Sue nodded.
Heather drew Sue’s attention to the left and motioned toward the restroom sign, “restrooms,” and then walked past them down a corridor. “This is the office. Concession stand storage is further back. Feel free to grab snacks or sodas from the soda fountain in the lobby. Just leave a note for Lorna so she can track when it’s time to reorder more.”
Heather stopped at a door near the office and pulled it open to reveal stairs. She gestured that Sue should go ahead of her.
As Sue went up the stairs, Heather followed behind her. “I’ll leave you the keys to lock the apartment and to get into the building.”
Sue paused near an apothecary cabinet that lined the wall at the top of the stairs. “I can’t believe how generous you all are, and all because of a ring I found. I’m sorry if I’m acting standoffish about it all. I’m not used to people being…”
Sue swallowed nervously and fought the tears gathering in her eyes. Heather waited patiently.
“I’m not used to people being kind for no reason,” Sue said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Heather answered. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but we’re here if you need to talk about it.”
Sue nodded, unable to speak as she continued to choke down her emotions.
“I mean, us women of a certain age need to stick together, right?” Heather smiled. “If you ever want to watch something fun, comment to Vivien sometime how life ends for women at forty. Or call yourself old or, like, out-of-date. It will send her on a long, hilarious rant about women empowerment. The last time she did it, there was something in there about magical ovaries shooting sparkles out her hoo-hah—I don’t know, but it had us rolling.”
Sue chuckled, realizing Heather had intuitively changed the subject to make her feel more at ease. Out of the three ladies, Heather appeared to be the most emotionally guarded, so maybe she understood how difficult it was for Sue to talk about her feelings. “I’ll do that.”
The loft apartment looked nothing like her home in St. Louis. In fact, it looked like a completely different life. Exposed brick walls had once proudly held the name, “Warrick,” but the faded white paint had been scrubbed off the red brick in spots. The faint sound of a revving engine came through the closed windows, moving past on the street below.
As she came to the top, she felt as if she stepped over an invisible threshold between her past and future.
Who was the Sue who stayed in the apartment? What did she want?
This Sue didn’t have to have dinner ready at precisely six o’clock. This Sue didn’t have to iron shirts. This Sue didn’t have to make sure the towels were folded perfectly, the way her husband liked them. She didn’t have to scrub toilets on Tuesday, wash windows on Wednesday, or vacuum daily and make sure the vacuum lines were pointed in the right direction.
What did she want?
With the open floor plan, she could see the entire space from the top of the stairs. Reclaimed wood furniture divided the space into recognizable areas. An island and barstools marked the kitchen’s boundaries with a small table next to the window, making a dining area. For the bedroom, there was a queen-size bed, dresser, and nightstand, next to a frosted glass partition. Opened doors revealed a small bathroom and closet. As promised, there was no television, but instead a couch and built-in bookshelf to create the impression of a living room.
“What do you think?” Heather asked. “Will it work?”
“It’s perfect,” Sue said.
“Good,” Heather said. “I’ve always liked this apartment.”
Actually, it was dangerous. A place like this made her want to stay. It made her think that maybe she could walk away from St. Louis and never go back. Perhaps she didn’t have to be Susan Jewel anymore.
But that was stupid. She had a house and things that needed her attention.
Could a person start over?
Could she walk away from everything?
Could she pick this location, the here and now, and just… what? Just live in North Carolina? Just move to Freewild Cove, a town she had never heard of until her television started sending her messages from the beyond?
Here, she could disappear. No one knew Hank. She wouldn’t have to listen to people tell her how sorry they were, how lucky she’d been, how he was such a wonderful person.
“Yes.” Sue nodded, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Have a look around. Please be sure to note that there is a fire ladder under the bed. In case of an emergency, hook it to a window and climb out to the sidewalk below. After some apartment buildings caught fire several years back, I’ve been making sure to have them in all my properties over one-story.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to go down and wait for Martin and his daughter. I’d like to introduce you to her.” Heather smiled. “She’s a special girl.”
Sue nodded.
Heather started to go, only to stop. “Do you have kids?”
Sue shook her head. “No. I wanted them, but it wasn’t in the cards. You?”
“I had a son,” Heather answered.
Had.
“I’m sorry.” Sue didn’t press the issue.
Heather nodded her acknowledgment and hurried down the stairs.
Sue took several deep breaths. There was no sign of Hank’s cologne. Maybe this is what the magic had been trying to do, lead her to this place for a new start. Now that it had done that, possibly Hank would be out of her life forever.
This was her future.
Sue found herself smiling as she turned a slow circle to look at the apartment.
What did she want?
Who could she be?
Chapter Seven
Sue stared at the quiet street below the apartment window. She wore a pair of pink leggings and a t-shirt with a bedhead kitten on the front. When she threw clothes into the suitcase, she hadn’t been paying attention to what she packed. The results were a mismatched wardrobe that would make a bag lady proud.
Streetlights illuminated the night, making it easy to see the view below. For hours, traffic had centered around the Chinese restaurant. She watched the people going in and out—couples, families, groups of friends. The sound of voices occasionally made their way up to her. She watched them, almost mesmerized by the tiny vignette she saw of their lives. A tear slipped down her cheek as she imagined how different this place might be compared to the past.
Sue told herself she was silly for being so fascinated with strangers. She felt as if she stood in a doorway. She could walk all the way through and come out in Freewild Cove, or she could turn around and go back into St. Louis. Both options made her anxious. She wanted a new life so badly. She wanted to forget Mrs. Hank Jewel.
Finally, she realized what she felt was hope.
How long had it been since she’d felt hopeful about anything?
Sue swiped at her tears. She dropped the curtain. Seeing her phone on the charger, she went to check it. She’d found it dead in her purse and hadn’t thought to check it sooner. She didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Seeing several messages, she contemplated not listening to them.
Sue took the phone to the couch and sat down, crisscrossing her legs, so her feet were off the floor. With a sigh, she put her voice mail on speaker and set her phone on her leg.