Page 62 of The Summer Swap

“Pity. It always struck me as wrong that your husband got all the attention when you were the one with the talent. But I would say that, wouldn’t I? You were the one that got away, and that was all my own fault. I didn’t know a good thing when I had it. I’ve learned a thing or two since then.” He smiled without a trace of bitterness and opened the door wider. “Come in. Show me what you’ve got and tell me everything that has happened in the last fifty years.”

Had it been that long?

Yes, it probably had. Longer in fact. Once, they’d been close. The best of friends. And some friendships survived the years, of course, but some were just too complicated. Particularly those that had once been something more.

She’d loved two men in her life. One of those was Cameron, but before him it had been Seth.

She walked past him, her arm brushing against his, her heart beating a little faster than usual. She felt self-conscious and a little awkward,

Seth seemed to have changed little, which didn’t seem possible given the years that had passed. He was lean and wiry, his face tanned and lined from so many summers spent on the Cape, and his hair was mostly white now. But he was still handsome, and his smile was as wide and warm as when she’d first met him.

Holding the parcel in her arms, she scanned the walls of his gallery and felt the familiar feeling of being home. How she’d loved this place when she was young.

“It’s bigger than it was when your father owned it.”

“I bought the store next door. Knocked it through and increased the space. You approve?”

“It’s great.” She glanced around her, taking it all in. One painting immediately caught her eye. It was hung by itself, for maximum impact. She stepped toward the large canvas, where bright blues merged with pale gold. The title was simply Seashore.

Seth moved to stand next to her. “You’re not the only one to admire it. Sold it yesterday. They’re picking it up today. Local artist. She’ll be pleased.”

“You always did have a good eye.”

“I just take what I like. At home I surround myself with things I find beautiful. I don’t care if they’re unconventional or unfashionable. If I like to look at it, it can go on my wall. How long have you been back here, Ceci?”

He was the only one who had ever called her Ceci. It had irritated Cameron, who had felt it was an inappropriate intimacy. She’d often wondered if that was why Seth had done it.

Cameron had always been unsettled around Seth because Cecilia had been dating him before they’d met. They were part of a large group of artists who had moved in the same circles, caring about little except their art and the moment.

“I read that he died,” Seth said. “I wanted to call, but it seemed wrong after so many years. I wasn’t sure if hearing from me would make it feel worse or better.”

“You sent a card. Thank you for that.”

“I didn’t know if you’d even see it.”

“I saw it.” And kept it. It had given her comfort.

“Are you heartbroken, Ceci?”

How should she answer that?

“At times, yes. And at times I’m lost. Confused. And angry.” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that aloud, but this was Seth—Seth, who she’d once been close to, so maybe it wasn’t that surprising. And what she said was true. She was angry with Cameron for having lied to her again. Angry that he’d left it to his lawyer to tell her the truth about the cottage and the painting. One minute she wanted to sob, and the next she wanted to scream. He’d left her with so many unresolved feelings. But at least it didn’t seem that he’d been using the cottage as a love nest as she’d first feared. That helped. “How I feel changes all the time, which is a little unsettling if I’m honest. I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear this, I’m sure. When people ask how you are, what they really want to hear is I’m doing fine, thank you.”

“Not me. When I ask a question, I appreciate a frank answer.” There was no sign that her confession had shocked him. “Grief is a slippery beast. One minute it steps to one side to let you pass and just when you think you’re doing okay, it trips you up and you’re flat on your face again.”

That was it exactly.

She felt a pressure in her chest and a thickening in her throat. She was afraid she might lose control right here in this cool, contemporary gallery in front of this man she hadn’t seen in years.

“It was a complicated relationship.” Appalled, she felt emotion rush over her like the tide.

She needed to leave. She’d come back another time when she was more in control.

And then she felt Seth’s hand on her shoulder and his touch was both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Cameron was a complicated person. But isn’t everyone?” His fingers rubbed gently at the tight knots in her shoulders and then he smiled at her, lightening the moment. “I should never have let you go, Ceci. One of life’s big regrets.”

She saw the gleam in his eyes and remembered that his sense of fun was one of the things that had attracted her to him in the first place.

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