A Sweethaven Summer

by Courtney Walsh

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Just had to take care of something.” She glanced at her grandfather and smiled.

  “I cannot believe my eyes, Campbell Carter.” Adele pulled her into a tight hug. “This is quite something. You are quite something. Your mama would be so proud.”

  “Thank you, Adele. For everything.”

  Adele glanced at Campbell and her grandfather and shot her an approving look.

  “This is quite a turnout,” her grandfather said. “I’m going to go get us something to drink.”

  Campbell nodded and scanned the room. He was right. The crowd that had gathered surprised her. In this small town, all these people had come out to support her—and her mom—and the idea of it humbled her. And she had the people who stood closest to her to thank for that. They’d been vigilant about spreading the word.

  After about twenty minutes, Campbell glanced at the door. Her grandfather stood by himself, looking as out of place as a cowboy at a ball.

  She shuffled her way through the crowd until she finally reached him.

  He handed her a glass of punch. “I didn’t want to interrupt. You looked busy over there.”

  “Thank you. And thanks for coming.”

  He looked around the room at the art hanging on the wall. His eyes settled on one Mom had painted of the cottage on Juniper Drive. His cottage. “It’s beautiful. I always knew she had a gift.”

  “She did.”

  “And she passed it on to you.” A smile wrinkled the skin around his eyes. She’d never noticed it before, but Mom had his eyes.

  She had his eyes.

  The pinch of grief stung. She missed her mom.

  “I’m sorry, Campbell,” her grandfather said. “I just wanted to say that. It’s important that you know how sorry I am.”

  Campbell took a moment to study his eyes. She saw a sincerity there that she hadn’t allowed herself to see before.

  “Maybe we could go for coffee sometime?” She scanned the room briefly before turning back to him.

  He held her gaze, surprise on his face. “I’d like that.”

  “Can you wait here for one second?” She went behind the counter and found a small stack of letters, many of them unopened, tied together with a satin ribbon. She returned and handed them to her grandfather. “I wanted you to have these.”

  “What’s this?” He held them in his frail hands and studied them.

  “Letters my mom wrote to you and my grandmother. They were all returned unopened, but I found them in her things. I thought you should have them.”

  He gasped. “She wrote to us?” Suddenly, the letters became even more valuable.

  She’d suspected it was her grandmother who had kept the rift between them all those years. Sorrow welled within at the wasted relationship—what they could’ve had if only they’d found a way to see eye to eye. To forgive. To move on.

  “I thought you might like to read them.”

  “Yes. Very much. Thank you for these, Campbell, but after everything we said to your mom, after the way we made her feel, I don’t feel like I deserve these.”

  “She wanted you to have them.” Campbell watched as he examined the envelopes in his hand. “For the record, Reverend, I do forgive you.”

  As she spoke the words, a weight lifted off her shoulders and she began to wonder if it was entirely true. If it wasn’t, she wanted it to be. She wanted to learn how to forgive him—and maybe put an end to the pain they’d both been feeling all these years.

  “I can’t promise we’re going to be close. You might not even like me, but I’ve decided not to hold a grudge.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.” He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for showing me grace when I don’t deserve it.”

  “None of us deserve it. We’re all just a bunch of mistakes with feet anyway.” She glanced up and saw Adele moving toward them.

  He laughed out loud and seconds later Adele was at his side. “Well, my land, I haven’t seen you laugh in years. Campbell, I do believe you’ve bewitched this man.”

  The two of them walked away, and Campbell watched as her grandfather showed the stack of letters to Adele. The older woman turned back and looked at Campbell. They exchanged a knowing smile, and she knew she’d done the right thing.

  In front of her, the painting of the dock caught her eye. Now that she’d been there, the painting easily transported her to that place. She could almost feel the warm sun on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and was drinking it in when someone walked up behind her. She opened her eyes, expecting Luke, but instead she found a stranger at her side.

  He stood at least a foot taller than her and didn’t make eye contact. Instead, he stared at the painting, then finally glanced at her. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie. He looked like a model from an Eddie Bauer catalog. Rugged and handsome. She smiled at him and then caught Deb’s eye, who was approaching as she made her rounds around the gallery.

  “Are you the artist?” he asked Campbell.

  “I’m a photographer. My mother painted these.”

  “Can I buy this piece?” he asked. The man studied it, his eyes scurrying across the canvas. “I know this place.”

  “Deb? Looks like you might have a customer,” Campbell said. It had always been Mom’s dream to sell her artwork, and after carefully marking three of the paintings Not For Sale, Campbell decided she would part with the rest for her mom. She glanced at the painting again and realized it wouldn’t be easy.

  Deb took her glasses off, letting them hang on a chain around her neck, and held out her hand. “Sir, what can I do for you?”

  “Yes, I’d like to buy this one, but…I think I’m here to see you.” He looked at Campbell.

  “Are you from the press?” Deb asked.

  The man shifted.

  “Did you need to interview Campbell? I’m sure she’s got a few minutes for the press. Who’d you say you were with?”

  He glanced at Deb and then at Campbell, a confused expression on his face. “Actually, I’m not with the press.”

  Deb frowned. “Oh.” She peeled a Sold sticker from her sheet and placed it next to the frame. “It will be available to pick up after the show.”

  “Thank you.”

  Deb smiled, and then she was pulled away to restock the cheese tray.

  “So what did you need to see me for?” Campbell didn’t understand. If he wasn’t a reporter, why did he need to talk to her?

  “Can we maybe go outside?” He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and for a moment looked like a schoolboy at detention.

  “Okay.” Campbell followed him outside, where he sat on the bench in front of the gallery. She sat at the other end of the bench and stared at the gazebo one block over, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

  “You have your mom’s eyes,” he finally said.

  She looked at him.

  “But you have my nose.”

  Campbell’s jaw went slack.

  He stayed quiet for a few seconds but it felt like much longer. Across the street, she spotted Lila, carrying an oversized purse and heading their way. She waved.

  Campbell barely lifted her hand and waved back, drawing the man’s attention across the street.

  “Oh no,” he said.

  Lila crossed the street and stared at the man as she approached. “What are you doing here?”

  “You two know each other?” Campbell looked at the man, who wore a sheepish expression.

  “You two know each other?” Lila said with raised eyebrows. In the uncomfortable silence, she looked back and forth between them. “Tom, what’s going on? I’ve been trying to reach you since I got here.”

  Campbell stood, feeling suddenly awkward and altogether horrified. “I’ve got to get back inside. It was nice to meet you…Tom.” She forced a smile, but now he was looking the other way. She saw but didn’t feel her feet moving toward the gallery. She prayed they didn’t buckle under the weight o
f her horror.

  Her mind rewound to the moment she’d first noticed Lila’s husband standing next to her and replayed the entire scene.

  She glanced back at the two of them, still sitting on the bench, and her thoughts raced through the possibilities.

  If she’d understood correctly, things were about to go terribly wrong.

  And it was all her fault.

  FORTY

  Lila

  Lila sat next to her husband on the bench, several feet between them.

  “Do you want to tell me what you’re doing in town?”

  “I just got here this afternoon. I had a few things to take care of.”

  “What could you possibly have to take care of in Sweethaven? Don’t you think maybe your wife should be a priority? You haven’t answered my calls since I left.”

  “Do you have any water?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t answer. Then she rifled through her purse and produced a water bottle.

  He opened the bottle and drained half of it in seconds.

  “How are you?” He stared at her, expecting a response. It had been months—maybe years—since she’d seen the sincerity she saw now. She’d missed that. Tom’s genuineness had been part of what attracted her to him in the first place. He didn’t act like the spoiled rich kids she knew. He’d always been his own man.

  When she said nothing, he cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”

  Her heart sank, and her stomach churned. Had he come to tell her it was over? Hand her divorce papers and be done with it?

  “Lila?”

  Her whirling mind had prevented a response. “Okay.”

  She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. Remember who you are.

  After meeting her eyes for a brief moment, he looked away.

  She shifted. Tension hung in the air.

  “What do you want to talk about?” She tried to keep her voice light, but the depth of her fear surprised her.

  “When I came back from my run, you were gone.” Tom picked at the wrapper on the side of his water bottle.

  “I know. I’m sorry for that. I should’ve left a note.” She looked down at the oversized diamond that sparkled on her left hand. An upgrade from her first wedding ring. Tom had bought it for her after his last promotion. Silly how she thought a bigger ring said something about them as a couple. She knew now the size of the diamond said nothing about the depth of their love.

  “No, I shouldn’t have gone running. I knew you were upset by the letter.” He shook his head. “I needed to clear my head.”

  “It’s been good to see Adele and Jane again. And I met Suzanne’s daughter.” Lila swept her long hair back behind her shoulders. “But I guess you met her too.” She exhaled.

  He didn’t say anything.

  “I think we may’ve had a breakthrough in the search for her father.” Lila filled the silence with small talk. Anything to pretend her marriage was still intact.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We found something in the scrapbook that made us think maybe Suzanne and Mark Davis had a secret fling that summer.” “It wasn’t Mark Davis.”

  Lila’s heart pounded in her ears, and her throat went dry. “So if it wasn’t Mark, then who was it?”

  Tom took a deep breath and then exhaled. He looked down at his folded hands in front of him. The color drained from his face. “I’m sorry.” The words came out in a whisper.

  Lila’s mind spun. Her pulse quickened, and a wave of nausea settled in her stomach. She finally found her voice, but an eerie calm had come over her. Just like Mama. “You’ve been lying to me for twenty-five years. You said you’d never been with anyone else.” She looked at him then through clouded eyes. The pain on his face matched the pain in her heart.

  How could he do this to her? Had he loved Suzanne?

  She fought the tears, the rage, the emotions that warred inside her.

  “I didn’t lie about knowing she was pregnant. At first, I didn’t know. You told me.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out how you and Suzanne—” She couldn’t finish the sentence. “How did I not see it?”

  “You and I were so new. We’d only been dating a month. It just…happened.”

  “Save it, Tom,” Lila spat. “I don’t need your excuses.” She stared in the opposite direction.

  “Lila, I’m sorry.”

  Tears stung her eyes. Her stomach felt hollow, and her palms were wet. For a moment, her own body betrayed her and she couldn’t find a breath.

  “She loved you,” she whispered.

  “No. We weren’t in love.” Tom’s eyes pleaded for understanding, filled with tears at his admission.

  “You’re wrong, Tom. She did love you. Campbell found journal entries about the time you two spent on the dock.” Lila felt torn between wanting to read them for herself and wanting to burn them so no one would ever discover her humiliation. “Our whole marriage is a lie.”

  Her hands rested in her lap, but she couldn’t feel them. Couldn’t feel her feet on the ground or the legs connected to them. She’d gone completely numb. But the numbness had evaded her heart. She could feel every nick of pain inside.

  “No. It’s not.” Tom moved over next to her. “It’s not. You are the one I loved. That’s why when I found out about Campbell, I begged Suzanne not to tell you. Not to tell anyone.”

  “Did she come to you?” Had Suzanne tried to trap him or get him to leave Lila?

  He groaned. “Not exactly. It was the summer that you and I got engaged. We were here, in Sweethaven, but you were caught up with wedding plans, and I knew Suzanne wouldn’t be back again that year. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to find out for sure. So, I called her.”

  “You called her.” Lies piled on top of lies. She fought the urge to stop him, teetering between needing to know the full story and desperately wanting to stay oblivious.

  “After I found out about the pregnancy, I wondered, but I kept convincing myself there was no way. I mean, she would’ve called and told me, right? I pushed it out of my mind, but then we got engaged. If we were going to get married, I needed to know for sure. I had to do some digging, but I found her number and asked her if we could meet.”

  Lila didn’t know if she should be angrier with him or with herself. She’d been so self-absorbed she hadn’t even bothered to look for Suzanne’s number, and they’d been good friends. But knowing her husband had taken time to locate Suzanne and then called her—only months before their wedding—stung like a Band-Aid being ripped from damaged skin without warning.

  “I met her at a park. She had Campbell with her. She had just turned two.” Tom’s eyes glossed over at the memory. “I didn’t even have to ask if she was mine. I could tell by the look on Suzanne’s face.”

  Lila shook her head and closed her eyes—more to keep the tears from falling than anything else.

  “We talked for a few minutes, and I apologized to her. She said they were doing really well. Left her parents’ house and moved in with a cousin or friend or something.”

  “You don’t even know? You didn’t care where your own daughter was living?” Lila chose shame. She’d shame him and make him feel small. Make him feel like every move he’d made had been the wrong one.

  “I did.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I told her I could help—with money.”

  Lila’s eyes widened.

  “I told her we were engaged and that I loved you and if you found out about any of it, you’d leave. She said she’d carry the secret to the grave.” He paused. “And she did. I never thought she would. I thought she’d at least tell Campbell.” His voice quivered as he mentioned Suzanne’s daughter by name. His daughter.

  “She didn’t get a chance,” Lila said.

  Lila’s fingers turned to ice. Suzanne had kept Tom’s secret to spare Lila. She hated the realization, but she knew it was true. Even through her own pain, Suzanne had loved her. And she’d done nothing to d
eserve that kind of love.

  “I started sending her money. I figured it was the least I could do. In exchange, she agreed to keep it all a secret.” He stilled. “But I’ve spent the last twenty years expecting her to show up on our doorstep.”

  He almost sounded relieved.

  “How lovely. The two of you had a secret.” Hatred filled her voice, but Lila knew her anger only masked the devastating pain of his betrayal.

  “I did it for us, don’t you see that? To give us a chance.” Tom’s eyes pleaded with her.

  “You slept with someone else for us? You had the baby that we always wanted with someone else for us?” Her voice sounded shrill in her own ears. She stood.

  “Lila, wait.”

  She turned to face him. “What do you want?” She tried to sound firm. Angry. But inside, her heart had broken. Sorrow overtook her, but she couldn’t let on how desperately she didn’t want to lose him. It would only make her weak.

  “The same thing I’ve always wanted. You.” His face fell, and even in the moonlight, she could see the pain behind his eyes. “Tell me what to do. I’ll do whatever it takes. I just don’t want to lose you.”

  He hadn’t been this persistent since the beginning of their relationship. They’d both grown so accustomed to each other, they stopped seeing how special the other one was.

  But it was too late to romanticize what they used to have.

  Lila took a step closer and forced herself to hold in the tears—just for a few more minutes. “We need to keep this between us for now.”

  Tom shook his head. “No. I came to make things right. With you and with Campbell.”

  Lila’s jaw tightened. She put a hand on his cheek and gently kissed his lips. One last time. “Good-bye.” She hoped that would be enough to convince him to keep this nonsense to himself.

  She turned around, concentrated on the clicking of her heels on the pavement, held her head high. Remember who you are, Lila. Her mother’s words rang in her mind.

  Remember who you are.

  She refused to look back as her greatest fear washed over her.

  Lila Adler Olson was undeniably alone.

  FORTY-ONE