“So, you’re a fan of their grouper too?” he asked.
“I am. I had it so many times when I came here with Grams.”
“So you two were close?”
“We were. I… I miss her.”
“You have any other family?”
“Just a brother and a niece.”
“No ex-husband or kids?”
“No… no husband, ex or otherwise. You?”
“It’s just me now. I was an only child and my parents are gone.”
No family at all? That must be hard. And she felt strangely bonded to him with his lack of children too. So many people questioned her choices. But when she was younger, of the childbearing age, her career had taken off. She’d dated some back then, but no one really seriously. Then she’d had a string of fairly permanent boyfriends that lasted from a few years to maybe five. But something always eventually went wrong.
“Penny for your thoughts.” He smiled at her.
“Oh, I was just thinking about life choices.”
He nodded as if he understood. “We make them not always knowing their far-reaching effects, don’t we?”
“We do.”
“So, you don’t talk much about your past life. What did you do before you came to the island?”
And there it was. The question she’d been dreading. It was like a spotlight’s glare just focused on her. “I?—”
Their meals were delivered just then, giving her an excuse to stay quiet.
But after the server left, Gavin wouldn’t let it go. “You were saying?”
“I worked in the theater district.” That was close enough for the truth, wasn’t it?”
“Really? No wonder you were interested in buying the theater. What did you do?”
“I… um… worked on productions.”
“Oh, like backstage stuff? That sounds interesting.”
She didn’t bother to correct him. She changed the subject. “And what did you do before you came back to Magnolia?”
He gave a wry laugh. “I was the head of community outreach for a large nonprofit in Los Angeles. In charge of all the fundraising.”
“So going out and actually talking to people to get them to donate?” She tried to hide her surprise.
“Yeah, stuff like that.” He took a bite of his sandwich, ignoring her look.
“So is that why you helped with the lighthouse restoration? To raise money for it?”
“I… uh… kind of.”
She wasn’t sure what happened with Gavin and the lighthouse restoration, but she got the feeling she shouldn’t press it anymore.
She changed the subject again. “So, has Miss Eleanor been asking you about the theater restoration and how’s it going?”
