Chapter 21
21
The beeping sound alerted Zara that Saint had arrived, and she was ready.
Like she’d told him she’d planned to do, she had slept in late yesterday and painted. Then she’d joined Vashti, Bryce and Donna for brunch at Shelby by the Sea to celebrate Donna’s good news. They’d all been excited when Ashley had stopped by with the baby who they all thought was the spitting image of Ray.
Velvet, who’d left for Phoenix to help her best friend Ruthie with her upcoming wedding, had FaceTimed with the group to see the baby, hear about Donna’s good news and to thank them for their friendship and support over the past two years while living in Catalina Cove. Everyone could hear the happiness in her voice and was looking forward to her wedding in August.
Of course, the ladies at brunch had brought up what they’d thought of as Zara’s “hot” dance with Saint and “the Kiss.” Because her friends knew more than most, she’d told them she and Saint had decided to pretend taking their romance to the next level, and that was all there was to it.
They hadn’t been convinced. Donna warned her about the possibility of her and Saint falling victim to their own pretend game like she and Isaac had done when she’d come back to the cove for a class reunion a few years back.
In the cottage, Zara looked at the painting she’d told Saint she would be giving him. The one of that vacant building. There was no reason for her to keep it since there was no way she would consider opening a boutique here.
She placed the painting in a special wrapping. Then, like she usually did whenever she knew Saint had accessed her property, she went to the window to watch him walk over the pier that would bring him to the bay. When he had made it to the end of the pier, she grabbed her crossbody purse and the painting to stand on the porch.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon, and a cool breeze coming off the bay felt good as it caressed her skin. She had chosen to wear a pair of white Capri pants and a yellow top, telling herself it had nothing to do with the fact Saint had once told her that yellow was his favorite color.
A smile spread across his face when he saw her, and at that moment something pulled deep within her. Something she hadn’t felt in a while. Emotions. By now, she should be accustomed to the strong sensations where Saint was concerned, but not emotions. Hadn’t they agreed to keep emotions out of their affair? Keep them on their “can’t do” list?
The one good thing about the situation was that when she returned to Boston, he would be out of sight and out of mind. Or would he? The last two times she’d left the cove to return to Boston, he hadn’t been out of mind. In fact, he’d been lodged deep in her thoughts. However, she was determined that this time would be different. That phone call she’d received earlier in the day would be the kicker.
Maurice had called. It was the first time she’d heard from him in almost a year. He had finally given up trying to convince her that he loved her and only her. He wanted her to hear it from him that he would be getting married at the end of the year. She didn’t ask who he was marrying. She’d known before he’d said the name. She wished him well and ended the call, and then proceeded to block his number.
Her ex-boyfriend had moved on and so had she. He was giving that other woman—the one from his past—something he’d never offered to her. Marriage. In a sense it proved he had never moved on, although he might have thought he had.
Now she was glad she hadn’t let him wear down her defenses to give him another chance. More than anything, she owed it to Saint for motivating her to forge a pathway forward. Maurice’s call today had proved it.
She then thought of the man walking toward her, who was smiling as if he was glad to see her. He’d offered the same woman his hand twice and she’d turned him down both times. What was wrong with some people? It was so understandable why neither she nor Saint wanted anything to do with love. They’d found out the hard way it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And like they would remind themselves—nothing was forever.
“Hello, Zara.”
Just hearing his voice comforted her. As if he detected something was wrong, he opened his arms to her. Setting the wrapped portrait aside, she moved into those strong arms, and he held her as she buried her face in his chest. To be held by him and to inhale his scent gave her strength.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Zara pulled back and looked up at him. She was getting used to his terms of endearment that he used frequently and effortlessly. “Nothing is wrong. Now everything is final.”
He lifted a brow. “Final?”
“Yes. Maurice called this morning to let me know he’s getting married at the end of the year.”
She could feel the intensity of Saint’s gaze searching her face. “And how do you feel about that?”
Zara smiled at him, and it was a genuine smile. “That’s just it, Saint. I don’t feel anything. I always knew I was over him, but this showed me just how much I am. I wished him well and I meant it. Evidently, it wasn’t meant for us to be together.”
She paused a moment and then said, “He’s marrying the woman he cheated on me with. A part of me regrets the two years we were together. The love and trust that I gave him that he didn’t deserve. But then another part doesn’t have any regrets because that period taught me a lesson. My heart won’t get trampled again. I won’t allow it. Do you understand that?”
Zara didn’t have to ask him because deep down she knew he understood. Falling in love had rendered him a similar blow. Heartbreak. She admired people who could recover from it, meet someone and fall in love again. Vaughn had done it. So had Sierra. They had taken a chance on love again and she appreciated them for doing so. For her, it wouldn’t be that way. The risk would be too much to bear.
“Yes, sweetheart, I understand.” He lowered his mouth to hers and gave her the kiss she’d desperately needed.
“Your home is beautiful, Saint.”
“Thanks. There are still things I need to do to it, but I’m satisfied for now. It had been vacant for years, and I got it at a good deal.”
“Who used to own it?” She was standing in the middle of his living room, glancing around.
“The Conyers. They never had any kids and when they died it became what is considered abandoned. Out of habit, Reid Lacroix buys all abandoned property in Catalina Cove.”
Zara raised a brow. “Why?”
“To prevent someone not living in the cove from moving in and doing whatever the hell they want. He will only resell the property to anyone living in the cove or who was born here.”
Zara shook her head. “He really takes his self-appointed role as Catalina Cove’s gatekeeper seriously, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, and the townspeople love and appreciate him for doing so. Especially for this area of Catalina Cove.”
“Why this area?”
“This is bayou country,” he said. “Most people living in this part were born and raised here. Like them, Reid understands and appreciates the importance of preserving it.”
“Can you see the bayou from here?” she asked.
“Only from my back porch through the trees.” He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Do you want to see it?”
“I’d love to.”
Taking her hand, he led her through his dining room and kitchen to the back porch. Opening the door, he moved aside to let her step out before him. “All this land is yours?” she asked, looking around.
“Yes, all five acres.” He handed her a pair of binoculars that he kept on his porch. “Use these to take a look past that huge cypress tree.”
“That huge tree that seems to be touching the sky?”
He grinned at her observation. “Cypress trees can grow up to one hundred and twenty feet tall. That one has probably reached its full height, and I figure it’s about a hundred years old. If you look past its six-foot-wide trunk, you can see the bayou.”
He watched her adjust the binoculars to her eyes. “Yes, I can see it,” she said. She lowered the binoculars and handed them back to him. “Thanks for sharing that with me, Saint. Now that you’re back, do you think you’ll ever move away from the bayou again?”
“Yes, but no time soon.” He decided to tell her something that only a few people knew. He hadn’t even told his parents. “I’ve purchased some oceanfront property in Reid’s new housing development.”
Her eyes showed her surprise. “You have?”
“Yes, but I don’t plan to build anytime soon. For now, I’m satisfied with living here.”
“Purchasing that property in Reid’s development was certainly a good investment,” she said.
“Just like buying that vacant building in town would be for you.”
When she didn’t say anything, he said, “Thanks for the painting. You know what I plan to call it?”
“No. What do you plan to call it?”
“Imagine.”
“So, what are you feeding me today, Saint?”
It hadn’t gone past him that she’d deliberately changed the subject. He had no problem letting her. In a way, he shouldn’t have said anything. She’d made up her mind about that building, and he should respect her decision and let it go. He wondered why he was finding it hard to do so.
“For starters, grilled trout, red beans and rice, and bayou bread. I even cooked those crab cakes I told you about. And for dessert, I’ve prepared bayou beignets.”
“What’s the difference between a bayou beignet and a New Orleans beignet?”
A huge smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll let you answer that question for yourself.”
“Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Margie.” Levi hoped it wouldn’t go unnoticed that although the invitation had been from both her and Mr. Chelsey, he was thanking her personally.
Her father was taking his after-dinner nap and Levi had talked Margie into walking in the shipping district along the boardwalk. At first, she seemed hesitant but then she changed her mind and agreed.
“You’re welcome, Levi. I’m glad you came.”
“No reason for me not to. I figured you were a good cook, and I was looking forward to your company.”
She looked over at him. “That was kind of you to say.”
“I meant it. That’s something you’ll get to know about me. I mean what I say.”
She nodded. “We’ve walked for a while. Shouldn’t we go back now? I’d think your leg would be bothering you.”
Before he could say anything, she quickly added, “Dad told me about your injury.”
Levi figured as much, but then knowing Mr. Chelsey, he wouldn’t have told her if she hadn’t asked. Her doing so didn’t bother him any, not when he was lucky to be alive. He could have died that night.
“Naw, it doesn’t bother me now. Walking on it is good. When I sit still and it gets stiff, that’s when it bothers me.”
“Oh.”
He wanted to spend this time with her, and definitely wanted to get to know her better. He should find that odd because since Lydia’s death he hadn’t been interested in any other woman. But he was attracted to Margie, that was for certain.
“Tell me about your husband, Margie.”
She was quiet as they continued walking. Then she asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Anything you want to tell me.”
“Okay,” she said with a nod. “Ron and I met at a medical convention. He was a doctor, and I was a nurse. We hit it off, began long-distance dating and got married a year later. We were married for thirty-five years until he died of an aneurysm at his medical office.” She paused and then continued, “There were no signs, no symptoms. It just happened while he was seeing a patient. I worked as his nurse at the office, but on that particular day I had a dentist appointment. By the time I made it to the hospital, he was gone.”
She stopped walking and turned to lean against the railing and gaze at the ocean.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up those unhappy memories for you,” Levi said.
She looked at him. “I’m fine. It’s been three years.”
He shrugged as he stood beside her and looked out at the ocean as well. “Doesn’t matter. It could be three, ten or twenty. You never get over losing someone you love.”
She watched the water for a few beats, and then said, “Now tell me about your wife.”
He met her gaze. “Lydia and her parents moved to the cove when I was sixteen and in the tenth grade. I’d heard about the new girl and how pretty she was, but when I saw her that day in our English class, I was immediately smitten.”
Margie laughed. “Immediately?”
He laughed back. “Yes, immediately. Her parents were strict and wouldn’t let her begin dating until she was seventeen. I patiently waited. They did allow me to walk her to school and back home. But I never got invited inside. Everything changed when she turned seventeen. I got invited to Sunday dinner.”
“Wow.”
“That’s what I thought, too, and it lasted for every Sunday until we finished school. Then she left for college, and I left for the military. She remained my girl all through that time and then after college, she came home and planned our wedding. By then, my time in the military was up and I returned to Catalina Cove and tried out for the police force, and Lydia was a third-grade teacher here. We were happy during the twenty-four years of our marriage. Like your Ron was a special man, my Lydia was a special woman.”
“Then we were blessed, weren’t we?” she said softly.
“Yes, we were. But Lydia and I had our share of sorrows. Losing our only child, Dasha. She was a beautiful little girl who died before her second birthday from an asthma attack.”
“I’m sorry, Levi. Ron and I lost our first child, too. He was born with a hole in his heart and only lived a week. That was hard on us, so I can imagine how difficult things were for you and your wife.”
They started walking again and for a while they strolled in silence. Then he said, “I’m attracted to you, Margie. I believe you know that. What you might not know is that you’re the first woman I’ve felt anything toward since Lydia.”
When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “I’ve been a widower for close to twelve years. You only lost your husband three years ago. You might not be ready to start seeing anyone, and if that’s the case, I understand. However, I’m hoping we can be friends.”
She smiled at him. “You’re right. I’m not ready for anything other than friendship right now, Levi. Thanks for understanding.”
“Alright, Margie, then a friend-only relationship is what we’ll have.”
For now , he thought, hopeful that one day that would change.