Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“Love you guys! Have fun,” I yell after the car when David takes Liv and Ash back to Seattle for his weekend with them.
Like always, a stab of sadness hits my chest as I watch them drive off, but I’m slowly getting used to it. And I know they appreciate time with their dad.
Tonight, I won’t have time to dwell on it, either way, because I have a date to get ready for. Sandy offered to come, but I told her no. I don’t want to put pressure on it, considering how the last date turned out.
Still, a rush of adrenaline surges through me as I straighten my flowery dress. It’s new and I love it. It covers most of my problem areas like, of course, the belly, and shows off the parts I like, like my collarbone.
Is a collarbone a strange thing to like about myself?
Regardless, I’ll take what I can get.
Slipping on some flats, I grab a light jacket I probably won’t even need and head out. He’s already waiting for me in a red pickup.
As soon as he notices me exiting my house, he gets out of the truck to hold the door open for me. Score one for Will .
“Thank you.” My lips turn up.
“I’m glad we could do this.” His smile is quick but welcoming beneath the thick beard.
“Me, too.”
He looks handsome in a brown button down with jeans that fit him like a glove and brown leather boots. I put my seatbelt on, taking inventory of his car. It’s clean and smells good, which is definitely a plus.
It’s also hypocritical since my car is a dump site.
“Where are we going?”
Despite living here for over a month, we’ve barely explored beyond the town center.
“You’ll see,” he says playfully.
His left knee bounces as we drive from the coast, up to the mountains. The road is winding and steep, but soon enough, he’s parking the car in front of a weathered house, its walls covered in vines.
The Terrace says a modest sign above the front door. Will shoots me a conspiratory smirk and gestures for me to go in front of him. The interior is simple with cushioned seats and cream linen tablecloths. My breath catches when I notice the namesake.
“That explains the name of this place,” I mumble, staring at the terrace carved into the edge of the cliff, overlooking the ocean.
Will chuckles. “You like it?”
“This is … gorgeous.”
“Come, we’re eating outside.”
I follow behind until he stands in front of a table and pulls out a chair. Looking around, I search for an employee but come up short.
“This place is a top secret for people of this town. I figured you were here long enough to be let in on it,” he almost whispers.
Rushed footsteps approach from behind me. Turning around, I notice an older woman with a determined look and a pitcher of water .
“William Carter. I haven’t seen you in far too long,” she scolds him, placing the water on the table.
“Yeah. I’ve been busy.”
“And this is…” she turns to me.
“I’m Sadie, Sadie Summers. My kids and I moved to Ocean’s Harbor just over a month ago.”
“I’m Rita Dermott, a long-time owner of this place. I’m so glad to see Will,” she shoots him a look, “out and about. He’s been wallowing for far too long.”
Will looks uncomfortable while I try to break the tension with a smile.
“Let me take these.” She grabs the menus that were already on our table. “I have the perfect thing for you two.”
“So, you come here often?” I joke when Rita enters the kitchen.
The restaurant is quiet and intimate, only three tables full, including ours. Will pours us each a glass of water.
“Something like that,” he responds, gazing around.
“Well, it’s beautiful.”
“That it is.” He clears his throat. “Full disclosure. This was where my wife and I had our first date. It was our place, sort of.”
“Oh, thank you for being honest.”
I’m glad he told me. Though I’m not quite as glad he picked this place, knowing the backstory.
“So, tell me about yourself.” His lips turn up, but it’s less warm than it used to be.
“Well, umm. I’m an author. A romance author, actually.”
“Really? That’s interesting.” Drops of perspiration appear on his forehead.
“So interesting. I’m blessed to earn a living from something I’m passionate about.”
“Mmm, Uh-huh…” He gulps a quick sip of water. “And you’re divorced?”
“Yup. Recently divorced.”
“How recent? ”
“A couple of months. But the separation was longer, and the divide before even more.”
“Do you ever feel like your heart is outside of your chest? Like ever since they left, you can’t take a full breath?” He huffs a laugh, but his eyes are looking more and more unhinged, twitching instead of blinking.
“No. Not really,” I respond honestly, a ball of nerves stuck in my throat.
“Yes, of course.” He nods. “Maybe you didn’t love him, either,” he adds under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing, sorry. This place is getting to me.” He downs the rest of his water.
“So, an ice cream shop, huh?” I ask, trying to get back to safer ground. I’m not sure what the hell is up with him, but this is beyond uncomfortable. Any excitement I held over the date is long gone, but I would rather have a polite evening than dial Sandy to come bail me out.
I also need to stay on good terms with Will since our daughters are best friends. But what comes out of his mouth next makes it even harder.
“It was Lisa’s dream. Lisa is my wife.” He grinds his teeth. “Ex-wife, I guess. I made her dream come true, and she left me over some dude she just met.” He looks up at me with tears in his eyes.
Alarms glare in my head.
“And now I’m left with an ice cream shop I never even wanted. And I can’t get rid of it because it’s Kayla’s connection to her mom,” he continues.
“That must be … hard.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I was ready. I wanted to be ready,” he blurts out. “You are my first date … after the divorce, and I thought I needed to get through it, but I can’t.”
“I understand…” I begin saying, but he interrupts me .
“And this place is bringing back too many memories. It’s where I proposed to her, you know?”
“Maybe I should leave. I’ll call my sister up.”
His face falls into his hands, a sob escaping him. I rush to the bathroom and dial Sandy.
“I need you to come pick me up at The Terrace.”
“What happened?”
“Just get your ass in the car and come get me.”
I splash some water on my face, not caring about ruining my makeup. This date is ruined enough on its own. My breathing picks up, as moisture stars pooling in my eyes.
It’s not the fact that this was a horrible, awkward date.
It’s not even the fact that he felt like he needed to grit his teeth to get through this date with me.
It’s the fact that his wife left him and Kayla, not caring one bit, and he’s devastated.
He misses her and wants her back. David didn’t even shed a tear when I told him our marriage was done.
He’s definitely not crying on his dates, if he has them, about his ex-wife who did her fucking best to keep that marriage afloat.
I pat my face dry and pull in a deep breath. Sandy will be here soon and I can’t hide in the bathroom until she arrives. Plus, I have my daughter and her new best friend to think of. It’s those thoughts that carry me back to the dining room.
“Look, I’m really sorry. I truly believed I was ready.” Will avoids eye contact when I get back, looking embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, it’s ok.”
It’s not ok. Why the fuck did he invite me here, of all places? But for the sake of my daughter, I’ll suck up my pride and act polite. I shoot him a half-smile, best I can muster and leave the restaurant to wait for Sandy.
Five minutes later, her CR-V brakes in front of me with less grace than she probably intended. I grab the door, pulling my ass inside before sighing loudly.
She stares for a second, not brave enough to ask me anything. I take pity on her .
“He cried. Over his ex-wife.” I keep my gaze ahead, but notice she winces in my peripheral vision. “Before we even ordered the food.”
A moment of silence passes. “Well … I guess it’s better than leaving after you ordered.”
A half-hysterical laugh tears out from me, and she joins in. Desperation and resignation swirl in my chest, exiting my body on a laugh.
I release an audible breath, finally calming down. “Where’s the list?”
“What?” She puts the car in drive and gets back out onto the road.
“Your little list, with the tropes. Do you have it?”
“Umm, yeah. My purse.”
I grab her purse and dig through it until I find the list and a pen. “I think small town single dad was a bust,” I say, crossing it off the list.
“Good thing there are an infinite number of romance tropes.” She shoots me a cautious look, as if she’s waiting for me to snap.
“Yeah, good thing.” I was actually hopeful about the whole thing, but after these two dates, my expectations have dropped significantly. “When do you need to be home?”
“Not soon. Stella’s asleep.”
“Good. I’m starving.”
“I know just the place.” She grins and steps on the gas.
A few minutes later, we’re parking in front of a pizza place right off the Main Street. A few people check us out when we enter it, so we rush to the nearest empty table. We must look ridiculous, me in a fancy date attire and her practically in pajamas, but I couldn’t care less.
Time with Sandy is exactly what I need right now.
“I don’t want you to lose hope, Sades. Maybe third time’s the charm,” she says after we order our pizzas.
The scent of pizza is ingrained in this place, and my stomach grumbles. “I’m not losing hope.” Fully. “It’s just that…” I slurp my coke through a straw. “I’m so horny,” I add on a whisper.
Sandy giggles, her own straw in her mouth.
“I’m serious,” I continue. “It’s not like I had sex before. But it was different. I was married, meaning sworn to masturbation.” I glance around to check no one’s listening. “Now, there’s a bright new world ahead of me, and nothing’s going on. It’s killing me.”
Sandy’s still giggling, so I pin her with a stare. “Sorry. I’m currently in the ‘terrified of having sex ever again camp’, but I understand what you’re saying.” Sandy had a pretty tough birth, and she still hasn’t gotten the all clear from her doctor.
“Honestly, I’m terrified, too. My body looks nothing like it did the last time I got naked for a new person.” I sigh. “But currently, my hormones are overriding my insecurities.”
“Good for you.”
The pizza arrives and we dig in, too hungry to chat while chewing.
“I’m stuffed. I’ll probably take these two pieces home to Liam,” Sandy says, patting her mouth with a napkin.
“Good thing I don’t have anyone to bring it to,” I say, gesturing to my empty place. Sandy snorts.
“Thank you for this,” I tell her when she drops me off at home. “And tell Liam I’m sorry to have taken you away.”
She waves me off. “He knows you’re my number one.” She puts out her hand and we do our special handshake; one we had since we were kids.