understand that.
Cindy tried to get him out of her mind, but couldn’t. She’d been upset by the things he’d said about her, too. Did he resent having to take care of a woman, having a woman make a home for him? Cindy shivered. Her thoughts about him wandered all over the place now. What did Mattheus really feel about women? What had his relationship with his wife really been like? The shock of seeing the sudden change in him towards her set off all kinds of alarms. Cindy was proud that she left, she’d been self-protective. But there was no way she could discuss this with Ann. Ann would be totally horrified to hear these details, and she’d have a right to be.
The first shop Cindy and her sister walked into was a charming boutique, with dresses in Cindy’s size, slacks, sweaters, bags. Ann was delighted.
“We can find everything we need right here,” Ann said.
The lanky, well groomed, sales woman came over to greet them.
“We need dresses for the fall, some skirts and sweaters,” said Ann.
Cindy felt like a child being taken out by her mother. She smiled at the sales woman and held up her hand.
“Just a couple of items,” Cindy said.
“No, this is on me, Cindy,” Ann whispered. “I want to welcome you home.”
*
Three hours later as they returned in the car, their hands filled with packages, Ann’s cheeks were flushed.
“Victory!” Ann exclaimed.
Cindy was grateful for her sister’s love and smiled at her warmly.
“You’re a wonderful sister, Ann, you always have been.”
“I wish I could stay here longer,” Ann whispered. “I want to support you in every way I can.”
The telephone rang then, startling both of them.
“Who can that be?” asked Cindy. “Nobody knows we’re here.” She picked up the phone quickly.
“You’re back, and you didn’t let us know? I can’t believe it,” the voice had an edge to it. It was Marge, Clint’s sister.
“I just returned,” said Cindy.
“My friend Tobey saw you and your sister shopping in town. Obviously, your sister had plenty of time to find out and join you. Why didn’t you call us?” Her voice was shrill, just as it always had been. Cindy shivered.
“Well, now you know that I’m here,” said Cindy.
“Don’t take an attitude with me,” Marge declared. “Is there some reason you chose to come back to Cove Bay now?”
“No particular reason,” said Cindy.
Cindy remembered the harsh, invasive behavior of Clint’s family. From the moment she’d met them, she’d been the enemy. They felt she was out to take away not only Clint, but everything they had. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but no one ever gave her a chance.
“We haven’t known where to even reach you for over a year,” Marge went on petulantly. “There was no way to let you know about dad’s funeral.”
Cindy grew quiet. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“How sorry could you really be if you kept completely out of touch? How do you think it looked when you didn’t show up at dad’s funeral? The whole town talked about it for days. So, now that the will’s being probated you think you can just return?”
Clint’s family was back to square one, money. It was all they ever thought about. Obviously Marge thought Cindy had come back to claim Clint’s portion of the inheritance.
Cindy bypassed her remarks. “When did your father pass away?” she asked.
“The funeral was two weeks ago,” Marge’s voice had a raspy tone. “It was an awful death. He suffered terribly, the drugs didn’t work. Mom is totally wrecked. She hasn’t even begun to recover. If she hears you’re back now, it’ll make things worse.”
“I’m sorry, Marge,” Cindy said. “I really am.”
“Why are you here? How long are staying?” Marge wouldn’t let go.
“I have no idea,” said Cindy.
*
Cindy sent a condolence basket to Clint’s family and did not receive a reply. Nothing had changed between them and Cindy had no desire to step back into the undercurrent of pain and resentment they lived in. They weren’t her family and never had been. Now that Clint was gone, there was nothing left, no child to bind them, no happy memories. There were no financial ties either. This house was hers, even though they initially tried to take it away. And now it was paid for in full. Cindy had received Clint’s life insurance as well. This kept her going beautifully. She had no interest in claiming Clint’s part of his father’s inheritance. Better to sever all ties to them she thought, and be on her own.
Ann stayed another three days. They were wonderful days, they went to the movies, and took long walks down near the water and shared old stories about growing up.
“Seems like you don’t want to talk about Mattheus,” Ann commented lightly at one point. “Whatever happened must still be quite raw and painful.”