“If you say so.” Lanie smiled. “It’s good to see you back. It’s been so boring here without you. I wanted to say that I was sorry about last time. I didn’t mean …”
“It’s okay. Really. We’re not together anymore so it doesn’t even matter.” Mara really didn’t want to talk about it. It seemed like a lifetime ago when Trent had picked her up at work. Or a past life that she could only remember through dreams. It didn’t even seem real when she looked back on it. Probably because so much of it hadn’t been real.
And wasn’t that the biggest shame of all, she thought?
She was going to have to live the rest of her life with this sick sense of heartbreak and she didn’t even have the comfort of knowing that her love had been real while it lasted.
Lanie winced. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just one of those things. So, what have you been up to?”
They chatted amiably until the blonde returned. Lanie promised to come back and see her over the course of the week. It turned out that the blonde, a recent graduate named Erin, was way more adept and organized than she’d expected from Ethan’s description. The morning flew by and it was lunchtime before long.
“Do you want to get some food? I was going to try that new falafel place.” Erin stood and stretched her arms overhead.
Mara glanced at the time and then grabbed her handbag. “Actually, I’m supposed to meet my brother. We’re just going to take a walk and look at the water. I’ll see you back here in an hour.”
Mara exited the building and walked to the bridge. It was comforting to see the view that used to be a part of her daily routine. She pulled out the sandwich she’d brought from home and took an absent bite. Matt had wanted to be supportive of her first day back. She’d told him it wasn’t necessary. After all, she was only back temporarily. With her savings, she could afford to really think about what she wanted to do.
After she finished her cookbook, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to pursue a publishing deal or if she wanted to apply to culinary institutes. Training to be a chef had been one of those dreams that had always seemed out of the realm of possibility but if she’d learned anything over the past few months, it was that anything was possible. Nothing was truly out of reach.
After ten minutes of standing on the bridge, she started to get a little hot. Where was Matt? It wasn’t like him to be late. She pulled out her cell phone and then sighed when she saw that she had several messages. He’d probably gotten caught in traffic. The bridge tunnel that connected Norfolk to the peninsula, where New Haven was located, could be unpredictable even during the middle of the day.
But when she pulled up her messages, she didn’t see anything about traffic.
- - Hear him out.
- - I hope you’re not mad at me for butting in.
- - Are you there?
Mara’s heart thumped in her chest. She looked up, squinting against the bright sun overhead. The wind whipped her hair aro
und her face and she pushed it back frantically as she turned in a circle, her eyes scanning all the people walking by. A crowd of teenagers passed by, two boys and two girls, obviously on a double date. Once they were out of her line of sight, her eyes settled on the tall, blond man in khaki shorts and a blue golf shirt who stood a few feet away.
She covered her mouth with her hand, hoping he didn’t notice that her hand was shaking. He came toward her then and he was so beautiful it made her head hurt. She could only stare up at him, brown eyes meeting blue, taking in every line of his face. Within minutes, she had catalogued everything that had changed over the past few months. His eyes had faint shadows underneath like he wasn’t sleeping. Under her makeup, she had them too. Even though his shirt stretched over shoulders that were as broad as she remembered, he looked like he’d lost a little weight.
Unfortunately, that hadn’t been true in her case. If anything, all the baking she’d been doing had added another inch to her hips.
“What are you doing here?” she asked finally.
“Just having a walk? What about you?” Then to her astonishment, he held out his hand. “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. Trent Townsend. It’s lovely to meet you.”
He had her hand in his before she could yank it back. “What are you doing, Trent?”
“I’m introducing myself to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You know, this is weird but you look a lot like someone I once knew. But after talking with you even just these few moments, I can tell you’re nothing like her.”
Mara bit her lip to keep herself from crying. “Is that so? How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’ve spent the last few months in therapy talking about my old friend. I’m completely clear on how I feel about her. I loved her then but I’ve moved on.”
“I wish I had that certainty,” she admitted.
He kissed the back of her hand. “Would you walk with me?”
* * * * *
TRENT HOOKED HIS arm through Mara’s, ignoring her look of surprise. It was a beautiful summer day. The water sparkled in the distance and boats glided over the surface, their white sails snapping jauntily in the breeze.