Page 4 of Love's Bloom
Melissa gave her a sheepish grin. “Yes and no. I’m happy to do this for you.”
As Melissa and Misty talked, Whitney’s sisters, Dani and Taylor, arrived.
“I’ve brought wine, enough for us to share now if you wish,” said Dani.
“And I brought appetizers for today and later,” Taylor said.
“Okay,” said Misty. “I unpacked wine glasses. Let’s use them. And thank you, everyone, for such a nice housewarming.”
She opened a bottle of chardonnay and poured the white wine into four separate glasses. “I’ve got four chairs on the deck. Let’s go outside.”
The women carried their wine glasses and a tray of appetizers out onto the deck and formed a comfortable circle.
“It’s so pretty here,” said Taylor.
“Here’s to a wonderful life in your new home,” Dani said, lifting her glass.
They clicked glasses with one another and took sips.
Misty looked around at her friends and fought tears for the second time that day.
CHAPTER TWO
After the women left to go home to their families, Misty locked the front door. She’d already made sure that the double lock on the sliding glass door was in place, and she knew the windows throughout the cabin were locked. Once she got used to the sounds in and around the house, she’d relax a little more. But for now, this made her feel safe.
Misty was happy to be on her own again but knew it would take some adjustment. If only she hadn’t seen that ugly scrawl of words. She couldn’t get an image of Vince’s handsome, beguiling, awful face out of her mind.
Dusk was easing in, changing the blue sky to gray. Misty knew that she'd feel much better once she made it through the night.
She called Hazel and was forced to leave a message: “Sorry, I won’t be able to come to your house tonight. I’m exhausted and will catch up with you tomorrow.”
After seeing that the kitchen was cleaned up, a habit from living with Crystal, Misty padded into her new, luxurious bathroom and got ready for bed.
A few minutes later, she climbed beneath the sheets, curled up with her pillow, and finally slept.
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Misty stirred and opened her eyes to find a rosy dawn emerging outside her bedroom window overlooking the river. Feeling as if she’d run a marathon during the night, she got out of bed and decided to walk into town. She needed exercise and time away from the cabin to chill out from the horrible dreams that had kept her tossing and turning.
She pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, got into her walking shoes, and left the house, determined to have a nice day.
Birds were singing and flitting about in the trees above her as she left the river and walked to the corner of Main Street to head downtown. On a whim, she walked one block over to see if she could find the special little garden park dedicated to David’s sister.
On the way, Misty chided herself for allowing memories of Vince to ruin the new life she was building in Lilac Lake. She realized if she didn’t move forward, she’d be trapped forever in a circle of regrets and self-recriminations. She remembered the state motto of New Hampshire—"Live Free or Die”—and knew she needed to let the past go. It was over, and she would find a way to cope. Lord knew she’d learned to pretend things were all right when they weren’t.
She’d walked a couple of blocks when she saw the park.
As she got closer, she noticed someone kneeling by the flower beds and realized it was David. She approached him.
“Good morning! You’re here early.”
He looked up at her and grinned, then got to his feet. “This is a nice time of day to do some weeding and make sure everything looks fine.”
“My sister told me about the park, and I wanted to see it for myself. What you’re doing is a labor of love.”
He stared into the distance. “My sister, Lily, and I were very close, like you and Crystal. Growing up, I was small until I hit a big growth spurt. But until then, I was picked on enough that she kept an eye out for me and convinced me to take karate lessons. Now, I teach classes on it. But I’ll never forget her loyalty.”
Misty looked around. Edging the square of land, flower beds added color to the green grass at the center. Park benches were set in several locations, far enough apart to give privacy to those using them. A large maple tree sat along the back of the lot spreading its branches and providing shade over a portion of the park. A yellow brick walkway wound its way through the lot to the benches.
