go back, it’d be a hard choice. I built a great life for myself, and I feel selfish thinking about the man who still owns my heart to this day because I’d not have my children and grandchildren. And my husband was a decent man. I never loved him, and he knew it. And the passion in your eyes right now, I missed seeing in my own for almost fifty years.”
Her words cut me deep because I’ve been told you are lucky to grab love in your life once. What if Chadwick is my one and only? I don’t need an answer to this question. I can envision my life with him now and in the future. But then again, I can’t.
“I can’t tell you what to do, sweetheart, but I can say life is too short for regrets.” We come to a stop at the station, and she stands without any problems. It’s not what I would think for a woman in her seventies. It’s my guess, anyway. She gives me a little wink, accompanied by a smile. “I’m Jo, by the way.”
“Eve,” I return.
“Well, Eve, I hope you can make a decision you can live with.” She’s one of the first passengers to exit the bus, imparting the last bit of wisdom my way. I wait for everyone to depart. I can’t step off this bus yet because when I do, I know without a shadow of a doubt, I’ve given up Chadwick. It’s then I realize, I’m really alone, but this time, it has been all my choice.
Jared had sent a car for me, and it’s how I find myself at Kira’s the next morning. It’s funny; that was the first time I’ve slept in the room that was supposed to be mine when all this chaos started. Jared and Kira weren’t there to read me the riot act, but they wanted to make sure I arrived home. He insisted I could stay with Kira as long as I wanted, and I was thankful, but I’d be moving on as soon as I could make a plan.
I wake to a chirp on my phone, and it’s my automated daily banking alert. I’d never set it up on my new phone, and although Jared has given me a new mobile at Chadwick’s request, I’ll be damned if I take it.
My checks from the club were deposited straight into my account, and I’d barely used any of my own money since Chadwick had entered my life. And with my tips being deposited, too, I figured I’d made almost ten thousand—which I had hoped would take me a long way outside of Chicago.
I cringe, hoping my calculations are right. Picking up my phone, I say a little prayer, but then I drop it when I see the amount. Though my cell is no longer in my hands, I know I saw a balance of $111,286.
I’m fumbling through my clothes, dressing frantically while trying to get a live person to talk to on the customer service number. Dressed appropriately, I find my way out to the living room, the whole area surrounded by large windows, and I appreciate the view of Lake Michigan. I’ve not gotten over the words from the sweet woman from last night, and I’ve almost picked up my phone several times since returning to this penthouse to beg Chadwick for forgiveness.
Kira must be here somewhere because the television is blaring, and I grab the remote to mute it when a familiar face greets me on the morning news. The elevator music continues to play on the line as I wait to speak with someone at my bank. I still when the bottom of the screen message scrolls with breaking news.
“Mrs. Josephine Westbrook, eighty-eight, died in her sleep last night. The coroner is ruling it natural causes. Mrs. Westbrook was a nurse in the Korean War and was a POW from 1952-1954. She married Charles Westbrook in 1958. They went on to have three children and five grandchildren. In 1980, Mrs. Westbrook started Lee’s horse stables, breeding some of the most famous horses to race. Charles died in 2006, and Mrs. Westbrook was seen dating retired General Lee Dimer, the man she was captured with in Korea. The general died two days before they were to be married in 2012. Mrs. Westbrook was a proponent of animal rights and the Wounded Warrior Project—a real philanthropist in the Chicago area. She is survived by her children, Charles Junior, Judith,