No pretending the situation was simple.
For the next three months, we barely spoke.
And I learned that doing the right thing could hurt almost as much as doing the wrong thing.
Karen Mercer Stops Asking Permission
While I stayed away, Karen built her bookstore.
She called it Second Chapter.
The name was printed above the red door in elegant white letters.
She painted the reading corner herself, hired two part-time employees, and arranged the shelves by hand. She contacted local authors, negotiated with suppliers, and learned more about bookkeeping in six weeks than Michael had learned about their household finances in twenty-two years.
Her sister sent me pictures of the opening.
Karen stood beneath the sign wearing a green dress, smiling as customers filled the shop.
For three months, I stayed away from Karen Mercer.
I told myself it was the right thing to do. Daniel needed time. Karen needed space to rebuild her life without another complicated relationship pulling at her attention. And I needed to prove that my feelings for her were more than a reaction to the circumstances that had brought us together.
