time, before you can move on. Grievin’ ain’t for lightweights, Katie. But you’re no lightweight.”
Kate and Aunt Gert were enjoying their evening glass of sherry when the doorbell startled them both. “Who on earth is ringin’ that thing?” Aunt Gert asked, leaving the table to answer the door.
Kate listened as her aunt said, “Oh, yes! Of course I remember you. He’s not with you, is he?”
The screen door opened and shut before footsteps approached the kitchen and Aunt Gert walked in with Julian’s wife.
“Eileen?” Stunned, Kate stood up to greet her sister-in-law. “What are you doing here?”
“May I sit down?” Eileen asked.
“Of course! Please forgive me. It’s just—I’m so surprised to see you.”
Aunt Gert poured a glass of sherry for Eileen and joined them at the table.
Eileen was a petite brunette with pale skin and gray eyes. Though she was an attractive woman, she had a strange air about her that suggested what she wanted more than anything was to be invisible. Kate had never seen her wear anything but a simple dress in a muted color. Tonight, however, she was in white capris, sandals, and a bright pink blouse.
“I guess you’re wondering where Julian is,” Eileen began.
“Not so much,” Aunt Gert said.