Summer at the Heartbreak Cafe: Summer Sweet Romance (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 0) by Melissa Hill Page B
Authors: Melissa Hill
Ads: Link
“Where’s Donal?”
Marianne blew her nose and attempted to repair her face by wiping off the mascara dripping down her cheeks. “He’s gone back to the cottage. I’m OK, really.”
“You know it does help to talk it out,” Ella coaxed, smiling at the younger woman.
Marianne looked away, but before she did, Ella caught the look on her face.
She looked so sad, as though she carried the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. She was young, probably only in her late thirties. What could be so terrible that she would look so sad, Ella wondered, especially when in the short time she’d known her she always seemed so cheery.
“I … I think my marriage is in trouble Ella, no—I know it is. Donal is just not the person I married ten years ago. Or maybe it’s me, I don’t know,” Marianne sniffed.
“Of course he’s not the same person, love. People change over time,” Ella pointed out.
“I think that’s what’s happened. Do you know he proposed right here in Lakeview, out on the lake, under a full moon.” Marianne said, her eyes brimming with the memories of that time. “We were so in love back then, we saw nothing but each other.”
“You were here? Ten years ago?” Ella scratched her memory for Marianne and Donal’s faces but so many tourists had come and gone in the interim….
Or perhaps she was just growing old, she thought with a wry smile.
“Donal is obsessed with his work, and he’s forgotten about us. Coming back here was my chance to get him to see what’s happening to us. I want us to have children one day too, but at the moment that’s such a far-fetched dream….” Marianne’s voice faded away.
It was difficult. Ella knew the pitfalls of being career focused. People lost track of the important things in life in the search for success.
“What were your goals when you got married? As a couple?” she asked.
Marianne was silent as she contemplated her question. Ella took this time to look at her. She had cover girl pretty looks, with sleek hair that fell to her shoulders.
Ella had noticed that she always had her make up perfectly applied, and was constantly smartly dressed, even in casual wear. But more than that she had a good heart. Look how she had volunteered to watch Grace’s twin boys earlier?
“We wanted to work hard, and build our lives. We were just starting out in our careers and had nothing to our names, so success was a big goal. For one we wanted to buy an apartment in a good part of Dublin, which we have. Secondly, both of us wanted to climb the corporate ladder in our respective companies.”
“And have you?”
“Almost. Donal wants to reach to the very top, and as for me, just before we came here, I had been invited to interview for a big promotion.”
Marianne went on to narrate to Ella the events of the day she had cancelled the interview with Ms Walker.
“OK, so he might be ambitious but love, from where I’m standing, I’d say Donal hasn’t done anything wrong,” Ella pointed out.
Marianne turned to her in disbelief. “How can you say that after everything I’ve just told you? We came back here to try recapture our romance. Donal just doesn’t get that there are more important things than work.”
“What I mean,” Ella clarified, “is that Donal hasn’t changed the goalposts but you have. You told me yourself that when you got married, your goals at the time were to achieve success. Perhaps you feel that you’ve already done that but clearly Donal hasn’t. Seems that you’re the one who decided that you want out of the race now. As far as he’s concerned, the two of you are still chasing promotions and looking to climb the corporate ladder, and why would he think otherwise?”
After a long moment, Marianne looked at her unblinking. “I think I see what you mean. I’ve changed, and I’m expecting Donal to suddenly change as well.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ella said. “Donal is also being a little thoughtless. The two
Marianne blew her nose and attempted to repair her face by wiping off the mascara dripping down her cheeks. “He’s gone back to the cottage. I’m OK, really.”
“You know it does help to talk it out,” Ella coaxed, smiling at the younger woman.
Marianne looked away, but before she did, Ella caught the look on her face.
She looked so sad, as though she carried the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. She was young, probably only in her late thirties. What could be so terrible that she would look so sad, Ella wondered, especially when in the short time she’d known her she always seemed so cheery.
“I … I think my marriage is in trouble Ella, no—I know it is. Donal is just not the person I married ten years ago. Or maybe it’s me, I don’t know,” Marianne sniffed.
“Of course he’s not the same person, love. People change over time,” Ella pointed out.
“I think that’s what’s happened. Do you know he proposed right here in Lakeview, out on the lake, under a full moon.” Marianne said, her eyes brimming with the memories of that time. “We were so in love back then, we saw nothing but each other.”
“You were here? Ten years ago?” Ella scratched her memory for Marianne and Donal’s faces but so many tourists had come and gone in the interim….
Or perhaps she was just growing old, she thought with a wry smile.
“Donal is obsessed with his work, and he’s forgotten about us. Coming back here was my chance to get him to see what’s happening to us. I want us to have children one day too, but at the moment that’s such a far-fetched dream….” Marianne’s voice faded away.
It was difficult. Ella knew the pitfalls of being career focused. People lost track of the important things in life in the search for success.
“What were your goals when you got married? As a couple?” she asked.
Marianne was silent as she contemplated her question. Ella took this time to look at her. She had cover girl pretty looks, with sleek hair that fell to her shoulders.
Ella had noticed that she always had her make up perfectly applied, and was constantly smartly dressed, even in casual wear. But more than that she had a good heart. Look how she had volunteered to watch Grace’s twin boys earlier?
“We wanted to work hard, and build our lives. We were just starting out in our careers and had nothing to our names, so success was a big goal. For one we wanted to buy an apartment in a good part of Dublin, which we have. Secondly, both of us wanted to climb the corporate ladder in our respective companies.”
“And have you?”
“Almost. Donal wants to reach to the very top, and as for me, just before we came here, I had been invited to interview for a big promotion.”
Marianne went on to narrate to Ella the events of the day she had cancelled the interview with Ms Walker.
“OK, so he might be ambitious but love, from where I’m standing, I’d say Donal hasn’t done anything wrong,” Ella pointed out.
Marianne turned to her in disbelief. “How can you say that after everything I’ve just told you? We came back here to try recapture our romance. Donal just doesn’t get that there are more important things than work.”
“What I mean,” Ella clarified, “is that Donal hasn’t changed the goalposts but you have. You told me yourself that when you got married, your goals at the time were to achieve success. Perhaps you feel that you’ve already done that but clearly Donal hasn’t. Seems that you’re the one who decided that you want out of the race now. As far as he’s concerned, the two of you are still chasing promotions and looking to climb the corporate ladder, and why would he think otherwise?”
After a long moment, Marianne looked at her unblinking. “I think I see what you mean. I’ve changed, and I’m expecting Donal to suddenly change as well.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ella said. “Donal is also being a little thoughtless. The two
Similar Books
