Rainier Drive (Cedar Cove #6)(67)

“For women?” Seth repeated. “That wouldn’t work. When we rebuild, it’ll be a whole new Lighthouse. Can’t you just see it?” he asked, smiling down at her. “We’ll have the banquet room we’ve always wanted.”

Again and again Seth had bemoaned the fact that The Lighthouse didn’t have an area large enough to hold private banquets. He’d made the most of the space they had. But the restaurant lacked the facilities for wedding receptions and when they’d hosted any big occasions—like the charity auction and her grandmother Charlotte’s wedding—they’d been required to close the restaurant.

“You know how badly we need a banquet room,” her husband said again, puzzled at her decided lack of enthusiasm.

Justine didn’t answer. In talking to Robert about rebuilding—and this was obviously not the first such conversation—Seth made it clear that he hadn’t heard a single thing she’d said in the last two and a half months.

“Justine?” Seth studied her, frowning slightly.

Pointedly she looked away from him. “Actually I can see I’m not needed here. You two appear to have everything under control. I was invited to lunch, so if you’ll both excuse me I’ll join my friend.” Before Seth could question her or object, she left. If she hadn’t been so angry, Justine would’ve burst into tears; as it was, she was fighting for her composure.

When she reached her car, she heard hard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned to find Seth.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“You aren’t even listening to me,” she said, unable to hide the hurt she felt. “I really think my idea would work, Seth.”

“I’m not letting the last five years go down the drain so you can build a tearoom for a bunch of bored women. If we’re going to rebuild, it needs to be something that involves me, too. I want to make The Lighthouse what it was always meant to be.”

“Then you go ahead and do that.” Her voice remained calm, belying her anger.

“You think a tearoom’s actually going to be some kind of improvement?”

“Yes, I do. Don’t you understand, Seth? I’ve seen more of you these last few months than I have in years. Leif is thriving. He loves having both his parents around for more than an hour a day.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I, Seth?”

He shook his head, as if he couldn’t make sense of what she was telling him. “This is a golden opportunity for us. It’s not the time to consider doing something else. We have a chance to start over—”

“Then do it,” she broke in, glaring at him. “Just do it. If you want The Lighthouse back so badly, then rebuild.” She nearly choked on the words as she whirled around and opened her door.

Seth looked utterly perplexed as she slipped inside her car, thrust the key into the ignition and drove off. In her rearview mirror, she saw him standing at the side of the street, staring after her.

Her hands trembled and she bit her lip hard. She was hurt and angry and wanted to lash out at him. He objected to her seeing Warren? Well, too bad. Warren was her friend and at the moment he seemed to be a better one than her own husband.

She walked into the foyer at D.D’s on the Cove, then scanned the room. Warren sat at a table next to the window, facing the front of the restaurant. When he saw her, he brightened visibly. He stood, and came eagerly toward her.

“Justine,” he said meeting her at the entrance. “I hoped you’d come.” He kissed her on the cheek and steered her toward his table. Every eye in the room was on them.

This wasn’t a small, out-of-the-way café like the place they’d met before. Soon everyone in town would be talking about her and Warren. So be it.

The instant they reached the table, he pulled out her chair with a flourish. Next he got the waitress’s attention and asked for a menu. Justine felt a small shock as she recognized Diana, who’d worked as a waitress at The Lighthouse. They exchanged a few stilted words, and Justine hoped Diana wouldn’t mention her presence here—with Warren—to anyone who might know her mother. Crazy as it sounded, she worried more about Olivia finding out than Seth. Her husband could not have made it plainer that he didn’t care about her feelings, so she couldn’t see any reason to be too concerned about his.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Warren asked as she glanced over the menu.

“The way I feel right now, you can order an entire bottle.”

Warren’s laughter pleased her. “Then I will.”

He did, and he didn’t spare any expense, either, choosing a sixty-dollar bottle of chardonnay.

Despite her lack of appetite, Justine ordered the crab cakes and a small salad.

“All right,” Warren said, leaning toward her. “Tell me what happened.”

She waited until her wineglass had been filled. “Oh, Warren. I’m so upset.”

“I can tell,” he said, immediately solicitous.

“It’s Seth. He wants to rebuild the restaurant. I’d talked to him about another idea and he completely ignored me.”

He seemed a little surprised himself. “You don’t want to rebuild?”

“Not The Lighthouse. Not the way it was.” If what her mother had said was true and Warren was trying to get on her good side, hoping to be awarded the construction contract, he’d take her husband’s part in this. “For the first time since we opened The Lighthouse,” she explained, “Seth and I have time together like a normal couple. Leif is doing so well. The Lighthouse was strangling us, and now that we’ve been without it, I don’t want to return to that kind of life.”