was greater than the literal four feet that separated them.
Letting her shoulders drop, Martha said quietly, “I think I need a change of scenery.”
Latching onto that like a dog would a bone, Blaine said, “So, what do you propose?”
She sighed. “At first I thought it might be nice to take a little trip.” She watched as his eyes glazed over at the mention of leaving his practice unattended. “Now, however, I’m thinking we might want to do something more permanent.” She watched as one of his eyebrows quirked. At least that meant he was giving her a chance to speak, to share her idea.
Clearing her throat, she sat on the stone hearth and gazed up at him. She was like a submissive little bitch, and she knew he would like that. “What if we moved south?” She spoke slowly, watching him bristle some at the suggestion. “People are big into beauty in some of the larger southern cities.” She picked up momentum gradually. “Charlotte, for example, is a great place for a successful plastic surgeon to build his practice.”
He cocked his head to the side as though considering it. “You hate cities,” he spat.
Nodding, she acknowledged the truth of his statement. “But,” she reminded him, “We wouldn’t have to live in the city, just like we don’t live in Burlington here.” She paused. “I’m sure I could find a great small town with a reasonable commute for us.” She waited, and felt spark a glimmer of the hope she hadn’t felt in a long time. She knew that the secret to building a roaring fire was not to smother it too soon. She knew that she couldn’t pile on too much heavy stuff, she had to give him a moment to blow on the tiny flame, slowly feed it and give it the time to grow gradually.
“When would you want to move?” He asked slowly. His mind was reeling with the possibilities and ramifications of her statements.
Martha swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “I’d like to be moved by the new year.” She waited, hands clenched in her lap. She didn’t want to seem too eager or too desperate. The fire behind her was heating the back of her navy blue Henley nicely. The rivets in her jeans were hot to the touch, but still she continued to shiver.
“Find a place,” Blaine responded solemnly. “Find a place and we’ll make it happen.” And with that, he turned on his heels and headed back out the front door to his SUV.
With that one simple statement, she could feel the flame grow a little larger, licking into the dark empty corners of her body, corners that should have been filled in the coming months with new life. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her torso, hugging tightly. She could use a real hug. How long since Blaine had shown her any affection? Head cocked to the side. The conception. Hmm.
Gathering what strength she had left, Martha sat down in the overstuffed chocolate leather couch in the keeping room and propped her feet on the coffee table. The cord to the laptop wound its way down her calf and she took comfort in the familiar pressure on her legs. She stared at the Google search page and wondered what to type in. This was no time for one of her lengthy lists. She had to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak. She needed something concrete before Blaine had an opportunity to change his mind.
What do I need? She wondered to herself. Warmth. Well, a move south should help with that. A change. Again, the move would give her that. I need to know that I won’t always feel like this. I need to know that I can have the life I’ve always dreamed of having. I need to get back to myself. Suddenly, it came to her. Then feeling a little silly, she began to type. She looked down at the simple word she had written in that search box. Hope. With a bit of trepidation tamping down the embers in her soul, she pushed the button that sent her request into the World Wide Web.
Not only did her search yield a ridiculous number of matching responses, one on the first page stood out to her. The quaint little town of New Hope, South Carolina was celebrating its bicentennial. There were pictures of the parade, the town square, the government building, and lots of the area’s older homes