“It’s good that you’re busy,” Noah said.
“Yeah.” Lowen rubbed the tip of his nose with his knuckle. “Are you back from Bristol for good or just visiting?”
Noah plucked at a cobweb that ran across the window, then shook his hand when it clung to him. “I’m not entirely sure,” he said, in a tone that didn’t invite further discussion on the subject.
Lowen drummed his fingers on the sideboard. “How’s Mum?”
Before Noah could suggest he should visit her if he cared how she was, Trystan answered, telling him she was fine, then launched into a conversation about the rental cottages and the number of guest bookings over tourist season. Not exactly scintillating, but the neutral conversation felt safe.
Trystan prattled on for a while before asking Lowen if he wanted to come up to the hotel with them for lunch. He told them he needed to get back to work, which seemed a lame excuse to Noah. Not that he should care; lunch would be more enjoyable without him.
“I’m not sure why you bother with him,” Noah said once they were outside. The dry sand shifted underfoot as they made their way back across the beach.
“Because he’s my brother.”
Once, Trystan and Lowen had been best friends as well, though that seemed a distant memory now.
“If I were you, there’s no way I’d go out of my way to visit him.”
“Can we not have this conversation again?” Trystan said wearily.
“I don’t know why he’s so pissed off with you, though.”
“Yes, you do.”
“He needs to get over it.”
Instead of responding, Trystan lengthened his stride, putting distance between them that brought the conversation to an abrupt end.
At Hell’s Bay Hotel, they were greeted warmly by the owner, Maddie, who was a friend of their mum’s and had known them their whole lives. She directed them to a table by the window which looked out over the bay.
“What’s going on with Jenny?” Noah asked once they’d finished eating.
“She wants some time to figure out what to do next.”
“So you might still get back together?”
“I don’t think so.” Scrunching his napkin up, Trystan tossed it on his plate.
“Are you going to try and get her back?”
“If I have to try so hard, maybe it’s not meant to be.”
“Relationships require effort,” Noah pointed out.
“But you also need to want to make the effort.” He stretched his legs out and leaned back in the chair.
“Do you still love her?”
His lips pulled to one side. “Yeah.”
“Fight for her then.” To Noah it was obvious what his brother should do. He couldn’t fathom why he wouldn’t make the effort.
“She doesn’t think we can make it work, and I’m inclined to agree.”
“Because she wants kids?”
“Partly.” He sighed and stretched his neck. “It’s not really that simple.”