by Lee Hollis
“I’ve been waiting for you to come home,” he said in a quiet voice.
“For how long?”
“I got here around ten, maybe ten thirty . . .”
“What? I told you I was going to Liddy’s bachelorette party at Randy’s bar tonight and I wouldn’t be home until very late.”
“I know. It gave me some time to clear my head and get my thoughts straight,” he said, eyes downcast.
“About what?”
“Can we go inside?”
“Sure,” Hayley said, suddenly worried where this conversation was going to go. It was unlike Bruce to be so mysterious.
Hayley spun around and headed up the porch steps, rummaging through her bag for her house key.
Bruce followed close behind her, so close she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck.
Inside, Hayley started to panic.
What was so important that he was willing to wait outside her house for almost three hours to talk to her?
Was he going to break up with her?
Did he have some really bad news to deliver?
She could hardly take the suspense.
Once inside the back door that led to the kitchen, Hayley had to take the time to greet her dog, Leroy, who was jumping up and down, excited she was finally home. Her cat, Blueberry, sat in the hallway, glaring at her, annoyed over being left alone for so long with a hyperactive, annoying dog.
Bruce stood patiently waiting for all the hoopla to die down.
After feeding her pets, Hayley finally managed to turn and face Bruce, who now had a stoic, almost unreadable look on his face.
“So, what’s up?” she asked.
“Let’s go sit down in the living room,” he said gravely.
Bad news.
It had to be bad news.
No one ever had to sit down to hear good news.
Bruce brushed past her and led her into the living room where they both sat down on the couch.
Bruce took her hand and squeezed it gently.
Hayley held her breath, preparing herself for what was about to come.
He stared at her, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and that was driving her absolutely crazy.
“What, Bruce? Just come out with it! Is it Gemma or Dustin? Where are they?”
He looked genuinely perplexed. “I don’t know. I assume they’re both upstairs in their rooms asleep.”
“Then what?”
He squeezed her hand again. “I’ve been a mess since the accident.”
“Why? There’s no need to be. I’m fine.”
“I know, and I thank God for that, but there was this period of time, like twenty minutes or so, right after I heard about the accident on the police scanner and the dispatcher said your name, when I didn’t know whether you were alive or dead . . . And so, like I always do, I just assumed the worst . . .”
“Bruce . . .”
His eyes welled up with tears. “I thought I had lost you . . .”
He broke down crying.
Hayley leaned in and hugged him. He rested his head on her shoulder as he let it all out. Hayley had no idea how to react, except to be there and comfort him and pat him tenderly on the back. This was a side of Bruce she had never seen in all the years she had known him, including the nearly two years they had been dating.
“As I raced to the hospital, I could barely breathe, I was so distraught, and later, after I saw you, and I knew you were going to be okay, I . . . well, I . . .”
Hayley moved her hand up to the back of his head and pulled him closer into a warm embrace.
Bruce fought to stop crying, but he was too emotional. He wept on Hayley’s shoulder a few more minutes before he was finally able to collect himself and continue. “After I saw you in the hospital, and this huge wave of relief washed over me, I knew . . . I knew my feelings for you ran much deeper than I ever thought possible . . .”
Hayley slowly leaned back, and in one of those rare moments in her life, was rendered utterly speechless. She had never believed that Bruce Linney, of all the men in the world, would ever be capable of baring his soul.
“That night, after I left you, I kept thinking, what if something did happen to you? What if one day you were just ripped away from me? I just couldn’t handle it . . .”
“Bruce, I don’t know what to say . . .”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just had to get it off my chest. It was crushing me.”
He sniffed a couple of times. His eyes were finally dry of tears, so he wiped his face with the sleeve of his flannel shirt and then looked up at Hayley.
She could tell he was feeling extremely vulnerable.
For her part, Hayley was both touched and freaked out by Bruce’s raw admission. But as she gazed into his eyes, not sure how to respond, suddenly she found herself saying, “I feel exactly the same way.”
Bruce exhaled, a smile slowly creeping across his face.
It was exactly what he had waited three hours outside her house in his car to hear.
They embraced again and shared a dizzyingly passionate kiss, and then Bruce stood up, took her by the hand, and led her quietly upstairs.
Chapter 29
Hayley was up early the next morning and was on her way to work when she decided to swing into the Big Apple gas station and grab a cup of coffee and one of those plastic-wrapped cheese Danishes, since her own fridge was empty. So much for trying healthier breakfast options.
When she flew out of the store, struggling to rip open the plastic covering her Danish, she spotted Sergio at one of the pumps, filling the gas tank of his police cruiser.
“Morning,” he said with a nod.
“Hey, sorry about the noise complaint last night,” Hayley said sheepishly.
“No problem. Liddy only gets married once . . . we hope,” he said, chuckling. “Listen, I was going to mention this last night when I was at the bar, but you looked like you had your hands full.”
“What is it?” Hayley asked, finally prying open the plastic wrapper and taking a bite of her stale Danish.
“I had Lisa’s ex-boyfriend Timmy Blanchard come into the station for more questioning late yesterday afternoon.”
Hayley stopped at her car. “And?”
“And he admitted to stopping by Lisa’s shop unannounced on the day of the murder to try and get the money she owed him back . . .”
Hayley chewed on her Danish and sipped her coffee. This was news she was already aware of, but she nodded, hanging on Sergio’s every word.
“When he arrived, he saw someone leaving the bakery.”
“Who?”
“He didn’t know the guy, but he gave me a description. About six feet, nice build, good-looking, blond hair, maybe early to midtwenties . . .”
Hayley suspected who it might be, but then Sergio confirmed it.
“Tommy said he was wearing a tank top and there was a tattoo of the American flag on his left bicep.”
Mona’s dreamy summer employee AJ, who was also moonlighting as a stripper at bachelorette parties.
“Do you have any idea where I might be able to find him?” Sergio asked.
Hayley thought carefully before she answered. She had seen Sabrina leave the bar with him the night before, and if her hunch was right, AJ was probably still at her rental house, if he hadn’t slipped away in the middle of the night after fooling around with Sabrina. But she certainly didn’t want Sergio rolling up in front of Sabrina’s rental in a squad car, alerting all the neighbors, who would undoubtedly gawk through their windows and see the young stud emerging, no doubt shirtless, to be questioned by the police chief. It would get too many tongues wagging for sure. No, and she also was not one hundred percent certain that was where he would be found, so to avoid any unnecessary gossip, she decided to check out her hunch on her own.
“I might,” she said to Sergio. “I’ll give you a ring in about a half hour.”
“Okay, I’ll be in my office waiting for yo
ur call.”
Sergio finished filling his tank, replaced the pump, got his printed receipt, then ducked inside his cruiser and drove away.
Hayley scarfed down the rest of her Danish, tossed the plastic wrap into a garbage bin, jumped into her Kia, and drove straight over to Sabrina’s rental just outside of town, downing the rest of her coffee on the way.
When she arrived, it was quiet. She didn’t see any activity through the front windows. Hayley got out of her car and walked along the pebble path to the front door. Sabrina had certainly splurged on herself by renting a beautiful home with an impressive view of Frenchman’s Bay during her stay in Bar Harbor.
Hayley rang the bell and waited.
There was no answer.
She rang the bell again.
Finally, after five minutes and three more rings, she heard some stirring inside, and after a few moments, the door flew open. Sabrina stood in the archway, wearing a pink silk robe with a Japanese print design and matching furry slippers. Her face was drawn and wiped free of makeup, and her eyes were bleary and watery—the signs of a massive hangover. Her hair was tousled and sticking out in all kinds of directions.
“Hayley?” She yawned, pulling her robe closed tightly with her hands. “What are you doing here? What time is it?”
“It’s seven thirty. I’m sorry, Sabrina, I know it’s early and you got home very late last night, but it’s kind of important . . .”
“What’s the matter?”
“I have to know, did you come home alone last night?”
Sabrina blinked at Hayley, not sure why she needed to know this, but before she had a chance to open her mouth and answer, Hayley spotted AJ, in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, scratching the top of his head and yawning as he padded to the kitchen.
“You got a coffeemaker? I want to have a cup before I head over to Mona’s and get reamed for being so late,” he said.
Sabrina turned her head around. “It’s on the left side of the counter, next to the toaster.”
“Got it,” he called back from the kitchen.
Sabrina turned back around and, with a Cheshire cat smile and blushing face, said matter-of-factly, “No, Hayley, I did not.”
Island Food & Cocktails
BY HAYLEY POWELL
There is something about the beauty of Mount Desert Island, where Bar Harbor is located, and especially our picture-perfect Acadia National Park that draws people from all over the United States every year. But not just for vacation. Couples flock here every summer to get engaged or married. Romance is definitely in the air when it comes to this world-famous scenic hot spot.
From Memorial Day all the way through to Labor Day, on top of a mountain or on a sandy beach, or along a rocky overlook at the ocean’s edge, you’re bound to see a hopeful young couple, clearly in love, exchanging vows. Weddings are so commonplace on the island, cars barely slow down anymore when they see a ceremony in progress.
However, one engagement that occurred last summer stands out above them all.
I was at work on a sweltering July afternoon during an unusually scorching heat wave when I received a phone call from a friendly and earnest young man named Calvin, who told me that he and his girlfriend, Priscilla, would be visiting Bar Harbor in a couple of weeks to fulfill her lifelong dream of taking a whale watching tour. The island has several companies offering excursions for nature enthusiasts to view humpback, fin, minke, and right whales frolic, breach, and blow in their natural habitat.
What Priscilla didn’t know, however, was that both their families, who were also coming to the island for a long preplanned vacation, were going to secretly join them on the tour and come out of hiding so they would all be there to bear witness as Calvin got down on one knee and proposed to Priscilla with the beauty of large migratory whales as a backdrop.
I was so touched by the lengths to which Calvin was willing to go to arrange such a memorable proposal, I excitedly offered to help in any way I could.
Calvin’s dilemma was that in all the planning, arranging the flights and hotels for both families, booking the tour, tipping off the boat crew, and buying the perfect ring, he had completely forgotten to hire a photographer to record the moment for posterity. He thought since I worked at a newspaper that employs a number of professional photographers, I might have a referral for him. Well, our local shutterbugs are always looking for a way to make some extra cash in the summer, so I told Calvin I would happily assist him in finding one. I promised to get back to him in a day or two.
Well, before I had even hung up the phone, our crime reporter, Bruce Linney, who also liked to brag about what a talented photographer he was, generously volunteered his services. I was skeptical at first about Bruce’s talent because, after all, he was only telling me he was talented, but there was no photographic evidence, since I had never seen one picture he had taken. But when Bruce suggested the added bonus of the two of us splitting the money if I accompanied him on the whale watching tour and helped him carry the equipment and serve as his assistant, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Luckily, Calvin quickly signed off on us, and we had our first official photography assignment.
I was so excited to help Calvin create the perfect proposal, but I was even more anxious to go on the whale watching tour and get an up close look at those amazing and breathtaking whales.
Well, about two days before the tour, Calvin swung by the Island Times office to introduce himself and fill me and Bruce in on all the details of how his plan would go down.
He wanted Bruce to discreetly take pictures of him and Priscilla at the start of the boat tour so they would have a record of the day from start to finish for the album he would eventually have made. Then, when we were far out at sea, he would covertly signal Bruce and both families to come forward just before he got down on his knee and popped the question, surrounded by their loved ones.
After that, Bruce could freely come out of hiding and snap away, capturing Priscilla’s anticipated joyous reaction.
It sounded like a solid plan.
On the day of the whale watching tour, everything went according to plan. We pulled out of the dock with the couple’s families hiding on one end of the large catamaran boat and the happy couple up front, holding hands. The boat was sprinkled with unsuspecting tourists. And the weather was on our side, so it was the perfect day for both a whale watching tour and a surprise proposal.
Bruce effortlessly blended into the crowd of tourists, pretending to take pictures of the scenery while surreptitiously grabbing some shots of the young couple like a veteran Hollywood paparazzo. Priscilla was blissfully happy and didn’t suspect a thing.
Per Calvin’s instructions, once they spotted the first couple of whales, that would be signal for the families to make their move and head to the bow of the boat for the proposal.
Well, my heart was beating fast and I was a nervous wreck, anticipating the moment, as the boat’s captain announced over the loudspeaker that we should be seeing some whales ahead. Just about that time, I noticed some fog rolling in, and the water suddenly became a bit more choppy than usual. However, there was still some good visibility on the water.
The captain’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker. “If everyone would look to your left, you will see a mother humpback and her calf alongside the boat.”
The tourists ran to the left side of the boat, phones and cameras flashing.
Calvin caught my eye and nodded.
It was time for the families to make their grand entrance.
I raced to the back and waved the large group forward. We all stumbled and swayed as the boat rocked back and forth, harder and harder with each rising wave. The fog grew thicker, and the humpback whale and her baby disappeared behind it. Up front, the families gathered around, clasping hands, mostly to keep from falling over in the rocking boat that was now pitching violently from side to side.
Priscilla still had her back to us.
Bruce took h
is position and started snapping pictures. Priscilla’s parents welled up with tears. The emotion of the moment was overwhelming.
Calvin smiled from ear to ear and approached Priscilla, but had to grab the railing to keep from falling down. He dropped to one knee and reached into his jacket pocket.
Out came the ring box.
“Priscilla?” He whispered softly.
She turned around. She looked down at Calvin and gasped. She shook her head back and forth, not believing this was happening, still oblivious to all the family members surrounding them.
That’s when I suddenly noticed her face had a slightly green hue and she put a hand over her mouth.
“Priscilla, will you—?”
She didn’t wait for him to finish. She took off running as fast as she could to the side of the boat, where she flung herself at the railing and hurled. The poor girl was hopelessly seasick.
Calvin leapt into action and ran to her aid, but before he reached her, he tripped over a tourist’s bag that had been set down on the deck of the boat, and while trying to regain his balance, flung his hand out to grab anything for support. Unfortunately it was the hand holding the ring box, which flew open. The ring itself was ejected and sailed into the air as all the boat’s passengers watched in frozen horror as the ring zipped across the rail and dropped into the deep, dark water below—just like the old woman throwing the Heart of the Ocean diamond necklace overboard at the end of Titanic.
No one spoke for a minute. That is, no one except for Bruce, who was still snapping away with his camera, and who rudely asked Priscilla to turn more toward him, callously ignoring the fact that she was still green and vomiting.
Calvin, in a true testament to his character, just burst out laughing and tried again to get down on his knee and finally propose to Priscilla. It took a few more tries, because Priscilla had to stop him twice to go throw up over the side of the boat again, but he finally got through it, and yes, she happily accepted. Five more family members got seasick too before they mercifully found themselves back on dry land. They had all missed the fine print on the whale watching tour brochure strongly advising they pick up Dramamine at the local drugstore.
