Page 107 of The Summer Swap

She respected the fact that he wasn’t promising to change into a different person. And she wouldn’t have wanted him to change who he was. Just the way he acted on occasion.

And the fault wasn’t all his, she could see that now.

“You’re right that I do try and hold everything together. I’m not good at saying when I’m not coping.” Why hadn’t she talked to him properly, before they’d reached the point of explosion? “I need to tell you how I’m feeling, instead of expecting you to read my mind.”

He gave a tentative smile. “Given how bad I am at reading your mind, that would be helpful.”

“And I need to put more things into my life.” She thought about her mother, stepping forward into a new life so bravely. It was never too late to change things. “I don’t know what yet. I haven’t thought that far. But I can see that I let my life with my father consume me. It’s time to broaden my horizons.”

“Maybe we can think that through together. Maybe it’s time we both broadened our horizons. What do you think?”

Together.

He was asking her if they could have a second chance and she thought about Trisha, who would have done anything to have a second chance with Michael. And her mother, who had forgiven her father the affair and gone on to have a long and happy marriage.

“Let’s try it,” she said finally. “Take it day by day.”

“I’m on probation?”

“Maybe. To keep you on your toes.” She smiled. “We’ll see how many times you leave me stranded in a restaurant over the next month, and then reassess.”

He grabbed her and hugged her tightly, muttering words into her hair that she couldn’t quite make out. And she hugged him back, because it felt good to be held by him without a gaping distance between them.

They stood like that for a moment, locked together, and then eventually she pulled away.

“We should go back to the cottage. You must be tired after your drive. I’ll make you coffee.”

“Coffee would be appreciated. What is this place, anyway?” He glanced over his shoulder to the cottage and she smiled.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you another time.”

Because there would be another time, she already knew that. She’d try again, and he’d try again, because that was what people did when they loved each other and she did love Theo and she believed that he loved her, too.

For now, that was enough.

23

Lily

The gallery was crowded, the space filled with the clink of glasses and the hum of conversation.

“How does it feel to see your paintings hanging on the wall?” Todd appeared by her side and handed her a glass of champagne.

“It feels surreal,” Lily said, “although there are so many paintings here, I don’t suppose anyone will notice mine.”

She glanced across the crowd, but the two people she wanted to attend weren’t here. Every time the door to the gallery opened her heart pumped a little harder, but it was never them. It was foolish of her to expect it. Definitely foolish of her to risk spoiling this once-in-a-lifetime moment by hoping for something that was never going to happen.

“Not notice yours? Have you looked recently? There’s a crowd around them, Lily. I’ll show you.” Todd took her hand, but she held back.

“No, that’s too embarrassing. What if someone realizes I painted them?”

“That’s the idea. You’re supposed to mingle and talk about your work. People are interested.” He propelled her across the gallery toward the section where her paintings were hung.

A young couple were gazing at her watercolor of the dunes at dawn.

“It would be perfect in the living room, above the fireplace,” one of them said and the other nodded.

“I agree.”

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