Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
T revor selected The Thistle Lodge to have dinner with Donovan and Mila Hart. The popular restaurant was part of the Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island, and had a rich history, entertaining the likes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
Known for its elegant and historical charm, the resort was loved by many from around the world.
When Trevor sent a text to Donovan letting him know of the place and time for their get-together, Donovan teased Trevor by texting him that he and Sarah had finally joined the older generation by having dinner so early. When Trevor asked if they would like a later reservation time, Donovan declined and said he didn’t want to keep the old folks out too late. It was a small jab, but one that irked Sarah.
As they pulled up the road to the resort, Sarah’s eyes widened.
“I remember this place. We had dinner here before,” Sarah said, admiring the breathtaking setting.
“We had one of our first dates here,” Trevor added.
They were about to get out of the car when Sarah touched Trevor’s arm. “Let’s not go in right away.”
“What?” he asked.
“I want to walk around a bit first.”
“Sarah, I don’t want to keep Donovan and his wife waiting.”
“Please, Trevor. It will only be a few minutes.”
Trevor sighed, but nodded and then opened the car door.
Sarah ran to his side of the car and put her hand in his. The sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore and the swaying palm trees instantly washed away the stress and worries that had recently dominated their marriage.
She marveled at the expanse of the veranda and open-air terrace.
“This place is magical,” she said.
They continued along the winding path through the palm trees and gardens, leading to a private beach.
Giggling, Sarah removed her heels and ran to the beach.
“Sarah, have you forgotten that we actually live on a beach, how can you get this excited?”
She wiggled her toes in the soft sand and shrugged. She couldn’t explain how she felt, but the water, sand and hammocks strung between the trees made her feel transported far away…far away from their troubles.
“We should get inside. They’re probably wondering where we are,” he said.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Trevor. Let them wait,” she insisted.
Sarah wanted to pull him toward her and rest her head on his shoulder. She wanted him to enjoy not only the beauty of their surroundings, but also the memory of how they were the last time they were here.
But, she could tell that he was losing patience with her. As quickly as her joy appeared, it dissipated just as fast. She dusted the sand off her feet, and putting her heels back on she struggled with the realization that something was gone between them. Not knowing what to do, she pushed her disappointment to the back of her mind and focused on trying to make the best of the evening.
When they got inside, Donovan smiled and shook Trevor’s hand. “There you are. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten us.”
“Sorry about that,” Trevor said, extending his hand to Mila. “Hello, I’m Trevor, this is my wife, Sarah.”
Mila smiled and shook Trevor’s hand and then Sarah’s. “Very nice to meet you both,” she said, and then turned to Trevor. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel I know you already.”
Sarah admired Mila’s ease with meeting new people. She had a relaxed and effortless way about her, and it was hard to ignore that she was drop-dead gorgeous.
“I hope Donovan hasn’t bored you with stories of our old days in Bolivia. Those were some wild times,” Trevor responded.
“Would I do that?” Donovan teased.
The hostess interrupted the introductions and took four menus from the counter. “Please follow me,” she said.
The four followed, led by Donovan, who suddenly seemed to take control of the evening.
“You wouldn’t believe how late we eat at home, sometimes as late as midnight. We don’t often eat this early, but our lifestyle isn’t for everyone.”
They were seated in a small room within the larger dining area. Several windows made the setting sun visible from their table.
“This is a beautiful place. I don’t think we’ve ever been to Sanibel,” Donovan added. “Do you eat here often?”
Trevor laughed. “Not often, but the last time we booked a reservation here, we were stopped at the entry to the place by armed police. Apparently, a twelve foot alligator was on the grounds of the resort, so they had to kill it.”
“Oh my goodness, I forgot about that. I remember now, we couldn’t figure out why there were these guys with machine guns. It was crazy. We even asked them what was going on, and they wouldn’t tell us.”
Trevor nodded. “We rebooked for another night, and when we got to our table, we asked the waiter who told us what had happened. It was a shame they had to kill the alligator, but I think they have a law, if it’s larger than four feet, they have to kill it. Terrible.”
Donovan laughed. “It figures you’d book our dinner here. Always living on the edge, right, Trevor?”
Sarah didn’t like Donovan’s cocky attitude, and she didn’t like the way he kept referring to Trevor as someone she didn’t know.
She wasn’t so unreasonable to think Trevor didn’t have a life before her, but the constant talk about his adventures with Donovan made it impossible for anyone else to speak.
“Remember the time we got caught when we went into that water fountain to get Ava out?”
Trevor laughed. “We didn’t have a choice. She was drunk and wouldn’t come out, no matter how much I pleaded.”
“I agree we couldn't have left her there, but the cops didn’t care.”
Trevor looked at Sarah, “The funniest part was Ava was so out of it, when the cop got into the water, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.”
“To this day, I think that’s what kept us from getting arrested.”
Trevor shook his head, remembering his old girlfriend.
Sarah could see a sadness in his face she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I’m sorry to hear about Ava, Trevor.”
Trevor nodded. “Thanks. The hardest part of her overdose was leaving my son alone. Noah has done so well these last few years thanks to Sarah and our family, but those first months were hard on him.”
Trevor changed the subject. “So, tell us about your work. It must be so wonderful for the two of you to work together.”
Donovan looked at his wife. “I can’t speak for Mila, but I love working with her.”
Mila smiled as she explained, “Understand that we go off and do things separately, but for the most part, we’re working on a singular goal, providing safe and clean water where it’s most needed.”
Sarah watched Trevor’s face go from sadness back to excited, and his entire body language had become animated.
“I’m hoping to travel a bit myself,” Trevor said, seemingly out of the blue.
“Oh?” Sarah inquired. “I didn’t know you were going anywhere.”
Sarah figured it was probably a mistake to question Trevor, but she didn’t care. Something was off, and she needed to get to the bottom of it.
“Yes, I forgot to tell you, but my father wants me to check out a property in North Carolina. I’m the most obvious person to go, since Clayton doesn’t handle new clients,” he said, smiling.
Sarah didn’t believe anything Trevor said. The night continued this way, with Sarah watching the conversation go back and forth like ping pong ball.
The waiter carried their food and placed the tray near their table. He placed Mila’s pasta and Sarah’s salmon in front of them, and then put the two filet mignon dishes in front of Donovan and Trevor.
For the next hour, the men talked about their work, with Trevor embellishing his duties. Here and there Sarah would inject a comment intended to bring her husband back to reality,
She knew what was happening. Trevor was trying to impress Donovan, and she felt sick with shame. It wasn’t until they got back in their car and headed home that Sarah, on the brink of tears, questioned Trevor’s behavior.
“Who are you? The whole night you kept trying to outdo Donovan. The competition was sickening. I hated to see you grovel like that.”
“Grovel? How did I grovel? All I did was talk about my job and…and reminisce about the past. There was no groveling.”
“Trevor, is your father really sending you to North Carolina? I only ask because you haven’t said a word about it to me. I don’t understand how it’s possible that you’re going somewhere and forgot to let me know. That’s not you.”
“I’m not going right away. We’ve talked about a new location I’m to check out. You are making so much out of nothing. Why does any of this matter?”
“I’ll tell you why, because you’re jealous of Donovan.”
“Jealous?” he yelled, almost driving off the road. “Jealous? Who’s jealous? You’re being ridiculous,” he said.
Frustrated, Sarah answered, “Am I? I don’t think so. I think I’ve hit the nail right on the head. You see Donovan’s life and you want what he has. You’d love to travel and see the world. You want to return to the life you lived before you met me. Now, you’re stuck with a wife and kids, and Donovan and Mila look like they’ve got the best life. You don’t have a clue what their lives are really like. You have some romantic notions that need to be dealt with, and I have no idea how to help you.”
By the time they reached home, the anger and harsh words between them felt insurmountable.
Trevor got out of the car and slammed the door. “I’m not going inside right now. I can’t deal with your mother asking questions.”
He walked away from her and out to the back of their home and the water’s edge, leaving her standing in their driveway wondering what to say to her mother.
Sarah tiptoed into the living room. Her mother was sound asleep on one end of the sectional, while Noah slept quietly on the other end. Maggie woke up as soon as she heard Sarah come into the room.
“Hi honey, I guess we both fell asleep after Sophia went to bed. How was your evening?”
Sarah shook her head and waved her hand in the air. “Don’t ask. Let me get Noah to bed, then we can talk,” she whispered.
Sarah carried Noah to his bed and changed him into his pajamas. Once under the sheets, she covered him with his comforter and turned the light off.
When she came into the living room, she’d hoped Trevor might have finally come inside. Instead, when she didn’t see him, she went out to the back porch and saw him sitting on a lounge chair just before the beach.
Shaking her head, she returned into the living room and went to the refrigerator.
“Mom, I made a pitcher of sangria. Would you like a glass?
“No thanks, honey. I don’t want to drink and drive. These days, even a little wine gets me tipsy.”
Sarah joined her mother on the sofa.
“So? What’s going on? Where is Trevor?”
“Pouting out back.”
“Pouting? That doesn’t sound like Trevor,” Maggie said.
Sarah took a sip of her Sangria and shook her head. “Nothing sounds like Trevor anymore. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but tonight in front of his friend, he made a fool of himself. He fawned all over Donovan. You should have seen him. He hung on the guy’s every word. It was embarrassing.”
“Oh, I think you might be a little harsh on Trevor. He’s a good guy, and you know it. Why are you being so hard on him?”
“If you were there you’d know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m telling you, Mom, something is wrong. He’s not happy, and it’s affecting our marriage.”
“You haven’t told me why Trevor is pouting in the backyard.”
Sarah wasn’t proud of the way she spoke to Trevor, but she’d had her fill of his mood swings.
“I told him that I think he’s jealous of Donovan.”
“Jealous?…of what?”
Sarah shrugged. “I think Donovan’s life and work is what Trevor wants. I think he hates working for his father and longs for the old days when he worked at Oxfam.”
Maggie nodded and smiled and didn’t say anything for a few minutes.
Sarah knew her mother well enough to know that this silent pause was for her benefit. It gave her a moment to think, and her mother a chance to parse her words.
“Well, isn’t that the guy you fell in love with? If I remember correctly, you gushed about Trevor’s volunteer work and how committed he was to making a difference in people’s lives. The two of you met at the Outreach Center because he helped distribute food to people in need. That was and is who Trevor is. The question is why do you want to change him into someone neither of you will recognize in time?”
Stunned at her mother’s observation, Sarah didn’t know how to respond. She only knew that she was scared and worried she was losing Trevor.
Maggie put her hand on Sarah’s arm. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve always believed your life is exactly as it should be without you planning it. It wasn’t that long ago that you announced to the world that you would never marry or have children. Then, one day, a dying woman left Sophia on your doorstep, and instantly, you became a mother.”
“I’m so scared, Mom. I feel like it’s not just Trevor who’s lost. We talked about this the other day. I’m just as confused as he is, I guess.”
Maggie smiled and pulled Sarah into a hug. “I’m going home. Paolo and Lexi are probably sleeping in the recliner.”
Maggie got up and grabbed her keys from the kitchen table.
“Give Trevor the space he needs to figure things out, and you spend some time doing the same. In the meantime, it would be great if you had a date night without Mr. Donovan Hart and his wife.”
“Thanks, Mom. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you to talk to.”
They walked to the front door, and Maggie kissed Sarah’s forehead. “Oh, I think you’d manage just fine.”