Page 1 of Hometown Harbor 3

1

Tabitha stood in the doorway staring at the man who had just introduced himself as Donny Nix, her new contact with Seascape Realty. His answer that Marcus was gone was not sufficient. Was he out of town for the day? Did he fall ill? Did he die?

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Nix. Can you tell me what you mean by gone?” Tabitha asked. She stepped out onto the deck, careful not to step on debris from the merriment the night before. If possible, she didn’t want anyone else in the house to wake up.

“He relocated to Santa Monica. I thought he would have told you,” he said.

Tabitha heard footsteps on the stairway, and whoever it was moved quickly. She hoped it was Marcus and that there had been a misunderstanding. To her surprise, it was Dalton, and he was out of breath.

“Uh-oh, I’m late. Marcus called to get me out of bed, and he almost succeeded, but I fell back asleep. An extra ten minutes turns into an extra hour. He left this letter and wanted you to get it before this dude showed up. I knew he was going to California, which is normal a few times a year. He lets me stay at his place, so I have somewhere to go when things get crazy at home. There are many moving parts over there, and there are times I need a break,” Dalton said. He handed Tabitha the envelope.

“Can I go crash on the couch? I’m off today, so being up this early is unnatural. I would crash with the girls, but I respect you too much for that.”

“Go. The couch should be free, and there should be a blanket nearby. Just so you know, it will never be okay to crash with Deenie under my roof, so you were right about the couch.” She smiled but was serious. “Thanks for the letter,” Tabitha said before turning to her new realtor. “You can leave, Mr. Nix. Thank you for coming by to introduce yourself.”

“Please call me Donny, and don’t hesitate to call if you need my services.”

She’d try, but he looked a lot more like Mr. Nix rather than Donny. Tabitha sat on one of the chaises. The air smelled of sulfur after the fireworks from the night before. The Clean the World people were already picking up the mess on the beach, and the sky was already clear blue at nine. She opened the handwritten note and began to read.

Dear Tabitha,

I was going to say something at dinner the other night, but that was a debacle. I just couldn’t find the words last night and didn’t want to dampen the celebration.

By now, you have likely found out that I have relocated to Santa Monica, California. It had been a long time coming, and I finally pulled the trigger on the transfer. They offered me a package I couldn’t refuse, and I felt it would begin going down if I didn’t take it now.

I can imagine those wheels in your beautiful head are turning right now. You won't believe it was the package they offered me. You can’t imagine why I would want to leave my family, especially that rascal Dalton, who’s like a son to me. You’re partly right.

For my adult life, I had relationships but avoided anything serious. Summer romances were my specialty, although I didn’t go out of the way to select a specific woman to spend the summer with. There has always been an understanding between the woman and me, and no one got hurt. I was sorry to see a few women leave my life, but for the most part, my no-commitment policy worked.

Then, you came along. I can’t give you what you want and need, although I was tempted to try. I knew I was in trouble when I spoke with you on the phone. You seemed fearless to me and weren’t afraid to speak your mind. It was made clear up front that I wasn’t to call you Tabby or Barbie. Instead of resting on your laurels when your plans were canceled, you hopped on board with a new arrangement. I wanted to know you better without ever having laid eyes on you.

When I first saw you that on your deck, you dazzled me. Your green eyes sparkled and the way your hair moved, I thought I was still sleeping. A living dream was standing right before me. You were too perfect to be real, and I thought you were a figment of my imagination. As we spent time together, I realized your looks were only a small part of you. What you have on the inside is even more impressive.

You put your lovely daughter and your friends first and are unrelentingly loyal to every one of them. You need a man to celebrate your qualities and you every day for the rest of your life. As much as I wish that person was me, it isn’t possible. I’m never going to have the capacity to commit. I learned that about myself a long time ago, and it will never change.

Santa Monica was a great deal, and I have a lot of friends there. I’m sorry to do things this way, but running away is the only way I know to get things done. My father did it well, so I guess it runs in the family.

I hope that someday, a deserving man enters your life. If not, I know you’ll be fine. You’re already complete without a partner, so don’t compromise.

If you have the time, keep an eye on Dalton. I’ll tell you a secret – he’s crushing on Deenie. Now that I’m gone, he won’t kill me for telling you.

Time should pass before we consider contacting each other.

All the Best,

Marcus

Tabitha could have cried a river of tears, but she didn’t. What kind of coward leaves a “Dear John” letter? Did he think that was better than having a face-to-face conversation? She was not going to fall apart like she first did when Greg asked her for a divorce. In retrospect, that was wasted time. Karma had knocked on Greg’s door, and what he was going through was worse than what she experienced.

Dalton was sitting at the kitchen table with April and Mel. Deb was with Nathaniel, and the kids were sleeping. Kylen, Deenie, and Cay would likely stay sleeping until well after noon.

“From the looks on your faces, I can tell Dalton has filled you in. He didn’t read the letter Marcus left me, but you know that he’s no longer in Melbourne Beach,” Tabitha said. “Once again, I’ve been jilted, and just like last time, I had no idea this was coming.”

April and Mel each reached for one of her hands and squeezed tightly. Dalton poured Tabitha a cup of coffee, which was probably a reflex from his job as a server. She thanked him for the coffee and told him to go back to sleep on the couch. The youngsters were up until after she went to bed.

“I’m shocked, as I’m sure you are. When Marcus brought you home sick the other day, it was clear that he genuinely cared for you. I tried convincing him to leave, but he was having none of it,” April said. “The way he looked at you was one of absolute adoration, and you had just gotten sick in his Porsche. Marcus was only concerned for your welfare, and it was like a scene right out of a romance novel. If I could get a man to look at me that way, I may not have been single all these years."

"Those looks didn’t mean enough to keep him from leaving,” Tabitha said.