“She’s always like that.”
“Yeah, well, we love her anyway,” Tessa said, giving Mary Elizabeth a pointed look.“Have you given any more thought to what I said about getting a you-know-what done?”
Mary Elizabeth shook her head, not having a single clue how she could manage to snag a sample of Bryson James’s DNA.“No.And please don’t talk about it here,” she whispered.
“Fine.But don’t let anything she says bother you.Especially when you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Mary Elizabeth opened the floor-to-ceiling wine cooler and removed a bottle from the middle, knowing the upper shelf selection was for special occasions and the lower to be served to people Cheryl didn’t particularly like but was sometimes forced to entertain.“Poor Hadley is a mess.I know my girls and I don’t get along sometimes, but I don’t ever want them to think they can’t tell me something.Especially something as important as getting a divorce.”
“My girls tell me everything, but Jack…he’s another story.Getting information out of him is like pulling teeth,” Tessa said in reference to her only son.
“Do they know about Hadley and Kyle?”Tessa asked.
“After Cheryl sent the text, I let my girls know so they’d check on Hadley.She babysat them for so many years they love her like a sister.”
“They don’t fight with her like one, though,” Tessa teased.“I haven’t said anything to Jack and the girls, but I will.Hadley needs all the support she can get, even if it’s long distance with most of the kids scattered about as they are.I can’t imagine how she felt going through the divorce alone.”
“It proves how strong she is.And at least she’s here now,” Mary Elizabeth said.“We can coddle her and make sure she’s okay.”
“Girls, wine emergency!”Rayna Jo called.
“Coming!”Mary Elizabeth found the button-press opener and went to work.“Guess we’d better get back in there.”
“Just remember this is a shock for Cheryl and Jerry.I know you and Hadley are especially close, but imagine if one of your girls showed up a year plus after the fact with this kind of news,” Tessa said.
Mary Elizabeth nodded because truth was truth.“I’d be livid.And hurt.”
“Heartbroken,” Tessa added with a pointed look.“And that’s exactly why we’re here today.Now let’s get in there and commiserate, even if we have to grit our teeth sometimes while doing it.”
Hadley pulledinto the driveway later that afternoon and parked close to the walkway.Buckets of paint and bags of supplies with drop cloths, putty, brushes, stir sticks, and more filled the rear of her car and intimidated her, but she was excited at the thought of digging in and doing some work.
It felt good to be busy and keep her mind occupied on making progress with her new life.Selecting the perfect color for the walls had taken her hours, but she’d gone with a creamy white-gray that made her think of aged driftwood.She hadn’t been able to find the colors for the furniture she’d like to try, so that remained on the list to track down.
On her trip to the box store, she’d also stopped by the rescue center.She had planned to only look, but after meeting one dog in particular, she’d filled out an application for a nine-month-old chocolate Labradoodle named Hershey.
Hershey was a big girl, ninety-five pounds of energy and fluff.But her sad brown eyes had broken Hadley’s heart, especially after Hadley found out Hershey’s owners had abandoned her after they’d had a baby and decided the dog was just too much on top of parenthood.
Hadley knew exactly what abandonment felt like, and in that instant, she’d known what she had to do.
It would take a day or so for the application to be processed and for Hershey to get her vet check, but the woman had told Hadley the odds were in her favor since Hershey’s size and lack of obedience training had scared off the only other person who’d inquired about her.
Hadley grabbed the notebook from the seat beside her and flipped to the page she’d created on items she wanted in her new life.
*Make Nan’s home my own
*Get a dog?
*Purpose/income
She checked off dog, because she’d said enough prayers and He would make it happen if it was meant to.She’d taken the first step.Now it was time to be patient.
She tossed the notebook into her purse and got out to unload and carry her purchases inside.She knew she should’ve gotten rid of some of Nan’s furniture first to give herself more room to work, but right now?All she could think of was painting the dark interior and brightening up the place.And after much consideration, painting walls seemed easier than sanding furniture, even if that meant stacking things up room by room to be dealt with later.
She wanted the house to have that cozy cottage chic feel, and painting furniture she already owned just made sense.
“Looks like you’re going to be busy,” Bryson said from behind her.
She turned and saw him eyeing the contents of her open trunk.“I am, aren’t I?”