Her eyes skittered away, down to the sand and the water. “You were there, as best you could. We both did the best we could. The split just kind of happened.”
Her words rang true, but there was a note of something else, of something hidden, something she wasn’t telling him. He narrowed his gaze and tucked a couple of fingers under her chin, turning her back to face him.
“Our breakup didn’t just happen. You torpedoed it, blindsided me. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing, Ethan. It was just bad timing for us.”
Her eyes were wide and guileless, but he couldn’t shake the feeling she wasn’t telling him everything. He let it lie and deal with it another day. They had all week.
He stepped back and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. “Want to go back to the house?”
“No. I think I’ll stay out here a little longer. It’s so peaceful here.”
“Okay. See you at the house.”
He trudged back to the house, turning once at the dunes. She stood just beyond the waves, the wind whipping her hair and the blanket around her, looking lonely. That was a false image, though. She was stronger than she looked. Now that he had his answers, what next?
Somehow, he didn’t feel the satisfaction he’d expected, the peace he’d been looking for during the past five years. They still had unfinished business, and being with the group would not help them resolve their issues. Too many prying eyes and too many chances to hide from each other. He had to know what she was hiding before he decided if he could trust her again. His body wanted her, but his heart was cautious. He needed to get her alone, just the two of them, with no one else to interrupt.
Could he trust his heart to her a second time? He wasn’t sure it would survive being broken twice.