Read Online Embracing Change by Debbie Roome - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Debbie Roome
Ads: Link
They’d planned it all, from the little stone church to the arrangements of red roses and gypsophila. The reception would have taken place at a club in Johannesburg and the menu was stuffed pork, smoked chicken and garden vegetables followed by trifle and rich chocolate mousse. She had chosen her bridesmaids and Luke his groomsmen. The materials had been bought and her cupboard was full of patterns, lace and satin.
After Luke died, there’d been so much to cancel, so many painful reminders of what might have been. She still had the lace and material stored in a box in the roof of her parent’s home. On the day they would have wed, she spent time with Luke’s parents and her own as they wandered round a park, trying to stop the tears from falling.
“You’re crying.”
Sarah reached up and felt her cheeks. She hadn’t realised that tears were escaping and tracking down her face.
“What’s wrong?” Joel’s face was worried as he leaned towards her. “Are you feeling sick again?”
“No. I’m alright.”
He reached over and took hold of her hand. “You’re not. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
She used the bottom of her T-shirt to dab her eyes. “It was just the mention of the wedding. It’s stupid really. I need to get over it.”
His face clouded with compassion. “Did you have a date set?”
“Yes, in early September. It would have been a spring wedding.”
“I can’t imagine the loss you must feel.”
She looked across at him. Blonde hair curled rampantly over his collar and the tight blue T-shirt picked up the colour of his eyes. How could she be crying over the loss of Luke while enjoying the touch of a man she hardly knew? The thought made her cry even harder but she was reluctant to remove her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said eventually. “I’m far too emotional and being sick hasn’t helped. I’m really sorry.”
Chapter Eleven
Joel is unlike any man I’ve ever met. An intriguing mix of strength and softness.
From the journal of Sarah Johnson
Sunday, 23rd March
One week later, Joel picked Sarah up from the motel. “I think you’ll like the girls. They’re a great bunch.”
Sarah settled into the front seat, remembering how Joel had carried her to his car a few days earlier. The memory still warmed her heart, and flooded her with guilt. “Tell me about them,” she invited.
“Their names are Mandy, Trisha and Jade. Mandy works as a flight attendant for Air New Zealand so her hours are quite erratic. Trisha is a PR consultant for a national clothing chain. She dresses the part too—ultra-fashionable and very outgoing. Jade is a reporter for one of the local community papers.”
“Quite a mixed bunch.”
“Yep. They’re home this afternoon, so you’ll get to meet them all.”
The “flat” turned out to be a four-bedroomed house in one of the older, more established suburbs of Christchurch. Like most homes, it was situated on a long skinny piece of land and surrounded by a rustic wooden fence. Sarah stopped as they entered the garden. “Oh, my!” A row of trees flanked the side of the property, their leaves a blaze of burgundy and orange, and late blooming roses lined the driveway. “Look at them, Joel.” Colours flitted through her mind like delicate butterflies: pearl, frosted lilac, deep garnet, sunshine. She buried her face in a mass of buttermilk roses and inhaled their scent, delicate yet strong, filling her mind with memories of her mother’s roses a continent away. “I love it. It reminds me of home.”
“The rental includes a garden service—the owner’s quite fussy about the garden—and Mandy enjoys gardening too.” He led the way towards the house, which up till this point she hadn’t even glanced at. It was nothing out of the ordinary, a simple suburban box with red brick cladding and a grey tile roof. “It’s an old home that’s been modernised,” Joel said, as though reading her mind. “You’ll see once we’re inside.”
He rang
After Luke died, there’d been so much to cancel, so many painful reminders of what might have been. She still had the lace and material stored in a box in the roof of her parent’s home. On the day they would have wed, she spent time with Luke’s parents and her own as they wandered round a park, trying to stop the tears from falling.
“You’re crying.”
Sarah reached up and felt her cheeks. She hadn’t realised that tears were escaping and tracking down her face.
“What’s wrong?” Joel’s face was worried as he leaned towards her. “Are you feeling sick again?”
“No. I’m alright.”
He reached over and took hold of her hand. “You’re not. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
She used the bottom of her T-shirt to dab her eyes. “It was just the mention of the wedding. It’s stupid really. I need to get over it.”
His face clouded with compassion. “Did you have a date set?”
“Yes, in early September. It would have been a spring wedding.”
“I can’t imagine the loss you must feel.”
She looked across at him. Blonde hair curled rampantly over his collar and the tight blue T-shirt picked up the colour of his eyes. How could she be crying over the loss of Luke while enjoying the touch of a man she hardly knew? The thought made her cry even harder but she was reluctant to remove her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said eventually. “I’m far too emotional and being sick hasn’t helped. I’m really sorry.”
Chapter Eleven
Joel is unlike any man I’ve ever met. An intriguing mix of strength and softness.
From the journal of Sarah Johnson
Sunday, 23rd March
One week later, Joel picked Sarah up from the motel. “I think you’ll like the girls. They’re a great bunch.”
Sarah settled into the front seat, remembering how Joel had carried her to his car a few days earlier. The memory still warmed her heart, and flooded her with guilt. “Tell me about them,” she invited.
“Their names are Mandy, Trisha and Jade. Mandy works as a flight attendant for Air New Zealand so her hours are quite erratic. Trisha is a PR consultant for a national clothing chain. She dresses the part too—ultra-fashionable and very outgoing. Jade is a reporter for one of the local community papers.”
“Quite a mixed bunch.”
“Yep. They’re home this afternoon, so you’ll get to meet them all.”
The “flat” turned out to be a four-bedroomed house in one of the older, more established suburbs of Christchurch. Like most homes, it was situated on a long skinny piece of land and surrounded by a rustic wooden fence. Sarah stopped as they entered the garden. “Oh, my!” A row of trees flanked the side of the property, their leaves a blaze of burgundy and orange, and late blooming roses lined the driveway. “Look at them, Joel.” Colours flitted through her mind like delicate butterflies: pearl, frosted lilac, deep garnet, sunshine. She buried her face in a mass of buttermilk roses and inhaled their scent, delicate yet strong, filling her mind with memories of her mother’s roses a continent away. “I love it. It reminds me of home.”
“The rental includes a garden service—the owner’s quite fussy about the garden—and Mandy enjoys gardening too.” He led the way towards the house, which up till this point she hadn’t even glanced at. It was nothing out of the ordinary, a simple suburban box with red brick cladding and a grey tile roof. “It’s an old home that’s been modernised,” Joel said, as though reading her mind. “You’ll see once we’re inside.”
He rang
Similar Books
