Page 3 of Hometown Harbor 4

They heard squeals of delight coming from Deenie’s room. She was a daddy’s girl and a mama’s girl. It was one of the few perks of being a child of divorce. The first time Deenie said her dad was her best friend, she felt slighted. Then she heard her on the phone telling her father that she was her best friend.

Mel came down wearing her beach cover-up with Quinnie trailing behind her. They were ready for a beach day with Dale, and while he had to go back, Quinnie would stay with her mom for a few days.

“I’ve been saving this for you, Dale." Mel pulled up her cover-up to flash her lime green two-piece swimsuit. “Worrying about your marriage is a surefire way to tone the body and lose a few pounds. When stressed, I run a few extra miles and lose my appetite. I guess you could say that you did this to me.”

“I’ll gladly take the blame for that. I will have to beat off the other men on the beach. With my daughter and wife, I’d say that I’m the luckiest man on Melbourne Beach.”

Tabitha wondered how long Greg was going to give Deenie before he whisked her off to Houston. She was not looking forward to her daughter’s painful goodbye. Deenie would likely cry all the way to Texas. Leaving a first relationship before it had a chance to fully blossom was torturous, and Tabitha remembered going through it when she was fourteen. Tabitha’s parents had sent her to summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina, where she met Bobby Figliola. She had fallen hard for him, and when it was time to leave, her tender heart was broken. She and Bobby had promised to write, and when they turned eighteen, they had planned to run away together. High school happened, and Bobby was replaced by Trevor, Dante, Mark, and many more. Tabitha googled Bobby from Decatur, Georgia, now and then. He was a dentist in Atlanta with three kids. Deenie didn’t need to hear that story, though. She had to painfully live through it herself.

Tabitha heard them walking down the hallway.

Deenie wore a pair of boxers and one of Dalton’s Florida State sweatshirts. “Did you have any idea Daddy was coming early?”

“I did not, or I would have shared it with you. Have the two of you decided when you’re leaving for Houston?” Tabitha asked.

“We had a negotiation, and I regret teaching her that concept when we had a garage sale. She always comes out on top, even when I know she’s coming in hot. I agreed to rent one of The Cottages for three days so she would have extra time with Dalton. I thought that would be plenty of time for a long goodbye,” Greg explained.

Tabitha knew it would never be enough as far as Deenie was concerned.

“I countered his offer with two weeks because I wanted to see Dalton through rehab until he left for school. He’ll have to switch to a new therapist once he’s settled in Tallahassee,” Deenie said. “He’s come to depend on me, and I can’t abandon him now.”

“I said no because I have Addie in a couple of weeks, and I can’t miss it while Julie and I are in the middle of a custody battle,” Greg said. “She’s looking for anything to use against me.”

“I eventually came down to one week, and Dad said five days max.”

“She won because The Cottages only accept one-week rentals,” Greg said.

“That’s silly. You can stay here in one of the bunk beds in Deenie’s room. The rental for one of those places on the beach is $1500 per week. I imagine you’re watching your pennies with the divorce and a new baby.”

He shook his head. “This is your space, and I don’t want to invade it after all I’ve put you through. I’ll find a motel room nearby, and it’ll be fine,” Greg said. “You have your week, Deenie. If I don’t stay in Melbourne Beach, then I’ll be nearby. I have a lot of former work colleagues in the area, and your week isn’t in jeopardy.”

“Daddy, please stay here. Mom says it’s okay and wouldn’t offer if she felt otherwise. It would let us hang together, which is something I would love. While we’re in Houston, you spend a lot of time on your divorce from Julie. Having you and Mom under one roof again would be a dream come true,” Deenie said.

“I hope you’re not becoming one of those kids who harbors the fantasy of her parents reuniting,” Tabitha said.

“No, that isn’t happening. I know the score, and I’m lucky the two of you have found a way to be civil with one another. I was old enough to see the divorce happen in real-time,” Deenie said. “Do we have a deal, Dad?”

“I guess so. Thank you, Tabitha,” Greg said.

Tabitha gave Greg basic house rules. She’d rather he not use the bathroom on the second floor as that was the private dwelling for Deb and Mel. Most of the other rules he remembered from the days when they were married. They were things like not leaving towels or dirty laundry in the common area and putting dishes in the sink. Tabitha wasn’t thrilled with her ex-husband under her roof, but it was her idea. Deenie mattered the most, and she was glowing, so it was worth it.

Deb and Mel would be suspicious of having the man who hurt their friend stay with them. Like her, they’d get that he was Deenie’s father. If Tabitha were okay with it, then they would be, too. Greg still might consider sleeping with one eye open.

3

Tabitha was having her color touched up by Deb, which was one of the many perks of having her hair stylist as a dear friend and roommate. Since her divorce, she had gradually gone from light brown with highlights to honey blonde, and now she was Malibu blonde. The sun had done some of the work, and Deb was evening it out.

“How does this work with Greg staying here? Deb asked. “Are you planning to sit down to family dinner?”

“No. He’s Deenie’s guest, and they can decide together what the next week will look like. She wants him to meet Dalton, and they can arrange that. I’m merely putting a roof over his head.”

“I’m aware that you and Mel hate him because you’re my friends and you weren’t required to work on your relationship. I guess until you’re married with a kid, you have no idea how important the relationship is between divorced parents. The relationship changes from partners to co-parents. I don’t forgive him for cheating, but I found a place for those feelings so they won’t get in the way of what needs to be done,” Tabitha explained.

“Another reason not to have children. It’s weird because I’m maternal in so many ways, but I’ve never had the yearning for my own children. My close circle of friends understands that, but those who don’t know me well think I’m cold and not fully evolved as a woman.”

“I haven’t for one moment thought like that,” Tabitha said as they both admired her hair color.

“I’ll tell you one thing. Greg will regret ever looking at Julie once he sees this hair. It lightens up your entire face, and it looks natural, definitely not from a bottle. I’m good at what I do,” Deb said. She was never shy about patting herself on the back.

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