on her house. It was raining blessings on her. She had already decided on a price, based on comparables in her neighborhood, and had communicated it to him. He knocked ten thousand dollars off the price on principle, and she accepted the offer. He said he’d have the written offer to her by the next day, and he did. He wanted a sixty-day closing and expected her to balk at it, but it was perfect for her since she was leaving for Africa in mid-December and could empty the house before. She told him she was planning to put all her furniture and art in storage. He called her back two hours later. For another two hundred thousand dollars, he wanted most of her furniture, which was a fair price for it and close to what she’d paid. She’d only have to store what he didn’t take, her art and some personal effects. She was planning to sell some of her clothes, the ones she knew she’d never wear again. She was trimming down her life in every way.
She texted Kate about the house, and called Caroline, who was standing in the totally bare room that had previously been their bedroom. She had gotten rid of everything and was starting fresh. She was planning to go to the Galleria in the city, and redecorate her bedroom exactly as she wanted it, without a hint of Peter in it, or Veronica Ashton. She couldn’t wait to start, and planned to sleep in the guest room in the meantime, and then replace that bed too.
“That’s not a good sign,” Morgan whispered to her brother when they saw it. “She’s getting rid of everything that reminds her of Dad.” She had already told them that they had decided to extend their time-out until the end of the year. But at least they hadn’t filed for divorce yet. There was still hope they might get back together, but they were worried about the empty bedroom. Morgan was feeling stressed about it, and Billy didn’t like it either. Now that they were home from the ranch, their parents’ separation seemed all too real to them. Their mother tried to reassure them without lying to them. She didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep, and the future of their parents’ marriage was uncertain.
Later that night, Caroline told Gemma about her new bedroom, she thought it was a great idea, and Gemma told her all about the new show she was going to be on. She made Caroline promise to come over and visit and bring the kids during a school vacation.
“We’ll come in February, for ski week,” she promised. So they both had something to look forward to, and Gemma was very happy with the money they were going to pay her for her co-star role. The money from the house sale was better than she’d hoped for, without a realtor’s commission to pay. She was on top again, and even better than before. Losing the show had been a powerful wake-up call to her, and had taught her a lesson. She was never again going to let her finances slide out of control, with nothing tucked away. She was just lucky that she’d had part of the ranch to sell, and a house. And her salary on the new show was higher than the old one. She was on top of the world.
They both got an email from Kate a week later. With Gemma leaving the country in December, she wanted to be sure that they would all come home for Thanksgiving on the ranch. It was going to be their first one without their father. But ironically, now they would have their mother with them for the first time, which was not lost on any of them. He had exited, and she had entered. It was a constantly shifting scene. Juliette was going back to France in December, and Kate wanted her with them on Thanksgiving too.
“Your family seems to be on the move these days,” Thad said when she told him about it. He was working on the plans for his house, their house, and Kate was going to freshen up her father’s house and redo some things before they moved in. Everyone had a project and was busy as life continued to happen, and people came and went.
“It’s kind of like a TV series,” he commented, and Kate laughed.
“Yes, it is. Especially with my family.” Caroline didn’t know if