* * *
Should she trust him?
Lea’s heart said yes. But her mind said no.
After all, he’d attempted to sabotage the sale with the couple today. She stood off to the side of the dock, watching the continuous arrival of guests for the royal wedding. She spotted the couple as they boarded the ferry and waved to them. As interested as they had been in the island and the wedding business, in the end they’d said that the island was more of a time commitment than they were willing to invest at this point in their lives. And so they’d passed on the chance to own Infinity Island.
They had seemed like the perfect buyers. The husband was all about numbers and spreadsheets and processes while his wife was more focused on the people and the romance and the weddings. Lea couldn’t have asked for a better match for the island. And yet, it hadn’t worked out. And it wasn’t until now that she realized deep down she didn’t want it to work out.
She loved Infinity Island. It was a part of her. And the harder she tried to sell it, the more she realized how much she wanted to keep it.
But she also had the baby to think of. Her hand covered her baby bump. She had to do what was right for her baby, no matter what she had to sacrifice. Even her pride.
And returning to Seattle, the land where she’d been born and raised, the place where she had friends and family, and knew exactly how things worked, might be best. Because as much as she loved this island, it was part of a country that she still had so much to learn about—including the language. There were so many obstacles to overcome if she were to stay here. And staying on in Athens would just be a reminder of how she’d come here and failed to live up to her extended family’s expectations.
So if she were to go home, she should try to reach out to her parents. They had a right to know they were going to be grandparents. Xander’s words of regret over his parents came to her. She didn’t want to live with regrets like him. And if she couldn’t forgive her parents, how was she going to be a good mother?
Lea picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number of her parents’ home. The phone rang and rang. When the answering machine picked up, she hung up. She thought of calling her mother’s cell phone but hesitated. Again, she recalled Xander encouraging her not to give up. She dialed the number. It went to voice mail. She disconnected.
She was not going to have this conversation via a message. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if her mother was truly busy or if she was avoiding her call. Her mother would see the missed phone call and could call back if she wanted. Lea had made the first move, now her mother could make a move...or not.
Lea shut down her computer in order to head home a little early to prepare for the royal wedding. For the past year, she’d been spending all of her time working from first thing in the morning until late at night when she fell into bed utterly exhausted, but then again, until now she hadn’t had anyone waiting at home for her. The thought of Xander had her moving faster.
“Hey, where are you headed so quickly?”
Lea stopped on the walk outside the office and turned to Popi. “I was just going home to get ready.”
“The wedding is going to be the highlight of the year. But aren’t you leaving a little early to get dressed?” Popi made a big show of checking the time on her phone.
“I, um, finished everything early.”
“Uh-huh.” Popi nodded and sent her a knowing smile. “I bet I know what has you rushing home. Or should I say who?”
“It’s not like that.” The response was quick—too quick. They both knew she was lying.
“You keep telling yourself that. It’s kinda like telling myself that I’m not pregnant.” Popi placed a hand on her expanding midsection. “The bigger I get the more I wonder about the delivery and whether this was my wisest decision.”
“It’s a little late for second thoughts, don’t you think?”
Popi gave a nervous laugh. “You would be right. But doesn’t it scare you to think of delivering a baby?”
“I’ll be honest. I try not to think about it.” It probably wasn’t the best approach, but she was not looking forward to the pain. “Why exactly are we talking about this anyway?”