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Faith winced. “Yeah, she was totally alone. Our relationship had been damaged prior to that, so I didn’t have much to do with her until a while after.”
He poured himself a glass of water, and she waited, sensing that he had something on his mind. “You’re sure she didn’t know about the investments?”
“I’m certain. You can’t fake that level of heartbreak.”
“That bastard.” His lips pressed into a firm line. “He let her take the fall?”
“He sure did. She might have served time if she hadn’t agreed to testify for the prosecution when they finally tracked him down and took the case to trial. The problem is, no one around here remembers her role in putting him away. A lot of locals lost money, and since Hagley is in prison and not around to face them, they take out their anger on Charity, his young trophy wife. She left town immediately, and this was the first time she’s been back.”
“Understandable,” he remarked. “It’s too bad, but I can see why she stays away.”
“Even if no one blamed her, I think she still would,” Faith confessed, unsure why she was being so open. She hadn’t even expressed these thoughts to her parents. “She wraps herself up in a layer of cynicism and snark, but she holds herself accountable more than anyone else ever has. She thinks she should have known something was amiss. She’s too hard on herself. At the time, she was barely an adult and very inexperienced.”
“Perhaps, but no one likes to have the wool pulled over their eyes. When it comes to poor choice of spouse, I can relate.”
She smiled. “But you’re making up for that now.”
The look he gave her made her want to squeal or swoon. “I certainly hope so.”
While they ate, they talked more. Faith told him what it was like to grow up in the bay and her memories of summers at the beach. She confessed how lonely she’d been as a teen because the other kids at school had thought her strange, but she didn’t share what had happened when she was eighteen. She liked him thinking well of her and wanted that to continue. If he found out how stupid she’d been, she may as well flush his good opinion down the toilet.
In return, Shane regaled her with the trials and tribulations of life as a single father, making her laugh more than she had in ages. When she asked where he’d grown up, he told her about being raised in Wellington by a loving middle-class family. He had a sister, no brothers, and the family members took turns hosting Christmas. This year, the Walkers would be spending their festive season at Haven Bay.
“The boys are excited for it,” he said, polishing off his dessert. “My parents spoil them rotten. They’ll be here for Dylan’s birthday too. That’s not far off.”
Faith’s stomach knotted. She hadn’t met his family before, and much as she looked forward to it, she couldn’t help but fear that they’d be suspicious of the new woman in his life after the way Diana had hurt him. She couldn’t blame them if they were because she’d be the same way toward any new man Charity started dating.
He held her gaze, and she got lost in his deep brown eyes.
Nerves? What nerves?
He glanced away, ending the moment, and she stabbed a fork into her cake, then shoved a hunk into her mouth. She never ordered ice cream when she ate out because it inevitably didn’t live up to her standards. But then, Dougal had been asking her to sell to him in bulk for years, and she hadn’t, primarily because she didn’t know where she’d find the time to make large batches. The only way would be to hire another person. Since taking on Megan as her business partner, profit had increased, but she wanted to be in a more financially secure position before having anyone else rely on her. She and Megan paid the business’s bills out of their gross profit and split whatever was left. An employee would want a regular wage or salary, and she wasn’t sure she could promise that.
When she couldn’t eat another bite, she pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth on a napkin. It was time to be brave. Shane had made the first step by asking her out. If she wanted this date to go further, it was her turn to take the initiative. Resting her chin on her palm, she studied him through her glasses.
“So, Shane, how would you like to start this relationship off the right way?”
He stared back, one side of his mouth hitching up. “What’s ‘the right way’?”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “With the naked tango.”
His lips parted. “As it happens, Bex has the boys all night.”
“You don’t say?” Things just kept looking up. “What do you reckon we go back to your place?”
He shot to his feet, his chair scraping back over the wooden floor. “Let’s get out of here.”
