On Sunday afternoon, Heather gave Marlow House’s kitchen door a cursory knock before reaching for the doorknob. Through the window, she saw Danielle sitting at the table, flipping through a cookbook. Heather smiled when she found the door unlocked.
Danielle looked up from the notebook. “Hey, Heather.”
“I assumed I’d find you and Marie baking up a storm.” After stepping into the kitchen, Heather closed the door behind her and walked toward Danielle.
Danielle closed the cookbook and set it on the table. “Actually, I’m waiting for Marie. She should be here any minute. We’re going over some recipes I want to make. But we won’t start until after Laura leaves on Wednesday.”
“Ahh, to avoid her walking in on floating baking supplies?” Heather sat down at the table with Danielle.
“Something like that.” Danielle grinned. “Laura’s across the street right now. She’s having dinner there tonight. She’s trying to spend as much time as she can with her sister before she leaves.”
“I noticed her crossing the street when I was walking here. By the way, Lily invited Brian and me to the surprise going-away party on Tuesday.”
“So you’ll be there?”
“Yep. And on Thursday, I’m going with Brian to his friend’s funeral.”
“The guy with Alzheimer’s?”
Heather nodded. “Which means I’ll be meeting Brian’s ex-wife.”
“That should be interesting.”
“I’m surprised they already arranged the funeral. He died yesterday, and it’s a weekend.”
“I take it the caretaker finally got ahold of his ex-wife?”
“About an hour after Brian got the call about him passing away, his ex finally returned Flora’s call. Flora’s the caregiver. I guess his ex’s brother and sister are coming too. They’re both married and have kids, but according to Brian, he thinks they’ll come alone.”
“I’m here!” Marie appeared in the middle of the kitchen.
After greeting Marie, Danielle quickly recapped what they had been discussing.
“Ahh, so you’ll meet Camilla?” Marie took a seat at the table.
“You knew her?” Heather asked.
“Of course. Brian was married to her for twenty-five years. They split up not long after their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We weren’t friends or anything. But we knew each other.”
“I heard about them breaking up after twenty-five years of marriage. That’s a long time to be with someone,” Heather said.
“Obviously, Camilla felt it was long enough.” Marie chuckled.
Danielle looked at Marie. “What was she like?”
Marie considered the question a moment before answering, “To begin with, much closer to Brian’s age.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” Heather grumbled.
Marie leaned back in her chair and sighed before saying, “In all seriousness, Camilla Henderson was a striking woman. In some ways, she reminded me a little of Beverly Klein. I always suspected that’s why Brian was initially attracted to Beverly.”
“You mean Camilla tried to kill Brian like Beverly killed her ex?” Heather snarked.
Marie chuckled. “No. I was referring to her appearance. Bev was always impeccably groomed, classy clothes, someone you expect to be wearing a single strand of pearls and tastefully applied makeup.”
“Not black lipstick or polish?” Heather glanced at her own nails, painted dark burgundy, almost black.
Once again, Marie chuckled. “While people considered Camilla an attractive woman, if I want to be brutally honest…”
“Be brutally honest,” Heather urged.
“Camilla isn’t what I would call a natural beauty. But she knew how to use what God gave her and definitely had a knack for applying makeup.”
“What was her personality like?” Danielle asked.
“Frankly, I didn’t care for her. I always felt she came across as disingenuous. Something of a phony. But the men seemed to like her. She was a bit of a flirt.”
“How did Brian deal with that?” Danielle asked.
Instead of answering the question, Marie studied Heather for a moment. “You know, Brian’s attraction to Heather makes much more sense now that I think about it.”
Heather frowned at Marie. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“For one thing, you are the polar opposite of Camilla.”
“Gee, thanks. What, I’m unattractive, with no sense of style, and don’t know how to wear makeup?”
Marie laughed. “No, dear. You are genuine. You never put on a pretense for anyone. And as I mentioned, Camilla is not a natural beauty, while you look lovely, even when you go jogging in the morning without bothering to put on any makeup.”
“I guess that’s a compliment,” Heather muttered under her breath.
“You said she was a flirt. Is that why they broke up? Did she leave him for someone else?” Danielle asked.
“Not sure if there was another man. It wouldn’t surprise me, considering how she openly flirted. But if there were rumors about her and someone else, they never got back to me. Despite everything, before she left him, they seemed to have a solid marriage. But one never knows what goes on behind closed doors.”
“Brian rarely talks about her, and I don’t ask,” Heather said.
“He’s obviously gotten over it, but back then, I understood it blindsided him. Quite broken up. Of course, that was about ten years ago,” Marie explained. “I wonder if she ever remarried.”
“She hasn’t,” Heather said. “Brian told me that according to Flora, she never remarried and still goes by Henderson. Which I find weird. Even if she’s still single, why not go by her maiden name? I sure wouldn’t use my ex’s surname. Of course, I don’t plan to ever get married.”
“Remember, they were married for twenty-five years. That’s a long time. Not unusual for a woman of that generation to keep her ex’s name,” Marie reminded her.
“Danielle didn’t keep her husband’s name after he died. And they didn’t even divorce,” Heather said.
“I’m not in that generation. Plus, Lucas and I hadn’t been married that long,” Danielle said. “And if he hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have stayed with him—or kept his name—not after learning of his mistress.”
Heather let out a sigh. “True.”
Marie looked at Heather. “Are you serious when you say you’ll never get married?”
Heather shrugged. “What’s the point? I’ve never wanted kids. Even if I didn’t have messed-up genes, I don’t really see myself as a mom. If not for having kids, I’m not sure; what’s the point of marriage?”
* * *
Anne Roberts sat on the vanity bench and watched as her roommate Camilla Henderson filled the open suitcases on the bed with the clothes from Camilla’s wardrobe. Camilla meticulously folded each item before adding it to the suitcase.
“What did your broker say when you gave notice?” Anne asked.
“I softened the blow by giving him my client list and told him I just expected a referral fee from my current listings.”
“Was it wise to hand over your client list? After all, what happens if you want to come back?”
Camilla leaned over the bed, closed the suitcase, and looked over to Anne. “I’m not moving back. And I’m not sure I want to keep selling real estate. With the inheritance from my uncle, I might just retire.” Camilla sat on the side of the bed and faced Anne.
“I understand that. But aren’t you sort of repeating the past?”
Camilla frowned. “What do you mean?”
“How you left Frederickport… and your marriage of twenty-five years?”
“And never looked back?” Camilla hesitantly added.
“Oh, you looked back.” Anne gave a snort. “I can’t count how many times over the years you’ve cried on Sarah’s and my shoulders over your ex-husband. And how leaving him was the biggest mistake of your life.”
“I do get dramatic when I drink.”
“Admit it, unresolved feelings for Brian are the real reason you’re moving back to Frederickport.”
Camilla shrugged. “If I wanted to see Brian, I could have always gone back under the pretense of seeing my uncle.”
“Yeah, but when going back for a visit, there’s no guarantee you’ll run into him. And going there for a couple of days is nothing like moving back full time.”
“What are you saying?” Camilla asked.
“I see what you’re doing. I know you, girl. This is your opportunity to move back to Frederickport. It’s a small town, so you’re bound to run into your ex. You already have a house there—well, your uncle’s house. If you don’t have to worry about working, you’ll have plenty of time to figure out ways to run into him. But before you make this big move, are you sure he hasn’t remarried? It’s been ten years.”
“Yes, it has been ten years. So it’s silly to assume I’m going back there now, after all this time, for Brian.”
Anne resisted the temptation to point out Camilla’s obsession with Brian had increased in recent years, which Anne believed had to do with Camilla’s series of failed relationships. Anne also believed Camilla viewed her memories of Brian through a skewed lens. “Does this mean you aren’t sure if he’s in a relationship?”
“I haven’t heard if he’s in a relationship. But I’m certain he never remarried. After all, if he’d gotten married, there would have been some mention in the local paper.”
Anne knew Camilla subscribed to the Frederickport Press. But she also knew Camilla kept in contact with a few people back in Frederickport, and had Brian remarried, Anne doubted Camilla would have to wait to read about it in the newspaper.
* * *
When Anne finally left Camilla alone in the room, Camilla removed the suitcases from her bed and set them in the corner. Her plan was to leave first thing in the morning for Frederickport. Aside from her clothes, she had already boxed up what she intended to take with her and what would fit in her car. She packed and stored the rest of her personal items in the garage, ready to be shipped. She wasn’t planning on taking any of her furniture with her. That, she had already given to her roommates. She wanted to start fresh in Frederickport, and she had the money to do that.
Camilla walked from her bedroom into the adjacent bathroom and looked into the mirror, studying her reflection. With a smile, she ran her fingertips along the edge of her cheekbones. She wondered what Brian would think when he saw her. They would undoubtably see each other at her Uncle Homer’s funeral service on Thursday. He would expect her to look a decade older. But she didn’t, thanks to one of the most talented plastic surgeons in the country. While it had been costly, she believed the money was well spent.