by Kaira Rouda
Tade shook Jack’s arm off his shoulders and Dorsey’s hand off his arm, bounded up the stairs, and pushed the door open wide enough to wrap both arms around the thin figure, now revealed. She wore a simple brown cotton dress. The hand that reached out to pat Tade’s head was wrinkled and bumpy, with large, dark, age spots. Jack had no idea how old the woman was—she seemed timeless in her sepia surroundings.
“I’ll try to come again, Miss Barbara, before I leave,” Tade said, backing out of her embrace.
“That would be nice, honey—now you go so’s y’all don’t get in no trouble,” Barbara said. Then smiling kindly down on them, she closed the door.
“Tade, you’re not supposed to be on this side of the island,” Dorsey said as they made their way out of the moss-draped forest.
Jack was in the lead, Tade behind him and Dorsey in the rear. He imagined black rat snakes under each tree and alligators lunging at them from the marsh. He hated snakes. He was completely on guard and he knew Dorsey’s foot must be throbbing.
“Yeah, yeah. Bet you can’t catch me,” Tade said, breaking into a run at the creek.
“Bet I can,” Jack said, catching Dorsey’s eye to be sure she was ok. She nodded and Jack took off after Tade, grabbing him as he rounded the bend at the beach and reached the golf cart.
“Can I drive the cart?”
“No. Scooch over. We need to pick up Dorsey. And Tade, don’t do this again,” Jack said, relieved to be back in civilization. He looked out over the ocean and was surprised to see thickening dark clouds. He didn’t know it was supposed to storm. They reached Dorsey as she was limping across the thick sand and she climbed on the cart, Tade between them in the front seat.
“Want to go put some blue crabs in the pool? I did that once and watched all of those sunbathers scream. It was funny!” Tade said as they drove past the pool area.
“That was you?” Dorsey said, shaking her head. “I heard about the prank at a staff meeting. Listen kiddo, I need your help. You’re the senior camper around here. You can help me with these new kids, show them all the fun things to do here. Like a second-in-command?”
“Maybe,” Tade said. “Didn’t you like Barbara’s house?”
“She seemed really nice,” Jack said, parking in front of the Kids Club cottage.
“When I leave, you have to visit her for me,” Tade said. “You do that, and I’ll help you with the kids. Deal?”
“OK, sure,” Dorsey said.
“As long as I’m with you,” Jack added protectively, meeting Dorsey’s eyes over Tade’s head. He saw her blush. He realized he was completely nuts about her. He didn’t want to go back to the pool, he wanted time to stand still. But he had to go. He parked the golf cart and they all climbed out.
“See you later, guys,” Jack said as he headed back to the pool and Dorsey and Tade climbed the steps to the Kids Cottage.
Rebecca was waiting for him as he reached the lifeguard chair.
“Say, just for old times why don’t you come by after work? I have a couple of your t-shirts I accidentally kept from last summer. You’re probably going to want them, right?” She had her hand on his biceps, her fingernails digging into his shirt.
“Could you just bring them to me, please?” he said, using his hand to pry her nails off of his shirt, smiling at her before climbing the ladder to the chair.
“No, I can’t,” she said tossing her long brunette hair over her shoulder, arms crossed in front of her. “If you want them, you’re going to have to come get them.” And then she stormed away from him in a huff.
Maybe Rebecca had finally gotten the hint.
Chapter 9
Dorsey
Dorsey watched Jack walk away with pure lust in her heart. She hoped she’d see him tonight, even though she knew it was against the club policy, against everything she’d wanted when she started her new life here. She knew she couldn’t trust a man again, not with her truth. Once he knew the real story, he wouldn’t want her anyway. It would be far easier to push him away now, before it went any further. How had he gotten into her heart and mind so quickly? Her stomach clenched as an answer and her face flushed. He was the hottest guy she’d ever been around. Period.
Dorsey looked out from the porch of the Kids Cottage and saw that girl, Rebecca, standing below Jack’s lifeguard chair. What were they saying? Were they making plans? Dorsey was stuck, she couldn’t leave the Kids Cottage and couldn’t find out what was going on from here. Tade was pulling on her arm.
“What?” she said impatiently.
“So should we take the kids to look for Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests?” Tade said, interrupting her thoughts.
“That’s a perfect idea,” Dorsey said reluctantly taking her eyes off of Jack and Rebecca and following Tade into the Kids Club where they found Steve finger painting with a group of toddlers. “But we may have to wait until the storm passes.”
“Thank God,” Steve said, hurrying toward the door, wiping his hands on a paper towel. He had green paint on his cheek, but Dorsey wasn’t going to wipe that for him. “You son, need to stop hiding like that.”
“I wasn’t hiding,” Tade said. “I was visiting a friend.”
“That’s not allowed. Everyone must follow the rules precisely in order for this club to be the best. You are expected to do so, as are your parents. I will be speaking to them, as well,” Steve said, spittle at the corner of his mouth.
“They won’t listen,” Tade said, hands on his hips, taunting the large man in front of him. Dorsey didn’t know why he was being so defiant, but she didn’t like seeing Steve get so angry at a child.
“They will, son,” Steve said, jaw clenching while his tiny eyes darkened with anger. “You all will. Good work, Dorsey.” And then he was gone.
Tade and Dorsey sat side by side on the window seat of the Kids Cottage, watching the waves build as the storm approached. The water grew dark brown as the light drained from the sky. The little kids had stopped painting and Dorsey had put on a Disney movie for them to watch. Dorsey heard the sirens blowing, calling all golfers off the course.
“My parents said this is a northeastern fetch,” Tade said. “I’m not sure what a fetch is, but if it cools it down here, it’s fine with me.”
“Me too. When are you leaving?” she said.
“Tomorrow,” Tade said.
“Already? Wow, I’ll miss you.”
A crack of lightning brightened the sky, followed closely by a loud thunderclap that seemed to be directly above the Kids Cottage. All three toddlers began to cry and Dorsey and Tade gathered them together in the center of the room. Dorsey wondered whether Jack would stop in and check on her, since the pool had to be closed during the storm. Or, maybe he had other duties she didn’t know about.
Nervous parents began banging in the door of the cottage, collecting their kids and hurrying out before the downpour. Tade, as usual, was the last to be picked up.
“I don’t want to go. Dorsey and I have plans,” he said to his parents when they eventually appeared.
“Well, you can just have that to look forward to on your next visit. You know we were only here for the long weekend, son. We’re back in three weeks,” Tade’s mom said, hurrying him out the door.
Dorsey was surprised how sad Tade’s departure made her. She had started to clean up the Kids Club for the day when the door burst open again. Tade.
“I forgot. I have something for you, something to keep you safe,” he said. “Put out your hand.”
“It better not be a bug, or I’ll get you,” Dorsey said.
“OK, open,” Tade said.
“What is it?” she asked, rolling a little figurine the size of a wine bottle cork back and forth in her fingers. It was a tiny clay person glazed periwinkle blue with a white base, four pressed buttons up its middle, two arms, and a little face with a pointed hat.
“It’s an oogle. Barbara said it’ll keep you safe. She gave me two. One for you. You need to keep it in your pocket, and whe
n you go to sleep, put it by your bed.” Tade pulled his own small figurine out of his shorts pocket.
“Tade, I love it. Thank you. I’ll miss you, but I’ll see you in three weeks,” Dorsey said, and watched as he ran to the golf cart and his mother drove quickly away.
It was getting eerily dark outside, almost as if night had fallen when it was only four in the afternoon. A crack of thunder boomed above Dorsey’s head and she saw a lightning bolt strike on Hilton Head, near the famous red-and-white striped lighthouse. They’d close the pool for sure, she realized, and decided to head there to find Jack, even though it was wrong for her to want to be near him, even though he might have made plans with Rebecca. It was as if an invisible force was pulling her to him. She made it to the pool as the last of the guests were hurrying away in their golf carts.
Jack grinned when he saw her. “Hey beautiful, ready for your first Indigo Island storm?” he said, unzipping his backpack and rummaging through its contents. “Not that it matters. I’m prepared for both of us.”
He pulled out what looked like a yellow garbage bag. “Voilà! A rain poncho, straight from Disney World. Present from Mom. Just ignore the big mouse ears and think of me as a bright yellow beacon on a rather miserable day. I have an extra. Want to borrow it?”
He had unconsciously run his fingers through his dark brown hair, and it stood up. When he grinned, a dimple appeared on the left side of his smile. Dorsey hadn’t felt this tingle inside for years, maybe never.
The feeling was happiness, she realized. And a really big, teenage-sized crush.
“Give me a poncho, buster, and let’s explore this little resort in the rain. It’ll be fun. We look like a couple of overgrown ducks,” Dorsey said, pulling the yellow tent over her head.
“Hey, wait for Big Bird, would ya,” Jack said, hanging the “pool closed” sign.
They walked together in the pouring rain, past cottage after cottage, first the employee row and then the ocean-front guest cottages, which alternated blue, white, and yellow, blue, white, and yellow, until finally they reached the seawall protecting the cottages and the inn from the ravages of the Atlantic storms that would always come.
“You know, this is pretty.” Jack yelled to be heard over the crashing waves, pressing wind, and whipping rain. “Good shelling and arrowhead finding tomorrow!”
“I like finding colonial pottery shards. I have started quite a collection—that and my spearhead.” She turned to look up at him, and Jack leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, as water ran down both of their faces. Dorsey’s knees almost buckled.
“Sorry, couldn’t help it,” Jack said, smiling. “Let’s go near the water.”
“Strong currents,” Dorsey said, shaking her head.
“Yes, there are. Oh, you mean the water,” he teased. “We’re not going swimming. We’re just walking next to it. Come on. We’re already wet. I love the power of the ocean. I’ll hold your hand.” He jumped from the seawall to the sand a foot below. Reaching up, he held her with ease before lowering her to the sand. It was scary and sexy, all at the same time she realized as her heart thudded in her chest.
“Come on,” he yelled, pulling her hand.
The waves thundered, making it impossible to talk. By the water’s edge, the wind’s strength forced Dorsey to bend her head down to her chest. Her heart was pounding, the angry waves so close, so violent and still building in the normally flat and calm sound, but holding Jack’s hand made her feel safe, grounded. At that moment, she realized, Jack seemed to have always been with her, that he always should be. Protecting her, saving her.
Once they had walked far enough out and were walking parallel to the inn, she pulled on his hand, directing him back toward the gazebo and the grand yellow building beyond.
“OK,” he said, grinning at her and then lifting her back up onto the seawall before climbing back up himself. Together they ran to the white lattice gazebo, but it offered no protection from the growing storm.
“We need to get to the inn,” he yelled, and she nodded. They hurried up the oyster shell path. When Jack noticed her limping, he scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. They had climbed the steps to the large porch and were about to go inside when he pulled her to the side, into the shadows in the corner of the porch.
“Hey, do you know what these are? I’ve been meaning to ask every year,” he yelled pointing to a long wooden plank suspended on two rocking horse bases.
He’s such a kid, like Tade. Always asking questions, she thought, smiling. She was glad she knew the answer, too.
“It’s a joggling board. Made in Charleston,” Dorsey yelled. “Like this.” She sat in the middle of the long, foot-and-a-half-wide board that was inserted into rocking chair rockers on either end. She started joggling by bouncing up and down, and then added a back and forth rock by kicking her legs. “Ta da,” she yelled and Jack joined her. Two yellow ducks swaying on the joggling board.
“This is great,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “It’d be great to—”
“In Charleston, rumor was that there weren’t any virgins inside a house if it had a joggling board outside,” Dorsey said, surprising herself; she was suddenly glad the storm made it almost dark so Jack couldn’t see her blush.
“I can understand that. Wow, look at the lightning over the ocean,” Jack said, mesmerized by the sharp white streaks of light. He pulled Dorsey closer, holding onto her waist as they joggled. She could feel his strong hands on her sides, felt the electricity of his touch to her core.
Dorsey self-consciously pushed her wet hair away from her face and pulled the plastic hood off her head. She hadn’t seen her white Keds this muddy in a long time either, she thought with a smile. She hoped her stitches weren’t ruined. Her foot felt fine. She looked at Jack and wondered what they could do, should do.
“I’m glad I got to share this storm with you,” Jack said. “If I was in the corporate office now, I’d probably be dealing with hundreds of freaked-out guests. Instead, I just had to hang the pool closed sign and find you.”
Dorsey smiled. “Actually, I found you, and I’m glad,” she answered, leaning into his strong body.
Jack took his arm from her back and stood up in front of her, pulling her to standing, hugging her tightly. “I didn’t know how lonely I was until I met you,” he said, his hair wet but sexy, eyes dark and shining. “Now look at me. I’m falling for a soaking wet, muddy shoed, strawberry-blonde, adventuresome girl who is acting like she isn’t afraid of storms and who knows how to joggle.”
“I’m not afraid of the storm, not with you,” Dorsey said, her voice catching in her throat. Could this be happening to her? What about their employment contracts? What about Rebecca? Steve? “Jack, I was so lonely before I met you, too. When my last boyfriend, well my only real boyfriend, broke up with me, well, I haven’t been able to get past it.”
Jack grabbed Dorsey’s wet hair and tilted her head up. He leaned forward, covering her lips with his, gently pressing, exploring. Dorsey opened her mouth, gasping, as his kiss moved to her neck and behind her ear. She felt faint, the kisses were making her dizzy. Jack held her tight as another lightning bolt lit up the sky, this one close to the gazebo.
“I’m sorry he hurt you. I won’t,” Jack said, his voice low and needy.
Dorsey looked into Jack’s darkened eyes, wanting to believe him, as the thunderclap shook her to the core. She couldn’t trust him, though. She knew what he didn’t. He wouldn’t want to be with her once he knew her secrets.
“We better get inside,” Dorsey said, reluctantly breaking their embrace by pulling him into the lobby of the inn. Vacationers were everywhere, trapped inside by the storm. The bar was hopping, the library was packed, and Shane and Paula seemed beyond stressed by the volume of people in their lobby. Apples were disappearing faster than they could be counted. Dorsey smiled.
“Can you think of anywhere private we can go?” she whispered, stunned by her own boldness.
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“Yes, I have an idea—come on,” he said, and they hurried up the main stairs, past Steve’s office, and down a long corridor, Dorey’s wet tennis shoes squeaking with every step. “This is the service entrance to the private dining room. I doubt anybody is in here right now.”
He was right. Flipping on the lights, Dorsey saw that they were alone in a formal dining room, complete with sparkling crystal chandelier, oil paintings of the former plantation residents, and three huge windows facing the ocean and the storm.
“Sorry about your boyfriend,” Jack offered, his eyebrows knit together with concern. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
“Thanks,” she said. “It really is in the past, but for some reason, I can’t let go of it. He was embarrassed to be with me, after, after my dad died. He was from a long-standing family in Grandville, and well, my family’s scandal made him uncomfortable.”
“What a jerk,” Jack said, reaching over to hold Dorsey’s hand. They sat on the plush wool area rug, trying not to drip too much on the hardwood floor. “What could possibly make somebody act like that? That’s when you needed someone by your side. I mean your father’s death is a tragedy, not a scandal. I wish I could meet him. I’d punch him.”
“No you wouldn’t,” Dorsey said, rubbing the oogle in her pocket. “The sad thing, for Mom and me, was that we should have seen it coming. First somebody dyed our swimming pool a blood-red color. I came home from school and the pool, it was so creepy.”
“Why would anybody do that?” he asked, squeezing her shoulders.
Dorsey didn’t answer, she was lost in the past. She shivered.
“Then, they poisoned my dog, Rufus. He was a husky, with bright blue eyes. He was so sweet, so protective of me. He died in our kitchen, in my arms, foaming at the mouth. It was horrible.” Dorsey paused and took a deep breath. She’d never been able to say the words, she never wanted to believe them. “It was all to warn my dad, to force him to stop performing abortions. That was a tiny part of his practice. He was a celebrated Ob/Gyn doctor. He’d delivered everyone in town’s babies. But they took it all away. They threatened to kill us, my mom and me, too.”
