Page 2 of Hometown Harbor 4

“I did notice, but I didn’t say anything, so that’s on me,” Mel said.

“I found myself lying to you for the first time in our marriage. It didn’t matter that it was for something good, it still felt odd,” Dale said. “You keep me honest, and I would be a mess without you.”

“I feel the same about you. We’re on the same page again, and we’re getting married.” Mel jumped up and down. “Does this mean we're having a honeymoon, too?"

“You bet we’re having a honeymoon. That’s the best part, and that’s something we’ll plan together.”

“I know of two places I want to visit and one we’ve been to. Can you guess?” Mel asked.

“I know you want to return to Hawaii because that was where we went for our tenth anniversary. I’m unsure about the second place, so enlighten me,” Dale said.

“Hawaii is right, but I don’t want to go back to Kauai. I have a friend with a private home in Lanikai on Oahu that we can use for a week. It’s on the windward side of Oahu. I’d also like to go to Japan and travel all around. We’ve been to Tokyo, but I want to branch out,” Mel said.

“You’ve given this a lot of thought. With retirement on the horizon, we’ll hit them both eventually,” Dale said inviting everyone to join them for a bottle of bubbly he brought. April put glasses and orange juice on a tray, and they enjoyed mimosas.

The women had spoken about throwing a party at the end of the summer, and now they had a wedding to look forward to instead. It was a given that Mel would take over the planning. It was a project she looked forward to doing with the other women. Finally, she was able to contribute to the summer of romance.

2

Tabitha was enjoying a bath as she did every morning in the tub with a view. Her sabbatical was serving the purpose she had hoped for. A lot of it was due to the time she had spent with Winston. She picked up painting again and learned she could be happy without a romantic partner. Friends and herself were plenty and a lot less complicated.

She decided Maxim was too young, Marcus was never going to commit, and Greg made a colossal mistake. None were meant to be, and she was okay with that. If the right man came along, Tabitha would celebrate, but if he didn’t, she could celebrate, too. She had an amazing daughter and friends who had been there by her side through thick and thin.

Tabitha’s bath pillow had a timer so she didn’t fall asleep while bathing and drowning. The pillow deflated while the alarm sounded, which had come in handy on several occasions. Since arriving in Melbourne Beach, Tabitha had perfected the nap. Power naps had seemed lazy to her before, and she rolled her eyes at work when folks went to their vehicles for a fifteen-minute snooze. She laughed when they suggested a napping room at work and said it was NASA and not a preschool. Tabitha wasn't sure how a nap would fit into her nine-to-five life, but now she was willing to give it a try.

She had closed her eyes when she heard a familiar voice. It was Greg, and she hadn’t dreamed of him in a long time. For a long time, they were nightmares, and now he was usually a supporting character in her reveries. Wait – Tabitha soon realized that she wasn't dreaming and it was her ex-husband she was hearing. She asked herself what he was doing in Melbourne Beach. It couldn’t be an emergency involving Deenie or April. Deenie was sleeping, and April was probably on the beach with Carmine by now.

Tabitha threw on her robe and twisted her hair into a knot.

Greg was in the kitchen drinking a mimosa with Dale. It was like old times, even though Dale couldn’t stand Greg. He’d never forgive him for what he did to Tabitha, but he was cordial because that’s the kind of guy Mel’s husband was.

“What are you doing here?” Tabitha asked.

“I guess you won’t buy that I was just in the neighborhood – eh?” Greg asked jokingly. “I’m here on a whim. I was going to fly Deenie back to Houston next week, and I decided to drive and pick her up instead.”

“Deenie is sleeping because she was with Dalton last night,” Tabitha said.

“You let her spend the night with a boy?” Greg asked incredulously.

“Yes, Dalton was in rehab all day for an accident that nearly cost him his leg. His mother always appreciates it when Deenie stays until he falls asleep. The pain is horrible, and he refuses narcotic medication because he’s heard too many stories of addiction, and Dalton doesn’t want to be a statistic. Our sweet daughter reads him to sleep and helps with Allison’s little ones while she is there,” Tricia continued. It was nice making Greg look foolish. “Dalton’s mother, Allison, called to say she had fallen asleep on the couch and asked if she could stay for the night.”

“Oh,” Greg said.

“It’s good practice for her and her future interest in getting a nursing degree,” Tabitha said. She may have gone a little far in making Greg look clueless. Tabitha thought it would feel good, but that wasn’t the case. She just didn’t have enough antagonism to make anyone, including Greg, feel that way.

“Do you think our girl would mind if I poked my head in and woke her up?” Greg asked.

Tabitha smiled. “Deenie would never forgive me if I stopped you from doing so. It’s at the end of the hallway, but enter at your own risk.”

Greg asked if he could grab a sunflower after he had it in his hand. Dale said no problem, and he ran down the hall to his daughter's room.

“Greg is one lucky ex-husband,” Dale said after he was out of earshot. “You handled the situation gracefully, and I don’t think many women could manage it like you do.”

“You were drinking a mimosa with him, so good on you, too,” Tabitha said.

“Yeah, well, we’re too old to be mean and hold onto feuds. That’s a young person’s game,” Dale said.

“We’re not that old,” Tabitha said jokingly. “I do know what you mean, though. Greg is Deenie’s father, and that’s why I’ll always treat him with respect. The divorce he’s going through now is payback enough for what he did to me.”

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