Chapter 4
4
T abitha woke up to the sounds of laughter, and they were very familiar. She had been sleeping on the deck and opened her eyes to the setting sun.
“There’s drool on the pillow and creases on your face. It’s good to see you relaxing so quickly. We got here just in time to see our first sunset of the summer,” Deb said.
Mel was rifling through her grocery bags.
“What are you looking for?” Tabitha asked.
“We need champagne to celebrate our first sunset,” Mel said.
“Marcus brought us a bottle, and it’s in the fridge. Go grab it. Kitchen is through the sliding doors to the left,” Tabitha said, and Mel ran inside.
“You met him. Does he look like his online photo?” Deb asked.
“No,” Tabitha said.
Deb shook her head. “That’s a shame.”
“He looks better,” Tabitha said. “We have a banter between us that’s fun. I’ve only known him for twenty-four hours, but it seems longer. We had an easy rapport from the beginning, and it’s like we skipped the warming-up period. Don’t get any ideas because I’m single, and I’d like to remain this way for a minute. What about you? Any hopes and dreams regarding men this summer?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve been a fun-loving girl for most of my adult life, but there’s more to me,” Deb said. “It might be time to pull that out and dust it off.”
“I’ve known you long enough to have the pleasure of getting to know that side. Remember when we took a trip to the Keys after the death of the mother?” she asked. “You revealed a side of yourself I didn’t know existed.”
"I guess I hope to show someone that aspect of myself. In a lot of ways, it’s the real me. Don’t get me wrong, I will always insist on looking fabulous,” Deb said. Then she must have realized the sun was about to disappear into the horizon. “Mel, get out here with that champagne.”
Mel came running out with the champagne and three flutes. They popped the cork with only seconds to spare.
“I was admiring the glassware. At home, we have a mismatched jumble. We use pint glasses a lot and coffee cups, too. The mugs tell the story of our lives since we have some from our hometowns, colleges, the kid’s schools, sports teams, Dale’s law firm, and vacation spots and we have a lot of NASA mugs. I guess that makes them special.”
"Tabitha asked me about my hopes and dreams for the summer. What about you?” Deb asked.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with three amazing women. Aside from that, I’ve been married for a long time, and I love Dale more than when I met him. The only problem is that I forget who I am without him. We’re entering a new phase of our life as empty nesters. I think it will do us good if we pause and think about how we each think that will look,” Mel said.
“This question might be rude, but what if you have different visions?” Deb asked.
“It’s not rude because we’re friends and we don’t need to pussyfoot around each other. If you weren't Deb, then maybe it would be rude. We’d do what we do well, and that is compromise. This summer proves that Dale and I aren’t afraid to be apart for short spurts of time. If his dream is to go to Rome and I’d prefer to go to Tuscany, we’ll split up and have a romantic reunion in some fabulous city. We appreciate that we don’t have the same taste in everything.”
“I like that. I’ve always thought that marriage was more restrictive,” Deb said.
“Are you saying that you’re open to marriage,” Tabitha chimed in.
“I’ve never been completely against the idea, but the right man hasn’t come along. No one has even come close,” Deb said. “When is April coming?”
“She’s going to be here just before the Fourth of July like Deenie. They’re bringing her here from Tampa.”
Deb and Mel took two rooms on the second floor, leaving one for April. The final bedrooms were on the first floor in the back of the house, which would be for Deenie and Kylen. Tabitha’s room occupied the entire third floor, and the view from the bathtub was even spectacular.
Tabitha climbed into bed, and her phone rang. It was Maxim. She toyed with letting it go to voicemail, but she pressed the green button.
“Hey, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I’m not in Maine,” Tabitha said.
She hadn’t called to tell him because she considered them no longer romantically involved. Geography hadn’t changed the circumstances.
“I heard. I was a bit of a mess yesterday because I love you and didn’t want to say goodbye. I heard you weren’t going to Maine, and my heart soared only to be dashed again when I realized you weren’t going to call,” Maxim began.
She was bummed because she felt like she had to break up with him all over again. Tabitha knew he was hurting and didn’t like being the one that made him feel that way.
“I’m sorry. I just thought a clean break for a few weeks would make things easier for both of us,” Tabitha said. “I want to be friends someday, which sounds cliché, but I mean it.”
“Don’t apologize. I did something drastic that changed my mindset,” Maxim said.
“What did you do?” Tabitha asked and was afraid to hear the answer.
“I called my sister. I never seek advice from her because when I left France, I promised to be independent of my family and blaze my own trail,” Maxim said. “She reminded me of the joie de vivre approach to life and love that I used to embrace. I should celebrate what we had and not waste time obsessing over what went wrong. It will take a little time, and there will always be a seed in my brain that believes someday you’ll run back to me. I called to do what I should have done – thank you and release you to explore love on your terms. What we had was great, and it’s okay that it’s over.”
“I’ll cherish your words and the memories we created. Thank you.”
They shared idle chit-chat and laughed. When time passed, Tabitha had no doubt they would be friends. She rolled over and listened to the birds, waves, and the breeze rustling the sea oats. Tabitha knew that she was exactly where she needed to be.