“I can finish that up,” she said as she grabbed an apron.
“I was starting to worry.” Felicity closed the dishwasher door. “Mark was asking for you earlier. Said he wanted to talk to you about something.”
A knot formed in Darlene’s stomach. “Oh? Did he say what about?”
“No, but he seemed…” Felicity studied her grandmother’s face. “Is everything okay? First, you had that headache last night and went to bed early. Then this morning, you actually let me handle breakfast service without hovering nearby to make sure I didn’t mess anything up.”
“I don’t hover.”
“Gran.” Felicity crossed her arms. “You absolutely hover. Every morning. But today you disappeared completely.”
“I just went to have coffee with Beverly.” Darlene busied herself wiping down the already spotless counter.
“At the busiest time of the morning? When you never leave the B&B during breakfast?” Felicity gently took the cloth from Darlene’s hands. “What’s really going on?”
She sank onto one of the kitchen stools. “I saw Mark with a woman yesterday. There was clearly something going on between them.”
“Did you ask him about her?”
“No.” Darlene smoothed invisible wrinkles from the placemat in front of her. “I didn’t want to intrude.”
“So instead, you’re avoiding him completely?” Felicity shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like my Gran at all. The woman who taught me to face my problems head-on. You should go find him. Talk to him.”
“That’s what Beverly said.”
“Beverly’s a smart woman,” Felicity said. “So am I. It’s good advice.”
“I don’t know…”
Felicity sat down beside her. “You know, Gran. I was thinking. I’m not sure now is a good time to leave with Brent. And he’ll be so busy with his research. I mean, I’ll have the online classes I’m teaching, but?—”
She held up her hand. “Stop right there. I am not your responsibility. And you will not stay here because of me. Of course you’re going with Brent. That’s all there is to it.”
“But, Gran?—”
“No buts.” She sat back in her chair, her resolve growing. “And you’re right. I’ll go talk to Mark. At least then I’ll know what’s going on.”
Darlene stepped onto the porch, her heart beating faster when she saw Mark in his usual spot, writing in his notebook. A gentle breeze rustled the pages.
He looked up at her approach, his face brightening. He set his notebook aside and rose from his chair. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I know.” She clasped her hands together. “Felicity told me.”
The silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant call of seabirds and the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves on the magnolia trees.
She took a deep breath. “Truth is, I’ve been avoiding you.”
His forehead creased. “Why? I know we got interrupted yesterday, but I was hoping we could talk.”
She looked down at her hands, still locked together. “I saw you yesterday. With that woman. Savannah.” The name felt strange on her tongue. “You seemed… close.” She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “It’s obvious there’s a bond between the two of you.”
The boards creaked beneath his feet as he took a step toward her. She forced herself to continue to meet his gaze, steeling herself for whatever explanation he might offer. The connection they’d built over these past weeks felt fragile now, like a soap bubble ready to burst at the slightest touch.
“I wanted to explain.”
Darlene nodded, her throat tight. Part of her wanted to run back inside, to protect herself from whatever truth might follow. But she stayed rooted to the spot, remembering her own advice to Felicity about facing problems head-on.
“I do have a special bond with Savannah.”
