Page 27 of A Second Chance in Seabury
‘You don’t have to?—’
‘Yes, I do,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘I was in a bad place. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I split with my husband on that trip.’
David nodded. ‘I did hear.’
Hannah flinched.Yep, he’d literally heard it happening, hadn’t he?!
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice gentle.
‘Well, I’m not,’ said Hannah. ‘Don’t get me wrong, it hurt like hell at the time, but it needed to happen.’
David nodded, and for a brief moment, Hannah wondered if that nod meant more than just understanding. Was he agreeing with her?
‘Look… I’m afraid I took it out on you,’ she said. ‘And the bees.’
‘The bees will let you off the hook,’ said David.
‘And you?’
‘You were never on the hook with me,’ he said with a small smile. ‘I know a thing or two about grief. It doesn’t matter what causes it - death, loss, the end of a love story…’ He paused and blew out a long breath. ‘I get it.’
Hannah swallowed and nodded. This man had lost the love of his life. The end of her unhappy marriage was nothing compared to that.
‘I don’t think I deserve that much grace,’ she sighed.
‘You deserve to be happy,’ said David with a little shrug.
Hannah smiled at him. It was such a simple statement, but boy, did it pack an emotional punch. When was the last time she’d felt truly happy?
Right now. All evening.
‘Well… tonight I’m happy, thanks to you and Jason.’
‘Mission accomplished, then,’ said David with a grin.
Hannah felt her breath catch. How had she never noticed how knee-meltingly gorgeous that smile was before today?!
‘While we’re clearing the air, here, I want to say a proper thank you for looking after the gardens. They’re absolutely beautiful.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ said David with a little shrug.
‘But it must have taken you ages!’
David let out a long sigh. ‘Just before Millie passed away, I promised her that I would help you in any way I could if you came back to Seabury.’ He paused and raked a hand through his hair. ‘There’s not been much I’ve been able to do to make your life easier… but that was one small thing I could do to keep my promise.’
Hannah tried to swallow a sudden lump in her throat. It was like Millie had just reached out and given her one last hug.
‘Oh?’
‘The bees have always loved your garden,’ said David with a grin. ‘Extra flowers equals extra food and happy bees.’
‘Well, that makes sense,’ laughed Hannah.
‘For the record, I think they missed you.’
‘Really?’ Hannah raised an eyebrow, not convinced. ‘The bees missed me?’
David nodded.
