Secrets Whispered from the Sea - Emma St. Clair Page 0,45
anything else for this place that wasn’t mine. The new owner could do that. Why did I hate the idea of a new owner so much?
“Coffee will be ready in a few minutes,” I said. “Should we sit at the table, or …”
Or you can all see yourselves out, please. Like now.
But they all seemed perfectly content to sit down at the kitchen table around the donuts in what had to be the strangest gathering ever. I sat at the head of the table, Chuck on one side of me and Dad on the other. Alec took the other end of the table across from me, and Nadia seemed all too happy to be seated next to him. If I wasn’t wrong, and I didn’t think that I was, she inched her chair closer to him.
It would have made sense to wait until we were alone to ask, but I couldn’t wait. It’s not like this gathering could get more awkward. “So, Chuck. You’re here, in North Carolina. Not in Houston. Want to tell me about that?”
The tips of his ears turned a little pink. That was one of the first things I noticed when I met him. In a world full of swipe-for-sex men, Chuck was the kind of guy whose ears blushed when he was embarrassed. He was sweet and kind, something that drew me to him when we met through coworkers and friends.
Now that I thought about it, maybe he was too sweet. He deserved someone more like that. Not someone flighty and complicated like me.
“I wanted to be here sooner,” Chuck said, reaching for my hand on the table.
I stared down at his big, tan fingers as they covered mine. It looked strange to me. It felt strange. Being around Chuck right now felt like trying to put on that pair of pants you once loved, but now don’t hug your hips and are no longer in style.
When I glanced up, Alec had pinned me with a gaze even more intense than the one he’d given me downstairs. I felt like he was speaking to me with his eyes, telling me something I couldn’t quite understand. Slowly, not wanting to hurt Chuck’s feelings again, I pulled my hand away.
“Thanks,” I said, not sure what else to say. It meant a lot that Chuck wanted to be here for me. But I did not actually want him to be here. If he had asked me, rather than springing this visit on me, I would have told him that. I wondered how long he was staying, and more importantly, where he was staying.
The coffee maker beeped, and I jumped up. “Who wants coffee?”
“Do you have erythritol?” Nadia asked, following me to the counter.
“I don’t know what that is. I have sugar and milk.” I placed mugs on the counter along with Nana’s sugar bowl and a carton of milk. All kinds of classy, but I did not even care.
Nadia pursed her lips. “I guess I can do black for now. Nathan? Would you like a cup? Remember, you’ve already had one for today.”
I glanced at my father with a furrowed brow. He still had the same receding hairline and the same belly hanging over his belt. But Nadia had mentioned green smoothies and now was limiting his coffee. Was she getting him on some health kick? Honestly, he could probably use it, given how many hours he spent behind a desk, researching or writing. But it rubbed me the wrong way how she kept throwing in these mentions of healthy choices, almost like little barbs. She seemed much more like a passive-aggressive mother figure than his trophy wife.
Dad just gave me a slight shake of his head. “Water for me, please.”
While Nadia poured her erythritol-free coffee, I got Dad a glass of tap water. Nana’s fridge was older and didn’t have filtered water. The ice maker also didn’t work. Unfortunate, since I really only liked drinking water that was frigid. Living in Houston for two years will do that to a person. Anything to cool you down. I mentally added new fridge with icemaker to my list of things to buy.
“Alec. Do you need anything?” Despite his faux friendliness or whatever game he was playing now, I was still waiting for the mask to drop, leaving me with the grouch of a man I thought I knew.
He lifted the to-go cup of coffee. “I’m great. Thank you so much for offering. It’s a pleasant surprise.” He grinned at