by Ginny Baird
“So will I,” Olivia volunteered.
“No one needs to ask where Derrick’s going to be,” Grandpa Chad said with a chuckle.
“How much longer is your break?” his dad asked him.
“I’ve got one more week.”
His mom turned to Olivia. “So then, will you be staying on?”
Olivia glanced uncertainly at Derrick. “We haven’t actually discussed that.”
“Oh well, you’re welcome…” Derrick said, feeling suddenly on display. “Welcome to stay as long as you can, of course.”
She dropped her voice in a whisper and said, “Maybe we’ll discuss this later?”
After a brief lull, Grandpa Chad suggested they all take a stroll to the driveway to see the departing family members off. As the final vehicle disappeared from view, Grandmother Margaret spoke to the remaining group.
“We’ve got a ton of food left in the kitchen. I was thinking we might have leftovers for dinner?”
Sally wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “After that big lunch today, an informal dinner sounds great.”
Everyone agreed that was a plan as they headed back into the house together.
Sofia grabbed the pram from the living room where she’d left it and spoke to William, who held Julia. He’d been burping her after her feeding and a cloth diaper covered his shoulder. “I thought I’d take her for a little stroll before it gets much cooler.”
“You know what?” William shot a look at Derrick that he couldn’t decipher. “I think I’ll stay here.”
“I’d love to come along!” Olivia said with a hopeful grin. “If you’d like company?”
Sofia took Julia from her husband and laid her down in the pram. “I’d love company,” she said, smiling at Olivia. “Thanks.”
After Sofia and Olivia left, Grandpa Chad turned to William. “I got a couple of new books in last week from my mailer book club. They’re in the library if you’d like to take a peek.”
“Sounds good, Grandpa.” He placed his hand on Derrick’s shoulders. “But first, I’d like to talk with Derrick.”
This sounded kind of ominous.
“How about a scotch?” William asked Derrick, pausing at the bar in the den.
“A scotch sounds good.”
William fixed them both a drink and suggested they build a fire in the firepit on the patio. Temperatures were already dropping and it cast such a warm glow. Since the family enjoyed having traditional lobster boils and clam bakes out here, their grandparents had eschewed the idea of converting to gas, and none of the grandkids minded. Building fires together out in Blue Hill had become just another treasured Albright family tradition. Once Derrick and William had gotten the fire started, William settled into a chair with his drink. “Fun week here.”
Derrick nodded sitting next to him. “Yeah. It’s been great.”
“Having family around’s important.”
“Especially when celebrating someone as special as Julia.”
William laughed warmly. “Yeah, she’s awesome.”
“Sofia’s awesome, too,” Derrick said.
William sipped from his drink. “You and Olivia seem to be getting along.”
“Who’d have thought?”
“That old tension’s gone.”
Derrick laughed. “I’m sure that’s been a blessing for everyone.”
“True.” William chose his words carefully. “But something else is missing, too.”
Derrick’s chest constricted. There was a lot missing in his relationship with Olivia. He guessed he shouldn’t be surprised that William noticed. Maybe it was obvious to everyone in his family. “Yeah.”
Kindling crackled in the firepit and the smoldering logs above them caught fire. Flames leaped toward the sky, which hedged purple with night settling in. They heard a screen door open, indicating that the women had returned from their walk.
“No relationship is perfect,” William said. “But sometimes that doesn’t matter when you find the perfect woman for you.”
Derrick stared at him, not understanding. He couldn’t believe that Olivia—
William tilted his glass toward the house. “Something tells me that your perfect woman is not the one in there.” He let those words linger in the air as the women gathered their things and came out to join them.
“Oooh, the fire’s going!” Olivia said, arriving on the patio with a glass of wine. Sofia and Sally were not far behind her, and Sally held the baby.
William winked as the women drew closer, letting his brotherly advice sink in.
Their grandparents emerged from the house. Grandmother Margaret admired the sunset from the porch and Grandpa Chad took her hand. They looked so peaceful together, companionable, and still like they were very much in love.
And all these years later, wow.
Derrick’s heart warmed.
Now that was the kind of relationship worth holding out for.
…
After dinner was done, Derrick approached Olivia. “Hey, do you have a sec?”
Her forehead creased. “Sure. Why?”
“I was hoping we could talk. In private.”
“Oh, um. Okay.”
She glanced around the crowded den as people ambled toward the French doors.
“Where?”
“There’s nobody else staying at the guesthouse now. Maybe there?”
She nodded and shot him a curious look when he whispered to William they’d be back in a bit. Crickets filled the night air with their song as he led Olivia down the pebbled path. She followed silently along without questioning him further, and Derrick felt like the worst person on earth. She’d done nothing but try earnestly to repair things. But he couldn’t keep up the charade of a friendship that might lead to something more, because he knew it never would.
“Can I fix you anything to drink?” he asked, as they entered the cottage.
“No, thanks.”
He suggested they sit on the sectional sofa facing the water and she gave him a melancholy smile.
“Something tells me this is not a romantic talk. Otherwise, you might have taken me out to the gazebo.”
Derrick felt even worse now. Had she imagined that he was going to declare his love for her, or suggest they start dating again?
“Derrick,” she said softly. “It’s okay.” Olivia patted the sofa cushion beside her and he sat down, gathering his courage.
“Olivia—”
“No.” She pressed a finger to his lips and met his eyes. “Me first.”
This was a turn he hadn’t expected, so he sat there waiting.
She folded her hands in her lap. “Hoo boy,” she said with a shaky breath. “This is harder than I expected.”
Derrick swallowed past the lump in his throat. “What is?”
She looked up, her green eyes misting. “Telling you how I feel.”
“Maybe I should go first.”
“Nuh-uh.” She shook her head. “What I’ve got to say is important. And, after I do?” Her eyebrows arched. “Maybe what you have to say will be different.”
“But, I—”
“Derrick,” she said, giving him a stern look. “Stop being so pig-headed and listen to me. I’m trying to tell you that this is no good.”
A tsunami of confusion swept over him. “What do you mean, no good?”
“You and me.” She frowned. “Trying to make this work.”
“But I thought…”
“I know you did, and I did, too. You weren’t the only one, you know.” She cocked her chin. “I’ve thought about you a lot these past ten years and always wondered what it would be like. Us getting back together. Only…it’s not how I imagined. Do you know what I mean?”
“I think so.”
“It’s so nice not fighting.�
�� She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I really don’t miss that part.”
“But…?” he asked, leading.
“But,” she said. “Not fighting’s not enough. There has to be more. That’s part of what I was talking to Sofia about. Getting her advice.”
“On your walk?”
Olivia nodded. “Here’s what I think. I think we make great friends.” Her eyes sparkled tellingly. “I mean, friends and nothing more.”
Derrick heaved a breath, releasing a load of anxiety. Yes.
“Derrick,” she said sweetly. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to be a boatbuilder’s wife. Not even a boatbuilder’s girlfriend, really.”
He chuckled at her choice of words. “What?”
“It’s not that I don’t admire what you do, or respect it. Because I do. It’s just that…” She lifted a shoulder. “I’m tired of pinning my ambitions to guys. I have other goals in mind. Meredith helped me see that. Goals that will take me to places besides Blue Hill, because there are certain things I can’t do here. At least, not as well.”
She apparently read his lost look because she added, “Meredith asked me what I wanted to do with my life.”
“And you’ve decided?”
“About a lot of things, yeah.” She nodded. “Including that I’m not really happy moving from man to man.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not you!” she added hastily. “It’s all about me and what I want for my future. And that future doesn’t involve me moving here to be with you.”
“Where then?”
“I don’t have that part figured out yet. But I do know one thing—whatever I do with my life, I want animals in it. Lots and lots of animals. Which is why”—she gave an impish grin—“I’m thinking of starting an animal rescue.”
“Olivia,” Derrick said, meaning it. “I think that’s spectacular.”
“I know, right?” She bounced in her seat. “Think of all the good I can do.”
“A ton.”
“I need to do this, Derrick. Do something for me for once that really feels right.” She frowned. “Do you get that?”
He nodded. “More than you know.”
“I’m so relieved you understand,” she said. “I didn’t want to let you down. Not after all the trouble you went through. And Meredith, she took pains to get us back together, too.”
“I’d like to believe some good has come from this,” he said. “You and I have learned to get along.”
“Yeah.” She chuckled. “I think that’s better for everyone.”
“Agreed.”
“And there’s me and Sofia,” she said. “I’ve missed her friendship so badly.”
“I know she’s really happy that you guys are back in touch.”
“So!” she said. “What were you about to tell me?”
He hesitated, not wanting to hurt her feelings but then decided the truth was best.
“Pretty much the same thing.”
“That you want to start an animal rescue?”
“No, I think I’ll leave that to you.”
“Kidding!” she said, shoving him playfully.
He chortled out loud and hugged her. “You’re funny. I didn’t know that about you.”
“Some girls are full of surprises,” she said, hugging him back.
Chapter Thirty-One
“I want you to go back through the story again,” Jackie said. “And this time don’t leave anything out.”
Meredith sighed. She’d already been through the story in detail and wasn’t sure she had the heart to repeat it. “I’ve already told you everything.”
“How about Olivia?”
“When I left, the two of them were like peas in a pod.” She could have said, like Sweet Pea and Cuddly Bear, but just the thought of voicing that out loud made her nauseated.
“Ugh. That’s what I was afraid of.” Jackie frowned above her paper cup and Meredith realized how much she’d missed her. Their friendship had fallen by the wayside over this past year, and Meredith wanted to improve things. “Brent always said Olivia had a way of getting her hooks into Derrick.”
Jackie mentioning Brent made Meredith aware that this conversation might be sensitive for her. She’d been engaged to Brent, after all. “He was there, you know,” she told Jackie. “With Hope.”
“Yeah, Hope mentioned the christening and that they were going.” Jackie smiled but her eyes looked sad. “You know what? I’m really happy for them, her and Brent. I reconciled with that a long time ago. They’re a very good match, much better than he and I ever were. But I don’t have to tell you that,” she joked. “You’re the matchmaker.”
“Yeah.” Meredith chuckled sadly. “I was right about them at least. Not so sure how things will develop between Derrick and Olivia, though.”
Jackie shook her head and scowled. “Olivia. Right.”
Meredith studied her a moment. “The Olivia I met is probably pretty different from the one you heard about.”
“What do you mean?”
Meredith set down her cup on the small café table in the cute coffee shop. “She was actually okay, Jackie. Not mean-spirited or conniving, or anything. I really believe she loved Derrick once, and wants to love him again.”
“Ahh. But she doesn’t already?”
“Hard to say.”
“What about him?”
“I believe they’re both trying. I mean, Olivia’s probably trying. Derrick, he…was a little unsure about things.”
“Sometimes you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole,” Jackie commented. “From what I’ve heard, the two of them were like oil and water before.”
“Well, maybe ten years have changed that? Things may have been a little awkward between them at first,” Meredith conceded. “But as time went on, they got better.” Whether that’d be enough remained to be seen.
Jackie thumped her fingers on the table, thinking, and for a moment she was indistinguishable from her sister apart from the haircut. Jackie had grown out the layers in her hair and now wore it pulled back in a ponytail.
After a beat, she met Meredith’s eyes. “You really fell for him, huh?”
“I thought I…felt something.” Meredith rolled back her shoulders. “But, apparently, I was wrong.”
“Derrick does have his good qualities,” Jackie said, “if you can overlook his big mouth.”
Meredith laughed at the truth in her comment. “Yeah.” Heat burned in her eyes and Jackie touched her arm.
“Hey,” Jackie said. “You’re going to come out of this okay. You’ll see. When you go back on the air and tell your story, your viewers will go nuts with support for you.”
Jackie leaned toward her. “Ironically, this disaster with Derrick could make your career. You’ll be proving to the entire world that you’re not just a matchmaker extraordinaire. You’re one with compassion. With heart. A woman who puts true love first, while sacrificing her own happiness. You’ll get plenty of media coverage then. After that, who knows? Maybe that exec will reconsider your streaming deal, and those other networks will come knocking?”
Meredith brightened at the possibility. “Do you really think so?”
Jackie grinned. “Things can only go up from here.”
She certainly hoped so, because for the past twenty-four hours Meredith had felt like she was at rock bottom. And she’d sunk very low. She’d been crying her eyes out over losing a guy who had never been hers to begin with.
But she needed to get over it and do the big girl thing. Go on her television show and spill the whole can of beans about what had really happened. She wasn’t going dish out the set-piece tale she’d come up with in the beginning. She planned to lay the whole truth bare and tell her viewers everything. About how she’d had no boyfriend in the picture when Tanya Gibbs
had pressed her on it and had been embarrassed to admit that for fear of losing face.
About how she’d arrived in Blue Hill with a pot roast and a plan. The way she’d unexpectedly fallen head over heels for the man she was supposed to be setting up with somebody else, because he was honestly that amazing. And how she’d followed through with her mission to set him up with his ex, in spite of her breaking heart.
Yes. She needed to do it. Get everything out in the open and let the cards fall where they would. Maybe Jackie was right, and her coming clean about the situation would lead to her greatest success. But, even if it didn’t, Meredith needed to be honest for her own sake.
And also, maybe, just maybe—way down deep in her soul—she hoped Derrick would catch wind of her confession and learn the truth about how she felt about him. Even if it was too late, he’d at least know how greatly Meredith had come to care for him.
“So?” Jackie questioned. “What do you intend to do?”
Meredith set her jaw in a determined fashion. “Tomorrow’s Tuesday, so…I go on with the show.”
They started to stand and Jackie peered under the table, her mouth dropping open.
“Cute canvas shoes.” She stared Meredith in the eye. “I’ve never seen you in anything but heels. Where did you get them?”
…
Derrick stopped by his grandparents’ place to say goodbye to Sally. He’d said goodbye to Olivia last night, since she’d planned to head out early. With Sofia and William leaving today, there wasn’t much point in her staying on, not after the honest conversation she’d had with Derrick about their non-relationship.
When Derrick reached the main house, Sally had already loaded up her car and had her sunglasses perched on the top of her head. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, looking ready for a comfy drive back to Bangor. “I thought you weren’t leaving until later?”
“I decided to get an earlier start.” She shrugged. “I was just hanging around here waiting for you.”
“That’s sweet.”
Sally laughed and slapped his back. “Yep. That’s me all right. The super sweet baby sister.”
They walked back toward the house. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”