Opening the door, she saw that the small lobby was practically empty.
A woman at one of the desks made eye contact and smiled. “May I help you with something?”
“Yes.” She smiled and walked over. “I would like to talk to someone about a home-improvement loan.”
“I can help with that. Please have a seat.” She pointed to the chair on the other side of her desk. “My name is Rebecca Sims. I’m the loan officer.” They shook hands.
“I’m Carolina Johnson. Nice to meet you.” She sat down in the leather chair.
“Are you new here?”
“I am. I own a lake house and I need a new roof. I was hoping to get a bank loan for that.”
“Oh, which lake house do you own?” Rebecca leaned forward. “My grandmother lives on the lake.”
“It’s 4500 Laurel Cove. The red house with the deck.”
Rebecca’s smile slid off her face. “I know the house.”
Carolina’s gut twisted.
“So you’re living in it now?” Rebecca cocked her head.
“Yes. I…I recently got the house in my divorce settlement.” She twisted the wedding band on her finger.
“My grandmother told me it had renters who caused a lot of trouble on the lake.” Rebecca frowned. Gone was the friendly welcoming vibe she’d picked up earlier.
“That’s what I heard as well. I’m terribly sorry for that. My husband took care of renting it out. I had no idea there had been issues.” She glanced down at her hands clasped in her lap. “Or the fact it had not been taken care of. I’m trying to remedy that now.”
“I see.” Rebecca punched some keys into her computer. “Do you have the documentation proving you own the house? Perhaps a quitclaim deed?” She looked up at her.
“I do.”Carolina reached inside her purse and dug out the folded papers and slid them across the desk to her.
Rebecca studied the paperwork and typed something else into the computer.
She tried to read her expression but Rebecca had quite the poker face.
“Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? Just curious, how long were you married?”
Carolina cleared her throat. “Twenty years.”
“That long?” She arched an eyebrow. “I’m sorry it didn’t end well. I was married ten.”
Carolina shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
Rebecca waved her off. “Don’t be. Sadly some things aren’t meant to last.”
“I thought marriage was supposed to last until ‘death do you part’. At least that’s what we both said in our vows.” Carolina wasn’t sure why she kept telling this woman about her personal life. But she couldn’t seem to shut up.
“So he left you?” Rebecca frowned and cocked her head.
“Yes. For a woman half his age.” Carolina bit her lip.
Rebecca didn’t seem surprised. She straightened her shoulders and looked across the desk. “My husband left me for my sister. I haven’t seen either of them since they left and took all my savings. That was five years ago.”
“That’s awful. I’m sorry.” Carolina couldn’t imagine. The woman’s story was worse than hers.
Rebecca shrugged. “Don’t be. It took time but I moved on. His loss.”
