Page 91 of Summer with the Single Dad

Here she was, trying to find a new course for her life, a new purpose, and forget all about Tad and Ashli, and they appeared right where she wanted them the least. Right in her happy place. In her place of respite and peace. They spoiled her beach day with the children.

And it wasn’t a one-off either. They would be back.

For a wedding!

But when?

Would she be gone by then?

If not, she’d make sure she was anyway. She’d eat the cost of the rental and book the first flight to Amsterdam or Timbuktu. She didn’t care where. She just needed to get away from them. Clearly, this hippy island was not far enough.

When she came out of the bathroom, the sound of bickering little girls filtered through her solid wood door. Only this time, the bickering didn’t sound referee worthy. It sounded almost playful.

She let out a sigh of relief, dressed down in a pair of comfy plum-hued sweats that cropped mid-calf, a sports bra, and a black tank top. She quickly put her hair in a plait that cascaded over her left shoulder, slathered on some after-sun moisturizer, and braced herself for the conversation she absolutely needed to have with Bennett.

She found him in the kitchen, flipping stuffed, folded over tortillas in the cast-iron frying pan.

“I have to tell you about this amazing opportunity that landed in our lap,” he said, taking a sip of beer from the bottle.

Everything inside of her grew tight.

“This couple emailed me this morning asking if they could get married here. We don’t offer weddings—though we want to if we get Bonn Remmen’s land—that is our dream. But apparently this was where they spent their first weekend away months ago and basically fell in love. Their story is really sweet, actually.”

Sickly sweet. Like aspartame. Poison.

Bennett kept talking with his back to her as he tended to the quesadillas, entirely unaware of what was transpiring behind him. She couldn’t see herself, but all the blood had to be draining from her face. Her cheeks were cold, her belly threatening to revolt. She was seconds away from leaving a pile of pretzel crackers partially digested on his kitchen floor.

“She’s pregnant and they want to have the ceremony soon so she can still fit into her dress. They also want cabin five. But I talked to Cameron and my brothers, and we all think we can make it happen. Wyatt is really excited about creating a menu and Dom is on board for the bar and restaurant. We just need to come up with a fair price.” He spun around to face her, a metal spatula in his hand and a big grin on his handsome face. “This is like the answer to all of our money problems. It will basically pay for the repairs to the cabin. And it will be like a beta-test for when we get Bonn Remmen’s land and actually do weddings for real.” He’d been so caught up in his own glee that even after facing her, it took him a moment to see that she wasn’t as happy for him as he probably hoped.

His smile dropped like a stone in a pond and his thick brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

She swallowed. “Y-you can’t hold their wedding. Not them. You … you just can’t. You’re making a deal with the devil. It’s a big, big mistake.”

His brows pinched together in the middle so tightly now that they touched. “What? Do you know them?”

Before she knew it, the entire story poured out of her. She barely took a breath and was crying by the end, but as much as it hurt to relive it for a second time in just two days, it also felt good. Like a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. She’d kept this a secret from Bennett, thinking he’d judge her for making such a stupid mistake, for killing her patient and letting her emotions get the better of her. But now, she didn’t care. He could judge her. He could hate her—though she really didn’t want him to—but he just needed to know the truth about the people he was getting into business with.

By the time she was done, his jaw hung slack, and he’d burned one side of a quesadilla.

Emme and Aya also bounded into the kitchen, fresh from showers and asking how long dinner would be.

Bennett just continued to stare at her, spatula in the air, mouth open.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Silence pounded in the air between them. His expression was unreadable.

Sure, he was shocked, but there were other emotions at war within him as well.

“What’s going on?” Emme asked. “You both have weird faces.”

“Can I have cereal?” Aya asked. “I don’t want quesadillas.”

That seemed to snap Bennett out of his trance and he fixed his gaze on his youngest child. “Nope. Quesadillas and veggies for dinner. Take it or leave it. I know you like them. So you’re just being stubborn.”

Aya crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “I don’t know why Emme got to pick.”

“Yeah, and that’s why you don’t want them. I get that you’re disappointed, but tomorrow you can choose dinner.”

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