Chapter 19
D arlene hid out in her room that night, telling Felicity she had a headache. Then when Felicity offered to take over breakfast the next morning, to her granddaughter’s surprise, she rapidly agreed.
She slipped out of the B&B in the early morning, not wanting to run into Mark. She wasn’t ready to see him. Not ready to talk to him. She headed to Coastal Coffee.
The familiar atmosphere greeted her as she walked through the door. Beverly looked at her in surprise, frowned, and hurried over. “What are you doing here so early? What about breakfast at the B&B?”
“Felicity’s handling it for me today. I just… I just needed a break.”
“Well, come in and sit. I’ll get you some coffee. Let me wait on that other table and I’ll be back in a jif.”
Darlene settled at a table at the back as the cafe buzzed with locals grabbing their breakfast, so different from the quiet, intimate atmosphere of her own dining room at the B&B.
Beverly slid a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. “You look like you need this. How about a fresh, hot cinnamon roll? Or maybe pancakes?”
“The cinnamon roll sounds great.” She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and breathed in the rich aroma. How many mornings had she served coffee to others, making sure their cups stayed full? Now here she sat, on the other side of breakfast service.
A hint of guilt crept through her at the thought of Felicity handling everything back at the B&B this morning.
But her granddaughter had grown into such a capable young woman.
But soon she’d be off to California with Brent, pursuing her own dreams. The B&B would feel emptier without Felicity’s cheerful presence, her easy way with the guests, and her help with all the little tasks that kept the B&B running smoothly.
Beverly returned with a cinnamon roll and slipped into the chair across from her. “Here you go. Now spill it. What’s got you hiding out here this morning?”
“I’m not hiding,” she protested, but even she didn’t believe it. She poked at the cinnamon roll with her fork. “Just needed a change of scenery, I suppose.”
“And?”
She sighed. “So, Felicity told me she’s leaving with Brent. They’re headed for California for I’m not sure how long. Quite a while. Another research trip for a book for him.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I know you’ve loved having her around. And it was nice for you to have help with the B&B.”
“I have loved it. But Felicity needs to go live her own life.”
“She does.” Beverly nodded. “But it doesn’t mean the change is going to be easy. But you’ve run the place on your own before. You’ll manage it again.”
“I will.”
Eleanor walked up to the table. “What’s going on here? Why the serious faces?”
“Felicity is leaving. Going to California with Brent,” Beverly explained.
Eleanor frowned. “Brent is leaving? Jonah didn’t mention it.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Beverly eyed her.
“Well… I told him we needed to take our time. I’ve turned him down the last few times he suggested we do something.”
Beverly rolled her eyes. “You really should give the man a break. Go out with him again.”
Eleanor sat down beside her. “Maybe I’m just too old for his. Too many changes.”
“I know what you mean,” Darlene nodded.
“You do?”
“I was just getting… ah… closer to Mark.”
“I knew it.” Beverly grinned.
“But then, this woman came to see him. She was beautiful. Self-assured. And there was definitely a strong bond between them.”
“So who was she?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe someone he met after his wife died? But there’s something between them. It was obvious.”
Eleanor tapped her finger on the table. “So why don’t you ask him who she was?”
Beverly's mouth rose in a sassy grin. “Because she’s too busy hiding out here avoiding him.”
“I’m not—” But she stopped because the fact was, she was hiding out.
Beverly shook her head. “I love you both… but sometimes…” She sighed. “It’s a full-time job just getting you two to think straight.”
“Miss Eleanor, you should give Jonah a chance. It’s obvious he cares about you, and you care about him.” Beverly turned to Darlene. “And you. Quit hiding. Go talk to the man. Why give up without really even trying?”
Beverly pushed her chair back, its legs scraping on the wooden floor. “And that’s all that I’m saying about that. I have customers to wait on. And Miss Eleanor, I’ll bring you your coffee and cream.”
Darlene walked slowly back to the B&B, thinking about what Beverly had said. But then, Beverly hadn’t seen the obvious connection between Mark and Savannah. Each step that brought her closer to home punctuated her indecision on her next move.
She finally reached the B&B and slipped in the back door to the kitchen. Felicity looked up, her sleeves rolled up as she loaded the last of the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.
“I can finish that up,” she said as she grabbed an apron.
“I was starting to worry.” Felicity closed the dishwasher door. “Mark was asking for you earlier. Said he wanted to talk to you about something.”
A knot formed in Darlene’s stomach. “Oh? Did he say what about?”
“No, but he seemed…” Felicity studied her grandmother’s face. “Is everything okay? First, you had that headache last night and went to bed early. Then this morning, you actually let me handle breakfast service without hovering nearby to make sure I didn’t mess anything up.”
“I don’t hover.”
“Gran.” Felicity crossed her arms. “You absolutely hover. Every morning. But today you disappeared completely.”
“I just went to have coffee with Beverly.” Darlene busied herself wiping down the already spotless counter.
“At the busiest time of the morning? When you never leave the B&B during breakfast?” Felicity gently took the cloth from Darlene’s hands. “What’s really going on?”
She sank onto one of the kitchen stools. “I saw Mark with a woman yesterday. There was clearly something going on between them.”
“Did you ask him about her?”
“No.” Darlene smoothed invisible wrinkles from the placemat in front of her. “I didn’t want to intrude.”
“So instead, you’re avoiding him completely?” Felicity shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like my Gran at all. The woman who taught me to face my problems head-on. You should go find him. Talk to him.”
“That’s what Beverly said.”
“Beverly’s a smart woman,” Felicity said. “So am I. It’s good advice.”
“I don’t know…”
Felicity sat down beside her. “You know, Gran. I was thinking. I’m not sure now is a good time to leave with Brent. And he’ll be so busy with his research. I mean, I’ll have the online classes I’m teaching, but?—”
She held up her hand. “Stop right there. I am not your responsibility. And you will not stay here because of me. Of course you’re going with Brent. That’s all there is to it.”
“But, Gran?—”
“No buts.” She sat back in her chair, her resolve growing. “And you’re right. I’ll go talk to Mark. At least then I’ll know what’s going on.”
Darlene stepped onto the porch, her heart beating faster when she saw Mark in his usual spot, writing in his notebook. A gentle breeze rustled the pages.
He looked up at her approach, his face brightening. He set his notebook aside and rose from his chair. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I know.” She clasped her hands together. “Felicity told me.”
The silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant call of seabirds and the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves on the magnolia trees.
She took a deep breath. “Truth is, I’ve been avoiding you.”
His forehead creased. “Why? I know we got interrupted yesterday, but I was hoping we could talk.”
She looked down at her hands, still locked together. “I saw you yesterday. With that woman. Savannah.” The name felt strange on her tongue. “You seemed… close.” She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “It’s obvious there’s a bond between the two of you.”
The boards creaked beneath his feet as he took a step toward her. She forced herself to continue to meet his gaze, steeling herself for whatever explanation he might offer. The connection they’d built over these past weeks felt fragile now, like a soap bubble ready to burst at the slightest touch.
“I wanted to explain.”
Darlene nodded, her throat tight. Part of her wanted to run back inside, to protect herself from whatever truth might follow. But she stayed rooted to the spot, remembering her own advice to Felicity about facing problems head-on.
“I do have a special bond with Savannah.”
Her heart sank, and she swallowed.
“Savannah is my sister-in-law. Sarah’s sister.”
Shock bounced through her. “Sarah’s sister?”
He nodded. “And we are close. But when I came here, I told her I needed to get away from everything. That included her. I love her, and she has a big heart, but she’s quite the force of nature.
Always trying to get me to move on. Hovering over me.
Asking me too many questions. I needed to go somewhere away from all that.
The memories. The questions. The prodding to move on. ”
“So she came here to see how you were doing?”
“Partially. And she asked me a favor. She wants me to give the keynote speech at the literary festival. Sarah was the one who started the festival and organized it each year. Savannah thinks I should give a speech. About literacy. About writing. About books. About… Sarah and what the festival meant to her.”
She stepped back, her mind whirling with this new information. Sarah’s sister. Of course. The pieces clicked into place—Mark’s reaction when Savannah arrived, the bond between them. She sank into the porch chair, processing what it meant.
Heat rose to her cheeks as she recalled her assumptions. She’d jumped to conclusions, letting her old fears take control. Dean’s betrayal had left deeper scars than she’d realized.
“I should have told you sooner about Savannah,” Mark said, settling into the chair beside her. “I just… It’s complicated. Talking about Sarah, about that part of my life.”
She glanced out at the bay, buying time to gather her thoughts. The literary festival. No wonder Mark had seemed so conflicted. Speaking about Sarah in front of all those people would force him to confront his grief in such a public way.
“That’s quite a request your sister-in-law’s made,” she said softly.
“It is.” His shoulders looked weighted down with responsibility. “Sarah loved that festival. She poured her heart into it every year. I told Savannah I’d think about it. I’m just not sure I can be pulled back into that world…”
The breeze carried the scent of magnolia blossoms across the porch.
She thought about her own experience with loss and how even years later, certain memories could catch her off guard.
But Mark’s situation was different—he’d be standing in front of a crowd, speaking about the woman he’d loved completely and lost to death.
“I’ve been sitting out here trying to write that speech in my head,” he admitted. “Every time I start, I see Sarah’s face. I hear her voice. She was so passionate about bringing authors and readers together. Make books accessible to everyone.”
Darlene’s heart ached for him. She understood now. He wasn’t just dealing with their growing feelings for each other—he was wrestling with how to honor Sarah’s memory while allowing himself to move forward.
He sank into the chair beside her. “And then there is… us. Whatever this is.” He reached out and took her hand.
She stared down at his hand for a moment, then looked at him. “Maybe now isn’t the time for us to figure out what this is. Maybe our timing is off.” She tried to slip on a smile. “It sounds like you still have things to figure out. Decisions to make.”
“Maybe you’re right. I need to figure myself out before I can drag another person through all my baggage and into my life.”
Those were not the words she wanted to hear, but they were practical words. They held a thread of truth in them. How can anyone move on if they don’t sort out their past? Hadn’t she jumped to conclusions about Mark and Savannah because of Dean? She hadn’t sorted out her past, either.
She pulled her hand from his and pushed up out of her seat. “I’ve got things to do in the kitchen. I’ll leave you out here to…”
He looked up at her with sadness lurking in his eyes as he simply nodded.
She hurried inside, trying not to look like she was running away. Hiding. Because she was just being practical, right?