Page 6 of A Winter Thaw

Michelle smiled at her. Penelope was going through a divorce, but she was much happier than she had been before making the decision to leave her husband Robert. A few months ago, she’d been bitter and distracted a lot of the time. Michelle knew that Penelope was still struggling, going through something so difficult, but it was clear that a weight had been lifted from her friend’s shoulders and she was happy to see it.

“It’s my fault I’m so cold,” Michelle said with a laugh. “I decided to walk instead of drive.”

“Oof, you’re a Spartan,” Harper said.

“Hey, hon,” Audrey said, giving Michelle a sideways hug as she sat down next to her. “I can drive you back with me so you don’t have to walk again.”

“Sounds great,” Michelle grinned.

“And we’ve got cheese-filled breadsticks,” Penelope said, gesturing to a basket of perfect, fluffy, and golden breadsticks and two dishes of sauce. “Help yourself.”

“Oh my gosh.” Michelle’s mouth watered and she immediately dipped one of the breadsticks into the dish of marinara sauce.

For a couple of minutes, she let the other women talk as she savored the delicious breadstick. Once she’d swallowed the last bite, however, she turned to Harper.

“Mom told me about the adoption event you’re hosting,” she told her. “It sounds like a lot of fun. I definitely want to be there.”

“Yay!” Harper took a sip of her soda. “It’s going to be amazing, I just know it. We’ve got so many fun things planned. My goal is to get at least half the animals adopted, but part of me is hoping for some kind of Christmas miracle so that it can be all of them.”

“I hope so,” Audrey said. “It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve never played games with puppies before, but I am definitely looking forward to it.”

Harper laughed. “Good. And you should bring Evan along,” she said, her tone teasing. “Who knows? You two might be inspired to move your relationship farther forward if you find the perfect fur baby together.”

“Oh my gosh.” Michelle shook her head, playfully covering her ears. “I’ve always been my mother’s only child, I’m not ready for a sibling. Don’t rush her, Harper.”

Penelope snorted with laughter, which made the rest of the table erupt as well.

“I don’t think I want another kid,” Audrey said, still chuckling. “A pet—eventually—maybe.”

Harper shook her head sagely. “You say that now. Once you adopt a pet, you love them like you love your kids. I mean, I don’t have kids—but I’m sure it’s not possible to love anyone more than I love my dogs and my cats.”

Michelle knew that Harper meant her personal pets, not all the pets at the shelter, although it was clear that Harper loved all of the animals under her care with a fierce adoration.

“Love is a crazy thing,” Michelle said. “You think you have only so much room in your heart, and then all of a sudden, you’ve got so much more.”

“So true,” Audrey said.

Their waitress came by, and they ordered a few pizzas. Audrey ordered a spinach and chicken alfredo pizza, Michelle ordered Hawaiian, Harper ordered meat lovers, and Penelope ordered a plain pizza, but they intended to swap pieces with each other and share all the leftovers.

“Be back in a jiffy,” their waitress said. “Anybody want more soda?”

They all answered yes, and she smiled and walked away. Michelle turned back to her friends and noticed that Penelope’s expression had become troubled. She was staring down at the center of the table as if she was seeing something else.

I hope that talk of love opening your heart didn’t make her sad, Michelle thought with a pang. Robert hardly kept his heart open toward her, and I’m sure that stings.

“How’s your hair salon doing, Penelope?” Michelle asked. “I’ve been thinking about getting red highlights in my hair for fun. You could do that, right?”

“Oh, sure.” Penelope smiled, but the expression looked a little forced, as if she was still upset but trying to hide it. “You’d look great with red highlights, Michelle. And the salon is doing well. I’m keeping busy, so that’s nice. You’d be surprised by how many tourists want to get their hair done at Christmastime.” She let out a laugh that sounded a bit fake.

“How are things going with Robert?” Audrey asked gently.

Penelope swallowed. “Oh, nothing much has changed there.”

Robert had been emotionally absent from Penelope’s marriage for quite some time. All of Penelope’s efforts to repair their marriage had been rebuffed by him. He was hardly ever home because of work, but even when he was, he’d made no effort to spend time with her. Michelle remembered Penelope saying once that Robert would have made a terrible roommate, and calling him a husband was practically ludicrous. The last thing Michelle had heard, Penelope had been trying to get Robert to sign the divorce papers, which he finally had.

“Is he fighting you on the divorce again?” Harper asked.

Penelope shrugged. “Not the divorce itself, just the specifics. Who gets what. Thank goodness we don’t have any kids to fight over. He’s being petty, that’s for sure. He’s talked to me more in the past month than he has in the five years before that, but it’s all been with our lawyers present, so I don’t think it really counts.”