Page 6 of Hometown Harbor 3

“I guess, but you’ll never remarry because you divorced Dad, threw Maxim to the curb, and got ghosted by Marcus. I guess you came on too strong to him,” Deenie said.

Tabitha knew her sixteen-year-old daughter was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She had hoped the former would remain dormant for the summer, but clearly, that wasn't the case.

“You’re mad at something. Is it your lack of siblings or my unsuccessful love life?” Tabitha asked.

“A little of both, to be honest. You don’t have any checks on what you do, and you bring these men into my life, and then poof! They're gone. Dad, Maxim, Marcus – they’re all gone.”

Tabitha took a breath. Deenie wasn’t wrong but wasn’t prepared to explain how good men came and went. Tabitha had no idea how long Deenie had been keeping these feelings inside.

“I’m sorry you have no siblings, and I don't owe you an explanation. All I can say is that it was a combination of things. I always believe the main reason I only had one child is that you were enough. Why mess with perfection?”

Deenie smiled slightly.

“You know what happened with your father, and Maxim was too young. I thought Marcus was right, but he thought we were wrong,” Tabitha explained. “I don’t want this to come out incorrect because, of course, I put you first, but I want a man in my life and not necessarily a father for you. You already have one of those who loves you very much. You’re only home for another year unless you don’t go away.”

“Oh, I’m going away. I told Dalton that you and Daddy would pay for my tuition, and he said I'd be crazy not to take advantage of that. I know each was a set of unavoidable circumstances, but all the good ones leave. Am I holding you back?”

“No way! If I felt that a man was prejudiced about me having a daughter, I’d kick him to the curb so fast that he wouldn’t know what hit him. You’re my world, Deenie. I should have known my personal life was affecting you. I’m relatively new at this. Will you give me the chance to do things right?” Tabitha asked.

Deenie threw her arms around her mother and squeezed.

“I love you, Mommy. Can I stay for the whole summer?”

“No,” Tabitha said. She knew that question was coming eventually, and Deenie was aware of the answer she’d get.

5

Mel was tired of sitting on the chaise with her laptop, so she planned to walk down to the pier and work at one of the picnic tables. The summer was nearly half over, and each girl had wonderful romantic adventures. They celebrated their mid-life crisis and assumed Mel was immune because she was married. That wasn’t exactly the case because she didn’t feel any type of mid-life crisis, but she was afraid her husband Dale was.

He hadn’t come to a visit nearly as much as she had hoped. Was he bored with her and going out to meet exciting new people? Mel had never thought of Dale as someone who would stray, but what if he had changed his ways?

April popped out on the deck. “Mel, don’t you think it’s about time you close your laptop and enjoy the summer? You took some time off, didn't you?"

“I’m mostly working from home like I did during Covid. I have someone covering if something urgent comes up, but since I’m a department head, it’s nearly impossible to take the summer off,” Mel said. “Most of my employees take their well-deserved vacations in the summer, so we’re already short-handed.”

“I’m not around as much as Deb and Tabitha, but you seem quiet, and you’ve been like this for a while. Is something going on that we don’t know about?" April asked.

Mel panicked inside because she didn’t know if she could talk about her marital worries without breaking out in tears. If she were going to open up to anyone, maybe April was the best since she hardly knew Dale.

Mel nodded and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m taking a walk towards the pier. Care to walk with me?”

“Absolutely. I’ll grab some cups with lids, and we can sip coffee there. Kylen and Carmine won’t return for a few hours, and I have time to spare.”

Mel and April walked to the historic Melbourne Beach Pier. Along the way, Mel explained her concerns regarding her marriage. She wondered if Dale’s absence meant he was enjoying his alone time more than the time he would spend with her.

“I’ve seen the two of you together only a handful of times, and you seem happy, but many couples look happy. Take Greg and Tabitha, for example. I could tell something wasn’t right for at least five years. You’ve been away for a month and Dale came down for the Fourth. What has it been like for the past five years?” April asked.

“It’s been blissful. The kids left for college, and we started to get excited about the future. We both make enough money to retire early and then we’re going to travel a lot. Dale described the late fifties as the sweet spot where we’re young enough to appreciate traveling and not having to enjoy it while we’re pushing walkers. When we hit seventy, there will probably be grandchildren, and I might write a book,” Mel explained.

“Dale wouldn’t dream that life and throw it away in a month. You’ve seen the three of us having romantic interludes, and that has messed with your head. Tabitha told me that you weren’t clingy and had absolute trust in each other. Believe in that and when you get together with Dale, the two of you should discuss it.”

“You’re right. I need to be confident in what I have. I haven’t questioned it in over twenty-five years, and I don’t know why it’s an issue now. I think I’m jealous of what you all have,” Mel said.

"Deb, Tabitha and I wish we had what you have. A stable life with a man who we love and loves us back is a dream. The grass is always greener, and I’m sure Dale wants you to use this time to have fun with the girls and not worry about him,” April said.

“I’m so glad I spoke with you. You make too much sense, and I can’t think of a good argument against anything you said.”

“Are you excited to see Kylen and Carmine?” Mel asked.

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