Tiger came toward him, his hands extended and dripping with vanilla custard. Darek intercepted him, grabbing napkins to work off the paste. His mother handed him a wet wipe and he went to town on the boy’s face.
Ivy waited until he turned Tiger loose and the boy ran away before she continued. “My mother finally ended up in jail. I looked her up when I turned eighteen and visited her in the women’s prison. She . . . she was sad for the way our lives turned out, but sometimes it’s just the way it is. She didn’t expect her life to turn out this way either—she just let defeat take over and rule her. Severing her rights was probably the best thing that could have happened for me.”
“You’re not angry with her?”
“Bitterness only eats you alive.” She looked at him. “Right?”
He frowned, then gave a quick nod. “Right.”
He checked on Tiger, who was climbing a rock. Casper hauled him up.
“Keep him out of the water, Casper,” Darek called.
“Anyway, I get to choose my own life, my own path. And I chose Deep Haven. I’m here now, and I’m not leaving.” She leaned back on her hands. “Ever.”
Not leaving.
“You know, you can see the fireworks better from the lighthouse out there.” He pointed to the break jutting out from shore. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
“What about Tiger?”
Darek glanced at Casper. His brother was already looking at him, wagging his eyebrows. See, this was what happened when you lived in a small town. Everyone watched as you fell in love with the new girl.
No, not fell in love. Just . . . started over. He wasn’t sure he even knew what it felt like to fall in love. What he and Felicity had shared felt more like . . . well, it certainly wasn’t love at the end.
“Tiger’s okay with Casper.”
“Then sure,” Ivy said.
He held out his hand as he got up, intending to help her, but when she slid hers into his grip, he didn’t let go.
She had soft, tiny hands, and he felt like a clod with his work-worn calluses. But he held on and led her through the crowd to the sidewalk, then down the beach and around the block to the lighthouse pathway.
The streetlights didn’t reach far enough, and he slowed so she could pick her way along. He climbed onto the breakwater and helped her up.
“You know this area so well.”
“Deep Haven boy,” he said simply.
“Right.” The breakwater was wide enough to walk side by side. “Thank you for letting me meet your family. They’re great.”
“You’re great.” Oh, wow . . . um . . . “I mean, thanks for being so great to them. Casper thinks he’s going to discover some hidden treasure, and Owen just wants to flex for everybody to fawn over his physical prowess. Grace is always looking for people to try out her recipes, and Eden thinks she’s going to be a superstar reporter. You listened to them all. Even posed for Amelia.” He slowed, turned. “Thanks for that. And especially for being so nice to Tiger.”
“Tiger is a wonderful little boy. You’ve given up so much for him.”
He frowned.
“Your firefighting dreams. It’s so romantic that you gave it all up for love. I’m so sorry about your wife, Darek. You don’t talk about her, but I can imagine that you miss her.”
The wind trailed a long strand of hair into her eyes, and he brushed it away. Wished he could tell her the truth without sounding like a jerk.
“I do, yes.” For Tiger’s sake. And for himself. Felicity’s death had stolen from him the chance to make it all right. To fix his mistakes.
No, Jensen had stolen that.
“But I’m trying to move on. To build a life for Tiger. I hope that we can build up the resort so he can take it over someday.”
“It’s a beautiful place. But . . . was it full?”
“No. We had a terrible winter—no snow. And spring came early. It’s been so hot and miserable, and without air-conditioning or Internet in our units . . .”
“People don’t appreciate the idea of an oasis in the woods.”
“It’s hard to update your Facebook status from Evergreen Lake. No cell towers.”
“I rather enjoyed the luxury of being off the grid today.”
“You’re among the rare, then.” He glanced at her, his words finding soft soil. Rare, indeed. “You know, the only thing I miss about my hotshot days is my motorcycle.” Okay, that wasn’t true. He missed the camaraderie, the challenge, the urgency of fighting fires. But admitting it only revived the ache.
And how could he compare that life to the life he had with Tiger? His family?