Page 59 of Hibiscus Heights

She shook her head. “Never got the timing right.”

“I didn’t mean?—”

“Look, I love kids. Never having children doesn’t mean not wanting them.” Her voice was steady, but Grant caught the underlying tension. “It’s not always a choice, but even if it is, you should respect that.”

Heat gathered around his neck. He wasn’t a caveman, so why was he acting like one? Nerves. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s fine.” She met his gaze. “I’ve made peace with it. I’m close to April’s daughters, Junie and Maileah.”

The revelation hit him with unexpected force. If he’d called her, they might have married. They might have had children of their own.

This glimpse into her private heartache reminded him how much time had passed and how much life had happened between then and now.

“I had no idea,” he said quietly. “That was my fault, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t flatter yourself that you were the only man interested in me. I had other opportunities I could have taken advantage of.” She punctuated her words with a sweet potato fry, signaling the end of that conversation.

But he couldn’t let it go. “That was presumptuous of me, wasn’t it?”

“At least you realize that.” She shook her head. “Still, Mason and Teddy are lucky to have you.”

Their easy conversation stalled, and a fresh concern took root in him. “The boys will miss you when they leave for school. I know that’s a few weeks off, but would you send them a postcard afterward? Just to let them know you’re thinking of them. It would mean the world to them, and I worry that leaving will be tough on them. They haven’t had anyone like you in their lives in a long time.”

Grant let his words trail off, hesitant to voice his fear. He could see the love for Deb in their eyes and knew another loss would hurt them.

Deb seemed to weigh that request. Finally, she said, “Our friendship doesn’t have to end when you leave. We can stay in touch. I know the boys would like that.”

At once, Grant sensed that she was protecting herself. He brushed his fingers against hers. “Maybe we all need each other a little right now.”

“We can make it a good summer for them.”

When she responded to his touch by linking a finger with his, Grant thought his heart would explode. This was enough of a beginning for him.

Adrian picked up the beat with an old Beach Boys song, “California Girls,” and the crowded diner burst into the chorus.

Relieved at the interruption in this emotionally charged conversation, Grant joined in, and Deb followed, snapping her fingers and swaying to the music like they had years ago.

When the song ended, their conversation drifted to lighter topics. After finishing their meal, Grant walked her outside.

Deb stopped by a row of colorful beach cruisers.

“Still riding around the island?” he asked.

“It’s easy, and I like it.”

Grant lifted her bike out for her, not that she couldn’t have done that. “I thought I’d buy bikes for the boys from Regal Bikes. For myself and my mother, too.”

Deb faced him with a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Then I’ll be seeing you around, I imagine.”

In the balmy night air filled with the sound of waves, Grant felt the weight of everything unsaid pressing between them.

“Thanks for meeting me,” he said. “I hope things are better between us now.”

She traced the bike’s handlebars. “It’s always good to catch up with old friends.”

A question sprang to mind and slipped out before he could stop himself. “Do you ever think about what might have happened if we’d managed to connect back then?”

Deb shook her head. “We were too young to have known what we wanted.”

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