Page 47 of The Beach Cottage
Preston watched Annie walk away. “Thanks for being so great about all of this. You’ve been a real rock for me and the kids for so long, I shouldn’t be surprised. But I am.”
She chose her words carefully. “I want you to be happy, Pres.”
His eyes crinkled at the edges. “You’re so wonderful. I hope you find someone who makes you as happy as Annie makes me.”
“Thanks.” She grunted as he flung his arms around her in a gigantic hug that knocked the breath out of her.
He held her tight, her head pressed to his chest. His heart hammered against his ribs. “I miss this,” he whispered.
She wanted to pull free, but his grasp was too strong. “Uh, okay, Pres…”
As she stood there, Aidan’s truck pulled up in front of the café and parked. Aidan climbed out. He saw her in Preston’s arms, and his eyes widened. Then he shook his head, spun on his heel and launched himself back into the truck. When he accelerated away, the tyres squealed on the asphalt.
“No, wait!” Bea shouted, but her voice was muffled by Preston’s shirt.
She wriggled free of his grasp, stepped out onto the street, then sighed in frustration as Aidan’s truck disappeared down the road.
“What’s wrong?” Preston asked, his brow furrowed.
“Nothing. Everything’s fine. It was good to see you, Pres. I hope you enjoy the inn. It’s lovely there.”
Annie joined them and hugged Bea goodbye. Bea did her best to mimic a tree trunk while Annie wrapped her arms around her awkwardly. “Thanks again, Bea. Good to see you.”
Then Annie slipped her hand into Preston’s and the two of them walked away, joined hands swinging in time to their footsteps. While Bea watched them go, she wondered why Aidan had come to see her. Did he need something from her? And why was he so ready to leave when he saw her with Preston? They were friends, nothing more. He’d made that perfectly clear. She texted him quickly, but he didn’t respond. Then she went inside to finish packing up the cafe for the day, her thoughts in a jumble.
Twenty-One
It was a quiet day at the Blue Shoal Inn. Bea sat in the corner at the large table on her own, staring out the window and sipping a glass of chardonnay. The dining room was decorated in classic style with individually selected retro-style pieces of furniture, a Turkish rug on the floor, a grandfather clock in the corner and a large empty fireplace on one side of the room. The other side was flanked with windows that looked out over the ocean.
Bea was early for their lunch. Taya had some customers to take care of and the others hadn’t arrived yet, which was fine with her as it gave her some time to think.
She still hadn’t fully processed her feelings about Preston and Annie’s surprise visit to the island three days earlier. They’d returned to Airlie Beach to finish their getaway at a luxury resort and were no doubt ensconced in some highly romantic activity at that very moment. The kind of thing she’d dreamed that she and Preston might do one day, after the kids were grown. But she didn’t have any intention of dwelling on that thought, since she was more and more grateful to put those ideas behind her and move forward.
Preston had never appreciated her the way she deserved, and Annie would soon find out what that was like. A leopard didn’t change his spots, and Preston’s spots were well and truly permanent. She could see that now so clearly—how she’d missed it for all those years was astounding.
Hindsight was clarifying, she supposed.
No, she didn’t long for those days to return. She was ready for the next phase of her life. She’d found the emails from Preston’s solicitor in her junk mail folder, immediately printed them and signed them in front of a witness, then returned them to the solicitor in the mail the next day. She’d believed herself to be divorced for months, but now she finally was. She felt free. Free to move on, to be herself, to love who she wanted.
Before now, she’d felt guilty at the idea of dating Aidan or falling in love again. But now, she was ready. With Preston and Annie on a tropical getaway together, it was the permission she needed to take the next step in her life. If only Aidan was on the same page at the same time. When he’d been ready to dive in, she was reluctant to move too quickly. Now she was in a healthy place with an open heart, but he was busy taking care of his daughter and his business.
She hadn’t seen him at all since the dinner with Grace and her mother. He’d missed her call and messaged back that he was hectic with work and hoped to come up for air soon. He’d stopped by the café when Preston visited, but then left again without speaking to her and hadn’t taken her calls since. It was all so frustrating and confusing and she didn’t know what to do. She ran both hands over her hair and leaned her elbows on the table.
“Hello, darling,” Evie said, hurrying over to the table, her red hair swept up into a side ponytail. She bent to kiss Bea on the cheek. “Fancy both of us getting away from the business at the same time. It’s practically a miracle.”
Bea laughed. “I know, but I’m grateful for small miracles. I needed this.”
“Me too.”
Taya joined them then, swooping in with her stylishly smooth hair and perfect charcoal pantsuit. “You’re both so delicious. I don’t know how you do it.”
She kissed their cheeks and took a seat with a sigh. “Customers are happy, and I’m exhausted. Let’s drink.”
When Penny arrived, they were already ordering their second bottle of chardonnay. They were the only customers in the restaurant at the inn, and Penny arched her eyebrows at the sight of them as she walked across the floor to join them. “You’re all being very loud.”
Evie’s guffaw startled Bea. “You’re not usually a party pooper.”
“What’s going on?” Penny sat and tucked her purse beneath the table.
