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Her eyes still filled with disbelief, she said, “Please call me Venus.”
“And as he said, I’m Declan. Did you want to join us for a drink?” I asked.
“I don’t drink,” she stated. “But if they have iced tea, that would be nice.”
The bartender must have been listening and said, “I’ll have one brought up for you.”
Venus didn’t sit beside me as I’d hoped. Instead, she sat on the other side of Draven. Was that because she was upset seeing me here? More likely, confused. I mean what are the odds of me showing up in a place that most people in the world didn't know exists? Since I knew this had nothing to do with luck, it was zero.
When her tea arrived, I raised my beer and said, “I hear from Draven that congratulations are in order.”
“For what?” she asked still with a dazed expression.
“Your daughter's wedding,” I replied. “It must have been a very beautiful wedding. I mean Tabiq is an amazing spot. The scenery is stunning.”
“The wedding was...it was very nice. Thank you,” she said. Then she turned to Draven and said, “I forgot something in my car. Would you mind getting the bag out of the back seat for me?” she asked.
Draven got up immediately. “Of course not.” Venus handed him her keys and he headed out of the bar. Then she turned to me and said, “Declan, what are you doing here?”
“As Draven said, I’m a guest here,” I stated. Technically, that was true. I am a paying guest.
“But why here? I told you about this place. It’s not...not where I’d expect you to go on vacation,” she stated.
“You’re here. I never thought you would return to Tabiq.” I hadn’t wanted it to sound like an accusation, but it did. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about the day I picked you up here. I never imagined you would come back.”
“It was a different time. And I am here for one reason. My daughter. She needed to know her roots. I couldn’t let her come here alone. Hence, my stay on the island.”
“So, you haven’t returned here for good?” I questioned.
“No.”
Thank God.
“I know you sold your home and restaurant. Does that mean you’re not going back to Halifax either?” I asked.
“How do you know about the restaurant?” she asked, her eyes fixed on mine.
Damn it.I shouldn’t have mentioned that. “I...I went to Halifax to check how you were doing.”
“But how did you even know I owned a restaurant? I haven’t seen you in twenty-six years. When you left Halifax, the only thing I had was an apartment. So how do you know about anything else?” Her eyes now demanded answers. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Venus said sternly, “Don’t play games, Declan. I deserve the truth.”
That you do.“I completely agree. Do you remember the day I offered to stay until you were settled?”
“I do. Did you stay?” she asked.
“No. I went home and started my business like I had told you I’d been wanting to do. But I couldn’t just walk away. I...I traveled back to Halifax each year to make sure you and MaKayla were doing okay.”
She looked surprised. Why wouldn’t she be? I never let her know I was there.Yay. Sounds really creepy now.
“Declan, why did you do that?” she asked softly.
“Because I cared. I was young like you, and I didn’t know how to help you. I just wanted to do something, and all I could think of was to check on you. If I had seen you struggling, then I would have stepped up and helped you. I know I should’ve made my presence known. I was wrong not to do that. I’m sorry,” I said honestly.
I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms. I know what I was telling her, hurt. Even if it was coming from a good place, it didn’t change the fact that I was there, but not really.
Before she could respond, Draven came back to the bar and said, “I couldn’t find any bag in the back seat. Maybe you left it at the cottage.”
“Oh, sorry. You’re right. I think it is at the cottage,” she said, and I knew that she’d sent Draven away just so we could talk.
