He laughed and they walked in comfortable silence for a minute, while she convinced herself that not telling him her secret was best right now.
They passed a cutesy art gallery with blown-glass dolphins in the window, then stopped to admire a booth selling hand-carved wooden spoons and cutting boards.
“You need a good cutting board,” she said.
“I think the school supplies them.” Jonah studied one shaped like a sea turtle, flipped it over, then winced at the price tag. “Also, I need to be a celebrity chef before I buy artisanal kitchen supplies.”
Meredith nudged him forward, her eyes scanning the crowd for something—anything—that might distract her from blurting out her secret.
What would it even sound like?
Hey, b-t-dub, I’m pregnant by a man I knew was all wrong for me and real temporary and guess what? He forgot to mention his wife, so…what do you think of that and the fact that I have a baby inside me and no idea what to do with my life?
But Jonah didn’t need that. Or maybe he did. Maybe learning that even the mighty Miss Perfect could topple from her pedestal would make him feel better.
Still, she couldn’t do it.
“So,” she said instead, fishing for safer conversation, “I’m having dinner with Lacey tonight. I wanted to meet her new boyfriend, but I guess he’s left town for a while and she’s doing the same. Roman, right? An NFL player? I hear there’s quite a backstory.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces but have been in a baby fog since I got here,” he said. “But I guess Tessa secretly had a son in her twenties and gave him up for adoption, and now he’s dating Lacey. Pretty sure there’s more to it, but honestly, I haven’t absorbed the details.”
“I’m sure I’ll get that all tonight. Have you met him?”
“My first night here, but that was chaos. Atlas threw up and I didn’t get to spend much time with Roman.” He looked skyward. “Yes, the first time I ever get to meet a professional ballplayer, and my kid decides to Barf-nado all over me. A Cat 5 of puke, honestly.”
She cracked up, feeling that old sibling love for her hilarious brother.
“It’s humbling, this parenting thing, I’m telling you.”
She smiled, but the hearty laugh made her feel unexpectedly lightheaded, so she ushered him to an empty bench in the shade.
“I need a break,” she whispered.
“You? The original Energizer Bunny? Dad says you never stop buzzing around Acacia Architecture like its future owner on a mission.”
There it was. That little bit of…competition. Envy, maybe. It had developed in the years when Jonah wanted to give up on everything, and Meredith’s coping mechanism was to work until she couldn’t see straight, then work some more. During those years, they’d drifted completely apart.
Could this time in Destin bring them back together? She hoped so.
“Well, this bunny is stopping,” she said. “Humor me. Also…can you go get me water? This Florida heat and humidity has me parched.”
“Sure. Watch my overpriced knives and use them on anyone who looks dangerous. BRB.” He set off to a small booth vendor selling water and snacks, leaving her to let the dizziness pass. And reconfirm her decision that this was not the time or place to share her secret.
When he came back with two cold waters, they sat in companionable silence—except for his latest phone check to make sure Atlas hadn’t stopped breathing—and sipped water.
“So speaking of unexpected relationships,” she said, “you and Kate seem close.”
Jonah cracked one eye open. “Fishing for Summer House gossip, Mer?”
“Not gossip. Intel. I mean, she’s been amazing for Dad, I can tell,” she said, and meant it. “He talked about her non-stop after he got back to Atlanta, and he kind of looks like he’s aging backwards. But what is she really like?”
He tilted his head and smiled. “She’s smart. Like, scary smart. And no-nonsense. But kind. She’s helped me a lot. Even today, she tried to talk me out of believing I’m cursed.”
“You think you’re cursed?” Meredith blinked. “What is that all about?”
“It’s about my crap luck and bad history,” he said. “I am cursed.”
She drew back at his matter-of-factness. “That’s crazy.”
