Page 11 of Off-Limits Love
ChapterFour
The next few days went by with the typical household chores, a doctor appointment for Sam, her ex calling to cancel his scheduled midweek visit supposedly for work, and more baking and sleepless hours when Mak heard her uncle up in the night due to pain.
She knew Sam didn’t want to be fussed over when it was bad, so sometimes she left him alone. Other times she joined him with a cup of tea or coffee and an excuse about how she couldn’t sleep and wanted to watch television.
Sam knew the truth, of course, but he’d settle in his chair with a blanket and a mug and eventually start to reminisce about his life and adventures. His regrets about the woman who’d gotten away because he wasn’t ready to settle down and she’d gotten tired of waiting on him to grow up.
Mak listened. Because what else could she do? Like Sam, she had regrets about her life. Hers were marrying the wrong man and supporting his dreams only to be betrayed, then staying even longer than she should have, believing his lies and thinking that somehow they could repair the damage for Emi’s sake.
But she also recognized the fact if she hadn’t married her ex, she wouldn’t have Emi. So there was that to wrap her head around as well.
Thankfully, by the time the weekend rolled around, Emi seemed fully recovered from her jaunt with Max and excited to go to the lakeside market.
The weekly event was held every Saturday during the summer months and on scheduled holiday weekends when tourists filled the area to capacity.
Emi practically danced in place as she waited for Mak to finish packing their picnic lunch. Since they’d be so close to the beach and have to fight the weekend traffic anyway, the plan was to take a few hours and enjoy the sunshine, crowded though it would be.
“All done, Mommy?”
Mak placed the ice packs into the cooler bag Sam had found and zipped it up with a nod. “All done. Sam, you ready?”
“Only if my two Itty-Bits are,” Sam said, a smile on his deeply lined face as he stared at them. He’d always called her Itty-Bit, and she mourned the day he would no longer be around to tease her with the nickname. “You think you’re up for a paddleboat ride on the lake?”
“Yes!” Emi squealed, hopping up and down and clapping.
Mak sighed at her daughter’s energy and wished she could bottle a little of it for herself and Sam. Undoubtedly every mama wanted that, though. “Okay, so how do we get to go paddleboating?”
“Be good and stay by Mommy and Uncle Sam.”
She smiled at Emi’s long-suffering tone and nodded. “Exactly. There will be lots of people there, and we don’t want you getting lost. If we’re lucky, maybe we can snag a good spot at the picnic tables once the crowd thins out later.”
“We can’t eat on the beach?”
Mak made a horrified face. “And risk the seagulls attacking us and getsandin oursandwiches? We’ll see.”
Emi giggled and skipped toward the door Sam held open for them. They locked up as Emi marched to the car with her little iridescent pink backpack of necessities. Mak followed, wishing she could slow down time.
Used to be necessities meant a bottle and diapers, but now it meant Emi’s favorite stuffy, bubbles, a notepad she liked to draw on, and the dollar bills Sam had snuck the little girl when he thought Mak wasn’t looking just in case Emi saw something at the market she wanted to buy.
Today was a no-screen day, so Emi had begrudgingly left her iPad mini behind, but Mak had allowed her to bring her camera so she could take digital pictures of the birds on the beach or whatever else caught her eye.
Most of the images would be blurry or have her fingers in them, but playing photographer would keep Emi entertained for hours—or until the charge ran dead.
The traffic leading to the island was already thickening with cars speeding by at too-close range.
Mak fought her impatience and then lucked into a break in the traffic and told everyone to hold on as she floored the pedal to get them into the flow.
Offseason meant the locals were out in force, and given the warm temps and upcoming holiday weekend, it seemed everyone planned a day at the beach.
Sam rode shotgun and showed her the backroad to avoid all the lights down the main strip. That road was busy, too, but moved along nicely.
A few turns later, they crawled along the parking lot near the lake. There was just enough room at the end for her little car, and she breathed a sigh of relief for Sam’s sake if nothing else.
They’d be active enough without having to walk blocks and blocks to get to the market and back later.
Sam had always been a lean man in fairly good shape, all things considered, but over the last year, she’d noticed him losing weight and looking gaunt. She just hadn’t known why at the time.
For the next thirty minutes, they meandered through the crescent shaped village of stalls set up by local vendors that wrapped around one side of the lake. Artists showcased paintings, metal work, books they’d written, wood carvings, clothing and jewelry. Food trucks had lines, and gardeners had set up to sell produce and honey and jams. There was a bit of everything, and Mak loved the variety.
