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Deep groans and nods indicated they were all famished and thirsty. Taking their orders, Magnus then headed back toward the bar. Martin suspected he’d be eating at the Donkey often enough while he brought the cabins up to snuff. Not only was the food great, but so was the conversation. He could hardly wait.
“Damn, this is it, Martin,” said Simon with a small frown. “We’re releasing you into the wild.” He flopped against the back of the booth with a whump. “I can’t believe you went through with the move. Honestly, I thought for sure you’d come back to the department. Aren’t you going to miss Rocks for Jocks? The fresh undergrads? Their first finals week?”
His words were said with a smile, but Martin knew Simon was serious.
Martin shook his head. “Nope. I can’t explain it, but when I first saw the property, I knew it was right for me. That Aunt Heidi was right about me doing something different with my life. I’ll miss teaching a little, probably, but not enough to want to go back.”
“You could have done something different in Seattle,” Charley pointed out.
Martin shook his head. They’d been over this all before. “Nope, one heart attack was enough. This”—he tapped the toe of his boot against the wood floor of the pub to emphasize his point—“this is where I’m meant to be now. Everything feelsright.”
It was difficult for Martin to put exactly how he felt into words. His soul was happy in a way it hadn’t been in a long time. Not that he’d been actively unhappy, but he’d just been going through the motions, waiting to retire and die. Now he was living again.
“Even Mr. Pleasant over there?” Charley cocked his head toward the bar where Waugh was still sitting.
“Is this you trying to be nice?” Martin asked Charley with a snicker. Charley frowned and flipped him off. “Yes, even with Mr. Pleasant,” Martin continued. “His lease is up at the end of August, so I’ll be rid of him soon enough.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to rent any of the cabins out this summer?” Charley asked. “I bet the family would reserve a few of them.”
Martin wasn’t sure which horrified him more, the idea of not being able to rent the cabins out by summer, or having The Family come visit. Aside from the two men sitting across from him,The Familyencompassed Charley’s best friend Tobias and his partner, Arnie, and Duff—Arnie’s friend—and his husband, Jacob De Rossi. The three couples and several of their siblings had all been adopted by Jacob’s Italian grandparents, who were wonderful but, even in their eighties, a handful. If they did come to stay, Martin would have to take out special liability insurance just for them. They were like a family-friendly love-mafia.
“Maybe,” he said weakly.
Grinning, Simon caught his eye and burst out laughing. Charley started to laugh as well and Martin knew he’d been had.
“Fuckers.”
Magnus returned with beers for Simon and Martin and a glass of white wine for Charley.
“Don’t tell Xavier,” he said with a wink. “I raided his stash.”
Charley took a sip and nodded his approval. “Someone around here has good taste.”
“Xavier Stone is the agent who helped me with the purchase.” Martin glanced up at Magus. “There isn’t more than one Xavier in town, is there?”
A booming laugh escaped Magnus. “Would you believe he has an identical twin brother? His name is Maximillian, but he doesn’t live in town, so no worries about getting them mixed up.”
An hour or so later, his stomach full and muscles starting to ache, Martin was back outside in the parking lot, only saying goodbye to his friends this time. This part of the farewell had already gone on for ten minutes, and he was getting colder by the minute.
“It’s not like I’ve moved to another country, Simon. You can come visit whenever you want.”
Simon shook his head. “It’s not the same without you. Faculty meetings are boring.” He scrunched his eyebrows together and drew the corners of his mouth down, much like a toddler who wasn’t getting his own way.
“I guess it’s your turn to take someone under your wing. Search out that grad student or faculty member who’s feeling a little lost.”
Martin knew Simon loved teaching geology and was a dedicated researcher. Martin had liked everything about academia too—for over half his life—but he was done now and had no regrets about moving on.
“Right then,” Charley interjected. “You’re sure you won’t come back for the holiday? The De Rossi spread will be fantastic.”
De Rossi events were always fantastic, but that’s not what Martin wanted.
“Thanks again, but no. I’m looking forward to just being here.”
He didn’t have the right words to explain to his friends exactly how he felt. But here, in Cooper Springs, was where he needed to be. If he was moving on, changing his life, it needed to happen in one fell swoop. He refused to spend his time driving back and forth between the coast and the city.
“It was worth a try,” Simon said ruefully.
“You just want someone else with a healthy sense of self-preservation to join you,” Martin teased. “Iknow better than to drink Paulo’s grappa.”
