A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street #8)(80)

“Tell me about your children,” she said, hungry to learn everything about him.

“Well…Peter, my oldest, is an attorney. He’s married and has two children. Maureen is a pharmacist who was playing doctor with her dolls from the time she was two years old. She was constantly scribbling prescriptions and taking them to the drugstore. Our youngest son, Kent, went into the ministry, serving God in Haiti.”

“Oh, Royce, it sounds like you have an incredible family.” Ruth looked up at him.

He nodded. “I’m truly blessed.”

“You had a good wife,” Ruth said.

“I did,” he agreed. “The kids turned out well, mostly because of Barbara—I miss her every single day.”

“Who does Craig belong to?” Ruth asked.

“He’s Maureen’s son. He works with Kent part of the year in Haiti. He’s still got a year of medical school. He has a true commitment to serving those who are suffering and in need of healing.”

“He seems like a wonderful young man.”

“He is, and he was quite taken with Annie.” Royce winked as he said it.

Ruth beamed. “She liked him, too.”

“Last night when I asked Craig to join us for dinner, he said yes, but I could tell he wasn’t keen on the idea. When I woke up this morning, he’d left a message on my phone, thanking me for introducing him to Annie.”

Ruth laughed delightedly. Annie was going to have plenty of male choices, she thought. That boy in Europe had some real competition now.

Royce turned to her, smiling. “Would you like a ride down the river?”

Ruth clutched at his hand, her face alight with pleasure. “Oh, Royce, could we really?”

“Maybe we could take a stroll down memory lane, as well.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

“Do you remember John Bolinger?” he asked as he led the way to the river dock.

“Of course. He was a good friend of yours.”

“Still is. He’ll be at the reunion.”

“What about Connie Keenan?” Ruth wondered.

“Last I heard, she’d signed up, too.”

Ruth clung to Royce’s arm as they stepped carefully across the planks of the dock. He stopped just short of the motorboat anchored at the end of the walkway. Turning to face her, he lifted his free hand to touch her cheek.

“For me, the most important name on that list was yours. Oh, Ruth, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you again.”

Ruth couldn’t speak for the emotions that flooded her. Tears pricked her eyes and she lowered her face so Royce wouldn’t see.

“So am I,” she finally managed. “So am I.”

Twenty-Six

Bethanne spent a lazy morning at the hotel, sleeping in late, while both Annie and Ruth went out for the day. Annie took off early with Craig, and Ruth was with Royce. Those two had been inseparable almost from the moment they’d seen each other the night before. Bethanne hoped they could resolve the past. It seemed promising because they obviously both wanted the same thing.

Young love, first love. Grant had been Bethanne’s first love, and Ruth was right. There was indeed something special about giving your heart away for the first time. While it might not be possible to recapture what they’d once shared, she’d always have her memories of loving Grant.

Grant.

Max.

All at once Bethanne was too confused to know what she wanted. With Max everything was fresh and new. With Grant she carried—and would always carry—the baggage of his infidelity. Someone looking at the situation from outside might feel a decision between the two men was simple because of that painful history. It wasn’t. She and Max hadn’t even had their first disagreement. To this point all was bliss, but she was mature enough to understand that wouldn’t last.

Bethanne had the whole morning to herself. After a leisurely breakfast of orange juice and toast by the pool, she took a long walk on the beach. She’d purposely left her cell phone behind, hoping to duck any and all responsibilities for the next hour or so.

The surf pounded the shore as she strolled down the sandy shoreline, which was nearly deserted. The breeze offered a respite from the heat and humidity. She wore a large straw hat she’d bought at the hotel gift shop and walked barefoot, her feet making soft indentations in the wet sand.

Mainly, her mind was occupied with thoughts of Max. Other than their brief conversation the day before, they hadn’t spoken again. She realized he was giving her this time with her family, in much the same way Grant had given her time with Max. Was respect between rivals like honor among thieves? That concept made her smile, even if the comparison didn’t quite work.

She tried to be sensible and realistic about Max, and yet whenever she thought about never talking to him again, never seeing him again, an instant sadness settled over her. It didn’t seem possible that she’d come to care for a man so quickly and yet she had.

No one had made her feel the way Max did—at least not since the divorce. After six years of grief and anger, six years of forgettable relationships, Bethanne felt she might be incapable of giving her heart to another man…ever. She’d loved Grant completely, totally. When she spoke her wedding vows she’d meant them to be forever. Until death do us part… Not until someone better, cuter, younger or sexier comes along. Forever.