Chapter 5 - What Neither of Them Wanted to AdmitWe went back to the cottage after breakfast. Before going inside, I texted Owen the address — not asking him to come, just wanting him to know where we were.
Desmond opened the door. His expression changed when he saw me. "Natalie."
"Hi."
"What's going on?"
He looked at Marguerite. "I'm getting my things."
His jaw tightened. "Did Owen send you?"
"No."
"Does he know you're here?"
"Now he does."
Desmond kept looking at me instead of her. "Why is everyone treating her like she can't make her own decisions?"
Marguerite stopped packing. "They aren't. I asked her here."
He finally looked at her. "You called your daughter-in-law?"
"I called someone who would listen."
"But I listened to you."
"No. You argued."
His face fell. "I'm trying to understand."
"I told you I wanted a hotel."
"You were panicking."
Her expression hardened. "You decided I was panicking because you didn't like my answer."
Desmond sat down, suddenly deflated. "My house is empty," he said. Marguerite softened slightly. "After my divorce, my kids moved away. I go home, and there's nobody there." He looked toward the window. "Then I met you."
She sat opposite him. "Desmond."
"I thought this was something."
"It was."
"Then why leave?"
"Because a few good days don't mean we belong together."
He looked down. Eventually, he nodded. "I moved too fast."
"So did I."
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That was the truth neither of them had wanted to admit. Desmond had treated a few happy days as proof he'd found a permanent partner. Marguerite had treated those same days as proof she'd become an entirely different woman. Neither was true.
When she said she was leaving, this time Desmond didn't challenge her. He stood and carried one of her bags to the door.
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