Sothat’swhere this conversation was going. He looked up sharply. “Is this a sales pitch?”
“No!” Theo’s hands lifted in defense. “I was wondering whether the Majestic was really the issue, that’s all. Whether you need to sort things out with Jude and Don before you make any decisions about the hotel.”
And that dropped like a struck match into gasoline. “Maybe you should mind your own damn business. What the hell do you know about my life?”
“I just think if you talked to them aboutwhythey need to—”
“I don’t care why!” He didn’t want to deal with any of this crap. He didn’t want to sort things out because that sounded like forgiveness and he fuckingcouldn’t. So he turned the wax over again, rubbing it up and down the board with an aggression that more than got the job done. “And whatever the reason, your proposal still sucks ass.”
Theo made an exasperated noise. “Whereas you want Jude to hold on to a place she can’t manage, and that you don’t even want to visit? That’s logical.”
“It’s not—Screw you.” He threw down the wax, watched it ricochet off the board and land in the sand. “I’m gonna surf.”
“Luca...”
“Just leave me the fuck alone, okay?” He grabbed his board off the stand. “I don’t want your advice. And I sure as hell don’t want your damn sales pitch.”
Board under his arm, he stalked down to the water, an angry knot in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to talk to Don and Jude—about the Majestic or about anything else. He didn’t want Theo’s damn advice. And he definitely didn’t want to think about the flash of hurt he’d seen in Theo’s eyes, or why it made him feel so shitty.
* * *
Theo replayed the argument all the way back to the Majestic, kicking himself for pushing too hard. He hadn’t meant to, but the better he got to know Luca—and the more he got to like him—the harder he found knowing that Luca didn’t have the full picture about Jude and Don’s reasons for selling. It wasn’t fair to keep him in the dark, and only made the situation harder for everyone. But neither was it Theo’s place to interfere, and apparently just hinting to Luca that he talk to them had gone too far. Either way, he’d poked Luca’s hornet’s nest and couldn’t complain that he’d been stung. Stung hard enough he didn’t want to risk it happening again.
After grabbing a sandwich at Dee’s, he made his way back to the hotel along the cliff path. Heading around to the front of the hotel, he passed Luca’s van, but it was all locked up, no sign of him around, and he walked quickly past it and into the Majestic.
Although it had feeble air-conditioning, the hotel lobby with its high ceiling and marble floor was still a relief from the heat. Theo paused for a moment, enjoying the cool tranquility. It was mid-afternoon, too early for dinner, and the place felt empty. Standing in the foyer, silent but for the soft tick of the old grandfather clock, he imagined what it would be like full, what the Majestic would have looked like bustling with guests, how the noise of their footsteps would have rung against the marble... He could almost hear it, he thought, a faint echo of distant music.
Only, it wasn’t his imagination. Therewasmusic playing—something old, maybe from the Majestic’s heyday. It came from the dining room. Following the sound, Theo peered inside but stopped on the threshold when he saw Don and Jude. They were dancing. Theo didn’t know his salsa from his foxtrot, but whatever they were dancing they were dancing it with style. He smiled, backing up a step, certain he was intruding. But he wasn’t fast enough; Don spotted him.
“Hey there, Theo,” he said, and he and Jude stopped dancing.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Jude laughed, her cheeks flushed, sounding a little breathless. “Oh, don’t be silly. Come on in—can I get you something?”
Theo shook his head. “No, thank you. I heard the music...”
“We used to take lessons,” Jude said, smiling as she turned off the ancient CD player. She took a seat, catching her breath. “It’s been a while, though. We’re a little out of practice.”
“You looked very professional to me,” Theo said.
“Well, we know the dance well.” Jude held out her hand for her husband. He took it with a fond smile and they exchanged a look, one of those lingering looks between couples Theo had always envied. A look that said so much more than words, that meant you were understood, connected. “It was the first dance at our wedding.”
Had Luca been there, Theo wondered. Had he watched them dance? His heart ached at the thought, and he found himself wanting to reach back into the past and put his arms around Luca. To comfort and help him, to be the ally he’d needed. He couldn’t imagine watching his own mother marry a man who condemned something so fundamental about him. Yet, seeing Don and Jude together now, it was difficult to reconcile the Don Brennan Luca had described with this man so evidently in love with his wife. How could Don be capable of feeling such love for Jude, and yet deny it to Luca? And to himself. But humans were contrary creatures, capable of holding contradictory beliefs, and that had always been half Theo’s problem—people didn’t always make sense.
“Can we reserve you a table tonight?” Don said. “It’s steak night. I do some mean fried potatoes.”
Theo hesitated—he and Luca had made plans to eat at the Rock House and listen to the live band. He’d been looking forward to it and his heart sank as he realized it was probably out of the question after their altercation at the Surf Hut. He forced a smile. “Thank you, yes. That sounds good.” It’s not like there was anywhere else in town to eat, after all, and hewassupposed to be getting to know the hotel.
“About seven, then?” Don suggested. “Jude’s making blueberry pie for dessert, you don’t want to miss it.”
“Sounds delicious,” Theo said, and couldn’t help smiling at Jude’s affectionate shake of the head. The way they were looking at each other again... Well, Theo wasn’t certain but he imagined they’d rather be left alone, so he backed up another step. “I’ll see you at seven, then,” he said, waving a hand at himself. “I need to go shower off half the beach.”
As he crossed the foyer, approaching the foot of the grand staircase, the music started up again and Theo felt a wistful tug in the pit of his stomach—for them, for the Majestic. And for Luca, for all the things he’d love to have shared with him. He slowed, struck by the idea of them dancing together, alone and wrapped up in each other like Jude and Don. It was ridiculous—Theo didn’t dance; hecouldn’tdance—and yet as the music drifted into the lobby he saw the scene unfold perfectly in his mind’s eye. He could feel the warmth of Luca’s arms around him, feel the way their bodies would move together...
With a bang, the hotel door opened. Theo spun around, startled, to find Luca standing in the entryway, as if conjured by his daydream. Luca’s hair was still damp, sunglasses pushed up on top of his head, and he was staring at Theo with an unreadable expression.
Theo stared back, Luca’s angry words hanging between them:Just leave me the fuck alone.There was no misinterpreting that request, no lines to read between. So he took Luca’s demand at face value and turned away, heading upstairs. Luca’s gaze prickled the back of his neck the whole way, but he made no move to stop him, which suggested Theo had made the right choice.