Page 8 of Love's Harvest
Misty gave her a round-eyed look.“Wow!You’re taking on way more than you have to for everything that’s happened.You don’t want to go down that path.”
“I can’t ignore what might’ve been,” Sarah said, responding to Misty in a defensive tone.
Misty hugged her.“Anytime you want to talk about it, I’m here.I’ve got to go.My day starts early.”
“Thanks for watching the girls … and everything,” said Sarah.“See you Saturday.”
“You bet.David and I’ll be there.”
After seeing Misty out, Sarah watched Misty walk away and thought how lucky she was to have a friend like her.
She closed and locked the door and went to the girls’ bedroom to watch them sleep.Mia was spread across the bed like a tossed doll.Emily, always more contained, curled up under her blanket.
She left their bedroom and went back to the kitchen to fix a hot cup of tea, hoping it would help her sleep.But thoughts of her deceased husband kept whirling in her mind.It had taken her a while to learn that behind the handsome man who was a ton of fun at school, there lurked a very troubled person.
Sarah sat at the kitchen table thinking of the past …
She’d been so excited to learn she was carrying twins.And then seeing them, so much alike to strangers, so distinct to her, her heart had filled with a maternal love that continued to grow.Even now, tears stung her eyes as she observed them.
While she was working in an accounting firm, the fun of being a carefree college student evaporated.Sarah, who’d always been upbeat, kept things running smoothly at home until Jesse exploded with frustration one night and ended up weeping in despair.That was the moment she realized she couldn’t ignore the fact that he needed outside help.By then, she was pregnant.
After the excitement of having twins had worn off and the real work of handling two infants day after day, night after night, Sarah and Jesse were too exhausted to cope with anything but survival.
Sarah’s natural ability to overcome stress kicked in, but Jesse’s depression grew worse.He started to drink, claiming Sarah wasn’t giving him the attention he needed.And then he refused to take his medicine, saying it made him feel disconnected from his surroundings.
Sarah found a new doctor for Jesse, who told her that if Jesse didn’t stop his destructive, addictive behavior, stronger actions might be needed.
When Jesse’s behavior grew worse, Sarah tried to talk to him about it.But he had pushed her away, told her she was a terrible mother, a worse wife, and he wanted out of the marriage.The entire time he was crying.
Sarah tried to go to him, talk to him, but he stormed out of the house.
Later that night, still sick to her stomach from that dreadful scene, Sarah called a neighbor to watch the twins and went looking for him.That’s when she discovered Jesse had shot himself in the head in the woods outside of town.At the same park where he’d proposed to her.
Now, although part of her recognized what people had told her about being a kind person who had tried to help, Sarah thought of herself as a failure.
It had been two and a half years since Jesse’s suicide, and only one year since she’d been back home.In those in-between months, she’d been working on herself, getting counseling and dealing with the stress of living back home, right where she’d started.
CHAPTER THREE
Saturday evening, Sarah closed and locked the store’s door behind her, ready for an evening of fun.Saturdays were the busiest days of the week because every “do-it-yourselfer” needed supplies and usually helpful advice.But tonight, she’d brush off any fatigue and enjoy the friends she had in town.
As Sarah walked home, she took her time, trying to decide what to wear to the party.It would be cool, and dress would be casual on this autumn evening.She wanted to look her best, be part of the more carefree group members.
The girls were already staying at her mother’s house for the evening and overnight.With plenty of time to prepare, Sarah decided to soak in the tub.She’d washed her hair this morning and would need to do little else to get ready.
She drew the bath and had just lowered herself into the warm, scented water when her cell rang.Hazel.
Sarah reached for the phone sitting on the nearby counter.“Hello?”
“Hi, Sarah.It’s me,Hazel.Do you want a ride to the party?I'd be happy to drive.”
“Sure.That would be nice.Thanks.”
“I think you ought to know that when Aaron returned to Jake’s the other night, Tessa all but draped herself over him.She asked him to show her around town this weekend, and he said he would.”
Sarah swallowed hard.“That was nice of him.”She and Aaron had agreed to be friends, nothing more.
“I’m trying not to be quick to judge, but honestly, there’s something desperate about Tessa that is uncomfortable.”
