“No. She’s fine. For now.”
“What do you mean for now?” Marg asked with narrowed brows.
Cora released another heavy breath. “Lately, Erin has been interested in extreme sports like paragliding and bungee jumping, and just recently, she passed out on one of the extreme rides at the festival.” A flash of panic glided over her face as she gazed at Marg through worried eyes. “She’s never been interested in anything so…dangerous. The hardest sport she’s ever participated in was kickboxing, but that was back in high school. Now, she mostly jogs and hikes. I’m worried, Marg,” she replied, lips twitching downward.
“Do you have any idea why she’s become interested in these types of activities?” Marg asked, leaning back in her seat.
“I have an idea,” Cora replied. She pushed herself away from her desk and moved in the direction of the heavy burgundy curtains. Reaching out with her hands, she pulled them apart to expose the spacious French windows that allowed the illuminating rays of the sun to enter the room. As she stared outside, her arms came up to knot over her chest. Her shoulders lifted in tandem with the long, deep breath that she took in, only to fall back down again as she let the air out of her mouth with a whooshing sound.
“Ever since Joel’s betrayal that broke us as a family, she hasn’t been the same. She’s been distant, and then she broke up with Brian. She pulled even further away and cut off almost all communication with us after that. I was very worried at the time, but when she came here, I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to rekindle our mother-daughter bond, and we did. However, she’s been involved in some activities that have caused my worry for her to go through the roof.” Cora gave a trembling sigh and shook her head.
“Have you tried talking to her about it?” Marg asked, coming to stand beside her. She looked over at Cora, waiting for her response.
“I have, but she keeps playing it off as if it is nothing,” Cora revealed. “I’m trying to be patient with her because of what she told me, but I’m afraid if I don’t put my foot down, I am going to lose my daughter, Marg.”
Marg felt sorry for her friend and her obvious distress. “I know I’m not a mother, but based on personal experience and over the years, I’ve observed that sometimes the best way for us to help our children is to give them room to make their own decisions but just be ready to offer guidance when they ask for it,” she advised. “Erin is a smart girl, Cora. She’ll figure it out. You just need to have faith in her.”
Cora sighed. “I’m scared, Marg,” she said, turning to her friend with a frantic expression. “I’m scared that if I don’t do anything, I’ll run the risk of losing her forever.”
“You won’t,” Marg spoke with conviction. “You won’t,” she repeated, touching her arm comfortingly.
Cora smiled appreciatively. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” Marg said.
“All right, let me see it again.” Cora held her hand out to her expectantly.
Marg’s brows knitted together in confusion. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Your ring. What else?” Cora grinned.
Marg’s face split into a wide grin of her own as she lifted her hand and placed it in her friend’s.
“This is so exquisite,” Cora gushed. “I love the simplicity yet regalness of the cut.”
Marg beamed. She gazed in awe at the precious stone that was mounted on the band of white gold and exclaimed, "It's a beautiful ring."
“Ben did good,” Cora spoke approvingly.
“So did Jamie,” Marg returned, grinning down at her friend’s ring. The solitaire-set oval pink diamond in a light blush shade was secured on a thin rose gold band with pave diamonds decorating it.
Cora smiled demurely.
“So, have you guys decided on a date?” Marg asked.
“We were thinking maybe around Thanksgiving, but it’s not set in stone, plus planning for a wedding is hard work. How had I missed all of this in my first marriage?” she asked, making a face.
“That’s because we got married in an era when everything was simpler,” Marg offered.
Cora nodded. “That’s true.” She sighed. “At this rate, we may not make it down the aisle before next year.”
“As long as you make it and remember to say, ‘I do,’ everything else doesn’t matter,” Marg encouraged her.
Cora beamed. “I’m going to pop by the restaurant for a quick chat with Jo. Are you okay here?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. You go ahead.” Marg assured her.
Cora gave her an appreciative smile before she left the office. Marg returned to the front desk and spent the next hour organizing and alphabetizing their guests’ names in the database they’d created.
