Page 20 of Summer Escape
A muscle in his jaw ticked. "How did you find out? Did you walk in on him?"
"It took me a while to figure it out. There were these clues. Texts from a coworker, late nights working, drinks with friends, and weekend conferences. I thought I was going crazy. When a coworker saw him holding hands with another woman, he denied it, accused me of not trusting him. He kind of put it back on me."
"Gaslighting?"
"Now I can see that's what it was. But when I was in the thick of it, it was hard to see what he was doing. He was good at manipulating people. In the end, he got the apartment and my friends."
"That's bull—" Marshall broke off with a look in the backseat. "That's awful. I'm sorry you went through that."
"I'm glad I found out before we got any more serious. He'd talked about getting engaged, but now that I look back on it, he was leading me on while he was with someone else. I don't know how long it went on, but it gutted me knowing he was with both of us at the same time.”
"He betrayed your trust."
I sighed. "Yeah, I can't imagine how I'll ever trust someone again. So you don't have to worry about me bringing anyone home. I want nothing to do with men."
He nodded at the backseat. "I’m not looking for anything either. I have my daughter to think about."
"I'm glad we got that straightened out." I could be an adult about this situation. I felt better sharing my history with him.
"That guy didn't deserve you."
I smiled sadly. "Sure."
"Is he the reason you're here?"
"He got everything in the breakup, so I came here to reevaluate my life. You know, what do I want to do."
"I thought you enjoyed your job."
I sighed. "Yes, but I work for someone else. I have little creative freedom because we're bound by what the client wants, even if they have little to no taste."
"Mmm. Have you considered going out on your own?"
"Not really. A job feels more secure. I have a steady paycheck, health insurance."
"Opening your own business is hard. I watched my dad build our business, but what he did was create something that can sustain his family for generations. He did the hard work, and now we reap the benefits. I remember the years he struggled, when he thought he wouldn't make it. He felt like he was letting Mom down at times. But she told him to keep going. So it's not easy. But it can be very successful. Eventually, you'll have more freedom."
"I'll think about it." I wasn't so sure I wanted to give up the security of a guaranteed paycheck, especially after Flynn's betrayal.
Marshall parked the truck next to my vehicle. "I'm grateful your grandmother is going to let us stay here."
"We might have to take her to dinner more often and volunteer at the senior center," I said dryly as we got out.
"That's a small price to pay for the summer," Marshall said as Hayden moved passed us and used the code to go inside.
"We can do this, right?" I asked him as we stood on the porch facing each other.
The covered porch had a swing and cushioned seats. Grandma liked to watch people walk or bike on the path that meandered through the palm trees at the front of her property.
He rocked back on his heels. "You mean we can live together and be adults about it?"
"Yes." I felt good about my determination to push down any attraction for him.
"I certainly think so."
His easy denial made my heart sink. It made no sense. I shouldn't want Marshall Kingston. It wasn't the right summer for thinking about men at all. We were destined to meet at the wrong time.
That night, I had trouble sleeping, so I opened the sliding door to the second-floor deck that adjoined my room and ran the length of the house. I curled my hands over the deck railing, admiring the way the moon illuminated the water.
