Page 68 of The House on Firefly Beach
Uncle Hank put an unsteady hand against his face, and rubbed the white stubble on his cheek in thought. “I just can’t believe this.”
“I can’t either.”
The pain she’d seen on Nate’s face last night had been etched into her mind. It was so confusing. What was also baffling was the intense ache that she felt at the finality of that moment on the beach. As angry as she was with him, there was a tiny irrational part of her that adored seeing him.
She missed him so much it hurt. Sydney pondered the undeniable pull she had toward him despite her attempts to drag herself away. What was becoming abundantly clear was that the reason she hadn’t really been able to make the kind of life she really wanted for herself was because she’d always imagined Nate in it. Nothing had ever felt as right as the two of them together. It was her coping mechanism to hide her absolute sorrow that she wouldn’t ever get the future she’d always hoped for.
She wanted to believe that he was the same wonderful man he’d been when they were together, and that there was some other reason for his actions, but her head told her there couldn’t be another motive. There was no Nate Henderson. Why else would he be doing all this?
Sydney’s mind was still swimming about Nate and the way he had deceived them all. There was a part of her that felt like she needed to get some closure on all this, but she didn’t know how. She sat on the bed in her bedroom, staring at the view of the palms through her window, thinking. Her gaze slid down the panel curtain to her handbag on the floor, the napkin with Logan’s number peeking out from it. Already having his number in her phone, she got up and plucked the napkin from her bag, dropping it into the trash. When she did, something occurred to her: she was still heartbroken about Nate, searching for closure she’d never gotten. Not even now.
One thing was certain: she couldn’t move forward until she got over Nate, and she needed to be honest with Logan about that. She grabbed her cell and called him.
“Hey,” he said, recognizing her call.
“Hi,” she returned.
“I’m glad you called. I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner. But I’ll cook. I think we should find something preferably inside and in a location where we won’t be interrupted.”
She could feel his smile on the other end of the line, making this more difficult but definitely necessary.
“About that interruption last time,” she began.
His voice became serious. “You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “I wondered… Things aren’t finished with you and Nate, are they?”
“Oh, they’re finished,” she said. “But it’s complicated. I just don’t want to drag you into the middle of everything. You deserve better than that. I just need some time to figure out what I want and where I’m going, you know?”
“I totally get it,” he said, as kind as ever. “But if you ever want to get that dinner, it’s a standing offer.”
“Thank you for being amazing,” she said.
When Sydney got off the phone call, she needed to take her mind off everything, deciding to help Uncle Hank install the birdhouse at the end of the gazebo. It was so big that they’d almost needed help, but eventually they’d managed it. Her biceps and shoulders ached from holding it up so long, but she also wondered if the pinched nerve she felt now was exacerbated by the stress of thinking about Nate. Even though she’d tried to push it out of her mind, his involvement in the public beach access had gone round and round in her head the entire time she’d been helping Uncle Hank.
Her inner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway and Beau racing across the yard. Hallie got out of the truck and yanked her large suitcase from the vehicle, the thing landing with a thud onto the driveway. Ben got out the driver’s side and ran around to greet an ecstatic Beau, who was alternating between whimpering and jumping up to Ben’s face.
Hallie put a hand up to assist her pink visor in shielding the sun and caught sight of Sydney and Uncle Hank. She came jogging down to them, her slim frame tanned under her brightly colored T-shirt and shorts. She threw her arms around both of them, squeezing Sydney and Uncle Hank into a bear hug.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Sydney told her, giving her an enormous embrace.
“I missed you so much,” Hallie said, her cheeks rosy from too much sun. She let them go, completely ignoring the fact that Sydney was still in her pajamas. “We had so much fun, Syd! We went snorkeling and we took a speedboat ride to this amazing restaurant right on the water…” She threw her hand to her chest dramatically. “The pool had personal cabanas with their own wait staff, and everything was included!”
“I knew I should’ve hidden out in your suitcase,” Sydney teased.
“I’ve brought a little bit of it home with me,” she said, waving her hands in the air in excitement. “I brought goodies! Who cares that I’ve been up since 4:30 for my flight home; I’m still in an island frame of mind! I’ve got piña colada mix in my bag and lots of presents for everyone. Let’s go inside. Where’s Mama?”
“That sounds amazing! And I need to check on Robby anyway. He should be up by now, and if he isn’t, I’m going to wake him up so he can see you,” she said as they walked, on either side of Uncle Hank, linking arms with him. “Hey, Ben!”
Ben raised his hand, a big smile on his face. He picked up their bags and took them inside.
Robby, who was having breakfast at the kitchen table when they came in, jumped up at the sight of Hallie and Ben and ran over to them.
“Hey, buddy!” Ben said, ruffling his hair and giving him a big hug. “Whatcha been doing while I was gone?”
Robby looked up at him, an enormous grin on his face. “Football and fishing and drawing and school work! Lots of stuff!”
“Sounds like you’ve had a busy week. Did Uncle Hank do all those things with you?” Ben took a seat at the table while Hallie ran over to give Mama a hug.
“No, I was with Nate! Isn’t he your friend?”
