by Glen Ebisch
“That might be for the best.”
“I know you don’t feel about me the way I do about you. I don’t think you ever did.”
Clarissa sat back in her chair. All the breath had left her body. “How can you say that? I loved you. We were engaged.”
“But for you, the job always came first. You have big plans, and I would have just been a drag on you. I think deep down you knew that.”
“But you have dreams, too.”
He smiled. “Not big ones. I pretended to have them because I knew that was what you expected.”
“And how can you say I chose the job over you? You were the one who refused to follow me because you wanted your own career.”
“That was only because on some level I knew that we would never work out. Let’s face it, Clarissa, you were fine with me when we were students, but I would never have been the man you wanted once you were out on your own. I need too much support. You want a man as strong as you are.”
Tyler quickly got to his feet before she could reply. “But I’ll always feel deeply obligated to you for getting me out of this fix. If you ever need any help, let me know.”
He put out his hand. Clarissa stood, her knees feeling a bit wobbly. She reached out and shook his hand, feeling it was a remarkably formal end to what had once been a passionate relationship. She opened the door, and they went into the outer office.
Tyler went to the doorway and turned. He gave a deep bow.
“Goodbye, ladies,” he said. Then he opened the door and was gone.
“That had an awfully final sound to it,” Ashley commented.
“Yes. He’s going back north to resume his job as an assistant pastor.”
She stared at Clarissa. “Are you okay? You look a bit stunned.”
“He said a few things that were like having a mirror held up to me, and I’m not sure I cared for what I saw.”
“You save his miserable life, and he criticizes you.” Ashley grunted, “I guess it’s true what they say; no good deed goes unpunished. Good riddance to him. He wasn’t good enough for you. Anyway, now you can concentrate on the luscious Andrew.”
“And Roger,” Clarissa mumbled.
“What? Who’s Roger?”
“Officer Rudinski.”
“Officer R asked you out? When was this?”
“When we were keeping an eye on you.”
“Oh, great. I’m glad I didn’t know that the two of your were getting hot and heavy when you should have been focused on protecting me. I might have guessed that if Rudinski spent enough time alone with you in a small room, your pheromones would get to him.”
Clarissa began to laugh and kept laughing until she began to feel better.
“Well, I guess he’s not a bad guy—under the uniform—if you get what I mean,” Ashley said with a wink.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
Ashley studied Clarissa for a long moment. “You know, neither one of us is in any shape to get any work done this afternoon. It’s a beautiful day. What do you say we get out of here and go for a walk on the beach? We’ll let the ocean breeze blow through our brains until we can’t remember what was bothering us any more.”
“I’m not sure that will ever happen.”
“It’s worth a try, and I know a great place along the boardwalk that’s still open where we can get a spectacular ice cream soda. Doesn’t that sound tempting?”
“It does indeed,” Clarissa said, slowly smiling. “It does indeed.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Glen Ebisch is the author of the Pastor Clarissa Abbot Mystery series. The first in the series is Seaside Secrets. Ocean Blues is the second.
A recently retired professor of philosophy, Ebisch has had a number of mysteries for young adults and adults published over the past twenty-five years. He currently resides with his wife in western Massachusetts where he practices yoga and writes mysteries.
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