Page 21 of Whispers at Seaside
“I got up at five and wrote for several hours before coming over. I’m still in the research stage, so my writing is more planning, outlining, taking notes. At some point I’ll probably have to head into Boston to visit the library there. The Cape libraries aren’t quite as well stocked.”
“The Boston library? That’s on our list.” Mira watched Hagen maneuver the robot around a young couple.
“Your list?”
“Mm-hm. Hagen loves libraries. We’ve never taken a real vacation. Mostly because of where we live.” She gazed out at the sailboats in the distance, inhaled the salty bay air. “Sandy beaches, gorgeous sunsets. Hagen can run along the pier, go fishing, boating, swimming, or play inland. I’ve never felt like he was missing out on much. But he turned six in December, and I promised myself I’d do more to expand his horizons. I don’t want him to grow up having never been off the Cape. So we made a list of four libraries we want to visit along the East Coast, and we’re going to take a week and visit each of them. It’s not Disney World, but it’s something we’ll both enjoy. That’s why I took on the consulting work in the evenings. That money goes directly into an account for our trip.”
“That sounds like quite a trip. Will he do okay in the car for that long?”
“He’s a wonderful traveler. I get more restless than he does.”
Music began playing in the distance, coming from the gazebo Matt’s brother Grayson built for the community to use for outdoor concerts across the street from Mayo Beach.
“Mom! Matt! Watch!” Hagen maneuvered the robot and made it look like it was dancing. Its arms and legs moved up and down, and its body bent at the waist, then turned in a circle. He laughed and wiggled his butt like he was dancing, too. His hair stood on end from the breeze.
Mira tossed her paper plate in the trash and she and Matt clapped.
“You made one rockin’ robot, baby.”
“May I?” Matt offered a hand to Mira. When she took it, he began dancing in stiff movements like the robot, earning hysterical laughter from Hagen, who joined in on the fun.
“Look, Mom! We’re all dancing!”
Matt pulled out his cell phone and snapped a few shots of her and Hagen, who hammed it up, making goofy faces.
“I think I found my new screensaver,” Matt said with a wide smile as he fiddled with his phone. “I’m texting these and the pictures from the other night to you.”
When they reached the end of the pier, they sat and talked while Hagen showed a group of kids his robot.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Matt asked.
Her stomach fluttered nervously. “Sure.”
Matt nodded toward Hagen. “His dad? Is he still involved in his life?”
She’d wondered when he’d get around to asking. “No.” When she’d first had Hagen, people had asked her about Hagen’s father all the time, and she’d thought about making up a story so she wouldn’t feel weird when she answered. But after a while she realized it wasn’t her who should feel weird about it. All she’d done was trust the wrong man.
“Do you think Hagen would mind if I held your hand?”
He couldn’t possibly know how much his asking meant to her. “I don’t think so. Thank you for considering him.”
“He matters most in this equation. I’ll always consider him.” He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. “Were you married to his father?”
She shook her head. “No. He was married to another woman.”
Matt’s smile faltered a little, and she didn’t blame him. She knew how it sounded.
“I didn’t know he was married when we were dating, and when I found out, I broke up with him. It was right after college graduation. He lived in a neighboring town from my school, and we had been dating for a few months. I was busy with classes, so I never noticed the telltale signs of a cheater. He could only see me on certain nights, and he rarely stayed over.” She paused as the familiar ache filled her.
She looked at Hagen, and Matt draped his arm around her shoulder. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. His support was evident in his actions.
“Two months later I found out I was pregnant. I told him, but he didn’t want anything to do with the baby. He signed over all parental rights in exchange for my silence. After Hagen was born, I received a check for ten thousand dollars with a note that said, ‘To tide you over until you’re on your feet again.’ I put that money in an account for Hagen’s college and never heard from him again.”
“That must have been very hurtful.”
“Not for me, but for Hagen. I was so angry at being lied to that by the time I found out I was pregnant, I was over him. But Hagen has asked about him, and it’s hard to lie to him.”
Matt shifted his gaze to Hagen, his empathetic expression turning fiercely protective. “What have you told him?”
