Chapter 10 #2
“Oh, we are.” He sat back, keeping his gaze on the seals. “We might be twins, but we’re just not the same people. We had a big blowout about ten years ago about some old disputes.”
“Family can be difficult,” she replied softly.
Dylan was a grown man, and she didn’t doubt he could handle a disagreement with his brother maturely.
As she listened to him talk about Will, though, she started to understand what she’d already been noticing this entire time.
Something else was on his mind that was bothering him deeply.
“Some family members are more difficult than others.” Dylan carefully turned the Jeep around and headed back the way they’d come. “Will is one of them.”
Silence fell between them as they retraced their tracks.
Had she said something wrong? Had she shared too much of her past?
Her mother would tell her no, that if someone couldn’t handle her, they were in the wrong.
Stacey wasn’t so sure she prescribed to that particular school of thought, but she did know that the small distance between them as they sat in the Jeep was starting to feel wider.
“Dylan,” she finally said as they drew closer to where they’d entered the beach, “is something wrong?”
He didn’t answer for a second, and then he slowly braked.
He brought the Jeep to a halt and put it in park, sitting there for a minute and looking out over the water before he finally turned to her.
Those dark eyes that she’d admired so much didn’t have that same friendly warmth in them any longer.
Something else lingered behind them, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“I don’t think we can see each other right now. ”
All the hope and excitement she’d worked so hard to allow herself to feel suddenly popped inside her chest like a balloon.
It sank into her stomach, turning to lead along the way.
The small muscles in her face twitched and jerked as waves of emotions moved through her, and she tried to figure out what to say.
“Oh,” was the only syllable she managed.
“It’s nothing against you. You’re an amazing woman,” Dylan continued, his voice low and husky. He looked away from her, out at the beach and the ocean he knew so well. “I just have some things I need to work out in my life before I bring anyone else into it.”
Her body felt too heavy for her to hold up even in a seated position.
This was more than the disappointment of a client not liking her marketing plan.
It was more than the struggle of picking up her entire life and moving to a different place.
Somehow, even though it didn’t make the least bit of sense, it was also even worse than when she’d discovered Todd’s indiscretions.
Stacey tapped on that hard inner bit that she’d always kept at her core, the one that had gotten her through hundreds of board meetings and difficult clients.
It’d been vital when she couldn’t show her emotions without giving up some of her power.
She coated her sadness in that candy shell of logic, one that was hard, even if it was a bit thin. “I understand. I’ve been a bit uncertain of how to handle this when Vivian and Elijah are part of the picture,” she admitted.
“Yeah.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture, she was sure, but it only made her long for that connection with him even more. “Lila is out of high school, but she still needs me while she gets settled into her adult life.”
Was there something more? Stacey thought he looked like he wanted to say something else, but then again, she often got that feeling from him.
It was like there was always an extra sentence or phrase he bit off, stopping himself before he went too far.
Not that Stacey could blame him for holding back.
What could he really owe her after such a short time of knowing each other? “You’re a good father to her.”
He heaved a sigh. “I try. Sometimes, life gets more complicated than you think it will. Sort of like the sharks we get around here. You can’t see them out there under the surface, and it makes you feel like you might be safe.
But then you see that fin rise from the water, head in your direction, and realize maybe you weren’t so safe after all. ”
The metaphor was a little too good and punched Stacey in the stomach. She’d ignored any signs of such things since she’d come to Truro, but maybe this conversation with Dylan could be her warning.
By the time they returned home, the kids were already in bed. Lila smiled and ducked out the door back toward her own house. There was no sign of Carol, who’d probably gone out and found some sort of nightlife that suited her fancy. It was just as well. Stacey needed a bit of quiet.
She crept upstairs to her room, stripped off the bit of makeup she’d worn, and changed into sleep shorts and a t-shirt.
Stacey hadn’t been sure about this relationship.
She’d teetered on the edge of her doubts for so long that her brain was sore from thinking it all over, but she’d decided to dive on in.
Instead of hitting water, she felt like she’d splattered on the rocks.
Dylan had his reasons, and they were pretty much the same ones she had, but it still hurt to get rejected the first time she actually tried to date.
Padding down the hall, she peeked into Elijah’s room.
He was tucked into bed, softly snoring as he clung to his favorite teddy bear.
He was still so young, but already, Stacey could see how much he was changing.
The chubby face of his toddler years was melting into one of a ‘big kid.’ It both broke her heart and made it soar with joy.
Next door, she slipped in to check on Vivian.
Her tutu was draped across the back of her chair, and Stacey smiled as she imagined Vivian getting it out so she could show it proudly to Lila.
They’d have to find some dance lessons nearby to sign her up for.
Just like her brother, Vivian was changing.
Before Stacey knew it, she’d be a teenager.
Sure, she still had plenty of childhood left, but Stacey wanted to hold onto every moment of it as much as she could.
She went back to her room, snuggled down between the sheets, and picked up the book on her nightstand. There was no denying the ache in her heart, but she’d deal with it. After all, she had something to do that was much more important than going on dates.