Page 90 of Changing Tides
Mari tried to pull back, but Joey wrapped her in a hug. If they looked at her, they wouldn’t be able to finish what they had to say. “So, I understand why you have to go, but I don’t think I can keep in touch. Be friends. It’s not enough, and it would slowly break my heart. I tried so hard not to fall in love with you, but it was a done deal long ago.”
When Mari pulled away more forcibly, Joey let her go.
“Do I not get a chance to say my piece?” Her cheeks were flushed.
“Of course. I’m sorry, I just needed to get that off my chest.”
“It’s not like I don’t give you a chance to speak, Joey. I’ve been waiting to talk for days, and you’ve ghosted me.”
Joey had been expecting resignation, not anger. Surely, Mari had been busy making her plans to leave and handing over the kitchen to her replacement.
They blinked, confused. “Do you want to go back to the hut? We can sit outside while Denny plays in the rock pools.”
Marianne looked around as if remembering Denny was there. He was slapping his feet in the wet sand and watching as his footprints disappeared. “He’s fine. Do you want to hear what I have to say?”
Joey wasn’t sure they did. Mari sounded pretty annoyed. “Of course. Yeah.”
“When you left back in Dublin, you didn’t give me the chance to come with you. You just left. I know you were worried about your dad, but that hurt. I thought we were more than that.”
Their heart felt like it would burst. “We are…were. But you were in the middle of your big reunion. You were shining. And it was Denny’s birthday. My family is my responsibility to deal with.”
“And how does that work? You’ve taken on so much with Denny and sharing the load. But it doesn’t work both ways?”
Why was Mari even talking about this? It didn’t matter now, did it?
“I don’t know. I enjoyed helping you out, it wasn’t any trouble. I’ve loved my time with Denny.”So much.
Mari dropped to the dry sand and patted the patch next to her. “Sit.”
They folded their legs under them and joined her. Denny was chasing a seagull.
“Why are you so convinced everything is in the past? Do you want it to be?”
“What? No, of course not. But we were never going to be a long-term thing, were we? I always knew that, so it’s my fault I’m where I am now.” Another wave of sadness washed over them.
“You’re doing it again. Grieving our relationship before it’s over.”
Surely, not much before. Mari’s contract ended next week, and her replacement was already being trained up.
“Listen to what I’m saying. I don’t want it to be over, Joey. You’re not the only one who fell in too deep.”
Despite their doubt, Joey looked into her eyes. The anger was gone, and they were full of love. They’d seen that look in Mari’s eyes before, but they’d put it down to affection. Or lust.
“But it can’t work, can it? Our lives are too different.”
“They’re not that different. You catch seafood. I cook seafood.” Mari’s lips curled up in a smile.
“But your career is in Dublin. There’s nowhere within two hundred miles that could afford you.”
“That’s only a problem if I want my own kitchen again.” Mari ran her fingers through the sand, drawing wavy patterns.
Joey tried to comprehend what she was saying. “Don’t you? That’s what you love.”
“I do.” She looked up. “But I love Denny more. And I love you. And there are things I can do that I also enjoy that mean the three of us don’t have to be apart.”
A buzzing started in Joey ears, making concentrating on the words more difficult. “You love me?”
Marianne shuffled across the sand until they were touching. “Of course I do. I should’ve told you sooner. I thought it was obvious, but some things deserve to be said. I love you, Joey, and I want to make this work. If that’s what you want, too?”
