by Roz Dunbar
“Oops, no. We need to go back.” Tess had totally forgotten to take her wallet out of her smaller purse when she was switching bags.
“Why?”
“Luke, I forgot my wallet.”
“No problem. I have money with me.”
“That’s not the point. I don’t want to rely on you to pay for anything I might want to buy.”
Tess was looking at him as she spoke, her voice sincere as she tried to make him understand that she preferred to pay her own way. It wasn’t meant to insult him. He looked over at her, but the dark military aviator sunglasses he wore hid his eyes. It was hard to gauge his reaction, but he didn’t appear to be offended.
“Understood. But since we’re almost there it would be a waste of time to go back. Tell you what, we’ll keep a running tab if you do buy anything, and you can pay me back when you get home.”
She was pleased with the easy compromise he offered. “Deal, though I don’t expect I’ll be buying anything. I am there to work, after all.” His only reply was a smile.
Moments later they rounded a corner, and Tess was immediately caught up in the scene in front of her. Luke stopped the cart, giving her time to take it all in. It was utterly delightful. Two roads were closed to all but foot traffic, and there was a ton of it, but no one seemed to be in any kind of a hurry to get from one cheerfully painted vendor’s booth to the next. Beyond, the crystal-blue water of the sound beckoned invitingly in the midday sun. Sailboats dotted the glistening waves and seabirds cried as they flew low overhead. She could hear laughter and music, a testament to the enjoyment of the crowd. The aromas drifting in the air were nothing short of blissful, causing her mouth to water in anticipation of at least one bite of whatever smelled so enticing. She had thought the village was lovely when she arrived, but today it was dressed up for a party, which for her only added to its distinctive appeal.
“How could anyone ever want to leave here?” She spoke softly, wonder in each word.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?”
She heard the same appreciation in Luke’s voice that she was feeling, and realized he felt the same way that she did about this special place.
“It’s like Brigadoon. I’m afraid that if I close my eyes, it will disappear for a hundred years and I won’t be able to find it again. I wonder if all of you know what you have.”
“Oh, we know.” He shifted in his seat to look at her as he spoke, his voice deep and low. “These folks nurture this place. It’s a part of who they are. It’s their home. They protect it and love it, and it gives back to them a hundred times over. The majority make their living from the sea out there. They’re fishermen. It’s been this way for a couple of centuries and hopefully will stay this way for a couple more. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Tess knew at that instant that she would have a difficult time leaving here when the time came to go. How could Livie have left? Love. Tess knew the answer before the thought had completely formed in her mind. Livie loved Adam so much that she was willing to be with him no matter where his career took him. Livie also knew that she always had this place to come back to. It was her foundation; it was in her soul. How could it not be? This town and its people had formed her values and helped shape her into the person they all loved so dearly.
Tess shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts as she turned toward Luke, deeply aware of his arm lying casually behind her shoulders across the back of the seat.
“So, let’s go join the party. I suspect that I’m not really helping out today.” Tess smiled at Luke as she spoke.
“Nope. I knew you’d catch on. Your mission is to have fun, and my mission is to see that you do. When did you figure it out?” he asked curiously, as he drove down a small alleyway behind the vendors, pulling up near the church booth.
“When Aunt Annie called. I knew something was up. The aunts told me last night at dinner that they had a full roster of volunteers. She must have forgotten. What if I don’t feel like having fun?”
“Are you upset?”
“Of course not. Luke, I—”
“Well, it’s about time! What took you so long?” Katie interrupted as she made her way toward them, a smile lighting up her face.
“How’s business? Looks like you sold quite a bit while I was gone.” Luke had taken off his sunglasses and was eyeing the shelves behind the counter. “And it looks like you have plenty of help,” he added, giving Tess a faint wink.
Katie didn’t miss a beat as she cleared her throat a bit theatrically. “Oh, no, funny thing is we have plenty of help now, and will for the rest of the day. Sorry to have gotten you out for nothing, dear.” Although she tried hard to look contrite, it just wasn’t working.
Tess suppressed a smile. “That’s all right. It’s not as though I was busy with anything in particular.” She leaned over and kissed the woman’s weathered cheek as she assured her all was good. “Where’s Aunt Annie?”
“Oh, she went off to carpe diem, as she calls it. I think she was headed in the direction of the shrimp burgers. She’s been complaining about being hungry all day. I caught her eating some of the lemon cookies that Pastor Fulcher’s wife made, and sent her to buy lunch for all of us. Who knows when or even if she’ll come back.”
“Since you don’t need Tess, do you mind if I show her around?” Luke put his sunglasses back on as he spoke.
“Well, that of course is up to Tess, but it would be nice for her to see one of our little festivals in progress. Such a nice day for one.” Katie adjusted her wide-brimmed hat as she spoke, throwing Luke a meaningful glance.
“I’d love to wander around for a bit, that is if Luke doesn’t mind taking it a little slow. I’m afraid my leg isn’t quite up to warp speed yet.”
“Oh, my. I hadn’t thought of your leg.” This time Katie did look so sincerely contrite that Tess impulsively hugged her.
“I have thought of her leg,” Luke assured the older woman. “We’ll take frequent rest breaks. Nothing to it. Now, let’s go seize the day!”
As they walked away Katie called, “Did you slather?”
“Yes!” both Tess and Luke answered at the same time.
“Good!”
Several hours later Tess found herself sitting on a wrought-iron bench under a Bradford pear tree in the town square, eating the most delicious mango shaved ice she had ever had. Well, technically it was the only mango shaved ice she had ever had, but what did that matter? The afternoon had been so much fun, everything about it was delicious. No bad thoughts or memories had intruded for the few hours they had been there, and Tess was grateful.
Luke had been as good as his word, taking frequent breaks to allow her to rest her leg. He wasn’t obvious about it, but he did seem to instinctively know when she needed a seat for a short while. He never said a word, just guided her to a shady spot and joined her in people watching and small talk, seeming totally relaxed and content to be in her company.
Earlier, they’d made the rounds of the vendors and Tess had been impressed with the quality of the arts and crafts for sale, but she was most intrigued when they stopped by one of the jewelry booths. The artisan specialized in creating sea glass pieces that were absolutely stunning. Tess purchased five silver bangle bracelets inset with lovely frosted blue and green bits of glass. Two were for the aunts, and she planned on giving the other three to Livie and the girls. At first, she was not going to buy anything, but Luke encouraged her, agreeing that they were a bargain and that the ladies would love them. As he paid, Tess reminded him of their deal for her to reimburse him, and he didn’t protest.
Then they stopped by the dunking booth to check on Caleb. He was having a great time with Joey and his dad. The minute Tess and Luke got there he ran up to them, a huge smile on his freckled face.
“Where have you been? Hey, Miss Tess! Dad, we need someone to dunk Mr. Joe really good!”
“Hi, buddy.” Tess saw the love in Luke’s eyes as he greeted the boy, then he glanced briefly
at her, smiling. The tableau between father and son tugged at her heart and she smiled back without thinking.
“You do? Well, maybe I can help with that. Better yet, maybe Miss Tess would like to try.”
Luke threw Tess a wink, but she was shaking her head.
“Oh, no. I really couldn’t.”
“Aw, c’mon, Miss Tess. I bet you could, if you really tried,” Joey declared, coming to join them. Tess looked at all three males. Luke seemed as eager as the boys. She hated to disappoint them.
“Well, I did play a little softball in high school. Tell you what, how about if we both try. Luke?”
“Sounds good to me,” he said with a crooked grin. “Have you had lunch?” he asked his son.
“Yep. Miss Linda bought us shrimp burgers. They sure were delicious!” Caleb looked so much like his father with his dark hair and beautiful blue eyes, Tess thought.
“Good deal. We need to get something to eat ourselves, and walk around for a while to enjoy the sights, but before the end of the day, we’ll be back. Care to join us?
“Naw, they need my help here. Besides, I might miss someone dunking Mr. Joe. Promise you’ll be back to try?”
“Promise.”
“Roger that.” Caleb snapped a smart salute and his dad returned it. “That’s marine speak for okay,” he explained to Joey as they ran back to the booth. Tess saw the boys salute each other, and laughed delightedly.
After they had visited Caleb, Luke had insisted on buying lunch for both of them and led her to a stall selling shrimp burgers. Tess’s vision of chopped shrimp formed into a patty was nothing like the reality. Instead, the sandwich consisted of succulent whole fresh shrimp that were deep fried, placed on a toasted bun and covered with sweet and tangy coleslaw. She was ravenous and after the first bite wolfed the whole sandwich down in no time.
And now they sat in the town square, listening to a string quartet that had replaced the earlier band in the pavilion. The music was soft and classical, amplifying the serene perfection of a beautiful day. The sky was an amazing Carolina blue in color, with large, puffy white clouds gliding effortlessly through it. She could not remember having a better day for ages.
“Luke, where are you from?” She was curious. Certainly not from Swansboro, but she could not recall anyone having told her where he’d grown up.
For a long moment, he was silent. Her nervousness increased with every second that passed. Was this a touchy subject for him? Tess started to open her mouth to retract the question and change the subject, but stopped herself before the words could come out. Maybe, like her, he needed to talk about the things that had hurt him in the past. Maybe in this, she could be there for him as he had been for her.
*
He looked at Tess thoughtfully. He wondered how much he should say. It had been a complicated childhood for him, with one parent totally absent and the other struggling with a substance abuse problem. He’d spent it moving from one foster home to the next, until he had landed in a considerable amount of trouble. Part of him was ashamed to admit how much of a mess his childhood had been.
Then he realized it didn’t matter. He had nothing to hide, and his life since joining the Corps was so different than it had been while growing up. Mentally, Luke amended that thought. His life since he had let God in was now vastly different. That, coupled with the discipline he had gained while in the Marine Corps, had made him a person he was proud to be—a person who could handle the amazing responsibility he’d been given in the form of his son.
“I’m from a small town in East Tennessee called Greenville. Beautiful place.”
“Is your family still there?”
Luke noticed that Tess had shifted her position on the bench to face him, taking off her sunglasses and putting them in her bag, which sat between them. Her eyes studied him with interest.
“My sister lives there. She and her husband have a farm in the area. They have six great kids that I love dearly.”
“Six? Wow! A nice big family. How often do you get to see them?”
Luke relaxed against the back of the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“Not as often as I’d like,” he admitted ruefully. “Caleb and I were just there last month. I took him to see his grandparents—his mother’s parents. Before that, it had been a long time. I’m working on changing that, though. Life is far too short to not be with the people that love you and who you love most.”
“I agree. I would hate not seeing my family often. Although my parents are in Africa right now. I haven’t seen them since…” She faltered, furrowing her brow. “Well, since they came home when I got hurt.”
“Africa? What are they doing there?”
“Dad is a doctor with Hope Corps, the organization I volunteered for when I was sent to Afghanistan. Mom works with him. She’s a nurse practitioner. And of course, you know Livie and Adam and the girls. But what about you? Your parents?”
He had tried to turn the conversation back to her, without success. He knew she wasn’t being pushy, just curious to know about him, who he was and where he came from. His childhood was no big secret. He often shared it with the kids he mentored at the youth center. He wanted to let them know that he understood where they were coming from, their problems and what they had to deal with. But telling Tess was different. For some reason he felt a little uneasy about sharing this side of him with her. He rubbed the back of his neck before answering.
“I have no idea where my father is. I haven’t seen him since he left. I was four years old. My mother, I do see occasionally, when I visit home. She didn’t raise me. After Dad left she started drinking, heavily. She was physically and emotionally abusive to my sister and me. We were eventually removed from her home and put into foster care.”
“That makes for a pretty tough childhood. No kid should have to go through that.”
Luke shot her a quick glance after she spoke. In her eyes he saw concern, compassion and kindness for the little boy he had been and what he’d gone through.
“I was an angry kid for a long time,” he admitted, choosing his words carefully.
It still stung when he thought back on the times his mother, in a drunken rage, had screamed that she wished he had never been born. That his father would never have left if she hadn’t had children. It was then that Luke had learned how cruel words, especially from someone that you loved, had the ability to cut deeply, causing substantial pain. He had loved his mother unconditionally and still did. When she was sober, she was loving and kind. Problem was, she hadn’t been sober that often during his childhood, at least not when he was around her. Hopefully, this new stint in rehab was helping her. He prayed that it did.
“I am so very sorry that you had to go through that. Some people were never meant to be parents. It’s always tragic for the kids involved.”
Tess’s tone was soothing. She reached over and lightly rubbed his shoulder as she spoke, tenderness and understanding lacing each softly spoken word. Her touch felt right, too right. He pulled back slightly, not wanting to offend her, yet needing to put some distance between them. He had the most insane urge to kiss her right now, and he doubted very much she would appreciate it. Gruffly, he cleared his throat before going on.
“So, here I am, years later, and none the worse for wear.”
“Yes, here you are and probably a bit worse for wear. How could you not be?”
“Thank you, Tess.”
“For what?” She looked a little confused.
“For listening. I appreciate that.”
“Oh. Well, you’re welcome, then.” She gave him a little smile. Abruptly, he jumped to his feet, extending his hand to her.
“Come on. We have one more booth to hit and then home.”
“Oh, that’s right. The dunking booth!” Tess laughed as she tossed what was left of her shaved ice in the trash bin and took Luke’s outstretched hand.
“We promised the boys we’d dunk Joe. The poor kids have probably been t
rying to do it themselves for the past couple of hours. You did tell them you played softball in high school. They’re expecting big things from you.”
Tess shook her head. “Maybe you should try, Luke. High school softball was a while ago for me.”
“Oh, no, Tess. It’s all on you.”
Her only response was to make a face at him, crinkling her pert nose.
The dunking booth was only a short walk away. Caleb and Joey were standing at the counter with two other boys. Caleb’s face lit up when he saw them approaching, and he waved them over excitedly. Luke’s heart warmed. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but today was good, and the good days were adding up. It had been tough getting used to each other. He was trying hard to be the best father he could be. He knew it would never be perfect between them; it never was, between parent and child. Building a loving relationship took hard work, especially since he and Caleb had known each other only six months.
One day at a time, Luke reminded himself. Baby steps.
*
“Over here, Miss Tess, Dad!”
“Has anyone dunked him yet? Hi, Mark, Kevin.”
Tess watched Luke ruffle his son’s dark hair and then wave to Joe, who was perched on a plank suspended above a tank of water, kicking his legs back and forth. He wore an old-fashioned one-piece striped bathing suit that looked ridiculously appropriate.
Joe waved back, giving them a broad grin. “Come to give it a try, Luke?” he taunted.
“Not me,” Luke replied, pointing to Tess at his side.
“Only five people got him in the water. I was hoping for more.” Joey looked more than a little disappointed as he recited the numbers. “But Dad says we made a lot of money for the clinic.”
“That’s the important thing, Joey. Well, let’s see what Miss Tess can do, shall we?” Luke put several dollars on the counter and Joey handed them three softballs.
“Aim for that flat round thing,” Caleb instructed Tess as she handed her cane to Luke and picked up the first ball. “You just gotta win the big prize. We don’t wanna give it to anyone else.”
“I’ll do my best. What’s the big prize?”
