Page 80 of Summer Fling
"She goes over to Oakley's on Sunday night. Why don't you take the weekend off?" He turned off the engine, and my heart skipped a beat.
We almost always spent the majority of our time together. I didn't have set work hours. The lines had been blurred a long time ago, and now I was wondering if that had been a mistake.
He went inside, leaving me in the cab of his truck, wondering what just happened. His energy had felt off when he arrived at the library, but I'd been so focused on making sure I got everything packed up and being on the high of the success of the class, I hadn't focused on why that was.
The call from the attorney must have set him more on edge, especially when I said I didn't want to pretend to be his girlfriend anymore.
I wanted to help him, but at the same time, I felt like he could do this on his own. And maybe he needed to. Besides, we weren't engaged, and I didn't like the idea of lying to my new friends, his parents, and the court system. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt.
I got out of the truck, feeling like I was walking through soft sand. Each foot felt heavy, my tread uneven.
The front door opened, and my heart soared hoping it was Dalton coming out to talk to me. To tell me that he understood how I felt and that he didn't want to pretend any more either. He loved me.
But it was Hudson, who drew up when he saw me. "Dalton asked me to unpack your things and to put them in the shed out back."
"I can help," I offered, wondering how I was going to pretend that everything was okay.
"I've got it."
I stood there for a few seconds, deliberating about whether I should insist on helping. It was my stuff after all.
Hudson stood by the bed of the truck, watching me. "Is everything okay with you and Dalton. He seemed upset."
My throat suddenly felt very dry. We'd never discussed our relationship with anyone, but maybe I could confide in him about the engagement. "Ashton thinks it would be good for us to pretend to be engaged. That it will make Dalton look more stable when he goes to mediation."
Hudson whistled. "Are you going to do it?"
"It doesn't feel right to me." I couldn't exactly say that I was holding out for Dalton to tell me he loved me.
"I'm sure you'll work it out. Dalton doesn't usually stay angry for long."
I sighed, looking down at the crushed seashells. "I want to be there for him. I said I would be."
"If the optics don't work for you, then that's how it has to be. I'm sure Dalton will understand."
I bit my lip. "I don't want him to lose custody of Lilliana."
He raised a brow. "Do you really think that would happen? That Oakley could prove that he was unfit?"
I frowned at his characterization. "No."
"Then you have to do what's right for you."
"I have some thinking to do." And not just about our relationship but my future here on the island. Hazel and Brady had given me some things to think about. I needed to figure out what I wanted.
The reality was that if Dalton was pulling back, if he didn't want me, then why was I planning to stay on the island?
My chest felt hollow when only a few short hours ago I'd felt so full. I had been happy, content, planning a future here on the island with Dalton. I didn't think I could be happier, but now everything looked different.
"Give it some time. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail." He nodded toward the house, but I wasn't so sure about that.
"Thanks for helping us out today, Hudson. I really appreciate it."
He smiled as if he didn't have a care in the world because he didn't. He was in a long-term relationship with Elena. He wasn't having an existential crisis like I was.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dalton
