“Thank you. That’s a load off my mind,” Diana said.

“Now that we’ve got everything figured out about how we’re going to survive in the wilderness, let’s get the table set.” Carmen tugged on Diana’s arm and motioned for her to follow her to the pantry.

“Paper plates and plastic cutlery,” Tootsie reminded them. “There’s no hot water to do the dishes.”

“What’s going on?” Diana whispered.

“I think this storm and power outage is a sign. Eli has been cheating on me for years. Couples therapy probably wouldn’t fix that. He’s betrayed all the trust I put in him,” Carmen said.

Diana gave her a side hug. “Without trust, there is no marriage. That’s what my counselor told me when I was trying to hang on to what was already gone. The only thing left is for you to get what is legally yours and to learn to survive.”

“That’s sure enough not easy.” Carmen drew in a long breath and let it out in a whoosh.

“No, honey, it’s not, but you will live through it, just like I did,” Diana said. “We’ve had each other’s backs for the past eighteen years. Remember when the girls all got mono at the same time?”

“And when I had that miscarriage two years after Natalie was born? I thought for sure I’d lose my mind from worrying about if I caused it, because Eli didn’t want more children and I wouldn’t tell him I was pregnant,” Carmen said.

“Are we remembering times when we had to lean on each other?” Joanie joined them at the middle of what Carmen said. “If so, how about when I fell off a ladder and broke my arm? The guys were gone, like they always were in any major problem, so y’all had to help for six weeks. You gave Zoe her baths every night and fixed her hair for school every morning, Carmen. And you did the cooking and cleanup for me, Diana.”

“What would we do without each other?” Carmen tiptoed and hugged Diana. Joanie took a few steps forward and made it a three-way hug.

“We’re sisters, not by blood but by the heart,” Diana said. “You won’t ever be without us.”

Chapter Eleven

The whole idea of cooking over an open fire, eating by candlelight, and listening to rain hit the roof wasn’t so bad the first day. But after breakfast on the second day, Joanie was ready to make a meal on a real stove, ready for the sun to shine through the window, and ready to use the lamps for decoration again. She’d gone to her bedroom and pulled a quilt up over her as she tried to read by the dim light coming through the window.

Carmen rapped on the doorjamb and stuck her head inside Joanie’s room. “Are you as tired of this as I am?”

Joanie motioned her inside. “Worried as much as I’m tired of it. I don’t want to be without a phone if Brett calls or if Zoe gets kicked out of basic.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Carmen sat down in an old wooden rocking chair and set it in motion with her foot. “Luke’s got a charger for his computer, and he’s got spare batteries. He can keep our phones powered up. I love this place. It’s like going back in time—from the iron bedsteads to the rocking chairs—and it’s peaceful. I don’t even mind eating soups cooked over the open flame. But I hate not having hot water. My hair feels like a grease pit. I’m tempted to take a cold shower and wash it.”

“I will if you will.” Joanie laid the book she’d been reading on the coffee table. “But something else is on your mind other than electricity and boredom. I can see it in your face.”

“I’m going to let Eli have the divorce, but I’m not giving up everything. I’m going to fight him for the house. I’ll find a job and take over the rest of the payments. The lady at the base where we take our clothing donations has been after me to come work for her for years. She takes care of a couple of dozen children at a time—those who’ve been separated from their parents or who have no legal parents. I may call her when I get home and see if there’s still an opening,” Carmen said. “But my home is Natalie’s place to come to when she has time off, and I refuse to sell it.”

“Okaaay.” Joanie dragged out the word.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not still angry,” Carmen said.

“Understandable.” Joanie tried to imagine how she would feel if she were walking in Carmen’s shoes. One of those icy shivers chased down her spine when she thought of how distant and hasty Brett had been when he called the last few times.

Carmen swallowed a couple of times. “My marriage is like a dirty paper plate. It’s time to throw it away. Even with counseling, things wouldn’t ever be the same.”

A loud clap of thunder rattled the windows at the same time Diana joined them.

“Well, that startled me,” she said.

“As much as falling flat out on top of Luke last night?” Joanie teased.

Diana sat down on the edge of the bed. “No way. It’d take more than thunder to give me that kind of shock. I think I came in on Carmen saying her marriage is like paper plates.”

“She’s right about things not being the same,” Joanie said and then turned her attention to Carmen. “You might be able to start all over and rebuild what you had, but it would take even more than the twenty years you’ve already put into the marriage.”

“Why?” Carmen leaned forward, and the chair stopped rocking.

“Because you started out with a foundation of trust,” Joanie answered. “Eli threw a hand grenade on that, and it’s all shattered. Now you’d have to start with distrust, with wondering if he’d ever cheat on you again.”

Diana nodded with every word. “That’s what my therapist told me. It’s not like starting from ground zero. It’s more like digging a six-foot hole and trying to climb out of it after a hard rain.”

Carmen kept rocking. “It doesn’t mean I’m instantly over his cheating, but let’s move on. What about this little spark between you and Luke?”

“It hasn’t disappeared, but neither have the reasons for not encouraging it.” Diana stood up. “Break time is over. Back to work. Have to get another several hours in before I can borrow Luke’s gadget and send the files to the office.”

“In other words, you’re not going to talk about the vibes,” Joanie teased.