“Knowing her, yeah, she would.”
We smile at each other, my next breath coming easier.
Eli exhales, leaning back in his chair. “I’m sorry, too. About being weird. I can imagine being back isn’t easy.”
I swallow.
“And sorry for this dinner, too,” he adds.
“Dinner? What’s wrong with this dinner?”
I keep a straight face until I see the grin spread on Eli’s lips, then start laughing with him.
Things between us will probably never be the same. But damn me if that laugh doesn’t make me hopeful.
Chapter 10
Ispend the following day burying myself in work. Ruth’s house never ceases to be a box of surprises, with more items to triage appearing every time I look inside a cupboard, and a week has already passed since I got here. Our garage sale needs to happen within the next two weeks if I want to put the house on the market before I leave, which means I need to kick things into high gear. The distraction is good. The last thing I want is to think about the shitshow that was Friday night’s dinner. By the time I’d gone back inside, Keira had already left, and it was just as well. I wouldn’t have been ready for round two—or more like round four, at this point.
Just as I get out of my car, Eli’s front door pushes open, and out rush Zoe and Xavier. I hold my breath.
“Cassie!” Zoe shouts before barreling toward me through the grass with her arms outstretched. Tension eases off my shoulders as I squat to welcome her hug. Behind her, Eli follows, a backward hat on his head and a comically small Hello Kitty backpack slung on his shoulder.
I didn’t know this kind of combination would do it for me, but yes, it definitely does it for me.
Zoe steals the breath from my lungs as she slams into me. “Hi, honey,” I say, squeezing her back. She smells like fruity shampoo and sunscreen. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her excitement when she sees me. It reminds me of how Dottie would always jump up and spin around when I’d get home. I could be gone for a few hours, and she’d welcome me like the long-lost love of her life. It made me feel like a thousand bucks, and I now have the confirmation it still does.
“Zoe, can you not jump our neighbors? Thanks,” Eli says with a chuckle, then pulls the little monkey away from me.
“I vividly remember at least three times when you tackled me to the ground as kids,” I tell him.
“Context, Cassie. We were wrestling.” He wraps his large hands around Zoe’s ears, which visibly annoys her and amuses him at the same time. “Don’t expose my embarrassing stories to vulnerable ears.” He smirks, then tips his head toward the packed car. “We’re going to the beach. Wanna join?”
I look behind him, but no Keira has appeared. “Just you three?”
“Just us three.”
I was going to do more work today, but I also wouldn’t say no to a break. Plus, I told him I wanted our relationship to be easy again, and that won’t happen if I lock myself inside and don’t see him again until I leave.
“You don’t have to,” Eli quickly adds, then slicks his hair under his hat before setting it back on his head. I grit my teeth.
“Yeah, I’d love to, actually. Just give me a minute.” I rush back inside and put on my one-piece black swimsuit and shorts. WhenI cross a mirror and see just how bony I look in it, I cover my upper body with a thin sweatshirt, then go back out to meet them. Both kids are already settled in their car seats, so the moment I take my place on the passenger side, we’re ready to take off.
“Where are we going?” I think to ask only once we exit the driveway. Probably would’ve been a good question to ask before agreeing to come.
“Just down at Moody Beach,” Eli says, throwing a quick glance in the rear mirror, then at me. I will my cheeks not to redden. The last time we were at Moody Beach, I was seventeen, and Eli had just kissed me for the first time. We’d just spent the day in the water, and we were lying on our backs as the light dimmed around us. His hand was on my forearm, and when he’d turned toward me, I’d just known this was it. The moment I’d waited years for. He tasted like sea salt and sun, and I thought that was the beginning of forever for me. The next day, I was gone.
“Best beach around.” I hope my voice doesn’t betray the direction my thoughts went to.
“Cassie?” Zoe asks.
I turn around. “Yes?”
“How old are you?”
“Straight to the good questions, huh?”
“That’s rude, Zoe,” Eli says.
