Page 13 of Beneath the Dawn

He shrugged. “For starters, I don’t see you as being a cruel or vindictive person, Marti. I remember how protective you were of your sister that summer. You were always putting her wants and needs before your own, always looking out for her. It was quite apparent that you took your role of big sister seriously. You rarely let her out of your sight. Especially, when we were on the beach.”

He paused, remembering. “That day you almost drowned was because she wanted that floating toy and was determined to go into the water after it. Instead, to keep her safe, you promised to get it for her, and damn near killed yourself trying. Even after I managed to get you back to shore, your sister’s main concern was that you didn’t bring her toy back.”

“Kara was barely five then, Dante. She was just a kid.”

“So were you,” he countered.

“Yes, but at the time Kara didn’t fully understand the impact─”

“That you nearly drowned to get something she wanted?” he interrupted to ask. “But I understood, Marti. And since I knew you had made her that promise, I went back to try to get it. I don’t have to tell you what nearly happened to me.”

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. It ended well since we both lived, and your sister got her toy back.”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to think Kara grew up to be an inconsiderate human being, Dante. She is one of the nicest, kindest, and most loving people I know. She always put others before herself.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then relented. “I believe you. Admittedly, as an only child, I didn’t understand that level of overprotectiveness until years later. Not until after Skylar was born.”

“Skylar?”

“Yes, Skylar, the youngest of my two godbrothers. I’m thirteen years older. In fact, he was born the year after our swimming incident. I grew up just as protective of him as you were of your sister. And so, I can only assume you lied to Kara about her boyfriend because you thought you were protecting her.”

“Yes, that’s what I honestly thought at the time--that I was protecting her from someone who would eventually break her heart. It took her four years to discover I had lied about him. When she did, it caused a deep rift in our relationship, one that I thought could not be repaired. I realized I’d made a grave mistake about him. Virgil Bougard truly did love my sister, and I was responsible for keeping them apart during all that time. I apologized to them both.”

“Were they able to work things out and get back together?” he asked.

“Yes, but my lie caused a lot of damage. Dad, who’d always liked Virgil but who is protective of his girls, turned against him and called him some not-so-nice things. Things Dad had to apologize for once it was discovered I had lied. And Virgil didn’t make things easy for Kara. He’s an unforgiving sort of guy and wasn’t so quick to excuse her for believing my lie about him. He felt she should have trusted him. Eventually, they realized how much they still loved each other and felt they had wasted enough years apart. They are married, and I’ve never known Kara to be happier. Virgil is the best thing to ever happen to her. He’s a wonderful husband and father.”

He reached out and gently touched her hand. “You misjudged his intentions toward your sister, but it sounds like everything ended well.”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?” he asked softly.

“I wish I hadn’t lied. I wish I had known.”

Dante didn’t say anything for a moment. “The thing is, Marti, we’re all human and prone to making mistakes. It’s a fact of life. You didn’t do it intentionally. You did it because you thought you were protecting your sister. It was done out of love.”

Her gaze met his, and he saw it, signs of remorse still lingering there. “Yes, I did it out of love.” She paused a moment and then asked, “What about you, Dante? Has there been a major regret for you?”

He figured that since he was the one who put the question out there first, and she had answered, the least he could do was return the favor. “Yes. In my first year at Harvard, there was a guy who lived in the dorm room across the hall. Whenever I saw him on campus, he always looked rather sad. I’d heard that his roommate could be a real asshole. My intent was to introduce myself and befriend him. Unfortunately, I never found the time.”

He took a sip of his coffee, trying to push back the memories. “One day, I came back from class to find the dorm surrounded by police. That’s when I found out the guy had committed suicide.”

“Oh, my goodness,” she said, clutching her chest.

“To this day, I regret not taking the time to befriend him or to simply ask him if he was okay. I later learned that his roommate had been bullying him.”

“That’s cruel.”

He nodded. “And what’s even sadder is that the roommate had no remorse. However, after the police took statements from those with firsthand knowledge of the situation, that guy was expelled.”

“I’m glad.”

“So was I.” And to this day, Dante refused to tolerate bullies of any kind. Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Okay, let’s lighten this up. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?”

He watched as her eyes returned to their silver-gray color when she smiled. “Bungee jump. Kara and I took a sister trip to Costa Rica a year after I moved to North Carolina. It was one of the excursions she had signed up for and after watching her do it, I decided to give it a try, too. I admit it was fun.”