He held the door for her as they stepped inside the mansion, where they found a quaint reception desk in the large foyer. Off to the side was a grand staircase that led up to the second story.
An older woman with short brown hair glanced up and smiled. “You two must be Angela and Carter.”
Angela was surprised the woman knew their names. While clutching her oversized purse, Angela read the nametag on the woman’s shirt. “Hi, Charlotte. That’s us.”
“Great. You’re just in time for our first gathering. Let me grab you each a schedule.” The woman searched her desk. She glanced up with an apologetic look. “I’ll be right back.”
“Gathering?” Angela had absolutely no idea what gathering Charlotte was referring to. She turned to Carter. “Do you know what she’s talking about?”
He shrugged. “I know as much as you do.”
Moments later, Charlotte returned with papers in hand. She sat back down at the desk. “Let’s see.” She picked up a sheet from one stack and held it out to Carter. “This is for you. You can catch up with the group through that side door.” She pointed to the right. “I don’t think they’ve started yet.”
Carter hesitated. “But what about our bags?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have those taken to your room.” Charlotte’s gaze moved to Angela’s bag on her shoulder. “Would you like me to have that sent toyourroom as well?”
“We have separate rooms?” Angela’s asked.
“Yes.”
There was a slight pause. “I’ll take this bag with me.” There wasn’t the least bit of hesitation in her response. She’d been carrying this giant purse ever since Carter had proposed to her. It held everything important to her, and she took it everywhere with her.
“Okay then.” Carter glanced over at Angela. “Are you coming?”
Before Angela could respond, Charlotte said, “Oh, no. She has her own activities.” She picked up a sheet of paper from the other stack and held it out to Angela. “Here you go, dear. You can meet your group through that door and down the hallway. They’re meeting on the covered porch.” She pointed to the left. “I hope you have a wonderful time.”
Who werethey? What were they doing on the porch? And why was she joining them? Perhaps she should have asked Clara a few more questions before agreeing to come here. Now it appeared they were taking part in… Angela glanced down at the paper in her hand. Couples Reunification. What was that?
Angela cast Carter a confused look. She wanted to ask him what he’d gotten them into, but the puzzled look on his face said he didn’t have any further knowledge than she did.
He shrugged. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
“I guess.”
She’d been wrong when she’d thought they were going to be thrown together all weekend. The reality of them being separated for activities was starting to appeal to her. She didn’t have to see Carter and remember that he’d wanted to cancel their wedding or take a break. Sure he’d tried to walk it all back. The problem was he didn’t seem to know what he wanted, and that dug at her heart.
She started toward the door and followed a short hallway. At the end was the door to a screened-in porch. There were a half dozen women on the porch. They appeared to be a variety of ages, from maybe sixties down to their twenties. With Angela being thirty-four, she fit somewhere in the middle.
She was quickly welcomed into the group. After she sat in the last available chair, they went around in the circle, making introductions. Everyone seemed friendly except for the youngest woman in their group. She was withdrawn as she curled her legs up under her on the small couch. A frown pulled at her painted red lips. She didn’t seem to want to be there, either. Angela could sympathize.
Candace was a B&B employee. She was a middle-aged woman with a bobbed hairstyle and red-rimmed glasses as well as a big, warm smile. Her voice was gentle as she spoke. It was nearly impossible to dislike her.
Candace stood off to the side of the group so everyone could see her. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us. I’m sure each of you are here for different reasons. Some of you are married, some are not, but it doesn’t matter. We’re here to help remind you why you fell in love in the first place.”
Angela shifted uncomfortably on a cushioned chair. She didn’t think a walk down memory lane was going to help their current problems. Still, she’d said she would do this weekend. She owed it to Carter after the way he’d been there for her when her mother had passed away. He had made sure she’d eaten, and he’d quietly sat with her as she’d stared blindly at the television each evening, lost in her memories.
“It’s time for your first project.” When a few groans rose from the ladies, Candace said, “Don’t worry. It’s nothing hard.” She picked up some stationery and purple pens from a small stand beside her. “For this first assignment, I’ll need each of you to take a piece of paper and a pen.”
Candace handed them to the person to her right. One by one, the paper and pens were passed around. Angela stared at the white stationery with the faint images of purple grapes and green leaves. What would she have to write on the paper?
She wasn’t ready yet to discuss how things had fallen apart. It was more than the singer, the church, or even the dress. If she was honest with herself, the cracks in their relationship had begun to appear not long after they’d become engaged. First, her mother had passed away. And Angela would be the first to admit she hadn’t been herself for months afterward.
During that time Carter had started working crazy-long hours at the firm. He’d said it was what all attorneys who wanted to move up in the business had to do. It really hindered the amount of time they could spend with each other.
“Okay. Now that everyone has something to write on, we can get started.” Candace’s voice drew Angela from her meandering thoughts. “I would like each of you to write five attributes about your significant other that drew you to them. Please make it something more profound than they have great hair or a wonderful smile. I want you to really think about this, and give the sincerest answer you can give. Please give more than one-word answers. Explain how that attribute affected you.”
Angela stared at the blank piece of paper. This was not what she wanted to do. She did not want to think about Carter’s great qualities. It was easier to think about his long work hours and how he’d been willing to give up on their relationship at the first sign of trouble.