Page 56 of Postmarked December

They walked up the hill that was littered with headstones. Marion pulled out her phone and madly typed. “I’ll look up the history and be our tour guide.” She stepped over a fallen branch. “Oh, this is cool.” She scrolled. “This chapel is a local gathering spot for both weddings and funerals. At funerals, the chapel’s bell is rung once for every year a person lived, a tradition that began in the 1800s and still continues today.”

Heather ran her hand over one of the headstones, each one representing a life. This particular one was so old she could no longer read the inscription. How many bells had rung for this person? Had their life been cut short like Toby’s?

If Toby had taught her one thing, it was that life could be fleeting. She didn’t know how many times that bell would toll for her. So she’d better make the most of every single minute.

When they’d walked down the small aisle inside, past the wooden pews, and had a closer look at the piano up front, Anthony picked them up and they went on the Christmas-tree walking tour. But they only saw a few lit trees before ducking out at one of the stops nearer to where Anthony had parked because they were nearly frozen.

He’d been quiet on the way home while Marion and Heather chatted away. Now, back in the cozy warmth of the cabin, he already had a game on TV and was adding a few logs to the fire while Heather set one of the platters of cookies on the coffee table. Anthony picked up Scarlett and plopped down on the sofa with her purring in his arms. Heather and Marion bent over the fireplace, warming their hands.

“My favorite place we visited today was the bookshop.” Marion sat next to Anthony, draping her legs on top of his.

Heather sat down in the armchair by the sofa. “It was a perfect day.” She picked up one of the cookies and nibbled its sugary edge.

Marion selected one for herself and took a bite, settling back against the sofa. Scarlett crawled off Anthony’s lap and into Marion’s. With a grin, she stroked the kitten.

Only then did both of them seem to notice Anthony’s silence.

The game was on, but he was unusually quiet. He seemed lost in thought, not reacting to the second-yard-line drama that was playing out on the screen. His expression was somber, unlike his usual easygoing attitude.

Marion eyed Heather, but unsure why his demeanor had changed so abruptly, Heather shrugged discreetly.

Scooting closer to him, Marion rubbed his shoulder. “You okay?”

“Hm?” He cleared his throat, fiddling with the remote he’d set on the arm of the sofa. “Yeah. Why?”

“You look pensive.”

When she said that, the contemplative look washed over him again. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “It feels different here.”

“What feels different,” Marion asked as she cuddled Scarlett.

“This house feels like the kind of place a family would live in. And being here with you got me thinking about our future.”

Only because Heather knew the background of this conversation did she notice the minuscule lift in Marion’s body.

“What about it?” Marion asked, her words breathy.

He shook his head and faced her. “It got me wondering if all those hours at work are really what I’m supposed to be doing with my time.” His gaze fell onto the coffee table, but it was as if he were looking through it. “Am I building the wrong thing?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Maybe I should be working long hours to build something that includes you.”

Her breathing became steady, her shirt slowly rising and falling. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

The two of them shared a quiet moment of understanding. Then Marion leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s the best thing I think I’ve ever heard you say.”

“This cabin is a little too comfortable,” he said, making eye contact with Heather and pulling her into the conversation.

“I hate that we ever have to leave,” Marion said. “If I were you, Heather, I’d spend every waking moment here.”

Heather smiled, her heart full for her friends. “While I could stay here for the rest of the holiday, I need to get myself acclimated to regular life again before I have to go back to work.” She’d like to go through Toby’s things and see if she could figure out what had been sent to storage. She was ready. “I’ll probably pack up tonight. I’ll be leaving with a lot more than I came here with.” She waggled a finger at the cookies.

“True.” Marion swung her legs off Anthony. She bent down under the tree and picked up the final envelope, which had been wrapped up with the photo album. “Don’t forget this.”

Heather took it and held what was probably the last message from Toby in her hands. If she was truly ready to move on, she needed to enjoy it and then decide how the rest of her life would look. While there were still unanswered questions, like why Nick had been so ruthless in ignoring her, she needed to take the next step and start living again.