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    Left and Found
    Left and Found
    Left and Found
    Ebook157 pages2 hours

    Left and Found

    By Emma Ryder

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    About this ebook

    Rose and Beth own and operate a successful business, Let's Go Retreats, located in the stunning Pacific Northwest. Once a year they hold a raffle and invite the winner along with two guests for a three-day retreat. The menu is scrumptious, fall weather the perfect backdrop, and relaxation mixed with stimulating conversation and activities are sure to create a positive experience.

    Louise, the winner of the raffle, feels a few days away from the tension at home with her teenage stepdaughter, and the opportunity to spend quality time with her best friend and sister, sounds perfect.

    Jenn senses the familiar strain in the dynamic with her sister and although skeptical, she hopes to calm the waters by accepting her retreat invitation.

    Kylie hopes to ease up on her stringent daily routine and learn how to relax and enjoy the moment, by spending a few days out of town with her best friend.

    All five women seem destined to experience an extraordinary few days. However, as the weekend unfolds, a sudden tragedy catapults the group into unexpected circumstances, leading each of them to examine their own life choices and futures.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEmma Ryder
    Release dateMar 31, 2019
    ISBN9781386645061
    Left and Found

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      Book preview

      Left and Found - Emma Ryder

      Chapter One

      ROSE STEPS OUTSIDE and lets the screen door slam behind her. She stands quiet and remembers the evening a year ago when she took a walk through these woods, in need of solitude from the others. From the bottom step, she locates a slightly overgrown path and walks toward it. The cool air prompts her to button her flannel shirt, and she pats the hip pockets of her Levis to make certain she has the letter in one, her phone in the other.

      She moseys along in hopes the memorial, tucked away for privacy, will not be hard to find. Along the path, wild mushrooms huddle at the bases of large pines and Rose wonders if they are the edible variety. If so, Beth will be ecstatic. English ivy encircles and climbs tree trunks, proof of its powerful impact on forest life, while the fruitless blackberry vines make their own declaration of summer's end.

      The trail's slight incline curves around nurse logs and broken branches, and Rose is careful not to trip over small rocks and partially exposed roots. The walk is not strenuous, but enough of a challenge to cause her calf muscles to tighten.

      Mindful to stay on course, the phrase follow the yellow brick road comes to mind. However, there are no bricks, only caramel-colored leaves. Rather than trees with apples, pinecones dangle like ornaments. There is no lion, scarecrow, or tin man.

      She pauses and takes a swig from her water bottle, wiping her mouth and chin with the back of her hand. The outdoors puts her at ease, thanks to countless camp trips with her family over the years.

      Deciding to relax for a bit, she sits on a sunny bed of pine needles next to a fallen tree, careful not to sit or lean on any sap. She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out the letter, smoothing the crinkled page with the palm of her hand. She clears her throat as if to prepare for a presentation before an auditorium full of guests. Dear Benny. I'm finally ready to come to terms with—

      Her ringtone, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough, catches her off guard. What the hell," Rose exclaims, as her best friend's face fills the screen.

      Checking in, how's it going? Beth asks.

      Your voice sounds funny, you okay?

      Just a bit preoccupied. Hey, I'm gonna stop and say goodbye to my mom before I head your way. Do we need anything?

      I don't think so.

      "In that case, see you soon. Oh, and by the way, I am soooo ready for this weekend. I know we hold retreats year around, but this one's my favorite."

      Mine too, like camp for grownups.

      Yeah, Beth says, and Rose can hear the smile in her voice.

      Rose ends the call and tries to get her thoughts back on track. As the appeal to visit Benny's memorial fades, a comment she recently heard by Queen Latifah comes to mind—you've waited this long girl, you can wait a few more days.

      In a slightly lighter mood, Rose retraces her steps and the back of the house soon comes into view, where a WELCOME RETREATERS plaque nailed above the door greets her. Thoughts drift back to the day Benny burned the words into the beautiful piece of oak and she easily pictures the serious expression on Daisy's face peering over his shoulder. It was the last time they were all together at the house—Rose, Benny, Daisy, Beth, and Katie. With the kids getting older, they spent less and less time with their moms that summer, and after the accident, the getaways lost their appeal almost entirely.

      Back inside the house, Rose takes her cream-colored mug with MOM written in Daisy's third-grade penmanship and fills it with Nestlé's chocolate syrup and milk. While she waits for it to heat in the microwave, she realizes how eager she is for Beth's arrival. The night before the retreat, they always put the final touches on the weekend's itinerary and ease their way into the upcoming event.

      Rose pokes the thin, skin-like layer on top of her cocoa and recalls the summer, three years ago, when she and Beth bought the house and property. Beth had recently lost her dad to Parkinson's disease and Rose's divorce was final, which led to long discussions about their futures. One evening after a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lime Margaritas and a platter of cheese-smothered nachos, they ventured down the road of wouldn't it be neat if we started our own business. By night's end, their ideas included wine country tour guides, retreat facilitators, or bed and breakfast proprietors. With Beth's inheritance and Rose's divorce settlement, along with their combined backgrounds in restaurant management and counseling, they set retreat facilitators into motion.

      Rose wanders through the rooms to take inventory. She is proud of the comfortable and stylish décor she and Beth purchased, mainly at estate sales and antique stores. The bedrooms are cozy with multi-colored, braided throw rugs and quilts. Wooden bookcases full of gently used paperbacks lend themselves to a homey feel, along with small tables where empty journals await, next to bedside lamps.

      Two full baths are available for the guests, and Rose and Beth share a half-bath. Plush towels and white terrycloth robes hang next to the claw-foot tubs, like a spa.

      The large kitchen is cheerful with sky-blue walls and light yellow cabinets. The stove and refrigerator more than meet Beth's culinary needs, and the large, always stocked pantry is a bonus. Rose's favorite part of the room is the mahogany table they found on Craig's List, which sits in the center of the eating area.

      The living room is fantastic with high ceilings, a stone fireplace, and floor to ceiling windows off the back. She checks the storage ottomans for extra blankets and puts a reminder in her phone to bring in firewood for the cool nights.

      Upstairs, she pauses in the doorway of the bedroom she shares with Beth and a familiar picture on the dresser catches her attention. She walks over and lightly traces the grin of a dark-haired boy whose arm drapes his sister's shoulder. Their heads tilt together, a physical reminder of the connection twins share. Her throat swells and she turns to leave. I miss you so much, she whispers.

      BETH PARKS HER CAR and walks across the grounds of The Manor Retirement Community where her mom lives. She experiences the usual twinge of guilt about the change in her mom's lifestyle, but relief quickly lessens her tension as the smell of freshly mowed grass and the shade of large oak trees work their magic. This is a nice place, she comments to a staff member she passes.

      An orange and deep purple crepe paper heart with a picture of her mother and herself in the center hangs on the apartment door. Crafts for Dummies, as her mom refers to the latest group she joined, appears to be paying off.

      Her mom opens her door with a look of surprise. She gives Beth a warm hug and motions her inside. So glad you're here. Would you like to stay for dinner? You can just have a salad if you prefer.

      Used to her mom's persistent coaxing to eat light, Beth quickly changes the direction of the conversation. Thanks but Rose and I are having dinner at the retreat house. I'm sure I told you?

      Of course, I remember now. How about some tea then? I have Lipton and that stuff your dad preferred, Lap Songs. You know the one, it tastes like a campfire.

      Beth grins. You mean Lapsang Souchong. Yeah, it does have a smoky flavor. Lipton's fine.

      Her mom takes a delicate teacup with yellow roses from the cupboard, adds a tea bag along with water from her fridge, and puts it in the microwave. Oh, I do miss my teakettle. Tea just doesn't taste the same heated like this.

      Beth sits down and moves a pile of unopened mail across the table. Aren't you having any?

      No, I'll wait for dinner, her mom says. They have the cutest little individual hot water warmers on each table, even though most of the people here prefer coffee, decaf I might add. I asked a woman at breakfast the other day what the point is of having a cup of coffee if you skip the caffeine.

      Beth pictures her mom drumming her fingers on the linen tablecloth, waiting for the woman's reply. What'd she say?

      Why, she just sat there and stared at me, like she had already forgotten the question. Honestly, I pray I never get to the point where I do not have a reply if someone asks me a simple question. Here's your cup, dear.

      Beth dips her teabag in and out of her cup, a habit she picked up from her dad. Oh, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure you'll always have something to say.

      Her mom puts forth a weary smile and sits across from Beth. So, how is the retreat business?

      Pleased her mom's interest is piqued, Beth begins, Good, actually... However, her mother's eyes wander to a picture of Beth's dad on the opposite wall and it's obvious she's lost interest in the conversation. Beth stops mid-sentence, hoping to hear the words, go on with your story, dear, but the pause quickly fills with a brief comment about a new friend she plans to join for dinner.

      Beth listens half-heartedly, sips her last drop of tea, and stands to place her cup in the sink. Sorry to cut this short, but I better get a move on. I'm not sure how traffic will be, and Rose expects me before dark.

      I'm glad you came by, her mom says as she gets up to join Beth at the door.

      Me too. I'll call you when I get back. Love you.

      Love you too, honey, and say hello to Rose.

      I will.

      As if she has an opponent on her heels and a finish line to cross, Beth hurries to her car. When she reaches the highway, she calls Rose and puts her phone on speaker. I'm on my way.

      Sounds good. How's your mom?

      She has a new friend. Cars jet past with speeds indicating their eagerness to get out of town for the weekend.

      Male or female? Rose asks.

      What? Beth replies, glaring into her rearview mirror at the pickup tailgating her beloved Jetta.

      Your mom's new friend, male or female?

      Beth taps her brake pedal hoping the too-close-for-comfort truck will back off. Female, I guess, didn't think to ask. Could be a man I suppose. She did get kind of a funny look on her face. Can you imagine the irony in that?

      "The irony being you have waited your entire life for a relationship with your mother and after your dad dies, rest his soul, you finally get the chance and it's

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