Mary Lou looked toward Joan. “There is life after a significant loss, Joan. Each one of us is here because we’re working to forge a path to find meaning again. You will, too. I’m happy you’ve decided to join us.”
Joan nodded. “I’m beginning to see that.”
Dr. O’Brien looked well pleased.
Doug shared next and said he’d gone onto a dating website, even setting up a profile.
“Oh,” Warren said, perking up, all ears. “You find anyone interesting?”
Warren was a younger member of the group, around fifty, Phil guessed. They weren’t that far apart in age. His wife died of cancer several years back. His youngest daughter was in college, and he’d mentioned dating a time or two with little success. It was clear he was interested, although shy and unsure of himself.
“No one I’d seriously consider,” Doug answered. “But I’ve got to say checking out what interested these women scared me plenty. We all know the importance of being careful these days. Women look at my picture and all they see is dollar signs.”
Both Mary Lou and Sally burst out laughing, and Phil noticed that Joan had a hard time holding back a smile.
“What age span are you considering?” Dr. O’Brien asked, clearly amused herself.
“I was thinking someone in her forties.”
“Forties,” James scoffed. “You old coot. What would a woman in her forties see in you?”
“I’m not that old,” Doug insisted. “I’m thinking a twenty-year difference isn’t that much. Not in this day and age.”
“In other words, you’re looking to date a woman young enough to be your daughter?” Sally asked.
“Or granddaughter,” Mary Lou added.
Doug’s face flushed pink. “Go ahead and tease me all you like. It’s still worth a try.”
Phil didn’t envy his friend entering back into the dating world. At this stage of life, finding the right woman was bound to be difficult. While he knew Doug was partly joking, he was serious, too. He suspected the older man’s sudden interest in dating was an attempt to spur a reaction from Mary Lou. If the smile she struggled to suppress was any indication, Doug’s plan had failed.
After an hour, the meeting came to a close. As was their tradition, several members met up afterward at a local restaurant for coffee and chitchat. Phil often attended, although this evening he needed to get home.
As he folded his chair and set it against the wall, he heard Mary Lou invite Joan to join the others for coffee. He didn’t hear her response.
Exiting the room, he slapped Doug on the back and wished him well. “Don’t give up hope finding the right woman,” he said, sending his friend a subtle message regarding Mary Lou.
“I don’t intend to,” Doug responded with a grunt.
When he passed Joan, Dr. O’Brien was talking to her. He wanted to welcome her and tell her he hoped she’d return. He wanted to reassure her if she harbored any doubts about the two of them attending the same group. Standing around, waiting until Joan finished with Dr. O’Brien, would be awkward for them both, and so he left, determined to clear the air the next time he saw her.
He’d need to look at his schedule to confirm the next time he was due at her property. That was likely to be the best time for them to chat. With that in mind, he walked across the parking lot to where he’d parked his car and headed home.
Chapter 16
Maggie was eager to hear about Joan’s experience with the grief therapy group, and she wasn’t disappointed. From the moment she returned, Joan couldn’t stop talking about the group and how it was unlike anything she’d expected. Apparently one of the widows had been a big encouragement. Joan mentioned Mary Lou several times and the fact that she had lost her husband as well. Everyone had been open and had welcomed her. She’d said her biggest fear was that the grief others had suffered would be a weight too heavy for her to bear, but that hadn’t been the case at all.
That night Joan spoke to Maggie for the first time about what had happened to her husband. Until then, Joan hadn’t mentioned Jared’s name. All at once she seemed to have a lot to say about him and the aftermath of his sudden death.
“After I lost Jared, I was crazy with fear,” Joan admitted. “I mean really afraid. There was the dental practice and all these people who relied on Jared for their healthcare who I needed to inform. I spent days canceling appointments and dealing with the aftermath of the unexpected shock of it all.”
“What happened to the practice? Did you close it down?” Maggie couldn’t help being curious.
“No, I sold it, but not without a lot of angst. Everything hit at once. Not only was I grieving; I believe I was in some kind of emotional shock. I had a difficult time making even the simplest decisions, like what flowers I wanted at Jared’s services.”
“How awful.” Maggie couldn’t help being sympathetic. It was hard to think of this strong woman crazed with grief and confusion. It’d been much different when her mother passed. Elaine Herbert had lingered for days between life and death, so when the news came, it wasn’t a complete shock. At the time Maggie thought she had mentally prepared herself for the worst. The loss hit her hard, and her father, too, although he showed his pain in different ways, comforting himself with beer and sleepless nights. The last week of her mother’s life, Roy Herbert had stayed at his wife’s side, never leaving her alone. When she’d passed, he’d completely broken down, sobbing as she’d never seen her father do before.
As Joan spoke about losing her husband, it brought up a lot of memories of when her mother had passed. Maggie was a good listener, and the two spoke late into the night as Joan poured out her heart.
“Do you think you’ll go back to the group sessions?” she asked, although it was clear that Joan had enjoyed it.
“I will…only…”
“Only what?”
“You’ll never guess who else was there,” Joan said.
“You’re right, I probably won’t, so tell me.”
“Phil Harrison.”
“The landscaper?” That was a surprise.
“I assumed he was married, and now I’m unsure. He didn’t mention why he was in the group, and I didn’t ask.”
Maggie noticed the way Joan twisted her hands. “Does it bother you that he’s part of the group?”
“Not necessarily, although I’ll admit he didn’t say much. If anything, I believe he was as surprised to find me there as I was to see him.”
“Did you talk to him after the meeting?”
“I wanted to,” Joan admitted, “but I got distracted by Dr. O’Brien, who wanted feedback on how I thought the meeting went. By the time we finished, Phil had already left.”
* * *
—
Friday afternoon, Maggie was in a good mood. She’d taken the last of her finals and felt confident she’d done well. The morning had started out gray and cloudy as she headed to work and then to the college campus. By the time she finished the exam, the sky was a dazzling shade of blue and the sun was out.
Maggie spent the early afternoon at the school with the two children she tutored. Both Caleb and Victoria had made progress since she’d started working with them on their reading problems.