“Really?”
“Really,” Nora replied, her stomach churning as she questioned her inability to stay strong. She already knew she was the one who needed to change. In lieu of enduring a moment of unpleasantness, she had given up self-respect and integrity. When would she ever learn?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Nora and her family were moved into the lake house with days to spare before Christmas. Despite the mess, with boxes piled high in every room, Nora felt relieved that the worst of it was over. Mom and Dad were across the lake—a hop, skip, and jump away. The roofers had made repairs, and the house interior had been painted. Now she could concentrate on spending time with her family during the holidays.
Nora made her way to David’s office and knocked before entering. “Want to take the boat out?”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“I have a lot to do if I intend to take a few days off for the holidays. How about we all take the pontoon out on Christmas Eve? Then we can come back and enjoy hot cocoa with marshmallows by the fire.”
Although she was disappointed, Nora knew she couldn’t expect David to drop everything just because she finally had some free time. “Sounds perfect,” Nora said. “I have a few gifts hidden away that I need to wrap anyway.”
Nora shut the door. As she passed through the family room, she admired the towering stone country hearth and the rich wood wainscoting. She loved the open layout and the flow and functionality of the house. The incredible lake view from the kitchen was breathtaking.
As she made her way up the stairs and turned right toward Trevor’s room, she stopped within the hallway to admire the various pictures Mom had framed and hung of the kids when they were small. She stared at a picture of Mom, Dad, and Nora when they had first moved to the lake house. Mom’s smile appeared forced. It had been a difficult time in their lives. Nora thought of Lucas. Mom and Dad had attended the funeral while Nora recovered in the hospital.
The crash. She couldn’t remember a thing, only what her parents had told her when she opened her eyes. The trauma to her head from the accident caused her to have what her doctor called post-traumatic amnesia. The days after the crash were like a black hole.
The door to Trevor’s room was open. He was at his desk, surrounded by boxes. She could see he had on his earbuds as he stared at the computer screen. His sheets and blankets lay in a heap on top of the mattress. Her initial reaction was to tell him to get off the computer and get the bed made. But then she reminded herself how hard they had all been working, packing and moving. It wouldn’t kill her to ignore the mess for now. Trevor and Hailey would be going back to school after the Christmas holiday. Let them relax. This was a big change for everyone. Chill, Nora.
She stepped into his room. When Trevor looked her way, she motioned for him to remove his earbuds.
He pulled them out of his ears. “What’s going on?”
“Want to go exploring?”
“Exploring?”
“Outside, around the property. It’s been so long since we’ve been here, I thought it would be fun to check out old pathways or make a new trail through the woods.”
“I’m kind of in the middle of something right now. Maybe later?”
“Sure. We’ll have plenty of time to explore. I’m going to make tacos for dinner. I figured we could all sit out on the deck and watch the sunset afterward.”
“Cool.”
She was batting zero, she thought as she headed for Hailey’s room at the far end of the second floor. Her door was ajar, music blaring. The inside of her room resembled Trevor’s, only worse. Boxes had been opened, and their contents were either spilling out over the edges or spread out across the floor. It looked as if a tornado had swept right through. Hailey had attempted to make her bed and was lying on top of the wrinkled duvet, her phone pressed against her ear. “Hold on,” she said. She looked Nora’s way and waited.
“I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk around the property.”
“No thanks. I’m talking to Alex. He’s going to come over tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure,” she said. Why not? Since the move, Hailey had been less combative. Nora knew it was important for her to give Hailey some room to grow. Hopefully she would come to see that Nora wasn’t trying to control her. She just wanted to protect her.
“Earth to Mom. Was that a yes?” Hailey asked.
“Yes. That was a yes. How’s he getting here?”
“His parents bought him a car—a used Honda Accord.”
“That was nice of them. You can show him around the property.”
“Yeah. Okay. Anything else?” her daughter asked, a subtle hint to please go away.
“Nope. That’s it.” She spotted Tank sleeping in the corner of the room, near the window. “Come on, Tank. Want to go for a walk?” She half expected the dog to turn her down, but the Great Dane jumped to his feet, ready to go. He was a blue, and his coat was blue steel. His imposing appearance belied his friendly nature. He wouldn’t hurt a flea.
“It looks like it’s just you and me, Tank.”
He wagged his tail, following at her side. Halfway down the eighteen stairs she’d counted on her way up, she saw David heading for the kitchen. “Any idea where Tank’s leash is?”
“Yeah, in the garage. The box is either labeled Tank or dog.”
“Thanks.”
“You okay?”
“Good as gold,” she lied, since she was feeling a little neglected, left to wonder if she’d made a mistake leaving a high-paying job. Images of sitting on the balcony with David while sipping wine, shopping with Hailey, and going on walks with Trevor had floated around her mind for the past four weeks. But now she wondered if she’d been delusional.
“Have fun,” David said before disappearing down the hallway.
But Nora wasn’t listening. Her thoughts were focused on the job she’d left. Except it wasn’t the job she’d been running from. It was Jane. And the mere thought of Jane reminded her that she absolutely did the right thing in leaving IMPACT. The last time she’d seen Jane was at work, more than a week ago, when she had introduced Jane to the woman Nora had handpicked to be her replacement. The decision would be up to Jane. Sabrina Gray was thirty-nine, divorced, with no children. She was upbeat, professional, and active on and off the job. She was easy to talk to, had many friends and acquaintances, and loved making connections. Sabrina would be perfect for the job.
It took Nora a good fifteen minutes to find a leash, but once she had everything she needed, she stepped outside with Tank at her side, inhaled the fresh pine air, and knew it had all been worth it: quitting her job, selling the house, everything. Sure, she might struggle at first with finding a new routine, but she would be fine. More than fine.
Energized and excited to be outside, Tank pulled her along the path that in just a few days he’d already become well acquainted with. Fifteen minutes into their walk, Tank led her off the trail where the soil beneath her feet was thick and spongy with layers of leaves and forest debris. Pretty soon, the canopy of trees grew so thick, she couldn’t see the sun overhead.
“What do you think, Tank? Time to go back?”