stay a bit longer, aren’t you?”
Linnette didn’t have any other choice. She couldn’t let the clinic go short-staffed; she’d worked there since it opened and the place meant a lot to her. But her job wasn’t the only problem. She’d signed a lease for the apartment and it was either pay the rent or find someone to sublet. That very day, she’d posted an ad online and in the local paper. She’d also talked to a rental agent. Unless she managed to get someone to take over the lease, she’d have to stay much longer than she wanted to.
“I can’t stand to see you hurting like this,” Corrie said, taking two mugs from the cupboard. “This is as hard on me as it is on you. I don’t know what Cal was thinking.”
“Oh, Mom! Cal can love anyone he wants.” Even after he’d ended the relationship, she couldn’t stop defending him. That was another reason she had to leave. Linnette still loved Cal, and because of that, she wanted him to be happy. If it meant he was with another woman, then … then she’d simply leave.
The kettle whistled and steam shot into the air. Her mother removed it from the burner and poured the boiling water into the waiting pot, then added tea leaves. When she’d finished, she carried the pot of steeping tea to the kitchen table.
Years ago, when Linnette was a schoolgirl, her mother had made tea for her whenever she was sick. But it wasn’t the flu or a stomachache that bothered her now, and she seriously doubted a cup of tea would ease her aching heart.
“I’ve decided to put my things in storage,” Linnette said. She’d been considering what to do with her furniture for some time. Not that she had much to store. At first she’d assumed she could keep her belongings in her parents’ basement, but then she realized it was her responsibility, not her parents’.
“Dad and I can keep them for you,” her mother offered, exactly as Linnette had known she would.
“No, Mom, this is what I’m doing.” It would be easy to let her mother talk her out of her plans. The whole process would start with something small, some favor like the one she’d just suggested, and then gradually, Corrie would wear her down. Next thing she knew, Linnette would be staying in Cedar Cove.
Her mother seemed surprised by Linnette’s persistence and shrugged her shoulders. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” Linnette reiterated.
Corrie reached for the teapot and filled both their cups, muttering, “It’s a waste of good money.”
“Perhaps.”
“So …” Corrie tensed. “Where do you plan to go?”
“I don’t know yet,” Linnette said noncommittally.
This news appeared to startle her mother. “You mean to say you’re just heading out the door with no destination in mind?”
Linnette nodded. “I guess so.”
“That’s so unlike you.” Corrie looked even more distressed.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but.” Linnette didn’t know how to finish her response; she had nothing reassuring to say.
Her mother was right. Acting this impulsively was unlike her. She craved structure, needed it. Once she’d decided to become a physician assistant, she’d listed all the required courses, and calculated how long it would take to obtain her degree. Then, with the full force of her determination, she’d set out to achieve it. Never before, not on a trip or in life, had she left without a road map. Until now.
“In other words, you’re running away,” her mother said anxiously.
Linnette had no intention of denying it. “You could say that.” She took a sip of tea and not surprisingly it burned her mouth. She set down the mug.
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“Probably not. I’ll admit it’s not a rational decision, Mom. I’m responding to pain. I’m fully aware that none of this makes sense to you or anyone else. All I can tell you is that leaving feels right.”
“Cal should move,” Corrie said in a stubborn voice.
“Mother!”
“He doesn’t have family here and you do.”
“No one has to move anywhere,” she said. “I’m the one who wants to get out of Cedar Cove.”
“Then go,” her mother said. “But don’t do it like this,” she pleaded. “Request a leave of absence from work. Take however long you need. But to quit like this, pack up your belongings and move out of your apartment, it’s so …”
“Drastic?” Linnette inserted.
“Yes, drastic,” her mother agreed. “I can’t imagine why you feel the need to flee like this with … with your tail between your legs. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Cal and Vicki didn’t either. I’m walking away because I’m the one who’s hurting.”
“And therefore the one least qualified to be making this kind of decision,” her mother said.
“Mother, don’t you see.” Linnette began. She sighed. “It’s time for me to do something that’s more … out of my comfort zone. My life is so regimented, so … so, I don’t know, so perfect.”
“In other words, you’re looking for a way to screw it up?”
That made Linnette smile. “No. I’m looking for a way to escape. I’m seeking adventure,” she said grandly.
“But you’ve always been so responsible.”
“Exactly my point,” Linnette told her. “I’m tired of meeting all these expectations.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Your father and I never meant—”
“Mom.” Linnette leaned across the table and placed a hand on her mother’s arm. “It’s not your expectations I’m talking about but my own. I’m the one who put them on myself. As of right now, I’m taking a long, hard look at my life. I’m setting out to discover what I really want. All I know is that it isn’t in Cedar Cove.”
Her mother seemed about to break into tears. “And you have to run away from your family?”
“Yes.” It was the simple, straightforward truth.
“Oh.” Corrie picked up her tea and her lips trembled as she bent to take a sip.
Linnette understood how difficult this was for her mother. “Think about the positive side, Mom,” she said, forcing a note of cheerful optimism into her voice.
“What’s positive about my daughter running away?” Corrie asked.
“Well, this’ll be a wonderful opportunity for you and Gloria to get to know each other without me there always directing the conversation.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. The situation with Gloria remained
