Page 56 of Rebellious Hearts

Harborview was a quaint little town, and there was a lot of proof that it had once been a very well-looked-after place, but the claws of decay had scratched their way around town, and it was clear that the “good old days” were far behind it.

We walked through the streets, dropping in when we found an open business and talked to the locals. The more we talked to them, the clearer it was that they were in a dire position and anything would help. A new factory that created some jobs, a marina that could bring in money by way of rent and other costs to the yacht owners, and an overall rejuvenation would do the town a lot of good.

By lunchtime, we were worn out after spending all morning in the sun on our feet. We found a street food cart and bought fried green tomatoes. We couldn’t find anything else and we were hungry.

At first, the name put me off but when I bit into one, it was amazing. They were coated in cornmeal and flour, deep fried and golden brown and we each had a side of dipping sauce.

“This is incredible,” Ben said when we found a bench in a nearby park.

The grass was knee-height, blowing in the breeze, and the rusty play structure was abandoned. One of the swing’s chains had snapped, the seat hanging to the floor.

“I didn’t think this would be so good,” I admitted.

“Do you travel a lot?” Ben asked.

I thought about the job and Costa Rica again.

“Not really. My family lives in Oregon, so they come out to me, or I go out to them when I can, but that doesn’t happen very often.”

“They’re all there? No one in Newport?”

“Yeah, just little ol’ me in Newport, living it up.”

Ben nodded and popped another fried tomato into his mouth.

“I don’t always get along with my brothers. Especially Alex. But I don’t think I’d ever be able to live far away from them. Daniel is always away on trips and I don’t know how he does it. We still see him every couple of weeks, though.”

I nodded. “It’s great that you can be that close to your family.”

“You don’t want to be that close to yours? Or maybe one day have a family of your own?”

“I’m not really cut out for family life,” I said.

“Is it because of the asshole who left you?”

I glanced up at him. “Excuse me?”

“That’s what you told Richard. Or was that a lie?”

“I don’t fall back on lies to get business projects.”

Ben’s smile faded, the skin around his eyes tightening. “I was just asking.”

“I didn’t lie,” I said. “But that was long ago, anyway. It doesn’t matter, now.”

“It does if you’re being this defensive about it.”

“I’m not being defensive.” I totally was. “I just don’t see the point in sharing my personal life when we’re on a business trip. I don’t mix the two.”

“That’s not what it felt like to me when we were in my bed,” Ben grumbled.

I gasped. “I’m not the one who got us into this mess where we have to pretend we’remarried.”

“But you’re very happy to play along when it comes down to having the fun stuff.”

I shook my head. “That’s not what happened, and if you think that I was trying to take advantage of you or the situation… I wasn’t. It won’t happen again.”

I glared at him. How had this become an argument? But it pissed me off that he was digging into my personal life, pushing buttons that weren’t there for him to push. I didn’t like talkingabout my past. I only looked forward, focusing on the good stuff and forgetting about the bad.