Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe

Author:Mary Alice Monroe [Monroe, Mary Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

THE FOG ROLLED in, thick as a wet blanket. Even though it was late afternoon, the sun was blocked by clouds. The behemoth cargo ship coming into Charleston Harbor bellowed out its mournful foghorn again and again as it made its slow journey to port.

Cara sat on her sofa staring blankly at the television set, unaware and uncaring of whatever midday court drama was playing out on the small screen. She felt frozen with fear after her visits with her lawyer and accountant. Unable to think beyond the fact that she was, for the first time in her life, feeling utterly helpless. She didn’t know what to do.

This feeling was foreign to Cara. She was accustomed to confrontation, even enjoyed going toe-to-toe with adversaries. She’d learned from the best, after all. Her father had been a mean son of a bitch who tolerated no disobedience, especially from what he considered the weaker sex. Theirs had always been a turbulent relationship of glares and threats, shouts, and a volleying, circular pattern of his demands and her refusals. It had been only a matter of time until their headstrong relationship came to a crisis. Cara had persevered. Her motto was that what didn’t kill her only made her stronger. She’d moved to Chicago and landed a low-paying starting position in an advertising agency. It was the perfect fit for the creative, bright, and hungry young woman. While her colleagues on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder went out for drinks after work, Cara had gone to night school. She was like a dog with a bone, not letting go of her goals. For seven long years she’d persisted, finally getting her college degree in communications as she slowly rose up several rungs on that ladder. She’d impressed her seniors with her drive and intelligence. When she was finally offered the job of junior marketing executive, she’d been ready to soar.

She’d moved up fast after that, taking no prisoners. She had the reputation of being tough but fair. She’d tolerated few errors and no fools. If anyone confronted her, she chopped them off at the knees.

And then came the mass layoffs. It was a hard time for a lot of people—Cara among them. She and the other high-level execs were unceremoniously walked out of the offices of Leo Burnett by an armed guard. A humiliating experience that had sparked a midlife crisis. At forty years of age, Cara felt her life come to a screeching halt. She’d given up everything for her career, mainlining work, and the abrupt collapse sent her running home to her mother—back to Charleston.

That was when she’d discovered her mother was dying, and Cara had dug deep and found the strength and courage not only to start again, but also to help her mother. In retrospect, she could see that thinking of another person had made her open up and heal herself. She had been happier that summer than she’d ever dreamed possible. That summer Cara had found her softer, sensitive side, and wasn’t afraid to let go of her control and fall in love.

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