The Double Rose Read Online Free

canvas-straightening obsession led her up the staircase and into her bedroom where her walk-in closet became her next multitasking target. She flew through wooden hangers, critically evaluating articles of clothing as if they were leftovers from a flopped yard sale: beaded t-shirt, turquoise blouse, black-lace vest, Victoria’s Secret blazer . . . where did these overalls come from? Rejects were tossed into a heap next to her bed.
    “I don’t know why I try,” Marie confessed while at the same time vacillating on whether or not to toss a pink silk dress . It is plain but definitely my color . The garment got a reprieve, and she rehung it with a shrug of her shoulders. Her wardrobe was too extensive to take inventory in the midst of professional chaos. She decided to drown her sorrows in the last few cinnamon slurps of her latte and headed toward the stairs.
    “Try what?”
    “To avoid your wisdom. Somehow or another it always comes.” Marie took a deep breath and allowed some anxiety to flush out of her system. “Geneviéve deserves to be appreciated more often. Heaven knows she certainly doesn’t get any validation from her husband. Okay, I’ll call her.”
    “Thank you, darling. Oh, and don’t forget the General’s Chicken. Love you. Bye.”
    “Love you too. Bye.”
    How am I going to reduce this collection?
    A small cluster of her vibrantly painted canvases hung above a loveseat in the upstairs foyer. The pillows beckoned to be fluffed, which she tended to a little more vigorously than usual. “What possible justification can that man give for his firm failing to get the entire Events Center completed on time?” she said out loud knowing perfectly well no one was available to hear. “It is so typical of him not to consider how his actions affect other people. He got the contract of the decade for a construction firm and blew it.”
    As she descended the staircase, an annoying memory captured her thoughts, and she paused on the landing while she considered it. Darling, whenever you start talking to yourself, I know you have lost control of your day . Sophie’s lectures were ever present.
    From Marie’s perspective, there was a therapeutic upside to talking to herself. Until she came to her senses, she could rattle on about anything she wanted and always be correct because there was no one there to disagree. The downside was that people who talk to themselves tend to babble irrationally and would appear ridiculous if, in fact, anyone were there to see the spectacle.
    Marie realized she needed to regain complete control of her emotions. Perhaps it was time for a prayer. She paused on the steps. “Our Father, please help me to forgive Josh. Please take away this overwhelming desire I have to slap him in the face . . . Lord, you know I would never really slap Josh in the face, but I do really want to. Help me understand why that man makes me crazy. Thank you, Lord. Amen.” She continued down the steps as she dialed Geneviéve.
    * * *
    With her arms full of vegetables, Geneviéve struggled to brush her frizzy hair back to click the Bluetooth. “Hey, sis, what’s up?”
    “Hi, Geneviéve, I got bad news today.”
    Geneviéve gasped, “What has happened?!” She dropped the vegetables on the high-top kitchen table. A couple of radishes promptly rolled on to the floor.
    * * *
    From the corner of her eye, a small illustration caught Marie’s attention. She instinctively removed it from the wall. The representation in rich lilac-blue pastels of an exotic flower with long pear-shaped petals created vivid memories of its perfumed scent and the sensation of the paradise it belonged to–a paradise that was not of this world. In thousands of her visions, Marie had walked through cities, mountains, gardens, and shores that defy earthly comparison.
    “It’s a long story, but it looks as if I am going to have to trim down my exhibit.” She restored the illustration to its place on the wall and then tugged