Page 33 of A Room By the Sea

She slipped out the side door and hurried down the steps of the porch. Crossroads Bar and Grill was within walking distance of The Birchwood House, but she would need to walk quickly if she was going to be on time. She was already feeling nervous about meeting up with Penelope. The last thing she needed was to be late!

She made it to Crossroads Bar and Grill with five minutes to spare, however. She sat down on a bench in front of the restaurant to catch her breath, her eyes scanning the sidewalk to see if Penelope was approaching. It had been a hot day which had turned into a balmy evening, and the breeze wafting across town from the ocean smelled fragrant and was pleasantly cool. It helped soothe her nerves, and she closed her eyes for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of the wind.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Penelope walking along the sidewalk toward her. Audrey smiled and waved at her, hoping her friend would respond with enthusiasm. Penelope didn’t, instead simply lifting her hand briefly and hardly smiling. Audrey swallowed, hoping that Penelope’s reaction didn’t mean that she was upset with Audrey personally.

“Thanks for coming,” Audrey said, giving Penelope a brief hug when she reached the entrance of the restaurant.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

Although both women were smiling, there was an awkwardness to the exchange.

I’ve got to get through tonight so that we can get our friendship back to the way it was, Audrey thought. Things between me and Penelope aren’t going to improve if I don’t see her or talk to her.

They stepped inside the restaurant, where they were greeted by a hostess who seated them at a little table in a corner of the dining room. As soon as they sat down, Penelope buried her face in the menu. Audrey already knew that she wanted to order a slice of pizza pie and a side salad, so she twiddled her thumbs in her lap while she waited for Penelope to finish looking at the menu. Finally, Penelope set the menu down and Audrey smiled at her.

“What do you think you’re going to order?” Audrey asked, feeling a little as though she was trying to sweet-talk a tiger. She didn’t know how to treat Penelope. Should she acknowledge the way Penelope had been struggling with her marriage or not bring it up at all?

“I think I’m going to get the French onion soup and a grown-up grilled cheese sandwich,” Penelope said. “With the garlic aioli on the side.”

“That sounds amazing,” Audrey said. “Great choice.”

“What about you?” Penelope asked.

“A slice of pizza pie,” Audrey said. “Those black olives are calling my name. And a side salad.”

“Yum,” Penelope said, but Audrey couldn’t help noticing that she was less enthusiastic than she’d usually been in the past.

I need to be understanding, Audrey reminded herself. It was horrible that my marriage exploded like an unexpected bomb going off, but at least I was spared the drawn-out suspense of grief that Penelope is going through right now. I certainly couldn’t have been enthusiastic about pizza pie right after finding out that Clark was cheating on me.

A waitress came by and took their order, and then Penelope started to play with her cloth napkin, wiggling the edges in her fingertips.

“So,” she said finally, without looking up at Audrey. “How’s everything going with The Birchwood House?”

“Oh, fine.” Audrey smiled. “It’s going well. I think we’ll be ready to open soon, which is exciting.”

“That’s great.”

There was another awkward lull of silence, and then Audrey decided to rip off the band-aid and bring up the conversation they’d had outside the supermarket together.

“Hey,” she said softly, looking up and making eye contact with her friend. “I wanted to touch base with you about that conversation we had outside the grocery store. I think—well, I think it really upset you and I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry for that and it was never my intention.”

Penelope stiffened a little, but she nodded. “Thanks, Audrey. I know I behaved rudely, and I’m sorry for that too. I guess it’s just a garbage situation creating more garbage situations.”

Audrey shook her head. “I completely understand the turmoil you must be going through. I’ve never gone through anything exactly like it, but I can certainly imagine. And going back to everything we said about not being too cynical about men being able to change, I respect the fact that it might not be possible to adopt a positive outlook on it now. But I want to encourage you not to give up completely, at least not yet. I want to encourage you to harbor hope and remember that no matter what happens, you have your friends around you. We’re here for you no matter what, okay?”

Penelope swallowed, nodding, and Audrey could tell that her friend was trying not to cry. “Thanks. That means a lot to me. I know I haven’t been a good friend lately, and I really appreciate you stepping up for me like this even though I don’t deserve it.”

Audrey shook her head, smiling. “That’s not how friendships work. You’ve been handling our friendship the way you have because you’re struggling, not because you’re a mean or selfish person. I’m here for you during those times when you feel like you can’t do it all on your own. And you shouldn’t have to. That’s what friendships are for, aren’t they? We’re meant to support each other through the good times and the bad times.”

Penelope smiled at her and reached across the table to take Audrey’s hand and squeeze it. “You’re right. Thank you for being a good friend to me.”

“I finally feel like I’m coming out on the other side of my storm, and I want to help you do the same,” Audrey said. “When I first moved to Coral Sands, I felt like everything was harder to do than it had been in the past. I kept trying to choose joy and optimism, but my heart wanted to weigh me down. There were so many little obstacles that popped up—and big obstacles too—while we were turning The Birchwood House into a hotel, and it all seemed kind of impossible at first. But of course it wasn’t, as long as I had people helping me. The combined efforts of the friends and family around me gave me renewed hope that even a huge heartbreak wasn’t the end of my happiness. I felt so supported in everything, and that gave me the strength to tackle what was in front of me.”

Penelope blinked back tears. “I just can’t accept the fact that my marriage is probably ending. But I think I have to accept that—it seems like nothing I do is working. I need to start facing the music and try to let go of all the hopes that I had for our future together, but that seems impossible right now.”

“Take it one step at a time,” Audrey urged gently. “I wish grief was a shorter road, but know that while you’re on it, Harper and I are going to be here for you. Twenty-four seven. I mean that. You call me whenever you need me, okay?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that. You’re busy working on The Birchwood House. You don’t have time to deal with me and my problems at any hour of the day.”