She trails off, and I finish for her, “So you ended it.”
Serena nods, and when she looks up at me, her eyes are glistening with unshed tears. “I did. And I’m so sorry.”
We’re both quiet for a moment, sipping our drinks, processing it all. I know it’s on me to respond, to move us forward somehow.
“We’re okay, Tippy. I’m okay. Was I sad back then? Of course. You had my heart, and you gave it back to me in tatters. But I’m fine now. You needed to make the choice that was right for you at the time, and I respected that then, and I respect it now.” A tear spills down her cheek, and my thumb lifts up to swipe it away. “Don’t beat yourself up any longer over what happened in the past, okay? We’re good. We can move on from this, as adults.”
“God, you’ve always known just what to say,” she chokes out, leaning her cheek into my hand. “Thank you, Leo. When I did it, when I broke up with you, a part of me wished you would come after me and try to convince me not to end it. But I was also so scared that even if you did, it would end eventually, no matter what. And, you know me, I always was impatient. Couldn’t stand for things to be long and drawn out.”
“You also hated surprises,” I say gently. “I’m guessing part of the reason you ended it was so that it wouldn’t come as a surprise. You wanted control over it.”
Her eyes widen. “Y-yeah. I guess so. Wow, you really did know me better than I knew myself, didn’t you?”
I let my hand fall down to cup my coffee cup as I quirk my lips at her. “Yeah, I did. Which is why I’m also guessing the surprise at seeing me again hasn’t been easy for you.”
She gives me a watery smile in return. “No, it wasn’t easy at first. But now… ”
“Daddy!”
The sound of Violet’s voice interrupts us at the exact wrong moment. Shit, I wonder what Serena was going to say. But the bubble we were in pops and sounds of other conversations come back to me. I twist in my seat just in time to see my aunt and Vi walking toward us. Aunt Claire has a questioning expression on her face when she sees Serena with me, but she doesn’t say anything, just places Violet, who’s straining to get to me, down into my lap.
“Hey, baby girl. What are you and Aunt Claire doing?”
“Muffin, pwease?” she asks, patting my cheek. I smile down at the center of my entire world, even as part of me tingles with the awareness that Serena is right there, watching.
“You bet, kiddo. Want to try Daddy’s, or do you want your own?”
“Mine, pwease.”
“I’ll get one, Violet,” Aunt Claire chimes in. “Nice to see you, Miss Serena. I didn’t realize you knew my nephew.” There’s no malice in her tone, but plenty of curiosity, and I know I’m going to have a lot to explain later.
“Serena and I knew each other in high school,” I supply, and Serena shoots me a grateful smile. Just then, Violet scrambles down out of my lap. I go to reach for her, but instead I’m stunned to watch my shy child, who doesn’t take to new people easily at all, reach for Serena’s sleeve.
“Dance pwetty?” she says and my mouth falls open.
Serena smiles down at Violet. “Hi sweet girl, you certainly do dance very pretty.”
Vi shakes her head. “No. No Vi dance. You dance pwetty.”
Serena looks up at me, biting her lip. I shrug in response. “She’s right, Tippy, you do dance pretty.”
What happens next does something to me. What exactly? I don’t know. Serena gets out of her chair, and there in the middle of the café, she sits down on the floor and holds her hands out to Violet.
“Come on, Vi, let’s show Daddy howyoudance.” Then she holds Violet’s hand and helps my baby girl spin around on her toes. When she’s done, Serena claps lightly, and Violet smiles brightly as she claps along with her. “That was wonderful! You’re a beautiful ballerina,” Serena praises as my daughter turns and walks back over to me.
“Well done, baby girl. You’re amazing,” I murmur into the top of her head as she snuggles in under my chin. My eyes find Serena’s, and even though I know she has no clue the significance of what just happened, I mouth the words “thank you.”
Because what she just did, connecting with my little girl so easily, is something no other woman has been able to do ever since Violet’s mother walked out on us.
And right now, I’m having a hard time denying the idea that fate might have brought me to Dogwood Cove for more reasons than just my family and my career.
Chapter five
Serena
Talking to Leo, even just for a short while, was apparently what I needed to snap out of the bizarre funk I’ve been in ever since I first saw him.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still completely confused over what to do about him being in town, but I have managed to find a tiny bit of peace with him being here. I never realized how much I needed his understanding, his forgiveness. But now that I know he doesn’t hold it against me, I feel strong again.