So he kept saying, she thought.

“Let me get to the point. No one is using the house. There’s a lot of equity tied up in that house, and I could use the capital. I’m investing in the kayak shack. It’s my plan to own it. I’m investing over time to keep some of my assets available. It’s a helluva deal, really. Even if the shop doesn’t do as well as I hope, the land it sits on is valuable. But we don’t have any plans to sell it. Not without giving the business an overhaul and letting it make money. The thing is, winter is coming and with the fog and chill, we’ll experience a temporary lull...”

“We?” Amber said.

God bless her, Justine thought. She hadn’t wanted to ask, though in her gut she knew. He wasn’t just sleeping with her. He was partnering with her—possibly even supporting her. Marrying her would probably be cheaper.

“Cat owns the place. It has a little debt on it, not too much. Very affordable mortgage. And a small business loan. But here’s what I propose. I think we should let the house and some of the sporting equipment and vehicles go. I’ll see the girls more often if they live here in town anyway. As long as Amber and Olivia are happy here, it’s more convenient for me. It seems like you’re bringing more and more stuff from home—”

“Just clothes and some bedding,” Livvie said. “But I’m ready to make this permanent.”

“She has a boyfriend,” Amber said.

“A boyfriend!” Scott said. “I thought you said you weren’t getting serious?”

“Jared and I met at the beach and we have a lot in common. He’s in college.”

Scott frowned.

“His first year,” she said, clarifying.

“The girls spent so much time here over summer, they met a few local kids,” Justine said.

“But are you ready to give up a house near your school? Because it’s important to me that you be happy,” Scott asked them.

Amber laughed. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a silver lining, Dad. I mean, you and Mom are divorced. You have a girlfriend.”

“Look, I realize it’s a very difficult transition. Change always is hard. But it’s not like it’s a rare thing, people growing apart, getting divorced, starting new lives. I think once we get used to the new normal, things will fall into place. I mean, your uncle Ben and aunt Judy are managing their new family dynamic very well, don’t you think?” he asked, speaking of his brother and sister-in-law.

“They’ve been divorced for ten years, Scott. And it was by mutual choice,” Justine said. “It’s not up to the girls to create a new normal. All they have to do is create their own lives, which right now is school and friends.”

“Okay, I get that. I do. So, the question is, can you adjust and be happy if we don’t hang on to that house in San Jose? Because it’s sitting almost vacant. How much time do you girls actually spend there?”

“If they need to be in San Jose for a school event or project, I go and stay with them,” Justine said.

“Okay, then let me ask you—now that you work here, are you about ready to think about putting the house on the market?”

She was, but not for the reasons he voiced. She found that more and more she resented the place. It was like living in the scene of the crime. Everything in that house, that lovely house, was carefully chosen for their family to enjoy. She’d lived in that house for a dozen years. She had loved it. But after everything that had happened, she was not in love with it anymore.

“I’ll go with what the girls are comfortable with,” Justine said. “If they need to have that house available to make them feel more secure, I side with them.”

“Girls? What do you say? The market is really good right now,” Scott said.

“It’s a couple of months until Christmas,” Justine said. “Spring is the ideal time to sell if that’s what we want to do.”

“Usually, but real estate is doing great right now. And,” he added, looking around, “you might like some of your furniture in this place. This stuff is pretty old and beat up.”

“Don’t you want some of the furniture?” she asked.

“I figured we’d split it up somehow, maybe sell some stuff...”

“Oh, that’s going to be a giant pain...”

“It makes a lot more sense than having a house full of stuff we don’t use just sitting there. Well? Girls?”

“I’m going to stay wherever Mom stays. I have friends in San Jose if I need to overnight for some reason,” Olivia said.

“Me, too,” Amber said. “I’m graduating in June anyway. I have a lot of friends, some I could stay with the whole school week if I wanted to.”

“I can’t believe my little girl is graduating,” Scott said.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

Justine knew they would probably get more money for the house if they waited until spring to sell it, but if it meant one less connection to Scott it couldn’t happen too soon. “Fine, right, let’s sell the house. Let’s go through and divide the property, but let’s leave it in the house. It’ll sell much better furnished. And I have to talk to Addie about this, as well.”

“Perfect,” he said. Then he stood. “Thanks, Justine. Thanks, girls.”

“Dad, you shouldn’t put your money into that kayak shack. It’s losing money,” Olivia said.

“How do you know that?” he asked, a bit of anger in his tone.

“Everyone in Half Moon Bay knows it,” she said, shrugging. “Your girlfriend is like the third or fourth owner, and no one has made money there.”

“Which is exactly why I’m needed. Believe me, I’m up to the challenge.”

Chapter Thirteen

Scott had planned very carefully. He knew the exact ways to make the kayak shack into a thriving business. He and Cat had actually discussed it for years. It wasn’t long after she bought the place a few years ago that they started talking; he was one of a few regular customers. It never really picked up speed. Cat thought the previous owner—and the one before that and before that—didn’t have much business sense or a decent business plan. But she was struggling, as well.

He told her he’d come up with a plan. Cat had been so grateful.

That’s what really started everything. His ideas, his plan. From there they became closer, and he realized that’s what had been missing in his marriage. Cat was a woman who really admired his intelligence. He hadn’t even realized how lonely he was until he began talking with Cat. Just talking. They had so much in common. The obvious was their view of exercise and athletics; naturally a woman who would buy a kayak business was into sports and the outdoors.

Scott used to engage in these outdoor events with guys he knew. Of course in these groups of weekend athletes there were some women. But now there was one woman, and he was in love with her. She excited him, and he hadn’t been excited in a long time. Before he even began discussions of divorce, he signed a lease on a sexy little beachfront bungalow. Cat had been having issues with living with her brother and his friend, so it made sense. Besides, they needed a place they could be alone. Nights in hotels became expensive. And Cat needed a place she could call home. A beautiful place.

“Not quite as nice as your house, but better than my brother’s pad.”

“But what a great view we have,” he pointed out to her.

“If you like taking in the view alone most of the time,” she said. “It’s such a waste, you living in San Jose with her where you get no moral support.”

“Soon we’ll be together, but we have to be patient.”

It was much sooner than he thought it would be. He hadn’t expected Justine to find out about his affair and demand they split. The truth was, he wasn’t entirely ready to divorce; Justine had a good job so their income was steady, their equity was growing, their investments were stable...

“If I don’t get some help with that kayak shack, I’m going to lose it and lose my investment. Honestly, I can’t sleep at night,” Cat said, crying.

“I’m helping,” he said. “I’ve given you the new business plan and I’m working around the shop for free...”

“What am I going to do when my loan is called and I can’t afford to pay it off?”

“Maybe I’ll help you get another loan? Let’s worry about that later. You know I’m in this with you.”

“But not really,” she said. “Because you’re married. At least I’m separated.”

They had talked about the state of his marriage. Cat made him realize that he wasn’t happy, he had to admit. Not that much had changed in his marriage; he was just sensing this mood of discontent. Fighting it, but still it was there. But he had two daughters, and it was only going to be a couple of years and they’d be out of the house. He was kicking around the idea of asking for a divorce when the girls were gone. He’d planned to spend those last couple of years putting away money so that when he left, there’d be a healthy pot.

Then Justine discovered Cat. They separated, worked out a settlement that gave him plenty of money, with support payments to follow, and it was over so quickly.

But Justine screwed him over by changing jobs.

“You should take her back to court,” Cat said. “She misled you into thinking she’d have a regular high income!”

“There’s no going back to court because we didn’t go to court. We both signed the paperwork, turned it in and it was uncontested.”

“She tricked you!” Cat said. “She’s a lawyer and you’re not! She manipulated the whole thing. You didn’t know what she was planning.”

“I don’t think she planned for her company to cut jobs,” he said. “I’ve known for years she was burned out on corporate law and would have liked to make a change, but she couldn’t while the kids were still in school.”