about all the history on the grounds. The website said there was a ton of it here, and we haven’t had a chance to hear it. I’ll bet Eleanor has a wealth of stories… I want to stay.”
“You sure you want to do that?” Edie asked.
“Yes. It’ll be great for Eleanor.”
Edie gave a knowing nod. “Yes,” she said. “It’ll be great for Eleanor. You’ll be wonderful company for her.” She put her arm around Lila. “And I couldn’t help but notice you and Theo when I came in,” she whispered.
So she had seen… Lila shook her head to tell her it was nothing, but she knew her friend understood.
“Okay, Piper,” Edie said. “Let’s see if we can bag up my wet clothes and get them into the car. She turned to Lila. “Want us to leave the decorations? I could come back to get you, and we can take them down then.”
“I can take them down—it’s no problem,” Lila said. “It’ll be nice to have them all up.”
“I feel terrible leaving you,” Piper said.
“I think she’ll be just fine,” Edie said with a smirk.
Edie was both right and totally wrong, Lila mused. While she might be trying to make the best out of a bad situation, there was a hole in her heart that they’d never really get to have that final vacation, sharing gifts and laugher, making memories they could cherish forever. Charlotte, Piper, and Edie were like her sisters, and an era was coming to an end. At this rate she probably wouldn’t ever get to have another Christmas with them—they’d barely managed a few days together this year, and given how their lives were moving in different directions, it would only get harder. Lila wondered how long it would be before they abandoned their regular coffee dates and quit hanging out completely, struggling to snatch a quick hour together. She’d be completely alone, without her best friends or any family, in a city that wasn’t hers. What would she do with her life?
If anything could be said about this Christmas, it was full of surprises, that was for sure. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any more. Her heart might not be able to take it.
Ten
Eleanor’s house was lit up this morning before the sun rose. The lamplight created a glow from inside as Lila knocked on the door. Presley the cat greeted her and rubbed once across her leg before darting off into the snowy surroundings.
Lila had come over earlier than she’d originally planned, just to take some time to be with Eleanor. Her eyes stung with lack of sleep, all night her body caught between the desperate need for rest and the wild, constant thoughts that rushed through her mind, not allowing her any peace. She kept thinking about how her friends were moving on with their lives, yet she felt stuck, like she was running in quicksand, being left behind.
“Good morning,” Eleanor said when she answered the door. “Come in. Do you want some breakfast?”
“I’m on my way to the coffee shop in a bit to help Theo out,” Lila replied.
“I’ve made biscuits and eggs,” Eleanor said. “I’ll whip up a sandwich and wrap it in some cellophane for the road.”
“Thanks.” Lila grinned gratefully at her. “I just wanted to stop in and see how you were.”
“I’m fine, dear,” she said, but the cloud of worry that overtook her when she said it told a different story. She sat down in her reading chair by the fire, which was lit already.
“You sure?” Lila asked, setting her coat on the arm of the sofa and taking a seat.
“Do you ever feel like you have no idea where your life is going?” the old woman asked with a sigh.
Lila couldn’t help laughing. “Sorry, it’s not funny. I’m laughing because I know exactly what you mean. In fact, I’ve been feeling the same thing myself.”
“I thought that by this age, I would be settled, looking back on my life and knowing I was finally in the place where I could live out my years in comfort and security.”
“Do you think anyone really gets to have that?” Lila wondered aloud.
Eleanor contemplated her question before replying, “I think some do.”
“Then how do they get that lucky?”
Eleanor smiled. “‘Lucky’ is the key word there. I think we all have paths we take in life, and as long as we’ve prayed for them and tried to do what’s right, we are on the correct one. But contentment isn’t a guarantee. I guess, during