Cottage — Terry Leeder

When a wife dies, the survivor is suddenly on his own. This can be especially traumatic if he has depended on her to deal with all the details of their life together.

After a disastrous but short-lived first marriage, Mason reconnects with Maika, whom he has never quite forgotten. They get married and, thirty-five years later, when she dies of cancer, he is so shaken by her death that he cannot begin the normal legal processes that are required when a loved one passes, nor can he think about closing his wife's estate, nor is he able to examine his financial situation. Instead, he flees to his cottage. But once he is there, he must clean up the mess left by the last renters. In the process, he meets old friends, and makes new acquaintances, but nothing he does can erase the memories that keep crowding back, of his wife and their life together. His most important encounter is with his long-estranged sister, who is going through her own crisis and appeals to him for help. And this forces him to think seriously about his financial affairs. Reluctantly, Maika had dealt with all their money matters, even though she had urged Mason to at least familiarize himself with their financial status. And now Mason doesn't know where he stands....