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“I’m hurt that this didn’t come up earlier in counseling,” she said, her courage growing just enough. “I deserve better than that.”
“I know. You do.” James turned toward her more. “So what do you propose we do?”
The lump in her throat was overwhelming and a tear slipped out of her eyes.
“We should probably separate while we figure out how to proceed,” Caitlin said. “And then we could go forward with a divorce.”
James was teared up too, but his didn’t fall. “That sounds like the best way. And we can figure out how to break this to Pearl.”
Caitlin’s heart clenched, thinking of her little girl peacefully asleep, unaware of what was happening. James ran his hand up and down her upper back when he saw her face. It was the kind of comfort she’d craved for months, but now it was too late.
“I don’t know how we’re going to do that,” Caitlin admitted.
“I don’t know either.” James blew out a breath. “But however we decide to do it, we have to tell her that we still love her very much.”
“Definitely.”
They sat in silence again, the weight of the fact that their marriage was over taking up all the air in the room.
* * *
Hannah sliced through a pineapple, one of many that she’d had to cut in preparation for the luau. It wasn’t crunch time yet, but they were finalizing parts of the menu during the lull in the lunch rush. It was all coming together well. They just had to make sure everything was perfect and easy to prep.
“Can I taste that pineapple before we grill it?” Willis asked.
“Is that just an excuse to eat more pineapple?” Hannah snorted. Her father had been nibbling on more pineapple than he had the other elements of their recipes. “We can eat those separately, you know. We got plenty.”
Willis grumbled and took a slice of pineapple, popping it into his mouth.
Hannah smiled and ate a little bit herself. Willis took one large round slice and tossed it on the grill. It was going to be a part of their Hawaiian burger. As it cooked, Willis threw a burger patty on the other side of the grill and peered through the window to see if any customers had come up.
“Luke was a lifesaver fixing our software system,” Willis said. “We haven’t had any problems with it since.”
Hearing Luke’s name made Hannah’s cheeks heat immediately. Her mind had drifted to their kiss all morning, making her feel light and airy every time.
“Yeah, he’s very nice,” she replied, trying to sound as casual as possible and failing miserably. Willis’s craggy eyebrows went up. “What?”
“Are you getting to know each other?” Willis asked.
“I don’t know.” Hannah lifted a shoulder since she truly wasn’t sure. She hoped to see him again soon
The sizzling of the grill was the only sound that stretched between them for a few moments.
“You don’t have to hold back on dating on my account,” Willis finally said. “I feel bad that you might have felt like you couldn’t date because we’re so busy with the restaurant. You’ve hardly dated.”
Hannah blinked in surprise. She never thought he blamed himself for that. While they were busy, he always gave her time off to hang out with a friend or just to rest when she asked for it.
“Don’t blame yourself.” Hannah rested a hand on the prep table and snagged another small slice of pineapple. “I probably haven’t dated much just because Blueberry Bay is so small. No one has really caught my interest.”
She felt like she knew every single guy her age, and she had gone to high school with every last one of them. And many of them were nice and some had even asked her out on dates, but she had turned them down. She hadn’t been drawn to many of them at all. But she had been drawn to Luke, even if she’d been too caught up in her crush on Michael at first to notice it.
Fortunately, things didn’t seem to be too awkward between her and Michael, which was good, since they saw each other often around the small town. And she was starting to truly understand that her feelings for him had been nothing but puppy love, unlike the deeper connection she shared with Luke. Now Luke was the center of her thoughts, and every time he came to mind, she couldn’t help the smile that broke out across her face.
“I do like Luke a lot,” she admitted to her father. “He’s different than any guy I’ve ever known, and we have the best time together.”
“You should get to know him better, then,” Willis said. “He’s not from around here, so he might be the right one for you.”
“I think I will.”
