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Once she got in her car, Bella looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were reddened by the whipping wind. She ran her hands over her lips, chastising herself for wanting something so elusive as a kiss. She and Heath weren’t together anymore. It had taken her months to get over the sting of his rejection. The tears she’d cried had been endless. Her entire life had been turned upside down. And she had grieved the end of their relationship as if she’d been widowed. Tears pricked at her eyes as the memories crashed over her in unrelenting waves.
God, please help me stay strong, she prayed. She couldn’t allow herself to get wrapped up in her feelings for Heath. Although loving him had been one of the greatest privileges of her life, it hadn’t been all moonlight and roses. It had brought her pain and heartache. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to ever travel down that road again with Heath. The road she had traveled with him had been filled with bumps and potholes. With the baby coming, Bella wanted security and a soft place to fall. With all of Heath’s ups and downs in the last year, he was far from a safe bet.
Tell that to your heart, she told herself. Tell that to the little voice inside you whispering that he’s the one.
*
As Heath drove away from Pelican Bay beach he felt immense regret at not kissing Bella when the chance had presented itself. The impulse to do so had been strong, but he’d held back. It would have been the most natural thing in the world to do. But he needed to be patient. Bella needed to be wooed. Treasured. And he planned to do so with patience, tenderness and romance. Tomorrow before he hit the road for Savannah with Caleb he would leave a vase of wildflowers on her doorstep. The very thought of it made him smile.
He whistled an upbeat tune as he navigated the road to his house. Things were definitely looking up.
His cell phone started buzzing and Caleb’s number came up on the dashboard. His phone was connected to Bluetooth, which made it convenient to take calls while driving. Because of his line of work in construction, Heath never knew what type of work emergency might come up. Lately, he’d been dreaming of starting his own home construction business. Although he knew getting a loan might be tough, Heath felt it was time to push past his self
-imposed limits and dream big.
“Hey there, Caleb,” he said, greeting his brother on the line.
“Hi, Heath. What’s up?” Caleb answered, his voice sounding slightly muffled.
“Not much. Just heading home to get ready for the trip tomorrow.”
“I ran into a problem about tomorrow, Heath. I feel really badly about it, but I can’t come to Savannah with you. Addie’s down with the stomach flu and we have the new sous-chef coming in tomorrow.”
“Aww, that’s a bummer, but I understand. You’re uniquely qualified to handle the situation at the Blue Bayou. Tell Addie to get lots of rest and fluids.”
“You need someone to make the trip with you. Micah offered to ride shotgun with you in my place.”
Micah? Of all his brothers to make the offer, Heath couldn’t have been more surprised. He loved his brother, but Micah tended to be a perpetual joker, one who didn’t seem to take life very seriously. Visiting the Peretti family was a very somber endeavor. Would Micah be the appropriate person to take along with him?
As a highly paid male model, the world was Micah’s oyster. Because of his extremely good looks, he attracted a lot of attention. He was a bit cocky and a bit on the immature side.
“Give him a chance, Heath. He’ll be good company for you. And we keep saying he needs to mature. Maybe seeing Vinny’s family will give him a new perspective on life and how thankful he should be.”
Heath let out a groan. “All right. I’ll give him a call and tell him he can join me. To be honest, I’m surprised he has the time. Shouldn’t he be at a photo shoot in St. Barts or something?”
Caleb’s rich-sounding chuckle echoed over the line. “I expect a full report when you return. I’d love to know how the Peretti’s are doing.”
“Will do,” Caleb said before uttering his goodbyes. As he continued driving the route toward home, he made an impulsive decision to stop by the Silver Spoon. Ever since he’d been introduced to the family diner as a newly adopted member of the Donahue brood, Heath had been a big fan of it. While Caleb had been inspired to be a chef due to the influence of the Silver Spoon, Heath had always been content to simply sit back and enjoy the food as an appreciative customer. Burgers. Fries. Chocolate cherry shakes. Waffles. His stomach began to grumble in anticipation of a meal at the Silver Shack. His mother would seat him in his favorite seat by the jukebox and tell him to order whatever he wanted from the menu. On the house. His money was no good at the Silver Spoon. According to Pops, “One of the benefits of owning this diner is that none of our children will ever go hungry.”
The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon as he drove into the lot of the Silver Spoon. The colors in the sky were breathtaking. There was nothing more beautiful than a Florida Sunset. Heath couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but the sunshine state.
As Heath circled the parking lot to find a spot, a flash of red caught his eye. He slightly turned his head to spy his father standing beside a car on the far side of the diner. Heath squinted to make sure it was his father. He was standing with a blonde woman and they looked as if they were in a tender moment. Heath’s heart stopped. Suddenly, Jude reached out and hugged the woman. Bile rose up in Heath’s throat at the sight of his father with the unfamiliar-looking woman. Although his parents had announced their separation months ago, the sight of his father in such an intimate pose rocked him to his core. Heath watched as his father walked away from the woman and entered the Silver Spoon through the side employee entrance.
Heath shook his head in disbelief. His appetite had suddenly disappeared. He was no longer in the mood to pop into the Silver Spoon. Heath steered his car out of the lot and headed toward home. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions but the sighting of his father with the blonde woman had felt suspicious.
It wasn’t something he felt like mentioning to his siblings, but the sight of his father with his arms wrapped around a mysterious woman made him question everything. The news of his parents’ separation had been sudden and shocking. None of his siblings had seen it coming. Everyone had been floored by the announcement.
Heath couldn’t help but wonder. Was this woman the reason why his parents were ending their marriage? Had his father allowed this person to get in between him and his wife?
“Grief is a dark road to walk down. After Tammy died, I wanted to give up living, but I had four young girls to raise. Sometimes life is about finding reasons to continue on our journey despite the pain of living.”
Jimmy Vincente
Chapter Seven
Heath sat in his car and drummed his fingers against the wheel. He kept shooting furtive glances at the large three story home nestled in the historic district of Savannah. This area resembled something from another time and place. It was elegant and stately.
“Aren’t we going in?” Micah asked, his voice full of impatience.
