And yet she only had to look at him, those brown eyes open wide, bright with emotion—exactly as she was looking at him now—and he seemed to forget all those reasons.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to keep looking into those eyes when the captain announced the boat was once again at the marina. Since they had been sitting at the back, he and Summer got off first. He refused the crewman’s help, and, despite himself, offered Summer his hand.
She looked between him and the crewman. Wyatt held his breath, as if her decision would affect the rest of his life. When she took his hand, he felt as if he’d won something. Even though the tingling in his hand had gone up his arm, straight to the most inconvenient places in his body, and told him it was not a competition.
Even though he’d just thought of all the reasons why it shouldn’t be a game. Even though the fact that she’d asked for help meant nothing. Nor would it change anything. The time for change was over. She’d already made a decision that had changed everything.
Their divorce.
That decision had influenced the rest of his life. Not whose hand she took at the end of a boat trip.
‘Thank you,’ she said, letting go of his hand as soon as her feet were on the marina.
She brushed at that beautiful bright dress that stood out like a rainbow against her brown skin and looked at him. They stared at each other—heatedly, passionately, longingly, he didn’t know—and she nodded her head to the side.
‘We should probably get out of the way.’
‘That would be nice, darling,’ Lynette called from the boat.
Summer turned, laughed. But a blush crept up the elegant column of her neck, and there was a faint strain in her laughter. Seconds later, they both walked to an area a safe distance from the boat.
‘This is getting complicated,’ she said after a moment.
He angled his head, but she was looking straight ahead. Avoiding his gaze, he thought. Something about that pleased him.
It shouldn’t.
I know. He nearly replied to the voice in his head. He swallowed. He was slowly losing his mental stability. Because of it, he didn’t reply to Summer.
‘I’m not going to force you to keep to our deal,’ she continued. ‘I’ll survive.’
‘What if I want to keep to our deal?’ he asked, even though the voice in his head was still screaming at him, asking him why the hell he wasn’t taking the easy way out.
‘Do you?’ She looked at him now. He turned to face her.
‘If you keep to your end.’
‘One question?’
‘Yes.’
She sucked her lip under her top row of teeth, nodded. ‘Fine. But only if you stay by my side for the rest of the day. We don’t have to talk,’ she added. ‘I just don’t want to talk with anyone else.’
‘Not even your mother?’ Lynette asked, coming towards them.
Summer’s face coloured, but she said, ‘Are you always eavesdropping on me, Mother?’
‘I think eavesdropping implies a level of secrecy. Or stealth. I’ve needed neither. You’ve been—’ her gaze drifted over to Wyatt; something akin to satisfaction flared in her eyes ‘—distracted.’
The colour on Summer’s face deepened. ‘You’re making me not want to talk with you.’
‘But since I birthed you and your sister naturally, despite the repeated offers of a C-section, you will.’
‘You don’t get to hold that over my head when I’m pretty sure you put us all in danger with that decision,’ she muttered, then said more loudly to Wyatt, ‘I’ll catch up with you at lunch. Keep me a seat.’
Amused, and desperately trying to ignore the pleasure that went through him at her request, he nodded and walked away. He made it two metres before Trevor fell into step beside him.
‘Seems like you’ve cut Summer quite a bit of slack,’ his mentor noted.
Wyatt felt his own colour rising. ‘Just doing what you asked me to.’
‘And a bit more,’ Trevor said. It was all he said as they made their way back to the lodge.
Wyatt wasn’t entirely sure how to reply to Trevor, so he didn’t say anything. It was not the first time he’d chosen that option. In fact, he’d probably done it more often than not. Despite his relationship with Trevor—despite the respect and the loyalty—there had always been something inside Wyatt that was...careful.
He didn’t know why that was. Trevor had never done anything to warrant it, and Wyatt couldn’t blame it on the fact that Trevor was Wyatt’s ex-father-in-law. He’d known Trevor long before he’d met Summer. Though, granted, those years hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park.
No, they had been hard work. Wyatt had met Trevor when he had been in his final year of his degree at university. Trevor had singled him out in class for reasons Wyatt still didn’t know to this day. After his blithe answer, Trevor had told him to stay for a moment after class. Wyatt had been braced for a scolding then. Had been prepared to brush it off just as he had all the others. Instead, Trevor had offered him a summer internship.
He hadn’t been able to understand it, so naturally, he’d refused. But Trevor had asked him for one week in Wyatt’s life. And because, back then, days had faded one into another, Wyatt had agreed. By the end of the week, Wyatt had fallen in love with the work. And the purpose.
Both had finally stilled some of the restlessness inside him. It had shunned the aimlessness he hadn’t known had been there until it had disappeared. He’d decided to try harder at university, though it hadn’t been easy after three years of messing around. When Trevor had asked him if he’d wanted to study further, he’d wanted to say yes. But he’d known his academic record would prevent that from happening.
Except he hadn’t known the power of the Bishop influence then. He’d been granted entry to an Honours programme because Trevor had, as he’d put it, ‘put in a good word’. Wyatt had no doubt that word had come with a serious donation to the university. But by then, he’d been able to recognise that the universe had given him an opportunity. He’d taken it.
He’d passed his Honours with distinction. Had got into the Masters programme on his own merit. He’d felt good—but indebted. There’d always been that distance in his and Trevor’s relationship because of it.
Some of the distance had been bridged after he’d started dating Summer. More so after they’d married. He’d asked Trevor for a lot of advice during that time. About having a family; being a provider, though heaven knew Summer didn’t need him to provide anything. Occasionally, he’d ask about Summer. He’d rarely got answers he agreed with then. Now he recognised it as a sign of a strained relationship.
His caution with Trevor had remained even in those moments. For the first time, Wyatt wondered what it meant.
‘She asked me for a favour,’ Wyatt blurted out suddenly. He was so shocked that he wasn’t offended at Trevor’s own surprise.
‘She did what?’
‘A favour,’ Wyatt repeated. It was too late for him to stop talking now. ‘You said I’m doing more than cutting Summer slack, but it’s because she asked me a favour.’
‘Summer did?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure?’
Wyatt’s spine stiffened. ‘Yes, sir.’
Trevor’s gaze swept over Wyatt. He sighed. ‘I’m not insulting you, Wyatt.’ He paused. ‘It’s not like Summer to ask someone for a favour.’
Relaxing, Wyatt nodded. ‘That’s what I told her.’
‘You told her that?’ Trevor looked amused. ‘What did she say?’
‘She didn’t like it.’
Trevor laughed. ‘I don’t imagine she did.’ His smile faded after a moment. Wyatt watched with interest as Trevor’s expression turned sad.
‘Do you realise how much it must have taken from her to ask you for a favour?’
Wyat
t stared straight ahead at the dining hall of the lodge, which they were metres away from. ‘I do.’
‘Do you, really?’
‘Yes,’ Wyatt answered solemnly. ‘I’m her ex-husband.’
‘No, I didn’t mean that.’ Trevor stopped walking. Wyatt did, too. ‘Summer is...careful with people. Not unlike you,’ Trevor said, quite simply stunning Wyatt. But he didn’t stop long enough for Wyatt to work through it.
‘I admit some of that comes from having money and influence. People tend to want to be in your life for those reasons, and not for the ones that count. Summer picked that up right away. She was shrewd when it came to who she let into her life. After—’ Trevor broke off. Cleared his throat. ‘Years ago she became even more careful, which was how we knew you were the right man for her. She let you in,’ Trevor said, ‘and that was significant to us.’
Trevor let that sit, then continued, ‘If she asked you for a favour, it’s significant, too. Particularly because you’re her ex-husband.’
Wyatt swallowed, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. But he knew that Trevor was right. Perhaps that was why he’d softened at her request. Not perhaps, he corrected himself. That was why. He’d agreed because her asking had told him she trusted him. And if she trusted him...
Well, as Trevor said. It was significant.
‘No more of this, I’m afraid,’ Trevor said suddenly, saving Wyatt from having to answer. ‘Here they come.’
Seconds later, Lynette and Summer joined him and Trevor. Lynette’s face was tense, her eyes sweeping over her husband’s as if she were looking for something. Wyatt felt Trevor stiffen; saw him look at Summer. She shook her head and looked down. And then Lynette was hooking into Trevor’s arm, squeezing Wyatt’s bicep, and the older couple was walking ahead, though the easiness he’d always seen between them was gone. Both he and Summer stood, watching them.
‘What just happened?’ he asked.
Summer’s expression was stoic. ‘Nothing.’
He studied her. ‘We should get back,’ he said after a while.
‘Yeah. Yes,’ Summer said.
And then they were walking up in silence, too.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SHE’D KNOWN THE conversation with her mother was coming. Had known it the moment her mother had made eye contact with her on that boat. Might as well get it over with, had been her philosophy when her mother had cornered her while she’d been speaking with Wyatt. Unfortunately, the conversation hadn’t been as simple as the philosophy.
‘Are you going to tell me how you’ve gone from not wanting to share a picnic basket with that man to sharing multiple intimate conversations with him? Not to mention a romantic boat cruise?’ Lynette had asked shrewdly the moment they’d moved to a more private place.
‘It wasn’t romantic, Mother. There were thirty other people on that boat.’
‘But there might as well have been none,’ her mother replied. There was a pause. ‘I take it your denial means no, you aren’t going to tell me?’
‘There’s nothing to tell.’
‘But he’s upset you.’
The words were soft, concerned. Summer didn’t respond. If she did, she’d have to talk about her marriage ending. Since her marriage ending had a lot to do with her husband trying to be like her father, she’d have to articulate why that was a problem. That would lead to the danger zone of her father’s secret. Of keeping it.
No, it was best not to respond. Good thing she’d learnt that skill early on with the whole fiasco. Except that it had only added to the distant demeanour they’d already accused her of.
‘Summer.’
‘It’s nothing, Mother.’
‘Do not lie to me.’
Her throat thickened; her eyes burned. She didn’t reply.
‘Summer, darling...’ Lynette sighed. ‘When are you going to learn it’s okay to confide in someone?’
A bark of laughter escaped from her lips. She almost covered her mouth from the surprise.
She cleared her throat. ‘I’m sorry.’
Lynette sighed again. ‘You can’t keep running, my love.’
‘I’m not running.’
‘You are,’ Lynette insisted gently. ‘You have been for eight years.’ Her mother’s face suddenly became tight. She looked more her age than she ever had to Summer before. ‘Your father and I hoped what happened... We hoped you wouldn’t be affected like this.’
‘Dad is concerned about this?’ Summer asked, disbelief clear in her tone. ‘Really?’
‘Summer.’
This time her name was a warning.
‘It’s best if we don’t talk about it,’ Summer said, moving past her mother. A hand closed over her arm.
‘You can’t keep running.’
‘But I have to!’ Summer exclaimed. ‘I can’t talk about what happened. I have to keep running so I don’t—’
She broke off, her heart beating hard in her chest. She took a breath.
‘It’ll be easier if you just let me go.’
She forced herself to look at her mother, whose expression was changing from confused to shrewd.
‘You still love Wyatt.’
‘What? What?’ Her laughter didn’t come as a surprise now. ‘I do not.’
Ignoring her answer, her mother asked, ‘Why did you end your marriage, Summer? And don’t give me that nonsense about the two of you growing apart and focusing on your business,’ Lynette said when Summer opened her mouth. ‘Obviously that isn’t true. Not after what I’ve witnessed this weekend.’
‘You witnessed what we wanted you to witness,’ Summer replied. ‘We didn’t want you and Dad to be distracted by our relationship during your anniversary weekend.’
Lynette studied her. ‘You’re lying,’ she said with a perfect little scoff.
‘I’m not.’
‘You are. And you have been for—’ Lynette broke off, her eyes widening. ‘How have I not seen this?’
Summer nearly reached to her throat in an attempt to push her heart back down into her chest. Instead, she settled for that well-honed skill of not replying. It led to a long, awkward silence where her mother’s eyes swept over Summer’s face. She felt exposed by the searching, the studying. Felt as if her mother could see all the lies she’d been telling. The omissions she’d told herself weren’t lies.
‘Mom,’ Summer said when the awkwardness became too much. ‘We should go. They’re going to miss you.’
‘Okay,’ Lynette said after a moment. ‘Just answer me this.’ She lifted her brows. Summer had no choice but to answer the unspoken question with a nod. ‘Did you end your marriage because of your father’s affair?’
Summer’s tongue turned into lead. But the question was direct; there was no way she could pretend she hadn’t understood. And heaven knew she was tired of lying.
‘Wyatt admires Dad so much.’ She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. ‘He was turning into Dad. It made me feel...’ She trailed off, unsure how to continue.
‘Like me?’ her mother asked.
‘To some degree,’ she allowed. ‘More that he made me feel like...me. In our family.’ She swallowed. ‘Part of why I married him was because he had a way of making me feel different from what I was used to. I felt...understood.’
‘Because we haven’t.’ Her mother’s eyes were compassionate. ‘Not for a long time.’
‘No.’
‘What changed?’
‘I told you, he—’
‘What happened,’ her mother interrupted, ‘that he went from being the man who understood you to being like your father?’
Her lips parted, her tongue lifted, all preparing to give Lynette an answer. Except she didn’t have one. She didn’t know what had changed. She only knew that something had.
‘I don’t know,’
she told her mother honestly.
Lynette put her arm around Summer’s shoulders. ‘Perhaps now’s the time for you to get some answers.’
Summer took a breath. ‘Maybe.’
‘Definitely.’ There was a pause. ‘If I can do it, you can, too.’
‘Do—What are you talking about?’
Lynette dropped her arm, brushing her skirt with the back of her hand. ‘There’s more to this situation with your father than I previously thought. Or I allowed myself to think about,’ Lynette corrected. ‘We’re going to fix that before the ceremony tomorrow.’
‘No,’ Summer said, panicking. ‘No, I didn’t say anything—’ She broke off. ‘There’s nothing... I was...upset. I didn’t mean to—’
‘Summer.’ Lynette took Summer’s hand. ‘I’ve known something hasn’t been right in this family for a long time. I know you’ve been hurting.’ She squeezed. ‘I knew it had something to do with your father’s actions, too. But I’ve ignored it for eight years because I didn’t want to relive the nightmare of the hurt I went through when I found out.’
Lynette exhaled slowly. ‘That was selfish. I left you alone with your hurt for far too long. I hoped you’d get over it. Clearly, there’s more to get over than I thought. I’m going to find out what I’ve missed.’
‘Please,’ Summer whispered after a long while. ‘Please, tell Dad I didn’t say anything.’
She had no idea why she said it. Why it was important enough for her to say it. But she was relieved when her mother agreed and kissed her forehead. They walked to the dining hall in silence, and found Wyatt and Trevor waiting.
When her mother didn’t offer her father the usual affectionate greeting, Summer saw the confusion on his face. Her parents exchanged a look, and Trevor looked at Summer in question.
Did you tell your mother?
She shook her head, looked down. It felt like decades later that they walked ahead, and her body loosened in relief. Just in time for her to evade Wyatt’s question about the awkward interaction.
‘I suppose the polite thing to do is to pretend not to notice how tense you are,’ Wyatt said as they made their way to the dining hall. He angled a look at her. ‘You know, how tense you are about nothing.’
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