The Widower's Second Chance

The waiter dropped off their check, and Caleb had the man stay while he pulled out the correct change and enough for a tip. “Just keep everything.”

Maggie crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. “You don’t have to pay for me all the time.”

“Besides my sister, who else am I spending my money on these days?” Caleb leaned a little to put his wallet into his back pocket.

“How’s your sister doing?”

Scared. Lonely. Worried. He shrugged. “Shelby’s the same as always, I guess.”

“Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up again, and after this I won’t.” Maggie splayed her hands onto the table. “But there’s this girl in my Bible-study group at church. She’s cute and she really loves the Lord. I think you two would—”

“Leave it alone, Mags. Just let it be.” Caleb worked his jaw back and forth.

The image of the lake outside the window suddenly blurred. “I’m not going to date her.” He blinked a couple of times. “I have no intention of dating again. Ever. Got it?” He snatched his baseball hat off the table and jammed it onto his head. “I need to get home. I have to be at work early tomorrow.”

Maggie gave a small nod and clutched her purse as she scooted out from the bench seat. Caleb handed over her coat without a word. On his way past the front desk he took a handful of waxy mints from the large bowl by the register and tossed them all into his mouth. They tasted like medicine-flavored chalk—a fitting end to the day.

He held open the door for Maggie. “I’ll stop by on Saturday to fix the drainpipe.”

She nodded and clicked the button to make her car chirp. Good thing she knew better than to offer him a ride home. A man needed space for his mind away from everyone crawling over every inch of his hometown.

At least he did.

Caleb shoved his hands in his pockets and took the long route. Frogs croaked in the nearby stream, signaling the end of another summer evening. Near the residential section of the lakefront, a fishy smell hung in the air—which meant a fish fry at Cherry Top next Friday.

A car full of teens flashed their headlights at him and pulled alongside the gravel on the road. They blasted the horn, all waving, as the car came to a stop.

“Mr. Beck!” One of the girls hung out the back window. “I have you for second period.”

He smiled and waved. “Only three more days until classes start. What are you guys up to tonight?”

Please don’t say a party. The town had seen a recent uptick in teen mischief down at the beaches at night. Lots of empty beer bottles and spent fire pits most mornings made Caleb worried for their safety. If only the town provided other outlets for the students during the summer. Most of their parents were too busy running shops in town to keep a good eye on their kids.

“Oh, you know. Same old.” The girl rolled her eyes. “Is it true we dissect cats in your class? Because if so, I might have to transfer out.” She pulled a face like she was gagging.

Caleb shook his head. “We stopped using cats years ago. It’s all on a computer now.”

“Good, because that’s sick. Not to mention, ethically wrong.” She smacked the boy in the car next to her in the shoulder. “You liar!”

“You guys be smart tonight.” Caleb made his way back to the sidewalk.

“Of course, Mr. Beck!” A couple of the teens laughed. The car peeled away and sped down the street.

Another car full of teenagers honked and waved at him as he walked home. He kept his hands in his pockets and gave them a nod. Hopefully he could at least plaster on a smile for them when classes started later in the week.

* * *

Paige glanced at the missed calls on her phone—three from Mom, but no voice mail. Mom probably wanted to see how she liked Goose Harbor, right? That, or she had news about the house. Right before Paige left home, her parents informed her they were planning to downsize and travel more. Not that she’d tell them, but Paige hoped her childhood home didn’t sell quickly. It would be nice to have somewhere familiar to return to if the situation in Goose Harbor didn’t work out after the first year.

She pictured her mother, already put together for the day and decked out in her usual pearls and heels.

The phone vibrated again.

“Morning, Mom, you’re up early. You caught me trying to get ready for my first day of work.” Paige looked between the two outfits she’d laid out on her bed.

“I wish you would reconsider leaving Chicago.”

Paige closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not this again. Please. I don’t want to have this conversation right now.”

“You were so happy here. The plan had always been for you to stay close by. I can’t imagine you living somewhere else.”

“Plans change, Mom.” Paige yanked a hair tie from her wrist and worked it around in her hand.

“They don’t have to.”

Paige sank into the wicker chair beside her bed. “They did. You’ll see. This is for the better. Anyway, I like it here.”

Mom sighed. “I always took you for more of a fighter, Paige. Someone who would stand her ground. Stay and tackle things.”

“You know, sometimes leaving is fighting. Standing up for myself meant getting away, don’t you see that? It would have been easier to stay there, living with you and Dad, letting you guys take care of everything for me, and carrying on with my life. Leaving was harder, Mom. Much harder.” She started to pull her hair into a bun and froze. Leave it down. She wanted to wear it down for work today.

“If you ask me, I think you’re making too big of a deal about everything.”

“Too big of a deal?” Paige hated the tremble in her voice.

“Calling off a wedding that cost your father and me so much money without trying to fix your problems with Bryan, first? That’s overreacting at its best.”

Except that she’d been able to get most of the money back. All but the security fees.

“I don’t think sleeping with some woman a month before his wedding is a problem that we could have just fixed.” Just saying the words made the back of Paige’s eyes throb again. Don’t cry. No more tears because of Bryan. He didn’t deserve them.

Mom sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, honey. From time to time, men make mistakes—”

Don’t say it.

“Like Dad?” The back of Paige’s eyes burned the second the words left her mouth. She shouldn’t have said that. She had promised her mom she wouldn’t bring it up again. “I’m sorry.” Paige waited. “Are you still here?”

“I’m not trying to butt into your life.” Mom’s voice took on a flat tone. “But you need to think through all your options with a rational mind. All those childhood books and movies, well, they lied, sweetheart. There is no one true love. There is no perfect match. There are just people, and you make it work because you made a promise to.” Her mother’s voice took on a stern, almost scolding tone.

Paige’s stomach churned.

“Even with his unfortunate mistake, Bryan is still a good catch. That boy is going to be something big someday, and I don’t want you to regret anything down the road. Believe me, I know all the feelings you have right now and how difficult it is.” She stopped, but started again when Paige didn’t jump in to fill the silence. “What sort of men are you bound to meet in who-knows-where Michigan? I’m sure there won’t be a senator’s son chasing you there.”

“Maybe I’m not looking for a man.” Prepared for a verbal assault, Paige gripped the armrest of the wicker chair.

“At your age, you should.”

Paige rested her forehead in her free hand. “I’m sorry about all the money you guys lost.”