A Life Without Regrets by Marci Bolden

Author:Marci Bolden
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950348503
Publisher: Pink Sand Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Seven

Carol sat on Mary’s front porch with a cup of coffee cradled in one hand and her worry stone in the other. Brushing her thumb over the engraving, she wondered what Harold would tell her if he were sitting here watching the steady rain with her. She’d been restless the night before. Simon hadn’t intended to point out something Carol had been missing, but he had.

Spending that time with Simon had reminded her of how they used to be, and there was a hint of what they could be again. Friends. Good friends. Friends who talked about problems with the intent of solving them, not simply complaining or venting. They had a common goal of easing the other’s distress by offering logical advice and asking questions to peel back the layers and see what really lay beneath the surface.

No matter how many times they tried, two subjects had dominated their dinner conversation: Simon’s discontent with his job and Carol’s grieving process.

After lingering at the table much longer than dinner and dessert took to eat, they’d shifted their visit to the sidewalk outside the restaurant. They’d stood under the bright lights for another hour, despite the damp chill in the air. They probably would have stayed longer, but Mary had called to check in on Carol. That was the prompt needed to break up her reunion with Simon.

Even then, they’d stood for several minutes before hugging each other tightly. When she’d left the restaurant, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Which nagged at her until it became something for her to pick apart until she couldn’t sleep.

She was continuing her obsessive overanalysis when Elijah parked on the curb. She narrowed her eyes to peer through the rain, confirming he was alone in the car. Rarely did he visit Mary without his three daughters in tow. However, they were getting older, and being Grandma’s girls wasn’t quite as exciting as when they were younger. Even rushing up to hug Aunt Carol was losing its sparkle. After the first few times they saw her during this Thanksgiving visit, they were fairly casual about spending time with her. She didn’t blame them. Adolescence wasn’t meant to be spent hanging out with adults.

Even so, not seeing her nieces in the car gave Carol a sense of dread. She’d dealt with Mary’s concerns and Lara’s fears, but she’d yet to have to listen to what Elijah had to say about her being on the road long-term. She suspected she was about to find out.

He strolled toward the house as if the falling rain didn’t bother him. He was tall like Tobias had been, but Elijah had a lean figure where Tobias had maintained the muscular physique he’d had when she’d fallen in love with him so long ago. Even with the differences in build, there was no denying they were brothers. They looked, walked, and acted the same.

“Hey, sis,” Elijah said as he climbed the stairs.

“Where’s your entourage?”

“They didn’t want to come out in the rain.” He sat next to her and wiped a hand over his head.

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