“Are you all right, Mr. Preston?”
He pulled his gaze away from Diana and focused on Dylan, the teenager who’d stopped in front of him. “I’m fine. You’d better catch up with everyone before they go inside.”
Dylan didn’t waste any time. He hurried up the garden path, joining the rest of the group as the last person walked inside. If the noise coming from the house was anything to go by, everyone was excited.
Katie walked out of the dining room just as he was stepping into the hallway. “Hi, Ethan. Thanks for bringing everyone here.”
“You’re welcome. Can you let Diana know that I’ve gone back to my office? When your helpers are finished, give me a call and I’ll collect everyone.”
“Okay. Did you get the invitation for Penny and Wyatt’s party? We emailed them to all the guests this morning.”
Ethan smiled. When he’d opened the invitation, he thought his account had been hacked. Bright, colorful balloons had exploded across his screen and someone’s voice shouted that he’d been invited to a party. It wasn’t until he’d checked the sender’s name that he realized where it had come from.
“It arrived. Where did you find the invitation? I haven’t seen anything like it before.”
“Barbara met someone the other day who’s a genius with computers. While they were talking, she told them about the engagement party and they offered to make a digital invitation. Did you like it?”
“I almost turned off my computer.”
Katie groaned. “Don’t tell me you thought you’d been hacked, too.”
“I wasn’t the only one?”
“Half the people we sent invitations to thought the same thing. Next time, we’ll use something with less impact.”
“At least it got people’s attention.”
Katie smiled. “It definitely did that.”
Ethan glanced down the hallway, hoping to see Diana again.
“She’s in the kitchen if you want to say hello.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll see her when I come back. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon.”
“I will.”
Before he changed his mind, Ethan left the inn. After checking his watch, he was glad he hadn’t stayed. His next patient was arriving in twenty minutes. That gave him just enough time to drop off the van and walk back to the clinic.
And then it was back-to-back appointments for the rest of the afternoon.
Diana tightened the string on another bag of candy and watched the young people around her. The amount of candy being eaten was only slightly less than what was going into the bags, but that didn’t matter. Everyone was having a great time, including Charlie.
Thankfully, the students were being super-careful not to let her happy-go-lucky dog eat any of the sugary treats.
She dropped a gift-wrapped bag into a box and smiled. “That’s another one ready for a guest.”
Cassidy placed a tick on the piece of paper beside her. “That’s number fifty-two,” she said proudly. “We only have another eighteen bags to make.”
Paul, Cassidy’s friend, added another bag to the box. “Make that seventeen.”
A dark-haired girl farther down the table, leaned forward. “What would you like us to do after we’ve finished?” she asked Diana.
“I thought we could practice carrying trays of drinks on the back lawn.”
Cassidy frowned. “Are we using plastic glasses or the real thing?”
Diana’s gaze swept over the youngsters’ faces. Their expressions ranged from slightly worried to terrified. “It’s okay. We’ll start with plastic glasses, then try proper glass. If that doesn’t work, we’ll buy special non-breakable glasses for the party. We could use them at other events, too.”
“That’s awesome,” Cassidy said with a relieved sigh. “I was worried about dropping a glass and someone stepping on it.”
Diana didn’t want any of her new employees to be worried. “Even if one does fall on the ground, it won’t matter. The whole event will be outside, so any broken glass can be quickly picked up. If you drop any food, Charlie will eat it before anyone notices.”
The dog in question thumped his tail against the kitchen floor.
“He knows you’re talking about him,” another girl said. “He must be very intelligent.”
Diana smiled. “Charlie is intelligent, especially when it comes to food. He can smell a sausage or a steak from three miles away.”
“He likes socks, too,” Cassidy added. “Last week he brought one of Diana’s to me. He looked so cute.”
“I wish the same could be said of my sock,” Diana said with a laugh.
The students closest to Charlie patted his back. It looked as though his sock antics had earned him a special place in their hearts.
Katie walked into the kitchen. “Wow, I’m impressed. You must have nearly finished all of the gift bags.”
Cassidy consulted her list. “We have eleven bags left to make.” She glanced around the table and pointed to Paul and the girls sitting on either side of him. “Once Paul, Emily, and Erica have finished their bags, we only have to make one more each.”
Paul popped a sugar-coated heart into his mouth. “Sounds good to me.”
Katie leaned closer to Diana. “You have a visitor in the living room.”
She looked into his sister’s eyes and knew something was wrong. “Who is it?”
“Derek,” Katie whispered. “For what it’s worth, he doesn’t look upset. If anything, he’s embarrassed.”
Diana didn’t imagine their conversation would end positively. Derek’s mood could change at the drop of a hat. “I thought he’d gone home after our last conversation.”
“He’s been staying with some friends. From what he said, he’s going home soon.” Katie touched her arm. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’ll be all right. But if you could stay here and look after everyone, I’d appreciate it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” With a forced smile, Diana turned back to talk to the students. “I have to see someone. Katie will look after you while I’m gone. As long as there’s enough candy for a few emergency bags, you’re welcome to finish the rest.”
Reassured by their happy smiles, she walked out of the kitchen, followed by Charlie. At least she’d have his moral support, even if the worst he’d do was lick Derek.
As soon as Derek saw Diana, he leaped out of the chair he was sitting in. “Don’t be angry. I’m only here to say goodbye.”
She looked at him warily. “I thought you’d already left.”
“I needed a few days to make some plans for when I go home.”
Charlie flopped onto the floor beside Derek, keeping a watchful eye on the stranger.
Derek looked down and frowned. “Is this the dog you adopted?”
“His name is Charlie and, yes, I adopted him from an animal shelter in Cincinnati.”
Surprisingly, Derek reached down and patted Charlie’s back. He’d never liked dogs and always had a reason why they couldn’t rehome one. Knowing Derek, his sudden interest in Charlie was only a ploy to make her think he’d changed.
Derek cleared his throat. “I called Mom and Dad. They’re lending me enough money to keep the bank from foreclosing on my loan. Until I sell my house, I’ll rent it to someone else and stay with a friend. At least that way I’ll have extra money coming in.”
She tried to stay positive, to take an interest in what he was doing, but it was hard. “I’m happy you’ve found a way out of your financial troubles.”
“I want to apologize for the way I acted the other day. Ignore what I said about borrowing money from you. You don’t owe me anything, especially after what I did.”
Diana wasn’t sure what to say. For three years, she’d carried around so many negative feelings about him that it was difficult to see any goodness in his heart.
She studied Derek’s face. He seemed sincere, but it would take a lot more than a few words to erase al
l the lies and half-truths he’d told her. “It’s good you’re going home in a better state of mind. I hope you have a great life.”
His shoulders slumped forward. “It’s not the life we dreamed about. I’m sorry for that.”
Their marriage hadn’t even come close to the type of relationship she wanted, but some of that was her fault. She’d fallen into marriage with rose-tinted spectacles, thinking it would be as wonderful as her parents’ marriage was. But neither she nor Derek were prepared for what it meant to live together.
As she studied Derek’s face, she realized there were a lot of unresolved issues inside her. If this was the last time they saw each other, she wanted to make it count. Not for Derek, but for herself. “Our marriage wasn’t all bad. We had some good times.”
“We did. I’m sorry about what I did. I still don’t know why I slept with so many women. It was childish and immature.”
It was a lot worse than that and Derek knew it. “I was hurt and embarrassed. Most of our friends knew what was going on, but I had no idea. If you’d told me…” She clamped her mouth shut. Derek knew exactly what she thought of him and how his affairs had affected her. The fact that it had taken three years for him to apologize, after asking her for more money, told her more about him than he realized.
She took a deep breath. After everything that had happened, she was grateful their marriage had ended. If she’d woken up in ten years’ time and discovered what was going on, she would have been even more devastated.
“I hope you have a happy life,” Derek said sadly. “I know you’d have to be desperate to ask for my help but, if you ever need me, I’ll do everything I can for you.”
Silence stretched between them. She thought they’d have more to say to each other, but there was nothing that hadn’t already been said. It was time to say goodbye.
She held out her hand, hoping he got the message and left. “I hope everything works out for you. Goodbye, Derek.”
Slowly, he lifted his hand to shake hers. “Take care of yourself.”
Walking across the room, she opened the front door and watched him leave. Once upon a time, he was her knight in shining armor. And now, eleven years after they’d first met, all she felt was emptiness. And that was a hundred times worse than being angry with him.
Chapter 15
Ethan reversed his truck up to the garage at The Lakeside Inn. With only a couple of days to get everything ready for Penny and Wyatt’s engagement party, Pastor John had asked him to drop off the foldaway tables and chairs.
As strange as it sounded, it was a great way to relax after a busy day. He didn’t have to think about the consequences of his words or devise a treatment plan for someone who was in a crisis situation. All he had to do was unpack the furniture and return to the church for another load.
“Would you like a hand?”
He turned around and smiled. Diana and Charlie were standing a few feet away. “Have you come back from a walk?”
Diana looked at her four-legged buddy. He was in full pant mode, as if he’d run three miles around the lake without a break. “It started off that way, but Charlie took a detour through the trees. By the time he came back, he was tired and out of breath.”
“It’s just as well he knows his way around the lake. Otherwise, you might not have found each other.”
“That’s true,” Diana agreed.
Her voice was flat, emotionless, and so different from what it normally was that he knew something was wrong. Earlier, when he’d returned to the inn to collect the students, Diana wasn’t home. He knew how busy she was, so he didn’t think anything of it. Now he was worried about where she’d been.
He jumped off the cargo bed of the truck and patted Charlie. “I haven’t asked how the students were. Did they finish everything you wanted them to do?”
“They did and they were wonderful. Everyone’s a little nervous, but looking forward to the engagement party.”
“Is everything else all right? You look a little sad.” Tears filled her eyes and Ethan’s heart sank. He opened his arms and she stepped forward, hugging his chest as if his touch could heal whatever was wrong. “What’s happened?”
“Derek came to see me.”
His arms tightened around her. He’d be paying the guy a visit if he’d done anything to hurt Diana. “What did he want?”
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “He apologized for what happened while we were married. It’s the first time he’s said sorry and it took me by surprise.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason he came to see you?”
“He didn’t want any money. His parents are paying off some of his bank loan.” She eased back from Ethan, found a tissue in her pocket, and blew her nose. “I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.”
Ethan saw the pain in her eyes. His stomach knotted as he imagined what she must be going through. Her marriage to Derek was far from perfect but, at some point, they’d loved each other. “How does that make you feel?”
“Sad, but not for the reasons you probably think. I used to love Derek with all my heart. When I saw him today, I felt empty. That shocked me more than seeing him again.”
“Why was that?”
Diana looked down at her hands. “I’m worried that I never really loved him. I’m scared that if I feel like that about him now, what does it mean for anyone else I fall in love with?”
It was no wonder Diana was upset. So much had happened over the last few months that Derek’s arrival had set off a chain of reactions that made her second guess everything. “Nothing ever stays the same. It’s up to the people in a relationship to either grow together or drift apart.”
He could have said something about the choices Derek had made, but that wouldn’t help Diana. She needed his support, not his thoughts about her ex-husband.
“What if I don’t know what real love looks and feels like? What if I’ll never be able to have a long-lasting relationship with anyone?”
Ethan held her hands. “You are an amazing woman who has a huge capacity for love. All you have to do is look at your family to see what love looks like. What happened with Derek wasn’t your fault and it doesn’t mean you can’t love anyone else. He wasn’t the right person for you.”
Her green eyes were as deep and troubled as a stormy sea. “What if I’m not the right person for you?”
Taking a step forward, he lifted his hands to either side of her face. “I’m falling in love with you. The only thing I want is for you to be happy. The most important question is whether I’m the right person for you.”
Diana smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you. I want to spend more time with you.” Charlie tugged on the leash and she smiled. “And all Charlie wants is his dinner.”
Ethan held her hand. “In that case, let’s take him inside. While we’re in the kitchen, I’ll make you a cup of coffee and you can tell me about everything else that happened today.”
“What about the tables and chairs?”
“They can wait. You’re more important.”
A soft blush spread across Diana’s cheeks. “Thank you for listening.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Suddenly, Charlie found a spurt of energy. He dug his front paws into the ground and pulled Diana forward.
“It looks as though Charlie’s in a hurry,” Diana said a little breathlessly.
Ethan jogged across the yard to keep up with them. As long as they were all heading in the same direction, he was happy.
The following day, as Diana was making her lunch, Barbara rushed down the stairs.
“Mom and Dad called. They’re home from Hawaii.”
Katie finished buttering a slice of bread. “Did they enjoy their flight?”
“They didn’t say, so I’m assuming it was okay. When does everyone want to see them?”
Diana glanced at her watch. “We could go now? Our guests are in Polson at the moment and won’
t be back until three o’clock. As long as I’m back here by two-thirty, it should be fine.”
Barbara lay her clipboard on the kitchen counter. “I’ve finished everything I need to do for the engagement party, so now is good for me.”
“I can leave as soon as I’ve finished making my lunch,” Katie said.
Diana took the salad out of the refrigerator and handed it to her sister. “Does anyone know if Theo interviewed Mom about our great-grandparents before she went to Hawaii?”
Barbara sat on a kitchen stool and helped herself to one of Diana’s sandwiches. “I thought she was waiting until they got back from their vacation.”
“So did I, but you know Mom. She could have changed her mind. At least Theo promised not to play the interview on the radio until we’ve all heard it.”
Katie popped a piece of tomato into her mouth. “I hope she didn’t say anything about the letter being real. Chloe really wanted us to wait until the Smithsonian has finished preserving it.”
Diana thought the same thing and, from the expression on Barbara’s face, so did she. “I think we would have heard something by now if Mom had told him.”
Katie added some salad to her sandwich. “Whenever the interview takes place, I hope it’s as good as the last one he did. I enjoyed hearing about the cottages on Anchor Lane.”
Barbara frowned. “Is Penny any closer to finding out if she can redevelop them?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask her when I tell her Mom and Dad are back. She’ll probably want to meet us at their house, anyway.”
Diana was looking forward to seeing her parents. She just hoped they’d managed to get some rest while they were away. “While we’re catching up on what’s happening, has anyone from the Smithsonian called? The last time we spoke to Chloe, she thought they might know more about our great-grandfather by now.”
“They must be having the same problem we did,” Barbara said. “At least we can say we’ve done our best to discover what happened to him. The mystery surrounding his life might have to remain a mystery.”
Summer At Lakeside Page 13
