44 Charles Street

“I wish you’d been here,” Marya said wistfully, and Francesca wished she had been too. It was one wedding she would have liked to be at, with two people who meant so much to her. She and Chris were still smiling when they hung up, after talking to them for a few more minutes.

They lay in bed afterward, talking about it, and how happy they were for them.

“So when are we going to do that?” Chris asked her. For a long moment, Francesca didn’t answer.

“I don’t know. What’s the hurry? Things seem to be working like this.” They had only been dating for four months.

“I’d like it better if we were married. You’re not going to turn into your mother if we do,” he said, and she laughed out loud.

“That’s probably true,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t have the energy for five husbands. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be looking for a sixth.”

“How about just one?” That had always seemed like one too many to her before. “What do you think?” He rolled over on his side, and looked at her, propped up on one elbow in bed, and he was smiling. So was she. For the first time, she wasn’t scared when she thought about it. She didn’t need to get married, but maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, and it might even be nice for Ian.

“Maybe,” she said, and grinned. It was as far as she was willing to go at the moment. She wasn’t her mother, or Marya. She had to find her own way with him.

“That’ll do for now,” he said happily. “I’ll settle for that.” He kissed her as they lay in bed, just as Ian bounded into the room. They were going back to New York that afternoon. It had been a heavenly three days.

“Let’s make another snowman,” he said, looking excited, and Francesca got out of bed. They made two more snowmen to go with the one they’d done before. There was a family of them now, right outside Marya’s windows.

Ian waved goodbye to the snowmen when they drove back to New York. On the drive home, Francesca was relaxed and peaceful. She had heard recently that Todd was getting married in the spring, and she wasn’t upset about that anymore either. She had her own life without him. And Chris was perfect for her. The pot had found its lid, and it was a perfect fit. All she had had to do all along was find the right one.

They got to New York late that night after a long drive, and Francesca helped Chris carry their bags into the house after he carried Ian up to bed, sound asleep. She looked around as she set down their things in the hall. The house seemed quiet and empty, and she looked surprised as she turned to Chris.

“I want to sell the house,” she said softly. He looked stunned.

“Are you serious? Why? You love it.” They both knew how hard she had struggled to keep it, even recently. And a year before, she had been willing to live with three strangers so as not to lose it.

“I do love it, or I did. I want a fresh beginning for us, a new start … a clean slate …” She was thinking of Todd and Eileen when she said it. “Too much happened here. There’s too much baggage.” She was instantly sure, as sure as she had been when she wanted to keep it a year before. And Chris didn’t disagree with her. He just didn’t want her to sell it if she loved it and wanted to stay.

“Why don’t you sleep on it and see how you feel about it in the morning?” he said, and she nodded, and then they went upstairs to their bedroom. Ian was sound asleep in his own.

She said the same thing to Chris the next day. She looked at him over breakfast with a determined look. “I want to sell it. I’m sure.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Let’s put it on the market.”

“It could take a while to sell. It’s an old house,” she said cautiously. That afternoon, she called the realtor she had used before. They agreed on a price, and then she raised it a little bit. They were putting it on the market that weekend. She called Avery and told her what she was doing.

“I think it’s a good idea. The market is high right now, and you should get a decent price for it. I haven’t felt right about that house for you since Eileen was killed there, but I didn’t want to say it.”

“It’s not about her. It’s about me. I think I outgrew it. I kept it when I wanted to. But I think I want a life with Chris. I don’t want a house that was part of another life. Todd has a new life. I want one too. I feel like I’m dragging four hundred tin cans tied to my tail. I want to be free. And we need something new.” It all made sense to her. She told her the price that the realtor had quoted her, and it sounded fair to Avery too.

“You’re not giving up the gallery, are you?” Avery wondered if she was making a clean sweep, but Francesca was quick to answer.

“Of course not. I just feel like I outgrew this house. It’s an albatross around my neck. It’s too heavy, in too many ways. Eileen, the cost of running it, the size of the mortgage payment, the repairs. It’s too big for us without other people living in it, and I don’t want to do that again. Maybe an apartment or a smaller house. We can rent something for a while.”