Page 60 of A Magnolia Move-In
“They couldn’t accept that. And eventually, they stopped calling. I didn’t want to intrude on their lives, so I stayed away.” He opened his eyes as his voice seemed choked with emotions. “I shouldn’t have given up so easily.”
Emotions rose to my throat, causing a lump to form. Iwanted to go over and wrap my arms around him. To let him know that he wasn’t alone. I knew what it was like to make mistakes as a parent. There was a sorrow that you carried every day for those failures. A pain that few understood.
Unfortunately for me, I understood all too well.
“Have you tried to reach out to them again?” I asked. I didn’t want to make things weird by suddenly hugging him. It would be best to just stay put and allow him to continue to open up.
“I’ve tried. I’ve picked up the phone and started to type in the number only to stop myself before I finish.” He took in a deep breath. “It’s selfish, but I don’t want them to hate me more than they already do. And I fear if I reach out, I’ll just say something wrong.”
I could understand that, but I also knew that the longer he waited, the harder it would be to pick the relationship back up again. Plus, he was missing out on so much, and that thought made me feel sad.
“I bet they’d be happy if you reached out. I’m sure they are doing the same thing on their end. Picking up the phone and then hanging up again. Relationships can feel like you’re dangling off a cliff sometimes. Your biggest fear is that you’ll let go and fall into the abyss. What they don’t tell you is that love can be a safety net that you don’t know is there but is ready to catch you when you need it.
“All it takes is a little faith.” I offered him a smile as I let my last few words linger in the air. I wanted to give him theconfidence and faith that I felt right now, but I knew that would be silly.
A person could only rely on someone else’s enthusiasm for so long. Eventually, he was going to have to learn this on his own. I suspected that his daughters were more agreeable than he was letting on.
Spencer nodded and then turned his attention back to the pan. After a few stirs, he declared the food ready and switched off the stove. I helped gather the plates and the other fajita fixings and brought them to the table. After everything was ready, we sat down and proceeded to stuff our faces.
We kept our conversation light as we ate, which I was grateful for. The topic of his daughters was heavy, and I knew it still weighed on him. I didn’t want to beat a dead horse, but I knew he was never going to feel complete until he reached out to them.
Even then, it wasn’t going to be easy.
The one thing I wanted him to know was that he had a friend in me regardless. We were growing closer to one another. Not only because I had an undeniable attraction to Spencer, but because he was easy to talk to once you got past his grizzly demeanor. Which meant I was going to have another friend on the island.
That thought excited me.
EIGHTEEN
Penny
Dinner was consumed at a rapid pace.
I wanted to say that I was ladylike and ate in dainty bites, but I didn’t. I inhaled the food that Spencer put in front of me, and by the time I was finished and leaning back in my chair, my stomach felt like it was going to explode. In a good way.
I regretted nothing.
“Finished?” Spencer asked. I could see the smile playing on his lips as he ran his gaze over me.
In the past, I would have been embarrassed that I wasn’t presenting as this strong, capable woman who was above basic human needs—but I was over that. I was ready to just be human. It was more fun anyway.
I nodded as I took a sip of the sparkling water Spencer had poured me. “I’m stuffed.” I wiped the sides of my mouth with my napkin. “Your wife taught you well.”
Spencer chuckled. “Rosalie loved stuffing our guestsevery time they came to dinner.” He reached over and grabbed my plate. “She would have liked you.”
I loved the reverence he held for his wife. It was soft and loving. It showed that this man knew how to love, wholly and completely. I would be lying if I said I didn’t need a man like that in my life.
“I think I would have liked her.”
Spencer gave me another smile as he gathered the rest of the empty dishes and stood to take them to the sink. I busied myself with helping him clean up. Soon, everything was boxed away in the fridge, and the dishwasher was humming. We stood in the kitchen, neither wanting to leave yet not speaking.
“Wine?” Spencer asked as he pulled open the fridge.
Relieved that I wasn’t the only one wanting this night to last, I nodded. “Yes, please.”
Spencer grabbed the bottle out from the door while I grabbed two wine glasses. As I turned around, Spencer motioned toward the sliding glass door behind me.
“Let’s take this to the deck, and I’ll start a bonfire.”
