He chuckled. “Maybe I should give it a look.”
“Well, it’s out of the question for me,” she said. “The other woman lives there. And I assume Scott will be spending a lot of time there. I’d be happier if he’d move to Florida.”
“Scott and the other woman could just as easily be in San Jose, so just get over it.”
“What are you saying?” she demanded. “I don’t want to see them. Especially together!”
“I understand, but if you let that be your criteria, you might miss out on the best experience for yourself. You could reject a job or location because you’re avoiding them and settle somewhere you like far less. Then what if they do up and move to Florida? Justine, you are now free to serve your own needs first.”
“Huh,” she said.
He laughed. “This is all still so new, isn’t it? The idea that it’s just you.”
“Well, me and my girls. But what if I run into them and I throat punch her?”
“First offense,” he said. “You won’t have to serve too much time.”
She laughed at him. “There is a law practice in my old town, a one-man firm. He’s been there forever and I found, during my search, he’s been looking for an associate. He might be thinking of retiring, but he’s been looking for a long time. I had pretty much written it off. Not only is it in the town where Scott had his affair, my girls go to school in San Jose. There’s a potential opportunity I’m going to visit in Monterrey.”
“All these small coastal towns... You’re going to have to just think of where you want to be without regard to Scott and his girlfriend. Thinking of them will only slow you down.”
“Can’t you relate?” she asked. “Were you willing to see your ex?”
“I wasn’t happy about anything for a year or more, but you forget. I know I told you. My ex and my sister are best friends. I ran into her all the time. I had to sit across from her one Easter dinner. It was excruciating. And then I ran into my ex and her new partner, a woman who hated me on sight.”
“How long did you wait before you started dating?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe a few months, but I didn’t get involved. Just a little companionship. A couple of years after my divorce I dated a woman who was fairly serious—we were a couple for about three years. Then a few years later, another woman I was semiserious with. Till she took back her ex.”
“Hmm. Well, I was hit on today,” Justine said. “A man at least a dozen years younger than me asked me out. He was so gross about it. He said he heard I was on my own now and so was he, so...?”
“Did you like him?”
“I’ve known him forever. I think I might’ve babysat him, but I don’t recall. I told him I wasn’t ready for my coming out just yet.”
“Justine, there are going to be men. Lots of men. You’re beautiful, successful, fun, smart and there will be men. I know you think that isn’t going to happen right now, but there will be—”
“I don’t want a man,” she said resolutely. “I want good people in my life. I want trustworthy friends. I am not looking for a man.”
“And I’m not looking for a woman,” he said. “But I have an open mind. There’s a street fair in Carmel tomorrow,” he said. “Hell, Carmel by itself is a street fair. Why don’t we go together? You can practice running into people. You can learn how to say things like, ‘Didn’t you hear? Scott and I are divorced.’ And ‘This is my friend Logan. We’ve worked together on a couple of cases.’ We might even hold hands so you can get used to the idea that a date doesn’t automatically lead to marriage and divorce. I’ll buy you something to eat, we’ll have a glass of wine at one of the outdoor bars with a view of the bay and maybe you’ll see a painting or macramé you just have to have.”
She was quiet for a moment, thinking. If she was going to have a date with anyone, she’d like it to be Logan. But she was barely divorced, and she was seriously afraid of letting a man into her life. If she was honest, she hadn’t had a man in her life in years. She had Scott who, she was beginning to realize, wasn’t that much fun. And he was a liar. So she finally said, “What time?”
“I have a couple of things to do—chores. Let’s meet at noon. Parking will be annoying, so let’s meet on the edge of town at Blueberry Hill restaurant. It’s a little breakfast place with a big parking lot. Wear comfortable shoes and we can walk into town.”
When she was falling asleep after her phone call, she was thinking about so many different things; it was like a mosaic. There was a lifetime of Scott in many different incarnations, from the loving father who cried when his daughters were born to the self-centered oaf who said, without much regret, “Don’t you want me to be happy?” She thought of Addie, changing her life after losing so much and giving so much; Addie who was every bit the butterfly coming out of the cocoon. About her girls, taking on the next phase of their lives without the father they had known and trusted. And Logan, the last thing she had expected—handsome, sexy and smart Logan, who would hold her hand so she could practice saying, “Yes, this is my friend Logan, whom I’m seeing.”
She started to ask herself, would she see him? She hadn’t dated anyone since she met Scott in college. Was she ready for that?
* * *
The house was pretty quiet in the morning, the girls still tucked away in their rooms. Justine rushed through a few chores, tidying up, cleaning her bathroom and changing her sheets. Scott didn’t use the master bedroom when he spent time at the house, and she wondered how long it had been since the sheets and towels in the guest room and bath had been laundered. Since laundry had always been her job, she suspected not at all.
She had a third cup of coffee, browsed the news, dressed for the day. By the time she came out to the family room, Amber was up.
“Wow, you look cute,” Amber said.
“I’m going to Carmel for the afternoon. I’m meeting a friend. A guy I worked with a while back.”
Amber’s mouth hung open. “Is this like a...date?”
“Just friends, actually. I don’t have much interest in dating.”
“Who is he?”
“His name is Logan. He’s a private investigator I’ve used. My office uses them routinely. And he’s also divorced, though much longer than me.”
“But I guess you will date,” Amber said tentatively.
“I haven’t given it any thought till this minute. You know what I’ve given a lot of thought to? You and Olivia going to college. I think your college funds are enough to cover everything, but I’m prepared to have to add or use some of my retirement fund or borrow. And I hope when you guys graduate we can celebrate with a trip or something. And you know what else? I want to spend more time with your aunt Addie. It’s like we’re finally getting close enough in age to have a real friendship.”
“Addie is brand-new,” Amber said.
“I know. And I want to be brand-new, too.”
* * *
Justine parked at the edge of the restaurant lot and found Logan standing near the entrance. He wore jeans, a collared shirt and topsiders, no socks. He was in amazing shape, and she assumed it had to do with his years of being a police officer; by his physique, he probably worked out regularly. At forty-eight with a full head of hair and tanned arms and face, he would be drawing looks from the women all afternoon.
When she approached him, he surprised her by pulling her close for a friendly hug. “Good to see you, Justine. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing great,” she said. “In fact, I can’t believe how well I’m doing. Six weeks ago I didn’t think there was any hope I’d feel this good about my life. I mean, it creeps up on me sometimes, but I’m okay.”
“Good,” he said. And he took her hand. “Let’s take on this town.”
The street was closed off, with people crowding the sidewalks. In addition to the stores and shops, there were several booths erected in the middle of the street that led to the ocean. They passed a wood art booth, a couple of large booths filled with paintings and sculptures, a booth selling hummus in a wide variety of flavors, one featuring wraps and shawls and even a leather goods display. Several food booths sold corn dogs, slushies, taffy, cotton candy, ice cream, flavored popcorn and chocolates. They poked around, checking out the wares, and made their way all the way down the hill to the beach. It was such a beautiful June day, the beach was crowded with people from kids to grandparents as well as lots of dogs.
With the time they spent looking at art and crafts and other offerings, it took them two hours to get to the beach. From there, Logan pointed out a restaurant with a large patio and suggested a glass of wine and maybe a snack. They settled into chairs with a view of the Pacific and ordered.
“What’s on your agenda this week?” he asked.
“Well, I don’t have any appointments yet, so first thing in the morning I’m going to get on the computer, see if I can locate any more small practices in the area that I can visit. I’m staying in my friend’s guest room tonight, but I’ll check in with the girls and find out what they have going on and then plot my day. You?”
“I’m working on a couple of cases. Both involve surveillance. A couple of us are tag teaming. One young woman’s wealthy parents are trying to determine if their daughter is involved in some nefarious behavior with bad people and drugs. Another we’re investigating is a businessman who no longer trusts his partner. The first is almost a wrap. Nefarious behavior never takes a holiday. She is in a mess. The second will take longer but is more interesting.”
“Wow,” she said. “Every day must be a fun day!”
He laughed. “Depends on your idea of fun. I admit, I like solving puzzles. And we’re busy all the time.”