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He sighed. “It’s not my truth to give you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m surprised your sister never told you.”
She’d never pressed Cari, because she’d seemed so upset at the time. And then after the rumors quieted, Sara hadn’t wanted to bring it up and upset her sister all over again. She’d been curious, but she figured if her sister wanted to talk about it, she would have.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, she didn’t, so I’d like you to tell me your side of things. Why did you break my sister’s heart?”
She noticed how his eyes briefly widened as though she’d surprised him with the accusation. Why would he be surprised? There was no way he didn’t know how her sister felt. They’d been serious all that summer.
He shook his head. “Sara, I can’t talk to you about this.”
“Yes, you can. Just tell me what happened.”
“I can’t.” There was no emotion in his firm words.
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Because it’s not my truth to share.”
“What does that mean? Are you saying my sister has a secret?”
He was quiet as he glanced over at the other tables, as though he were wishing he could get far away from her. Finally, he turned his attention back to her. “I’m saying that it was a long time ago. You just need to let it go.”
The server showed up with their food. All the while she wondered why Kent was being so secretive. It was obvious he wasn’t going to tell her anything. Even though it frustrated her, it also impressed her the way he was willing to keep things private.
She let go of the subject for now and focused on the delicious food. She added some ketchup to her plate and dipped an onion ring in it. She noticed he’d added mustard to his plate and dipped his onion rings in it. To each his own.
She tried to think up something to make small talk about. “So how did you get time away from the furniture store?”
“I had a lot of unused vacation time, so I decided to take some of it.”
“And you thought that you’d use the time to redecorate your sister’s inn? Wouldn’t you rather have been laying on the beach? Or visiting another part of the country?”
He shrugged as he picked up his burger. “The thought crossed my mind.”
She took a sip of her ice water. “So, why did you decide to stay and work?”
He took a bite of his burger. After he swallowed, he said, “I’m not doing the lobby out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Oh.” She had absolutely no idea what his ulterior motive might be, but she was curious.
“For a long time now, I’ve wanted to expand the furniture store. Sort of put my own stamp on it and make it feel more like my own.”
She nodded. “I can understand that. Hasn’t the business been in your family for a long time?”
“My great grandfather started it. And it hasn’t changed much since those days. I mean it’s all automated now, but the basic structure of the business is the same. We sell household furniture.”
“And you would like to switch things up a bit?”
“Exactly. I’ve tried over time to find something new to add to the business, but for one reason or another, my parents always have a reason why it shouldn’t be done.”
She wouldn’t have any idea what that would be like, since her mother died when she was young, and her father pretty much kept to himself until he passed on. She and her sister had to find their own way in life.
“I’m sorry they wouldn’t share your vision for the future of the business. But what does that have to do with the inn?”
He took his last onion ring and swiped up the remaining mustard on his plate before popping it into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he wiped off his fingers on his napkin. “You don’t want to hear about this.”
