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“Ditto.” They were both covered in dust. Bea wiped her face with one hand, and it came away white. “Thank goodness we wore a mask and goggles.”
Bea’s mobile phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, and a cloud of dust lifted into the air around her. “Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Preston.”
Bea’s heart sank. She should’ve checked the caller ID before answering. “Oh, hi, Preston. How are you?”
“Fine, thanks. Listen, the money came through for the house sale, and I wanted to check you got your share.”
“I’ll look later. I’m out at the moment. But thanks for letting me know.”
“Are you okay? Where are you staying?”
Bea was surprised and pleased the children hadn’t told him. “I’m on Coral Island with Dani.”
“Oh.” He hesitated.
“Are you in Melbourne yet?”
“Yes, we’ve found a house. Moving in on Wednesday next week.”
“I’m happy for you.” Her heart rate accelerated. Talking to him like nothing had changed was going to put her in a panic attack if she wasn’t careful. She inhaled a slow, deep breath to calm her nerves.
“Thanks. Listen, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I don’t think I said that, or at least if I did, I can say it again. None of this is your fault. You’ve been amazing. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, but you’ve been a rock throughout this whole process. I want you to be happy, and I hope you will be.”
She bit down on her tongue. The things she wanted to say wouldn’t be appropriate in front of Dani. Her cheeks flamed. “Thank you, Preston. I appreciate that.”
“It’s just that… Well, it’s different to what I thought it would be. Moving on…is hard. I miss you.”
There was a voice in the background, followed by a baby’s screaming.
“Look, I’ve got to go. Sorry, Bea. We can talk whenever you like. I know all of this was very sudden.”
“Okay. Bye, Preston.”
She hung up the phone and stared at it, gaping. Had that just happened? Was Preston already beginning to regret his hasty decision to end their decades-long marriage? And what would that mean for her? Could she take him back after everything they’d been through — everything he’d put her through?
“What did Dad have to say?” Dani’s eyes were guarded, her voice soft.
“Sorry.”
“Huh?”
“He said he was sorry for what he’d done.”
“Wow,” Dani replied. “That’s big.”
“I’m still trying to process it. He never says sorry.”
“Never,” Dani agreed. “Not that I can recall, anyway. He must miss you.”
“He said that too,” Bea admitted.
“Does this mean you’re getting back together?” Dani’s eyes crinkled at the edges as a smile drifted across her face.
Bea didn’t want to get her daughter’s hopes up. She didn’t know how she felt. Confusion, fear, pain, anger — those were emotions she could connect with right now. Decisiveness about the future — not so much.
“I don’t know what it means, honey. But right now, I can’t imagine us fixing our marriage. He had a long affair, and there’s a baby… That’s not something I can easily put aside.”
