The Reunion: Emma's Vacation (The Starting Over Series) (5 page)

“
That would be good
…”
Emma stammered with a smile.
“
He told me that he is divorced and has been for a long time. He also said he has a daughter in college.
”

“
Yes. His daughter is Carrie. I think she majors in Journalism at UGA. Anyway, he has lived there for about ten years. His grandmother used to own the place before she died.
”

“
He mentioned dating someone that he thought was the one
…”

“
I
’
m getting to that part,
”
Lorraine said laughing at Emma
’
s impatience.
“
Anyway, about five years ago Gaven started to date a woman named Colleen Bridgeport. She was an architect from Atlanta. They seemed like a match made in heaven - the architect and the contractor. Well, after dating for a couple of years, he told me he was having some questions about her. He wanted to marry her, but she started acting strangely.
”

“
Strangely? How?
”
Emma probed as she plopped down onto the wicker loveseat with seashell printed cushions.

“
Apparently, she was spending a lot more time back in Atlanta, and she was getting a lot of text messages. You probably know where this is leading
…”

“
She was cheating on him?
”

“
You guessed it. She was cheating with a new architect in her firm. When Gaven found out, he called things off with her but it broke his heart. He seemed to really adore her, and he was blindsided by the infidelity. I haven
’
t seen him date anyone since then,
”
she said.

“
Wow. He
’
s such a good looking guy. I assumed he would be on the singles scene around here
…”

“
What singles scene? It
’
s a small place, Emma!
”
she laughed.

“
Well, he could go into Savannah and date, right?
”

“
I guess he could, but he seems content doing his contractor work. He also makes wooden sculptures and sells them online,
”
Lorraine said.

“
He does? That sounds interesting,
”
she said.

“
Say, Emma, why don
’
t you ask Gaven out on a dinner date?
”
Lorraine suggested.

“
Oh, I think we have a bad phone connection
…”
Emma giggled as she made static noises into the receiver.

“
Very funny. Fine, I will leave your personal life alone. Enjoy the cottage, and don
’
t forget to send me some updates,
”
Lorraine said.

“
I will. And thanks again for the accommodations,
”
Emma said as she hung up.

Looking around the small two bedroom cottage, Emma was at a loss for what to do next. She had never been great at relaxing, and that was definitely the plan for such a small island. She figured her best plan was to head down to the small beach and read a book to unwind, so she threw on her swimsuit and packed her tote bag with books and her phone.

Walking down the quiet street toward the beach, Emma was struck at how serene this place was. There were few people on the island, and it certainly wasn
’
t a tourist spot. It even had a small town square where she could visit the cafes and hook up her laptop at the coffee shop.

Once she reached the beach, she found a secluded spot and sat down in the sand. Feeling the warm sand between her toes brought some much-needed peace. She spread out a towel and laid back, looking up at the white puffy clouds. It reminded her of her childhood when she and her best friend, Amy, would try to name what each cloud looked like.

“
Giraffe,
”
she whispered to herself as a cloud passed over. A smile crossed her face as she thought about how Amy would always argue with her no matter what she named.
“
A turtle riding a dog,
”
she whispered again. Suddenly, the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as if someone was watching her.

“
You know, if you keep talking to yourself, people might think you
’
re crazy,
”
Gaven said from behind her. She jumped up, embarrassed and a little irritated at the intrusion.

“
I thought I was alone,
”
she said.

“
Sorry. I usually come down here during the day and read. You
’
re kind of in my spot,
”
he said nodded at her place in the sand.

“
Your spot, huh? I didn
’
t see your name on it,
”
she said with a smirk.

“
I
’
ll tell you what
…
Since you are new around here, I will be happy to share my spot with you,
”
he said with a grin.

“
This is a big beach. I am happy to move,
”
Emma said standing up.

“
No, this is the best spot. I will be really quiet so that you can continue talking to the sky
…
or God
…
or those clouds
…
or whoever you were talking to when I walked up,
”
he said.

“
You
’
re a funny guy, Mr. Sinclair,
”
Emma said. She could feel heat rising up from her neck into her cheeks. No man had ever made her feel so unsure of herself or on edge. She sat back down, determined to stake her claim on that beach for the next few weeks.

“
So who were you talking to?
”
he asked after a few minutes. She looked up from her book, which she had only been pretending to read.

“
I thought you said you were going to be quiet?
”

“
I have to know if you are insane
…
because I love insane women,
”
he said with a smirk that made her want to bite his lip.

“
I was doing something I used to do as a kid. My friend and I would try to figure out what animals or shapes the clouds were forming,
”
she said.

“
Ah, that makes sense. And how old are you now?
”

“
I
’
m forty one, but young at heart
…”

“
Well, you don
’
t look forty one,
”
he muttered.

“
Older?
”
she asked.

“
No. You look a lot younger,
”
he said looking down at his book.

“
Thank you. Wish my ex thought so
…”
she muttered back.

“
What does that mean?
”

“
Oh, nothing
…”
she said wishing that she had kept her mouth shut.
“
How old are you?
”

“
I am forty five, and I also don
’
t like it when people change the subject,
”
he said wryly.

“
Well, I don
’
t really care what you like, Mr. Sinclair. I am not here to make you like me,
”
she said sharply. It was at that moment that she realized she might be taking out some of her hostility for Henry on this virtual stranger.

“
Whoa
…
I didn
’
t mean to offend you, Emma,
”
he said softly. She felt horrible for snapping at him.

“
I am so sorry. I didn
’
t mean to snap at you. Look, to be honest, I came here to get away from a pretty stressful time in my life
…”

“
Well, whatever he did to you, please let me apologize on behalf of all of the good men out there,
”
he said.

“
Where are they exactly?
”
she asked with a laugh.

“
One is sitting right beside you, actually. And I could ask you the same thing
…
Where are the decent, good women?
”
He looked away from her out at the water. She could tell he was still burned by what Colleen had done to him.

“
I don
’
t know. I just know that I am one of the nice ones,
”
she said quietly.

“
He cheated on you, didn
’
t he?
”
Gaven asked looking back at her. His copper brown eyes cut a hole through her heart. She had never been so attracted to a man so quickly.

“
He did. He
’
s over fifty, and he cheated with a twenty two year old.
”
She couldn
’
t believe she just told him that.

“
What a jerk. Twenty two? She
’
s young enough to be his daughter
…
or even my daughter. That is just gross.
”

“
Yep. I thought so too. Her name is Tiffani with an I.
”
Emma laughed and laid her forehead on her knees.

“
Sounds like a winner
…”
Gaven said shaking his head.
“
You mentioned that you have a son. Does your ex spend a lot of time with him?
”

“
None right now. He
’
s lost interest.
”

Gaven shook his head again and looked at the ocean in front of him.

“
Deadbeat
…
I
’
m sorry, I know I shouldn
’
t pass judgment on your ex, but he sounds like a loser.
”

“
If you met him, you wouldn
’
t think so. He is a world renowned doctor that every woman wanted to date when I met him. He has plenty of money and resources, but he basically abandoned us.
”

“
Your son must be confused and devastated. Every boy needs a strong father figure. I didn
’
t have one, and it was tough learning to be a man without a Dad,
”
he said looking down at the sand.

“
I think it is starting to affect him. His Dad used to call and come by on weekends to pick him up. That lasted about three months. He hasn
’
t seem him in a long time.
”