“Maxi?”
Maxi looked up to see Andie looking at her with concern. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“I was asking about painting the candles. The bride wants stripes, sort of like a lighthouse. Is there a special paint for candles?”
“Ummm. Yeah, you can buy special acrylic candle paint.”
Andie put the candle down and looked at Maxi over the rim of her aqua reading glasses. “Is something wrong? You seem a little distracted.”
Maxi sighed. She was bursting to confide in someone, but she felt like such a failure. She’d wanted to say more to Jane and Claire that morning, but admitting it to her best friends was hard. Somehow it seemed easier to talk to Andie. She was practically a stranger, yet they’d bonded when they’d worked on the bathrooms together, and Maxi sensed Andie had experience that might help her.
“Things aren’t going great with my husband.”
“I’ve noticed over the past weeks you mentioned a few things. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Sort of.” As if sensing Maxi’s distress, Cooper came to her side, and she buried her hands in the soft fur between his shoulders. “I think he might be cheating.”
Andie’s gaze narrowed. “Are you sure?”
Maxi thought about it. All the signs pointed at it, and she didn’t want to be the sucker of a wife who buried her head in the sand and waited around.
“I’m fairly sure.” She told Andie about the card, the late nights, and how James had avoided eye contact when she’d seen him in the car earlier.
“Ouch, that sounds bad. I’m so sorry, Maxi.”
“I haven’t mentioned the specifics to Jane or Claire yet. I guess I was hoping that I was making too much of things, but when I saw him parked in front of her office...” Maxi felt guilty for not telling Jane and Claire first, but she’d just sort of blurted things out to Andie.
“Don’t worry. I won’t mention it to either of them,” Andie said. “So what are you going to do?”
Maxi gazed out at the ocean. “I’m not sure. Confront him, I guess. Luckily I rented a cottage... it was going to be an artist studio, but now I might just live there until I figure out more about what I want.”
“You’re doing the right thing.”
Maxi turned back to Andie. The confidence in her tone made Maxi feel like she was on the right track. “You sound pretty sure of that.”
“I was in a similar situation but maybe reverse.” Andie looked away. “I’m embarrassed to admit that I was the other woman. He’d said he and his wife were separated. Turned out it wasn’t actually true.”
“On no. Is that why you’ve stayed here longer than usual?”
“Partly. The other part is that Jane needs help here. I want to see it through and make sure Tides gets back on its feet before I run off.” Andie glanced into the house through the French doors, a soft smile flitting across her lips. “And to tell the truth, I’m getting really fond of it here. Suddenly it feels like home in a way it never has before.”
“So what happened with the guy?”
Andie shook her head. “Once I started asking about taking our relationship to the next level, he became less interested. Turns out he was still with his wife. Then he just pushed me aside, and last I heard, had taken up with someone else. Still not separated from his wife.”
“That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”Once a cheater, always a cheater, Maxi thought. Even if she and James worked things out, he’d probably do it again.
“Don’t be. Turns out it was the best thing that could have happened. Now I can live my best life without him treating me as an afterthought.”
Afterthought? Was she just an afterthought now for James? After twenty-seven years of marriage and raising three kids?
Well, she wasn’t going to stand for that. She had a cottage on the beach, a new kitten, and a new plan for her art career. Middle-aged or not, she still had plenty of time to live her best life.
Chapter Three
Maxi was waiting for James with her bags packed when he came home. Her car was full of things she wanted to take with her, including all her art supplies. The suitcase at her side held her favorite outfits. She could get everything else later. She’d picked up the kitten at the Lobster Bay Animal Rescue and set him up in her cottage. At least that was something to look forward to after she confronted James.
When his key finally turned in the lock, she almost chickened out. Almost rushed back upstairs with her bags... but she didn’t.
