But she felt sorry for some of them, and she refused to take the same course.

Sadly, her soul mate hadn’t arrived. She had never believed that one plus one equaled two in a healthy and loving relationship. Instead, she had always held tight to her conviction that one-half plus one-half equaled one. But her other half remained a ghost, an apparition of her own making who caused her mind to yearn and her heart to suffer. Much to her own disappointment, she was a single woman in her thirties who lived with her dog.

Tired of reliving her problems, she extinguished the lights and candles and walked into her bedroom. After drying her hair and removing her robe, she slipped gratefully beneath the cool, crisp sheets. Dolly soon wandered in and jumped atop the bed. Lightning again illuminated the night sky, followed by another strong bang of thunder. Like usual, Dolly seemed oblivious to it. As Chelsea’s eyes gained heaviness, once more she lovingly touched the mysterious little key that lay upon her chest.

A few days from now, she thought as the dark tunnel of sleep approached. A few days from now, I’ll go and see Lake Evergreen. I wonder what it’s really like . . .

Chapter 4

Four days later, Chelsea found herself navigating the mountains and valleys of the Adirondacks. The sun was high, and the passing scenery was lovely. After another half hour or so, she would turn onto Rural Route 30 North and then search for Schuyler Lane, the narrow dirt road that encircled Lake Evergreen.

She had consulted a road map to learn that the nearest town from Lake Evergreen was Serendipity, New York, some twelve miles farther north. She had also learned that Serendipity boasted all of 12,793 people. Small, certainly, but also large enough to provide whatever extras she might need during her brief weekend stay.

Along with Dolly and one suitcase, she had brought an AM/FM radio and a CD player. Allistaire had warned her that even if there were a radio there, it probably wouldn’t work. He also said that there would of course be no television. Chelsea had also brought along the old recipe notebook that Brooke had bequeathed to her. Although she had yet to examine it, she might try preparing one or two of them, she reasoned, if the mood struck.

Chelsea had borrowed a new Explorer from one of her dad’s dealerships to use for the trip and was relying on Allistaire’s handwritten directions. Allistaire had also arranged for Jacques and Margot Fabienne to meet her at around three P.M., so they could help her open the cottage and also drop off a few staples. So far, she was ahead of schedule.

Chelsea was enjoying the Explorer, despite its unaccustomed size. She had doubted the need for such a big vehicle, but her father had insisted. Besides, he had said, dogs get antsy on country drives, especially gundogs. A few years ago, Adam had trained Dolly to hunt game birds with him. Why have a retriever, he argued, that couldn’t retrieve? Chelsea had smiled at that. She didn’t hunt or fish, but she had no problem with those who did. And where she was headed, she reasoned, that attitude was probably a good thing.

Chelsea glanced at the rearview mirror to see that Dolly did in fact seem restless. Chelsea had left one of the rear windows down so that Dolly could occasionally stick her head out and allow the rushing wind to ridiculously buffet her face. Someone once told Chelsea that dogs did that because they loved having their highly acute senses of smell bombarded with so many new and unusual scents.

But who really knows? Chelsea thought as she concentrated on the road again.