“You heard him, Nancy. His accusations were loud and clear, throwing my foolish teenage infatuation into my face and saying that I orchestrated everything to trap him.”
Nancy leaned forward to set her wine glass on the coffee table and shook her head. “I know that’s what he said, but he was shocked and angry. He acted like a stupid man who blabs and blames first and then thinks it all through, eventually coming up with the right answer.”
“The right answer?”
“Yes, that he’s in love with you, too.”
She leaned back against the seat cushions again, sipping her wine and allowing her mind to drift over Nancy’s words. She finally sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly before moving her gaze back to her friend. “It doesn’t really matter, Nancy. The timing is all wrong. He’s getting ready to go back to his SEAL team. His life is in California and my life is here. Who knows how many years he’ll still serve in the Navy? And as much as I care for him, it’s not fair to ask me to wait for years.” Her eyes drifted to the side and she added, “Even if he is my husband.”
Long minutes passed as the two women finished their wine in silence. “So what are you going to do?” Nancy asked, her voice soft and full of concern.
“Since annulment is not possible, we’ll get a divorce. It’s too late on a Friday afternoon to contact an attorney, but I’ll get hold of one on Monday morning. I can’t imagine that this would be hard. An uncontested divorce between two people who never meant to get married in the first place.”
Nancy’s face fell, and she nodded slowly. She stood and snagged the wine glasses, carrying them to the sink and rinsing them out. Lynn joined her at the door where the two friends hugged tightly once again.
“I always wanted you for my sister,” Nancy whispered.
Unable to hold back the tears that slid down her cheek, she tightened her hug. “We’ll always be sisters. Not legally, but in our hearts where it counts.”
With that, Nancy nodded and then left. Locking the door, she leaned her head against the cool metal, her hands still on the knob. Every muscle felt heavy, as though movement would be impossible. Desperate for the hot bath Nancy had recommended, she grabbed her bag and headed into her bathroom. It was not long before the tub was filled with steamy hot water that was fragrant from a lilac bath bomb.
Reaching inside her bag for a hair clip, her fingers curled around an object. Drawing out the small, carved black bear, she blinked back tears. Tracing the carving, she placed it on the edge of the tub. With music playing in the background, she leaned against her bath pillow and closed her eyes. At some point, she thought she heard distant knocking but ignored the sound.
By the time the water cooled and she climbed out, the bath had the desired effect on her muscles, which felt more relaxed. But her mind still raced, and she wondered if she would find sleep.
19
When Nolan arrived back in town, he drove to Lynn’s apartment but recognized Nancy’s car in the parking lot. While part of him hated that she was talking to Nancy and not him, he also appreciated the fact that his sister was her best friend and was probably the only person at that moment that could begin to make Lynn hurt less.
He waited in the parking lot, and when Nancy came out he rushed over to her. She remained a loyal friend to Lynn and gave him nothing to go on other than Lynn had gotten home safely and was planning to talk to an attorney on Monday morning. Pinning him with a hard stare, she added, “That gives you the weekend to decide what you want to do, brother-dear. Cut her loose or convince Lynn to give you another chance.” Lifting onto her toes, she kissed his cheek, her voice softening. “I love you both, you know.”
He stood and watched her climb into her car and drive away. Jogging up the steps, he knocked on the door but, considering Nancy mentioned that Lynn was exhausted, she might have gone to bed early.
When he showed up at his parents’ house, his mother wanted to jump in and fix things. At first, he rudely shut her down, then, seeing the angst on her face, shared her guilt. As they sat at the kitchen table late that night, she with a glass of wine and he with a beer, he assured her that she was blameless.
“Mom, looking back I realize our plan was fraught with miscalculations and that’s on me. I didn’t take the time to learn anything about weddings because it was just going to be staged. I feel rather foolish about going into a mission so unprepared. It didn’t dawn on me that you had to provide real documents to get the license or that it was the actual ceremony that was legally binding. I know that’s stupid, but we just went with the flow, not realizing what we were getting ourselves into.”
“You know, honey, just because something came about because of a mistake doesn’t make it a mistake.”
His gaze jumped up to her face, and he tilted his head as his brows lowered. “I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me something profound, but you’re just going to have to speak plainly because I’m too friggin’ tired to decipher riddles, Mom.”
She sighed heavily and he sat silently, waiting for her to explain.
“Your father and I have been together for almost thirty years. We were in love, and planning on getting married, but… well, let’s just say that our timeline got moved up a bit.” Her lips curved into a grin, and a small giggle erupted. “I don’t
