“They are friends, you know.”
“Aunt Mary and your mother are friends?” Samira asked in surprise.
Andy couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. Sit together at church and everything. Sometimes, they even ride together.”
He took a step closer to Samira and studied her expression. It had gotten dark since he first saw Samira on the beach, and it was hard to read her facial expression. Through the shadows, he could see the hurt.
“You’ve been away a long time,” he said quietly. “I’m sure your aunt didn’t want to upset you.”
“I’m not upset. Just surprised. I better get back. I have to get ready, so I can leave tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you Monday,” Samira said before turning to walk away.
Andy reached out and grabbed hold of Samira’s arm. He loosened his grip when she turned back, but she didn’t pull her arm free. She looked at him expectantly.
“Don’t be upset with your aunt. She didn’t betray you. You know everyone is like family down here. When my dad got sick, your aunt and uncle made sure Mom never needed anything. I do what I can but taking over Dad’s boat keeps me pretty busy, so I’m glad they’ve become close,” Andy tried to explain.
“I get it. I just wish my aunt would stop thinking she has to protect me from everything. I’m a grown up. The past is the past,” Samira said with a heavy sigh.
“She probably thinks it’s her job to protect you since your parents passed.”
Samira held up a hand. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up my parents.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Listen, I need to get going. It was good seeing you,” Samira said as she turned once again to head back toward her aunt’s house.
“Please think about coming out Monday. I plan to head out around 7:30 a.m. in case anyone needs pulled out to the startingline. Your aunt knows where my dad’s shanty is if you don’t remember,” Andy suggested one more time.
“I’ll think about it. Goodnight.”
Andy stood in place for a moment and watched as Samira made her way up the path to the road. Once he could no longer make out her outline, he turned and headed back to his house. Inviting her on the boat was far more intimate than inviting her to lunch. He told himself he just wanted to catch up, but he knew better. He wanted to do more than just clear the air. After all these years, he needed more than just closure.
He was up later than he had intended, and his thoughts were even more consumed by Samira. The restlessness was now replaced by anticipation. He pulled the blankets over himself and let thoughts of Samira on his boat carry him off to sleep.
Chapter 2
“Welcome back, Samira. How is your aunt doing?” Andrea greeted, as Samira walked into the office.
“Thank you. She is doing as well as can be expected. Thanks for letting me take the time off,” she answered.
“You know you don’t need to thank me. So, tell me how it was, going back home after all these years.”
Andrea was the owner of Park Place Hotel and had become one of Samira’s closest friends. When Samira first accepted the job, Park Place was a small hotel with just a dozen rooms. Over the years it had grown, as had Samira’s position within the hotel. She started off working at the front desk and was now the hotel manager.
“It was kind of strange. A lot of faces were familiar, but it was hard to put names to the faces. I did forget how beautiful it is there on the water,” Samira answered.
“I can imagine,” Andrea said before studying Samira for an extra moment. “Okay, what aren’t you telling me? Spill.”
Samira let out a short laugh. “How do you do that?”
“Don’t worry how I always know, just know that I do. Quit stalling, and tell me,” Andrea answered with a short laugh of her own.
“I ended up talking to an ex for a while. It went way differently than I would have imagined it would go.”
“Nottheex?” Andrea asked, surprised.
“That would be the one,” Samira said as she turned to leave Andrea’s office.
“Not so fast! How did he look?” Andrea asked, her brown eyes gleaming.
