AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“In hindsight, it probably would have. Then, I would be mourning the loss of her and a child I loved. And the man who stole my wife would have stolen my son and daughter as well.”
For some reason, we started to laugh. Completely inappropriately, I might add. But the giggles had taken control of us and wouldn't let go.
Finally, I wiped my eyes with the handkerchief I kept in my pocket. "We are bad people."
He sobered and wiped his own eyes. “Perhaps we are. But not bad enough. I would love to be the type of man who would suggest a love affair with a beautiful dress designer but alas, after being the one who was left, I can never do that to another man.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
“I’m joking, of course,” he said.
“Yes, of course.”
His words touched me in a strange way, a way that made me feel as if I might catch fire. I'd never felt such a thing before in my life.
"Would you care to take a stroll along the beach?" Bromley asked. "I can show you where my favorite birds reside."
"I'll have to get my hat," I said. "The sun, you know."
"Make it a wide-brimmed one."
The passage ended there. How could she leave me with such a cliffhanger? But I was yawning like my head might break in two and knew I needed to sleep. The journal would have to wait until tomorrow.
* * *
I wentto bed and woke the next morning excited for the day. Darby would be at the inn later, and I’d get to see him. To my surprise, I found Arianna Bush waiting for me.
She was standing at the front desk talking to one of my staff but straightened when I came in through the front door.
“Jamie, I’m sorry to bother you, but I had an idea.” Her eyes sparkled almost as bright as her enormous diamond. “My Rob surprised me and is in town early. He said he could work just as easily here as at home. He may have been just a teensy bit worried when I told him Darby was here. And that’s just the thing that gave me the idea. I’d really like to see Darby and tell him how sorry I am, and that I hope we can be friends, and that he and Rob can find their way together again. Rob wouldn’t have to be jealous if he saw how happy you and Darby are together. We could go to dinner together, all four of us. What do you think?”
Dinner? The four of us? The idea almost made me laugh, but I kept it together. “I’d have to check with Darby. I’m not sure how he’d feel about all of this.”
“Yes, yes, of course. It’s so awkward, this whole thing, and I figured it would be better to address it head-on. That’s my way, you know. I see a problem and just have to fix it.”
“Sure. Like I said, I’ll ask Darby when he comes by after school.”
She tented her hands and looked as if she might say something else but didn’t.
“All right, well, I should get to work,” I said. “I’ll give you a call later.”
“Wonderful.” She gave me one of her influencer smiles and sailed out the door. I watched as she got into her red sports car. What was I doing wrong? Slaving away at an inn when I could have done makeovers on TikTok and become an influencer, and then I’d be driving around in a red sports car instead of trudging into my office.
* * *
At lunch,I read the last entry in Annabelle’s journal while eating a sandwich.
The morning of my departure I went down the spiral staircase to the foyer where my bags were waiting to be loaded into the car. My chest ached so much I could barely breathe. Mrs. Hunting and her daughter were there to say goodbye, each of them hugging me and thanking me for making such beautiful pieces for the wedding. Cordeila’s eyes grew glassy as she kissed my cheek. "Thank you for everything."
“You’re very welcome,” I said.
Just then, Bromley appeared, his driving gloves in hand. "I'm driving you to the train station," he said. "I have errands to do in town anyway."
"How kind of you." My pulse quickened. Alone with him in a car seemed dangerous. Not because of the driving but my desires. He would sit only inches from me. I had not seen this coming. Yet I knew I wanted to say goodbye. To remind myself and him of our decision.
We didn't speak on the way to the train station. The top was down on his car, and the wind blew the ribbons of my hat this way and that, tickling the sides of my face. When we reached the station, he took my bag from the back of the car and then came around to help me to the ground. It was a relatively mild day for Florida and a slight breeze cooled the bare skin of my arms and face.
"It seems there's always more I want to say to you," Bromley said. "But we've run out of time."
