Page 8 of The Lighthouse Sisters
With hesitation in her voice, Hazel said, “So there was no warning? Nothing at all? He just asked you for a divorce?”
Raelynn started to nod, and then shook her head instead. “Well not exactly. I found the papers in his office today. And I confronted him about it after the party.”
“So you endured the whole party knowing what he was up to? Oh, I feel so terrible since the party was my idea. I knew you seemed a little off tonight, but I just thought you were tired and a little in shock. Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
Raelynn squeezed Hazel’s hand. “It’s not your fault he doesn’t love me anymore…”
Hazel turned pale. “Is that what he said?”
Raelynn nodded, her throat feeling tight again. She cleared it and forced herself to continue. She needed to talk about it. “I don’t know how to feel. I go from hating him, to wanting him to take me back. I feel pitiful and stupid for feeling that way, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”
“You’re not stupid or pitiful. Whatever you feel in the moment is the right way to feel. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She squeezed her hand tightly and said, “You’re strong. You’ll get through this.”
Raelynn wasn’t too sure, but before she could voice her uncertainty, Katrina was back in the room, laptop in hand.
“So, gather around, ladies,” she said to them. Under normal circumstances, her excitement would have been contagious, but these weren’t the best of circumstances.
Feeling the low energy in the room, she tried to downplay her excitement and focus on the facts.
“This is the lighthouse,” she said, pulling it up on the screen.
Raelynn found herself leaning in. It was just as she remembered it. The lighthouse was picturesque as the shot from the camera displayed it far in the background, situated in the distance from a beach and natural and native flora that dotted the area. Katrina continued clicking through photos from different vantage points. No matter which picture she clicked, the view with the lighthouse in the distance was beautiful. Surrounded by long strips of sand leading to a row of shops that had been there since she was a kid, Raelynn found herself yearning to be there. She yearned for something different. She was starting to think that maybe Katrina was on to something.
“Do you have any pictures of the inside?” she asked.
Katrina sadly shook her head. “I wish.”
“The outside looks to be in good condition,” Hazel commented.
This is good, at least we’re talking about it,Katrina thought happily to herself.
“Given its age and how grandpa really didn’t have the funds to take care of it like he wanted to, I think it looks great. It just needs a little TLC. And besides, how bad could the inside be?”
“What do you think?” Hazel asked Raelynn.
“So, what would be the plan?” Raelynn asked. “What would we do with it? Rent it out for the views? Make it part of the history tour? Do they still do those?”
Katrina shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I figured that once we restore it, we market it as a B&B.”
“I love that idea,” Raelynn found herself saying. She could picture it so easily. It was an ideal location that tourists and locals loved. And she understood the appeal of interesting architecture. Travelers loved to feel as if they were experiencing something unique. And staying at a lighthouse definitely would be a unique experience. Getting customers there would be easy. But they were talking about renovating a structure that was centuries old. The thoughts of the cost of such a renovation alone gave Raelynn pause. But it wouldn’t be her first renovation of a historic home. Her parents' home held quite a bit of history and she had helped them renovate it.
And besides,she thought to herself,I wouldn’t have to take on such a big task alone.And most importantly, what else did she have left? She didn’t have a child to raise. She didn’t have a husband to love. She didn’t even have a home to make her own. What was the saying? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, maybe the lighthouse was her lemonade.
She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew there was no going back to the life she previously had. She had seen the look in John’s eyes. After the “band-aid” had been ripped off, so to speak, he had been all business. He clearly was serious about selling the house and divorcing her. His eyes had been sure. She’d seen no regret or uncertainty in them. He was sure that they didn’t have a future together. As much as Raelynn didn’t want to acknowledge it, he had already relegated her to the past. His future was the only thing that mattered to him now, and she wouldn’t be a part of it.
Swallowing back a fresh wave of tears, Raelynn stared at the lighthouse. Maybe her friends were right, maybe this could be her future. She was a trained interior designer, and had been good at it. Not to mention everyone who came to her house complimented her on the decor. Her face darkened, not that it was her house anymore.
With doubt that she could pull off what Katrina was asking her for, she looked to her friends.
“Do you really think we can do this?”
Nodding, Katrina answered, “With your help, I’m one-hundred percent sure that we can.”
Hazel finally chimed in, “I’m in if you are. So, what do you say, Raelynn?”
SIX
“This song is so annoying,” the young woman said, as she stood next to Raelynn in the elevator.
