Read Online A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page B

than I ever imagined. Forget the financial and property settlement. That is nothing compared to what it’s done to me emotionally. I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest.”
    “How’s Owen doing?” Karen asked.
    Our son was another consideration. “He misses his daddy.” Involving a child in this divorce made the legal process all the more complicated. Owen needed his father and shuffling him from house to house every weekend had confused and upset my boy.
    “Have dinner with Jake and listen to what he has to say,” Karen advised.
    “Cassie?” I asked. Although I knew what she thought, I still wanted to hear it.
    My sister was silent for a moment, and when she spoke her voice was low, as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear what she had to say. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but Duke reached out to me a couple of years back.”
    I had no clue.
    “He’s in prison, which is exactly where he belongs, and you know for one insane second I actually considered reconnecting with him. The man used me as a punching bag for years. Even knowing the violence he was capable of, there’s an emotional connection that nearly sucked me in. Unbelievable.” She paused and exhaled a deep breath. “All I can advise is this: Your gut will tell you the right thing to do, Nichole. Listen to your gut.”
    “Thank you both.” I knew I was holding them both up and they had their families and busy lives. I appreciated their advice. Basically my sisters were reminding me of the very steps Leanne and I had compiled. I needed to let go of the past and at the same time love myself enough to do what I knew was right for Owen and for me.
    “Listen,” Cassie said before we ended the conversation, “while I have you both on the phone, Steve and I are seriously talking about taking the next step in our relationship.”
    “Marriage?” Karen asked.
    “That’s what we’re discussing. I’ll give you details once I have them.”
    “I’ll wait to hear,” I said. I deeply admired my middle sister and was grateful she’d been given a second chance at love and happiness. Steve was a widower, and I fully expected that if they did go ahead with wedding plans they’d want to start a family of their own fairly soon.
    “Let us know,” Karen said. “Gotta scoot.”
    “Talk soon,” Cassie promised, and she, too, cut the connection.
    I sat on the end of my bed for a long moment, holding on to my cell, grateful for the chance to connect with my sisters.
    Following the conversation with Karen and Cassie, I showered and changed my clothes. Despite talking to my two siblings, my stomach remained in knots over this dinner with Jake. I returned to sit on my bed and pressed my hand over my tummy. Other than a few stilted conversations when Jake came to collect Owen or drop him off, it’d been more than two years since we’d spent more than a few minutes together.
    My gaze automatically went to the divorce papers that rested on top of the small desk I had managed to fit in the bedroom. They sat next to my lesson plans for the following week. I stared at them for a long time, closed my eyes, and asked God to guide me.
    —
    I told Jake I’d meet him at the restaurant. It seemed simpler that way. It wasn’t what Jake wanted, but he’d agreed, albeit reluctantly. He’d made reservations at the best steak house in town. I dressed in a sleek sleeveless black dress that fit my hips like a second skin. I wore the pearls he’d given me for Christmas and the diamond earrings he’d presented to me after Owen was born. I took a clutch and a featherlight lace shawl and headed out the door.
    When I arrived, I found Jake sitting at the bar. He slid off the stool as soon as he saw me and kissed my cheek. Leaning back, his intense dark eyes held mine. “You take my breath away,” he whispered. “You always have.”
    I lowered my gaze, but he placed his finger beneath my chin and lifted my eyes to his.
    “I still remember the first