He waited. When Grant canceled the wedding, everything started disappearing. Venue, flowers, guests, house plans. Her fingers tightened around the cup. I came here because I couldn't stand losing one more thing he had been part of.
Mason watched her. I thought if I followed the itinerary anyway, then he hadn't taken it from me. And did it work? Clare looked around the lounge. Not exactly.
Mason's mouth moved slightly. You did buy the lobster hat. That was a lapse in judgment. Committee approved. She smiled.
Then neither spoke. The silence changed. Mason was close enough that Clare could see the small line beside his mouth when he was thinking. His hand rested beside hers on the couch. Close, not touching.
Clare moved first, barely. Her fingers brushed his. Mason turned his hand. For one second, it felt simple. Then he pulled back.
Clare's face changed before she could stop it. Mason saw. This isn't because I don't want to. That made it worse. He exhaled.
You ended an engagement 12 days ago. Thank you for counting. You would have corrected me. Despite herself, she smiled. "Lily already likes you," he said.
"I like you." There it was. Small, direct, terrifying. Mason looked at the rain. "I don't want to take three hurt people and call it timing."
Clare swallowed. "So, what are you saying?" "I'm saying I don't trust myself to know whether this is real yet." "And if it is," he looked at her. "That's what scares me."
A door opened down the hall. Lily's voice floated toward them, arguing with another child about popcorn. Mason stood. Clare stayed seated. She understood now.
He had not stepped back because there was nothing between them. He had stepped back because there was. And for Mason, wanting someone was no longer the beginning of a possibility. It was the beginning of something he could lose. The next morning, Grant was waiting near the lobby windows with two coffees and a careful expression.
Clare stopped six feet away. If one of those is for me, this is already suspicious. It is. How did you know what I drank? I was engaged to you for 3 years.
That was a test. Grant handed her the cup. Did I pass? Annoyingly, he nodded toward the door. I'm driving to Bass Harbor head.
It was on the original itinerary. Clare looked at him. I remember. I want to ask you one thing, then I won't ask again. That sounded less like a threat than it should have.
40 minutes later, they stood near the lighthouse with wind coming hard off the water. Tourists moved around them taking pictures. Grant leaned against the railing. I still love you. Clare looked at the ocean.
There it was. Simple enough to fit in four words. Complicated enough to ruin the entire morning. I'm not asking you to forget what I did. Good.
I'm not asking you to pretend the wedding didn't happen. It didn't. You know what I mean? She did. Grant rubbed his hands together.