Page 13 of Secrets at Seaside
Tony held his groundandher steady gaze. “That I loved her like a friend.”
She pushed his chest. “You’re a jerkface. What else did you tell her?”
“Bella, chill out.” Jenna touched her arm and Bella shrugged her off.
“I will not chill out.” Bella poked Tony in the chest. “You are a total, complete idiot. She’s moving to Australia because you told her to. Do you even know who you’re talking about? Do you care at all?”
Her eyes dampened, and Tony opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it.
“This is Amy. Not Leanna, who can pick up and go anywhere, anytime, without blinking an eye. Sweet, trusting Amy. Stable, consistent Amy. She worked to build her business for seven years, meticulously building a rapport with each and every client, nurturing relationships as if they were her very best friends. And now she’s giving all that up because you are too scared to tell her that you love her. What’s the deal, Tony?” She was breathing so hard her face was red.
“Bella—”
“No. Don’tBellame. I’ve been here, remember? All these summers I’ve watched you care for her, hold her hair back when she pukes. What’s going on, Tony? What’s. The. Deal?”
Tony scrubbed his hand down his face. As if self-torture wasn’t enough. He didn’t need this guilt trip, even if she was right. “Come on, Bella. What do you want me to do? Amy is good and sweet and, you know she deserves a guy way better than me.”
“Bull.”
Leanna stepped between them. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her dress had streaks of red jam on it, as most of her clothing did. “Tony, what are you talking about? She adores you.”
“Yeah, no kidding. I’m not blind, Leanna.”Just stupid.
“So why did you tell her to go to Australia?” Leanna’s tone softened.
Tony shook his head. He wanted to have this conversation with Amy, not them. Who was he kidding? They were a package deal. Everyone in the whole complex was, and he loved them for it. He just hated being in the center of this nightmare, knowing he was the cause of it.
He blew out a breath and clenched his jaw a few times to gain control of his emotions. “Because it’s a great opportunity for her, and she deserves it.” There was no way he was going to tell them anything before he told Amy. He’d already decided he needed to clear the air with her. That’s what he intended to do, but first he had to get them off his back.
“Look, Amy’s a big girl. She can make decisions for herself. I know you care about her, but you can’t bully me into doing anything, Bella.”
Bella plunked herself down on his beach chair. “Forget you.”
“Bella.” Jenna touched her shoulder, and Bella shrugged her off again.
“Bella, look.” Tony crouched beside her. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to deal with in my own head, all right? You can hate me, and if I were you, I’d probably tell me to kiss off, too. But you gotta know one thing if you know me at all. Hurting Amy is not something I ever wanted to do.”
“Tony,” Jenna said. “Are you sure this is what you want? If you are, well, you are. We care about you and we’ll respect your decision. But if you’re not, you’re about to lose a woman who really loves you.”
I think I already have.
AMY SPENT THE afternoon at Duck Harbor, reading a romance novel. She didn’t care that the sun had long ago set, or that she had goose bumps all over her body. She was lost in the love of two fictional people, which was a heck of a lot better than thinking about her own broken heart. She decided to revel in the fictional world for a while longer. What did she have to rush home to? There was a barbecue tonight in the quad, and she knew exactly how that would go, didn’t she? She’d gotten a nice little preview of things to come at the hotel. The girls loved her and they loved Tony, but their loyalty to her was thick as tar. Sticky, mucky tar that she counted on to pull her through. But the thought of them being mad at Tony for not wanting her made her a little queasy. She knew Tony’s friendships with the girls were treasured as much as hers was. She didn’t want to be the cause of trouble between any of them.
She was also clued in to herself to realize that she sure as heck wasn’t experienced enough in love to figure it all out on her own. Her heart knew and loved Tony. Beyond that, not much made sense. Would she ever be able to tuck away those feelings and allow another man to replace him? She wasn’t sure, but she had to go back to her cottage and face the music. Tony and the girls were her friends, and she needed to fix things between them.
On her way back to Seaside, she stopped at the Wellfleet Market to pick up wine, chicken for the barbecue, and to check out the new books they had on the shelves. She read through each title, but she’d sort of had her fill of romance for the day, and mysteries were too intense. She was more a romance or literary-fiction girl. But today even literary fiction wasn’t piquing her interest. She didn’t want to read about anything too heavy. She turned toward the register and spotted a rack of greeting cards. She loved cards. A cute picture and a few words could change someone’s whole day. Maybe she’d find something funny for the girls and surprise them with it. She turned the rack away from the birthday section and read a few of the Girlfriend cards.Ugh. The cards were all about men and relationships. Couldn’t she escape that for just one day? Her friends had guys. Perfect, romantic, loving guys who would do anything for them.
She gave the rack another spin and plucked a card from the thin wire shelf. There was a picture of a little boy and girl sitting on a stoop; the boy was whispering in the girl’s ear.Cute. She flipped it open and read the inscription.My life’s just better with you in it.She shoved it back in the rack and tried to block the thoughts of Tony that stupid card conjured up. She should have known better than to pick it up. She snagged a card that had a picture of a bottle of wine and an unattractive man on the front and flipped it open.Drink up. He’ll look good by the time you finish.
When had greeting cards become so lame? She nixed the card idea, and her eyes caught on a little surfboard key chain hanging from a display next to the card rack. She unhooked it from the display and ran her fingers over the inscription,#1 Surfer Dude. She felt herself smile and then chided herself for thinking of Tony.
Yeah, right. Don’t think of Tony. Like that has a chance of happening.
She took the key chain and her other groceries and headed for the cashier.
The barbecue was in full swing when she arrived at Seaside. The bonfire was lit, Tony, Kurt, and Bella were manning the barbecue on Leanna’s deck, and Pete and Caden were carrying a table from Bella and Caden’s deck into the quad. Jenna and Bella followed, each carrying a deck chair. Leanna was on her way up from the pool, walking Pepper along the side of the road. Within seconds of Amy reaching her driveway, Jenna, Leanna, and Bella were there to greet her.
“We’ve been wondering when you’d get here.” Bella took the grocery bag from Amy’s arms while Amy grabbed her beach bag and towel from the trunk.
