Page 20 of Fresh Start
“No!” I answered straight away. “No boys. Whatsoever. It’s been a long time since I had the time for love.”
“Who doesn’t have time for love?” Summer giggled.
I wished that were true. But it wasn’t just about time, was it? It was about finding the person who was willing to give their everything for you. And you for them. Something that had never happened to me.
“What do you think we should do tomorrow? There’s a butterfly tour at the center. I haven’t been in a million years,” I suggested before we were interrupted.
“Summer,” someone said behind us, and we both turned to find a young man in his twenties looking at me through narrowed eyes.
“Hi Nathan,” Summer said, and his face clicked in my mind.
Andy’s oldest child. Boy, had he grown. I had held him when he was born and played with him whenever I was looking for an excuse not to do my homework. But then I left Cedarwood Beach to study in New York, and he’d gone and become an adult man himself.
I greeted him and offered him my hand. Once he heard my name, his face softened, and he smiled at me.
“Of course. The lion that left us behind,” he said, and I sighed. “I’m just messing with you. Dad is tough with everyone these days. I’m glad to finally meet you.”
That made things easier. The fewer people angry at me, the more time I could dedicate to fixing my relationship with Andy and Luke.
“We’ve actually met already, but you were a baby, so you wouldn’t remember,” I said.
“Ah yes, you’re the diaper changer. I remember you distinctly actually,” he said, and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You do?”
Nathan laughed and Summer giggled.
“God, no. But considering half the town boasts about changing my diapers, I thought I’d take my chances,” Nathan said.
“Funny kid,” I said. “Are you sure you’re Andy’s?”
Nathan shrugged. “Probably not, but don’t tell Andy. It will crush him.”
We all burst out laughing, and a few of the tourists walking around with face paint on turned to look at us.
“We were headed for donuts for lunch. Want to join us?” I asked him, and he did.
While breakfast had been such a disaster and my second confrontation with Andy had gone worse than the first, it ended up being a fantastic afternoon.
Nathan filled me in on a lot of the things I’d missed, like the fact that Maya had gone off on her first vacation with her girlfriends before starting college this fall, and how Melody had almost got married until the guy walked out with all her money.
And then Yaya being in the hospital for a couple of weeks after a mini heart attack a few months ago. Charlie, my younger brother, had also been in critical condition after a car accident, and my dad had lost a lot of money in the stock market, which was why he was constantly away trying to recoup his losses.
I didn’t know why I knew none of this. How could Melody not tell me about her engagement and the asshole that ran away with her savings? How could Yaya not tell me about her hospital scare? Why had no one bothered to tell me about Charlie’s accident?
It hurt finding out like this. My stomach was tied in knots trying to listen and not become enraged for being kept in the dark.
Had I lost their trust so completely that they kept everything from me? Did they all hate me?
Hell, after finding out everything I’d missed, I couldn't blame them.
By the time we were done with lunch, I just wanted to go to my room and cry. But I still had Summer to entertain, so I put on a brave face and we walked toward Melody’s at Summer’s request so she could see her aunt.
Melody was still busy with guests, so Nathan and I took her around to the front where she could play at the beach.
“Want a beer?” Nathan asked me when we sat down on the sand, barefoot, right as the sun was starting to set.
The colors of the sky were a magical red and purple, and it was hard not to feel soothed by it.
