Page 213 of Better When Shared
The place where I might soon work permanently. Where we might build a life so different from the one we’d known.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Hamish observed, nudging my shoulder with his. “Still having the cramps?”
I smiled. “A bit. Last night was intense. Watching you two together.”
“It was incredible.” His voice dropped lower. “I never imagined I could feel like that with anyone other than you. He makes me feel free of all the trappings of my parents’ life.”
I squeezed his hand, happiness for him momentarily overshadowing my anxiety about the conversation to come. “You deserve to feel that way all the time.”
“So do you.” He stopped walking, turning to face me. “Imogen, what’s on your mind? You’ve been distracted since I got back.”
The moment had arrived sooner than I’d planned. I took a deep breath, tasting salt on the air. “I met with Marco, Juniper, and Tristan. They offered me a job. A permanent position. Here.”
Hamish’s expression remained neutral, impossible to read. “Go on.”
“Director of Events for all their properties, with the Cannery as my home base.” The words tumbled out faster now. “I’d have to travel to Portland and Seattle some, but could spend most of my time here. They said I have an eye for detail, an instinct for what works. They think I belong here, Hamish. It was just so wonderful to hear. So rewarding to be recognized after all the hard work I’ve put in this summer. I wanted to tell you immediately. But I was afraid…” I trailed off, not sure how to say it.
“Afraid of what, love?”
I sighed. “Afraid you might not want me to take the job, when everything in my heart is telling me I should.”
He didn’t respond immediately, just stared out at the horizon where sea met sky in a blurred line of blue. My stomach twisted with nerves.
“Do you?” he asked finally. “Belong here?”
I blinked, caught off guard by the directness of his question. “I—I don’t know. Maybe? I feel purposeful here, and I love the work. It’s not something I expected, I thought I’d tire of it like everything else. But you need to return to Dorset, and I can’t imagine living on different continents.”
“They have wedding planners back in the UK too, you know.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “You could work as a wedding planner anywhere.”
“Of course they do! I know that. And Marco said he’d give me a reference no matter what I decide.” I flushed. “It’s not just the job though, is it? It’s...everything. The island, the people, the life here. The slow pace.” I hesitated, then added in a rush, “Makai.”
“Ah.” Hamish’s smile widened. “Makai.”
“I didn’t mean—it’s not— We’d need to figure things out. It’s complicated.”
“Because you’re falling in love with him?”
The question hit me like a physical blow. I stared at Hamish, searching his face for anger or hurt, but found only gentle curiosity.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, though it was a lie. I knew. But I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet, let alone to my husband. “You’re my husband. I love you.”
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive, Imogen.” Hamish resumed walking, tugging me along beside him. “I’ve seen how you look at him. How you light up when he enters a room. How he makes you laugh.”
“Hamish—”
“Oh, stop panicking. I’m not upset.” His voice was calm, steady. “How could I be, when I feel the same way?”
I stopped in my tracks, sand shifting beneath my feet. “Are you sure?”
“I have feelings for him too.” Hamish looked almost shy as he admitted it. “I almost let it slip out this morning in bed, or last night, when he was fucking me. It’s not just physical attraction, though there’s plenty of that.” He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it further in the sea breeze. “It’s more than that. He makes me feel alive, pushes me out of my comfort zone. You’re the only other person who’s been able to do that.”
“Oh.” The single syllable contained multitudes—relief, wonder, confusion.
We walked in silence for several minutes, the rhythmic crash of waves providing a soundtrack to my tumbling thoughts. If we both felt this way about Makai, what did it mean for us? For our marriage? For our future?
“I have a confession of my own,” Hamish said abruptly. “I’ve been keeping a secret since I got back too. I quit my job.”
I stopped walking again, certain I’d misheard. “You what?”
