off dinner with my grandmother this week. I thought it might be good for us to have some alone time to regroup after our long week.”
My eyes pop up to his. “What do you mean? Aren’t we only doing this for your grandmother?”
He nods. “Yes, but I feel we were way off-balance and it would be worth it to take some time to ourselves. Start fresh, if you will.”
I chew my food and nod. “So what’s the plan?”
“You’ll see,” he says around a smirk as he stands.
I’m speechless as I watch him walk out of the dining room, leaving me alone.
“Your clothes are on your bed,” Matthew says when I walk in from work.
“What?”
“I mentioned that we were doing something different today, yes?”
“Yes,” I reply, nodding my head once.
“Well, your clothes are on your bed.” He says it slowly this time, as if I didn’t understand the first time he said that same sentence.
“Okay,” I mumble, heading to my room.
I drop my purse on the chair by the door and move over to the bed to see what exactly he has in store. I’m surprised when I don’t find a dress and heels before me. Instead, it’s a pair of white skinny jeans, some Sperry boat shoes, and a light blue polo shirt with a white sweater. That’s weird. Where in the world is he taking me?
I shower and dress in the clothes that were laid out. Everything fits to perfection and I have no idea how he does it. I French-braid my hair, leaving the long braid to hang over my shoulder, and I add some moisturizer to my face, finishing it off with lip gloss and mascara. I walk out to find him waiting in the living room.
He’s no longer wearing the suit he had on just moments ago. Now he’s wearing a pair of khaki pants, Sperrys, and a navy blue polo. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I reply.
He sets his newspaper down on the table and stands up, leading the way to the door.
On the ride, I want to ask where we’re going, but I have a feeling he won’t tell me anyway. So instead of driving him crazy with questions and trying to guess, I keep my mouth shut and just watch the signs on the side of the road, trying to guess where we’re headed. I should be more surprised than I am when we arrive at Groveland Park. Off in the distance, I see nothing but bright, sparkling water with rows and rows of boats.
“We’re going boating?” I ask, looking from the water, to him, and back.
“Yep.”
Okay . . . I think, but don’t say anything. I wonder what’s brought on this sudden change in him—why he’s suddenly more worried about me enjoying myself and not seeing our time together as a punishment. Before, he confused me because I couldn’t understand why he acted the way he did, but now I’m confused because I don’t understand how he can be two different people. There’s the hard-edged lawyer who expects everyone to fall at his feet, and then there’s this side of him. It’s the side I got to see last week before our silent treatment set in—the guy he’s been since he broke said treatment. He’s so back and forth all the time that I feel like I may get whiplash from trying to keep up with him.
Once we’re on the boat, I take a seat with a glass of champagne in hand. I’m sipping it slowly, not wanting to get a buzz, but needing to relax myself. He walks out and joins me—his own glass of something brown in hand.
“I’m sure you’re probably confused,” he says, looking out over the water with the sun beating down on it, “so let me explain.” He finally turns to face me. “Growing up, we spent a lot of summers on the water. I wasn’t here often—mostly back in Florida at my grandparents’ estate there, but the sentiment is the same. You and I were on the same page when we agreed to get to know each other, but somehow, we ended up at opposite ends of the book. So this is me, taking us back to the same page—at the beginning, starting over. And I’m hoping we read at the same pace this time, instead of you jumping so far ahead.”
I nod, now understanding. He wants a fresh start . . . again.
“I’ve rented the boat for the entire evening. It’s fully staffed and