Page 53 of Summer Escape
I woke up alone in my room. When we got out of the hot tub last night, Hayden had called for a ride, and I went upstairs to shower and climb into bed. At some point, the mattress had dipped with Marshall's weight, and I reveled in the feel of his arms around me.
But this morning, he was gone, and the bed beside me was cold. I understood that he didn't want Hayden to catch him in bed with me, at least not until we talked to her about us.
The problem was that I'd agreed to keep things quiet last night. I couldn't just change my mind and decide I wanted more, especially when my life was somewhere else, and not on this island. It wouldn't be fair to make promises I couldn't keep to Marshall or Hayden.
The smell of pancakes wafted under my door, and I rushed to get dressed, dragging a brush through the snarls in my hair. It hadn't been a good idea to go to bed with wet hair. I pulled on a T-shirt and shorts and headed downstairs.
Hayden was already seated at the counter, eating pancakes.
"Morning," I chirped, perkier than usual. I had a feeling it had everything to do with the orgasms last night.
"Hi," Hayden said.
"Did you have fun last night?" I asked her.
"We did each other's nails." She wagged her fingernails in front of me to show off the hot-pink polish.
"Looks great." I sat next to her, and Marshall slid a plate in front of me with blueberry pancakes. These were quickly becoming my favorite breakfast. It probably wasn't healthy, but it would always remind me of this summer with Marshall and his daughter.
The thought of moving out of this house and returning to the city didn't feel great. I didn't even have a home.
I probably needed to start looking for a new place, but I didn't feel motivated to do that. Not when I was so happy here.
"Why are you up so early?" I asked Hayden.
"I'm volunteering today. They want to create a nature path through the woods by the center for the kids who visit."
"That sounds nice," I said.
"Yeah, we just have to clear the path and plan the butterfly garden which will be built at the edge of the trail."
"Phyllis keeps the kids busy," I said.
"Yeah, but it's fun. I like talking to everyone there. I thought older people were boring, but they're actually really funny."
I exchanged a smile with Marshall. This is what he wanted for her, and it was great that she was meeting new people and having good experiences. She needed to get outside of her bubble and explore life a bit more.
"You're never going to want to leave," I said to her, thinking I felt the same.
Hayden nodded. "I thought it would be boring to live on an island, but it's not."
"There's so much to do, and it gets busy during tourist season."
"It'll slow down in the fall when everyone goes back to school. Then pick up again around Christmas," Marshall said, flipping a pancake on the griddle. "January to April is the busiest time. Although summer is still steady."
"What are your plans for the day?" I asked him.
"I'm helping Shep with the butterfly garden."
"Can I help?" I asked them.
Marshall grinned. "Sure, why not?"
I liked this life we'd built together. It couldn't last forever. I had a job, and Hayden had school and her mother. Soon, Marshall would be working with his family again. Things would change. But right now, it was perfect.
We finished eating and getting ready before driving to the center where we got to work. Hayden joined the kids in the woods clearing the path. I helped in the butterfly garden, carrying and measuring wood.
Marshall explained everything they were doing as we did it.
