Foolish Games(63)
Hank looked at her quizzically.
“Will.” Annabeth sighed. “He thinks he has to protect my reputation by telling everyone I was married to his father. I wasn’t.”
He pulled fried chicken out of the insulated basket, along with a container of Patricia McAlister’s homemade potato salad, mixed fruit, and a tray of double fudge brownies.
“All my favorites. You certainly did your research.”
“Your friend, Patricia. It only took a passing comment about needing a picnic basket and she took over.”
That meant that everyone in Chances Inlet knew she was out on the island with Hank Osbourne. Annabeth wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but since the man was leaving in a few days, she figured it didn’t matter. Suddenly, though, the thought of Hank being gone by the end of the weekend made her stomach ache. She took another sip of wine as he prepared a plate for each of them.
“So, you weren’t married? Ever?”
He’d been forthcoming with his story, so Annabeth didn’t feel right not sharing hers. “No. Will’s father was a brief fling. My one and only,” she added shyly. “He was a young nineteen-year-old Marine, in town with some buddies on their weekend leave from Camp Lejeune. I was the new girl in town. My parents had just died and I’d been here all summer but didn’t know a soul my own age. I guess you could say I was ripe for any kind of attention. For someone to tell me they’d love me forever. It was a couple of months before I even realized I was pregnant. By then, he had shipped out to God knows where.”
Annabeth took another gulp of wine. “It was the gym teacher who finally figured it out. Unfortunately, she wasn’t very discreet about it. She kept trying to coerce my grandmother into forcing me to give the baby up for adoption.”
“Why didn’t you?” He posed the question gently.
“My reputation was already in tatters. My parents were dead, and I barely knew my grandmother. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I wanted someone to love. Someone who was all mine and would love me back. I know it’s silly, but I’ve never once regretted my decision.”
Hank saluted her with his wineglass. “Silly is not a word I’d ever use to describe you, Annabeth. And I commend you for the job you’ve done with Will. I can’t imagine it was easy.”
It hadn’t been easy. But somehow, against all odds, her son had turned out well. A success.
“Did you ever try to find Will’s father? You didn’t have to do it all alone financially.”
“I did, when I finally discovered I was pregnant. I went to Camp Lejeune but was told he’d died in a friendly fire episode shortly after he deployed. There were no parents to contact because he’d apparently grown up in the foster care system. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was kind of glad he didn’t have any family. That way, I didn’t have to share Will with anyone. It was just me and my grandmother, and I couldn’t have given my son up.” A bemused sigh escaped her lips. “I guess I’m a lot like more like my daughter-in-law than I thought.”
She hadn’t realized she was crying until Hank reached across the table to wipe away a tear.
“Hey,” he said. “Why don’t we eat this delicious dinner your friend prepared and enjoy the sunset?”
As they ate their meal, Hank offered up the occasional anecdote from what he termed Sophie’s teenage drama. It was obvious he adored his daughter, and Annabeth wondered what it would have been like if Will had had a father who adored him as much.
The sunset was everything Hank promised. By the time they’d packed up their picnic and traversed the dark island back to the ferry, it was a chilly ride back. Still, she huddled on the outdoor deck, Hank’s arms around her, watching the lighthouse fade in the distance.
Once in Chances Inlet, Hank deposited the picnic basket back at the inn. Sophie had gone to the movies with Lynnette’s granddaughter and wouldn’t be back for another hour. They stopped at the Patty Wagon again for some lemonade before ambling through the back streets to Annabeth’s house.
Hank’s voice punctuated the darkness. “You know, Annabeth, you are a lot more than just Will’s mother. Or a shopkeeper in Chances Inlet. You can be whoever you want to be.”
They were fifty yards from Will’s house. She could see Julianne silhouetted in the window carrying Owen up the stairs. While Annabeth appreciated Hank’s confidence in her, she was comfortable in Chances Inlet. She’d made mistakes in her life, yet the town accepted her anyway. As one of its own. Her business and friends were here and that was enough for her. Reinventing herself somewhere else was just too much for Annabeth to take on. She didn’t know why Will, and now Hank, couldn’t understand. One thing she did know, she didn’t want this magical night to end.