“Sometimes a day can feel like forever.”
Heather skipped a beat. “Agreed.” She bit into her toast.
“I’m worried about Moutarde,” Cara said. “When I went to feed them this morning, I found feathers everywhere. In fact, all the birds seem to be losing their feathers. Is it something I did?”
“Lord, no. It’s normal. They’re molting.”
Cara’s eyes widened. “Molting?”
“That’s when they replace all of their feathers. Some two thousand of them. It’s normal. All birds molt. Imagine wearing the same suit of clothes all year—it would get pretty worn. The canaries have been molting for a few weeks and will continue till fall. You just haven’t noticed because I’m such a good roommate and tidy up after my pets. Don’t look alarmed,” Heather soothed with a light laugh. “I’ll write you a list of instructions before I leave. I have some books on caring for birds I can give you, too.”
Cara screwed up her face. “You’re still planning on leaving, then?”
“September first is around the corner. I don’t know where I’m going yet, but I’ve got to go somewhere. Time for me to shed my feathers and move on, too.”
“Please tell me you aren’t going to Charlotte.”
Heather looked at her glass, considering her answer. “I’m not going back home, that’s certain. But I haven’t ruled anything out.” She looked up and suddenly was very glad to have Cara as her friend. She needed someone to talk to now. A girlfriend to whom she could spill all the details and her private thoughts.
She leaned closer to Cara. “I’ve got to tell you—Bo just got offered the most wonderful job on Dewees. He’ll be the new maintenance manager.”
Cara leaned back in her chair, her mouth open. “That’s news!”
“And it comes with a caretaker’s cottage on the island.”
“Really! Amazing. I’m so happy for him.” She paused. “But how do you feel about that?”
“There’s the ferry, of course. And he has his own boat.”
“Oh, true, true.”
“And, well . . . he asked me to move in with him.”
Cara’s expression shifted from joy to wide-eyed concern. “Move in with him?”
Heather nodded. “It’s an option.”
Cara shook her head decisively. “It’s too easy.”
Heather frowned, remembering that she’d said the exact same thing when Bo had presented the idea, but somehow coming out of Cara’s mouth it sounded wrong. She took a long swallow of her tea. “It could work.”
“Someday, maybe. Not now.”
Heather found Cara’s conviction mildly irritating. “Why not now?”
“You haven’t known him that long, for starters.”
“We’ve been inseparable since June, Cara. That’s a long time.”
“Is it? For someone, shall we say, unaccustomed to dating . . . maybe it does seem like a long time. But beyond that, you’ve only just moved out of your father’s house. This was your first foray into living on your own. Why rush into another living situation where you’re being taken care of?? Isn’t that what Natalie said that made you so upset?”
“I haven’t been taken care of. I’ve been living on my own all summer,” Heather countered.
“Your father is paying your rent. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but let’s call it what it is.”
Heather quietly fumed.
Cara pressed on. “You’ve come so far this summer. Don’t you want to be independent? You don’t need to be in another position where you’re being forced into making a decision, much less a commitment.” Cara paused, then said, “My father was a cruel man. He didn’t like strong women and he scorned their opinions. When I was young, I thought my mother was weak. But she was determined to keep the beach house and did, despite the fierce pressure my father, and later Palmer, exerted to take it away. Because of the household I grew up in, I was equally determined never to lose control over my destiny. I never depended on a man to provide for me. I swore no man would ever lord over me. Heather, this is your time to see what’s really out there. You’re going to regret it if you don’t.”
Heather shook her head lightly. “Cara, you forget. I love him. I’m not being forced into a decision. He made an offer and I’m thinking it over. It doesn’t have to be forever. Maybe just for right now.”
“If you do really love him, you should take your time and not rush it. The relationship needs time to grow. I’m sorry, but what you think love is sounds an awful lot like a summer romance. Real love takes time. And y’all just aren’t there yet.” Her eyes glittered with intent. “Here’s what you need to do. . . .”
Heather sat back in her seat, silent. She felt like she was being presented with one of Cara’s marketing pitches.
“Move in with me for real! Here’s why. One, you like it here. Two, the rent will be affordable.” She winked. “Three, you have a great roommate who cares about you. Four, I really want you to stay. I need you, too. We do pretty well together, don’t we? You have your workroom all set up, and the birds love it here. You’re settled. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Heather felt the power of her persuasion. Cara made it all sound so simple. So logical. Yet something didn’t sit right in her gut. Her instincts tingled.
“And you can continue to see Bo as much as you wish,” Cara concluded. “After all, he has the boat, right?” She smiled and lifted her glass as though in a toast.
Heather picked up her glass and looked at it, clenched in her hand, the ice cold against her palm. She felt frozen. “That all sounds really nice,” she said in a soft voice.
“I think it will be great,” Cara said with enthusiasm.
“Uh, listen, I’d better get to work,” Heather said. She rose to her feet, shaking. “That final painting has to be in the mail by Friday.”
“Sure. Good luck with that.” Cara pushed back from the table as well and squeezed Heather around the shoulders, oblivious. “I’ll make dinner! Seared ahi tuna and a grapefruit salad sound good to you? I’m so excited.”
With a smile still frozen on her face, Heather turned and walked away.