After he left, Emily dug into her snapper once more. “Everything good with Rocko?”
“Yeah, he wanted to make sure we got here okay.” She took a drink of wine. “He’s excited to come on Friday night. He couldn’t get anyone else’s schedules to line up for fishing anyway. Now, they’ll all be jealous.” She stabbed the salad with her fork. “He ran into Will and Lanie at the gym.”
Emily’s hands stilled.
Lanie.
“I didn’t know her name until now.” When she’d been able to pry out of Will that he’d called things off because he’d met someone at the gym, she’d stopped him there, not caring tohear any more. She swallowed the grief that wanted to overflow. “That’s…awkward.”
“I’m so sorry, Em. What a complete jerk he is.”
“I still can’t believe he wrecked our future marriage over this.”
“It’s due to his own problems. He’s obviously dealing with something,” Blair said.
Patrick returned with a plate containing four rolls and sat down. He brought a breath of fresh air with him. Even though he wasn’t the most talkative person on the planet, the fact that he didn’t know anything about Emily or her current situation was nice. A clean slate.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Yes, why?” She blinked a little too much, worried her emotions had seeped through to the outside.
“I overheard. It’s none of my business. Sorry.”
Blair leaned on the table, addressing Patrick. “Will is Emily’s ex-fiancé and my husband’s good friend.”
“Ah.” He eyed Emily but then turned his attention back to his plate.
“Apparently, he’s a real idiot. Who knew?” Blair raised her hands in the air. “But the real downer is that he’s ruined our monthly dinner nights.”
“All done!” Sienna swished across the room and slid into her chair next to Patrick. “Normally, I wouldn’t jump so quickly, but this is a big client.” She looked back and forth between Blair and Emily. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing you don’t already know,” Emily said, ready to change the subject. “Except that Patrick has been in Florida for over a decade. He used to live in Jacksonville.”
“Oh wow.” Sienna’s eyebrows bobbed at Emily.
The table fell into an awkward silence, the one-sided conversation between the women and Patrick dwindling.
“Did you say for dessert you had key lime tarts?” Sienna asked. “I’d love to try one.”
Patrick immediately pushed away from the table, as if he couldn’t wait to end the exchange. He served them dessert, and then he cleaned, packed up, and loaded his vehicle without finishing his plate. By then, the rain had stopped, leaving a steamy residue in its wake.
“Thank you for dinner,” Emily said from the grand front door.
“You’re welcome.” He hoisted one of the coolers into the back of his Ford F-150 SuperCrew.
She slipped her hands into her pockets, not sure what to say to smooth things over. Why had he even mentioned that he’d heard her and Blair’s conversation? He could’ve easily played dumb. But instead he’d asked how she was. Mr. I-Prefer-Silence. His curiosity about the situation had her brain in a muddle.
He got in his truck, started the engine, and put down the window. “I’ll be back tomorrow at six.”
“Sounds good.”
Without another look, he drove away, down the long winding path to the main road.
Patrick had been an unexpected addition to their little getaway, and she wondered how, exactly, he would fit into The Broken Hearts Beach Club. Only time would tell.
SIX
Freshened up and ready to have some girl time, the three women walked through the bar at the end of the road. The rain had long evaporated in the heavy heat, and it seemed that everyone had picked up with business as usual. A band strummed an island melody outside under string lights and flickering tiki torches for a full crowd of restaurant-goers.
