Free A Dream Weekend: A Tale From Blythe Cove Manor by Lorraine Bartlett Page A

in the tote behind her seat, grabbed her purse, and followed the man she’d once vowed to love and cherish so long as they both shall live—a promise she no longer felt compelled to honor.
    Alex hadn’t waited for her and had forged ahead. Paige struggled to catch up to him, although she couldn’t have said why. It’s not like they valued each other’s company. It’s not like they conversed much these last few months. The love between them had evaporated and neither of them seemed inclined to try to resurrect it.
    Paige trudged up the steel steps to the chilly open deck above. As she stepped into the bright sunlight, she was blinded for a few seconds. It was early in the season, just the first week in June, but those who were making the trip across the Vineyard Sound seemed as excited as though a holiday loomed. School hadn’t yet let out for most of the northeast, which was probably the reason for the timing of the prize they’d won. Another couple of weekends and the inn—or was it a B&B—would probably be booked solid until Labor Day. Still, there was nothing to keep Paige and Alex at home during that a three-day, two-night stay. Not now, anyway.
    No sooner had they walked toward the bow when the ferry left the dock, starting out at a slow pace, but soon picking up speed. The wind was brisk, and Paige was glad she’d gathered her hair into a ponytail that morning. She no longer felt the need to even attempt to look attractive. What did it matter in the grand scheme of things?
    Alex settled his arms on the teak rail at the bow, his gaze focused on the vast expanse of blue sea before them. Paige did likewise, wondering how soon they’d be able to see the island.
    “Why did you bring the camera?” Paige asked.
    Alex’s gaze was still fixed ahead of the big ferry. “I thought it might be time to make some new memories.”
    That was a laugh. Paige wanted to hold tight to her old memories. She wanted to go back in time to the lives they’d lived before their world had turned upside down. She wanted no part of the present or the future.
    There, she’d actually allowed herself to think the dreaded thought that had been hovering at the edges of consciousness for the better part of a year. The sense of surprise she’d felt just seconds before quickly settled down to acceptance. Yes, perhaps she’d known right from the time the police had phoned what her inevitable choice would be. She glanced askance at Alex, whose face was filled with lines that hadn’t been there a year before. The hair at his temples sported a bit of gray as well. Oddly enough, it suited him. It was the dead look in his eyes that often caught her off-guard, but then her expression mirrored his to the point that they might as well have been twins instead of husband and wife.
    She wouldn’t say another word about the camera. She’d let him make new memories, if that was what he wanted. And she decided she’d try to be nicer to him during the next few days. It would be her going-away present to him … one way or another.
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    A lex Campbell snapped pictures of the ferry, its passengers and crew, and of the approaching island that seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight as they approached. What he loved about digital photography was how easy it was to wipe away unsatisfactory shots with the press of a button. Of course, how many times had he cursed himself for wiping out so many mundane images the morning of the last day of his former life? But he’d made a point to clear the unwanted images away on a regular basis—just to keep the camera’s memory uncluttered. Before that last day, he’d led a very orderly life. Since then, he’d let go of a lot of the internal clutter in his life. It had been far too many long months, but he was finally emerging from the mental fog that had engulfed him for too long.
    He’d made a decision during the drive to Massachusetts. It was time to start living again.
    The ferry approached the dock and he