Emma nodded, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. “Me neither, Mom.”
Rosie reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Emma’s ear, a gesture so maternal and familiar that it made Emma’s heart ache with a bittersweet joy. “I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become, sweetheart. Your father would be, too.”
As they stood there, bathed in the soft moonlight streaming through the windows, Emma felt a sense of peace she hadn’t experienced in years.
The road ahead might not be easy, but for the first time in a long time, she felt hopeful about her relationship with her mother. They had taken the first steps towards healing, and together, they would face whatever challenges lay ahead.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rosie
After a sleepless night, Rosie still did not know what she would do about Pam. She had to face the woman. She couldn’t escape it. She foolishly wanted to call into the office and say she would be working at jobsites all day so she could avoid any difficult conversation.
She finally rose at dawn and went out to gather eggs, finding peace in talking to her girls. After the chickens were fed, she saw a few weeds coming up again in the flower bed she had cleared with Zara and Finn, what felt a lifetime ago.
She began ripping them out with more enthusiasm than strictly necessary, enjoying the chickens scratching around her and Dottie sniffing at the weeds she pulled.
After the rain of the night before, the storm clouds had blown away, leaving a glorious morning. She could see miles out to sea, where a couple of fishing boats were heading out for the day.
Rosie wished she could stand and watch the waves all day.
This all still felt like a nightmare that she couldn’t awaken from. Had her entire marriage been a lie? Had Pam been the only one or had there been a long line of women that Gary had flirted with, kissed, possibly more?
She couldn’t believe it. Her husband had loved her. She was certain of it.
She was dumping her load of weeds into the green waste container when a car pulled into her driveway. Rosie glanced at her watch. It wasn’t yet 8:00 a.m. Who would be here this early?
She walked around the house and felt her breath catch when she recognized Pam’s luxury convertible.
Her employee walked out looking years older than she had the night before. Her hair wasn’t fixed in her usual sleek style and her makeup appeared to have been applied with a shaky hand.
Rosie did not want to do this right now, not after she had spent the past hour trying to attain some measure of calm. Apparently, she wasn’t going to have a choice, though. Pam moved toward her with a determined set to her jaw.
“I wanted to talk about everything this morning before work. The office is not the place,” the other woman said bluntly.
Rosie gripped her trowel more tightly. “Where is the best place to have a discussion about one of your closest friends betraying you with your husband?”
Pam’s jaw tightened. “Don’t be that way, Rosie. We are two adult women, well past being silly girls fighting over a guy.”
“Excuse me, but the guy in question is not some quarterback of the football team. He was my husband of sixteen years. I can’t believe that you would do this to me.”
Pam straightened and glared at Rosie. “I’ll remind you that I did not make vows with you. The one you should be mad at is Gary.”
“I am. Believe me, I am. But I’m also furious with you. I don’t want to look at you right now. Why don’t you take the rest of the week off?”
Rosie wasn’t at all certain she could fire Pam for whatever might have happened between her and Gary a decade ago. She would have to talk to the company attorney. Pam was exactly the sort to sue for breach of contract and drag Lucas Construction through an ugly court battle.
But at least a few days might give her breathing room to process everything and come up with a plan.
“That won’t be necessary,” Pam said stiffly. “I came over this morning to hand in my notice. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, if you want the truth. You are not easy to work for, Rosie.”
“Ouch.” She thought she had been an excellent boss. Her other employees seemed to have no complaints.
“It doesn’t have to come to that,” she said, though she wasn’t sure her words were true.
“It’s already come to that. I’m not going to work in a place where you are going to sit in judgment of me every single day when I come into the office. I’ve had many other great offers over the years and turned them down out of loyalty to you.”
Rosie almost laughed outright at that but managed somehow to swallow it down.