by Meg Maguire
“Pretty sure I’m standing here. Unless I’ve been breathing too much L.A. smog.” She smiled. “Hi, Will.”
“Hi.” Snapping awake, he set down his brush and walked to her, stopping a few feet away and fighting every physical instinct he had. He wanted to hug her, to hold her...hell, he’d settle for a handshake, even a slap. Anything to prove she was real, close enough to touch. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure.”
“Oh.” Stymied, Will glanced around. He spotted the cooler and folding chair in the shade of the building. “Would you like a beer?”
“Um, sure.”
He headed for the little break area and opened a bottle for her, waving to invite her to have a seat. Will cracked a beer for himself and leaned again the side of the house. Leigh seemed to settle in, attention on her drink for half a minute before she spoke.
“Thank you,” she finally said. “For the agreement you signed, and for keeping quiet. For keeping your promise.”
“Oh. Right. You’re welcome.”
She stared at the sand and grass, stoically sipping, gathering her thoughts. She looked up again and her eyes left Will unable to breathe, dying for whatever words might come next.
“I saw you, on TV,” she said. “Someone interviewed you out here.”
He shook his head, ruing the memory. “You tell them ‘no comment’ sixty times, then suddenly you’re answering questions.”
“I know. It’s that or throw a tantrum. Either way, they always get what they want.”
“I’m sure they edited me to sound like a royal prick. I bet you weren’t too happy to have people think that was the guy you had a fling with.”
Leigh shrugged. “I’m done worrying what people think of me. I mostly felt bad for you.”
“A bit of public humiliation was the least I deserved.”
“I heard you sold your plane.”
He winced. “Yeah.”
“That must have been really hard.”
“It should have been the choice I made months ago, but until you left... It just wasn’t an option before. Screwing up the way I did with you put things in perspective.”
“Oh?”
“You’re right—I loved that plane like a limb, but it’s a selfish kind of love. Considering all the sacrifices my dad made for me, growing up, it’s only fitting.”
“Do you know who bought it?”
He shook his head. “I sold it to a resale dealership. Don’t want to know who’s got their hands all over it now.”
Leigh took a deep drink and addressed his knees. “Anyway. I guess I’ve come to say I forgive you. And I believe you now, that you never intended to profit off what happened. Between us.”
“I’m not sure I deserve that courtesy, certainly not if you flew all the way here to tender it.”
“Forgiveness isn’t a prize, it’s a gift. And I’m choosing to give mine to you.”
She set down her bottle and stood, extending her hand. Will wiped his palm on his shorts and gripped it. The handshake went on for some time, and he couldn’t translate the exact breed of uncertainty that strained her lovely features. Then she smiled, looking embarrassed, and stepped close to hug him. Will accepted the embrace dumbly, hands hovering behind her back. After a moment the shock left him and he squeezed her tightly. In the warmth of her body and the scent of her hair, he relived every minute they’d spent together. They separated after a few seconds, and the awkwardness in the wake of the hug felt good. Honest and real.
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.”
She smirked. “So pleased to have earned myself a wow, for a change.”
Will sighed, relieved enough to demand some answers. “If you’re not here to smack me, what exactly are you looking for, Leigh? Why’d you come all this way?”
Her body relaxed visibly, and she shuffled sand around with her foot as she spoke. “I’m looking for a sign about what I’m supposed to do next with my life. I think maybe you’re a few steps ahead of me on the journey, so I was hoping for some tips.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no clue what I’m doing beyond getting this place livable for my dad.”
“Were the proceeds from your plane enough to get everything done?”
He shook his head. “Not even close. But it was capital enough to secure a loan, and I think if I can get the place looking good, with all the utilities and repairs up to code, I stand a chance at putting together a decent business plan and scoring a bit more funding.” He sighed, turning to stare out at the water.
Leigh gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You’re not built for debt, are you?”
“Feels awful.”
“Like an anchor.”
He nodded. “But they call them ‘growing pains’ for a reason. I feel like shit, so I must be making progress.”
The two of them wandered down the beach toward the water, and for a long time they watched the ocean, sipping their beers and shading their eyes from the afternoon sun.
“I got your package,” Leigh said.
“I hope I wasn’t too out of line, sending that when you asked me to leave you alone.”
“It arrived at just the right time, really. And the things you had to say... They were things I needed to hear. And after the dust settled, I wanted to hear them, too. So thanks.”
“You’re more than welcome.”
“You know what you said to me,” Leigh murmured, “on the dock?”
He turned to her. “That I was in love with you?”
She met his gaze. “Did you really mean that?”
“I meant it then, and it’s still true.” His chest ached, each and every time he thought of her, of her face when they’d parted. And he thought of her constantly.
Leigh craned her neck to survey the building, and Will sensed she didn’t want to discuss his proclamation any further.
“So. Tell me what’s been happening in your new life, former Miss Movie Star. Have you been letting plain-old-Leigh call some shots?”
She smiled, her attention still on the house. “I have. And I’m proud to say I’ve already made my first investment.”
“Business? Property?”
“Property, I guess.” She dug a folded paper from her back pocket and handed it over. Will unfolded the page and his heart stopped. It was a printout from an auction site, a listing with a photo of The Passport. He studied Leigh’s impassive face, wondering what this meant—revenge, ransom, or least likely of all, a gift he didn’t deserve.
“You bought my plane?”
“I did.”
“You planning on getting your license?”
“No. I don’t plan on doing anything with it, except keep it in storage until the day you can afford to buy it back.”
Emotions bubbled up, gratitude and hope and a surge of humbleness that left him speechless for a minute. “What sort of interest do you have in mind?”
“None. I just knew it must be keeping you up at nights, the thought of some other man getting his hands on your precious baby.”
He nodded, but he was still ages from feeling comfortable with the gesture. “I don’t deserve that. I’ve got a hell of a lot of restitution to pay you before I get anywhere close to deserving that kindness.”
“I’m thinking of it as an investment in my own faith in human goodness.”
“That’s a lot to bank on a man who hurt you as badly as I did.”
She smiled faintly. “Like I said, I forgive you, Will. I can’t fault you for being shady. I knew that from the first minute I met you, when you asked me for a bribe.”
“Technically, I didn’t ask. You offered.”
She ignored his teasing. “And I fell in love with you, shadiness and all.”
Will’s mind went blank at her words, more valuable than any amount of money, than his plans, than his plane.
She went on in his numb silence. “You screwed up, kinda terribly.”
He nodded.
“But I don’t take it personally anymore. And I believe what you told me, about meaning everything you said to me. Even before you sold your plane and signed those papers, I wanted to believe you, but it was too much to hope for, after what my ex did to me. But I think maybe I knew it was true, all along. Then the proof you offered gave me permission to accept it.”
“Oh. Good.”
She grinned, surely in response to the idiotic look on his face.
“Do you...don’t you want to know who it was, who actually reported on you?” He didn’t want to throw Rex under the bus, but if she asked Will wouldn’t lie. He was relieved when she shook her head.
“I know a lot of people would say I’m a doormat for not wanting them hunted down, same as they’d say about me not dragging my ex over the coals.... But I don’t want revenge. I’ll leave all that bitterness to the people who thrive on it. Like my parents. Whoever talked, it doesn’t matter. I know it wasn’t you, and that’s all I care about.”
He glanced at her collar then, at the shining edge of the pendant peeking out. Spotting his gaze, she touched the glass. “Thank you for this, too.”
“It’s not nearly—”
Her fingers on his arm cut him off. “Enough with that. I forgave you already. I didn’t come here for more apologies.”
“What did you come for, then?”
She rubbed her palms together and looked around the beach. “Well, I’d like to know exactly where I’ll be sleeping during this renovation.”
“Sleeping?”
“I have a potential investment to make a decision about,” she said officiously. “I intend to be very hands-on with the project. In fact, after I check out of my hotel, you can tell me where to dump my suitcase and what I can do to start helping.”
Will blinked, too distracted by the happy, hesitant joy rising in his chest to put his thoughts into coherent words. “You can, um... Well, I’ll find you something. But let me show you where you can stay, if you’re hell-bent on slumming it.”
He led her into the gutted building, past the would-be main bar and up the stairs to the second floor. He’d been staying in the room with the widest windows, facing the beach.
Leigh stood in the center of the sunny space, gazing out at the view. “Here’s where I say wow.”
He nodded. “I know. This’ll be my dad’s room, when he comes down.”
She turned to meet Will’s eyes. “Do you know when that’ll be?”
“Next Sunday.”
“Exciting.”
“Very. I found a suitable nurse for any unexpected issues, just up the road. But I think the climate alone will do him a world of good.”
“I’ll bet. Cold, icy New York winters...”
“And sweltering, humid summers, yeah. He’s not one to admit being excited about things, but when I talk to him, I can tell he’s dying to get down here. Get started enjoying a proper retirement.” In between complaints about the hassle of getting his apartment cleaned out and the highway robbery also known as his moving service, the old guy’s anticipation had been palpable.
“I’m eager to meet him.”
Her deep, genuine smile made Will blush. How was this actually real, this moment? How could she truly be here, saying these things to him?
He crossed the bare floor, nervous as he reached down and took her hand. She welcomed the gesture, showing no misgivings in those rare gray eyes. Will ached to pick up where they’d left off before he wrecked things, but it might be too bold, too soon—
She did it for him, her free hand cupping his jaw, drawing him down to press his mouth to hers. It wasn’t like those reckless kisses they’d shared the previous month. This one was slower, savoring. Exploratory, as they each remembered how good they were this way. Leigh pulled away far too soon, but the grin on her face warmed him straight through.
“Just like that?” he asked.
“Just like that. You look surprised,” she teased.
“A little. No, very.”
“Me, too. I wondered the whole trip here whether we’d ever get back to that place. Now I look at you, and my body doesn’t care what my brain thinks is the smart thing to do. I just want things to go back to how they were. If you want that, too.”
“Of course I do. And in that case, I won’t be a gentleman and offer to move my stuff into the smaller room.”
Her grin deepened and she bit her lip. “No, please don’t. That gives us, what? Nine days to play honeymoon before we lose the luxury suite?” She sent another teasing glance around the room, but Will’s brain was stuck on “honeymoon.”
“I’ve been so focused on the business renovations, the living quarters could use a woman’s touch. That could be your project, if you like.”
“I was more looking forward to some real dirty work, sanding and painting and hammering stuff.”
“There’s plenty of that to go around.”
She straightened, looking him right in the eyes. “I don’t honestly know what’ll happen, as far as my investing in this bar goes.”
“I understand. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with the prospect. Not yet, at least. And I’m in okay shape, since the loan was approved. Hell, who knows—maybe in forty years I’ll turn enough of a profit to buy my plane back from you.”
She laughed. “Until then, you’re welcome to borrow it. Just don’t get any smudges on my dials.”
He rolled his eyes but smiled, too happy to pretend annoyance. “You’re really willing to give this another try? You and me?”
“If you want me. Yeah, I am.”
He shook his head at such a ridiculous notion. “If I want you? Jesus, woman. Come here.”
She stepped close and he kissed her, deeply and fiercely, vowing to himself to never give her any reason to doubt his feelings, ever again. He released her. “I owe you some hearty wooing. And likely a few nights of dancing, before my dad lands.”
Leigh nodded in approval. “Yes, that would be in order.”
He glanced at the water through the window. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Humor me.” He took her hand and led her down the steps, across the sand to the ocean’s edge, coaxing her to sit. He took a seat behind her, hugging his arms around her waist, chin on her shoulder. The smell of the sea and her skin, her body exactly where he wanted it, pressed warmly to his... “I just want to be like this, for a little while. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I didn’t wreck this.”
She leaned into him, heaven on earth. Will kissed her neck, her jaw, her cheek. He’d never have guessed they’d fall back into this, so quickly. So easily.
“You still worried you’re drifting?” he asked her. “Just waking up places, not knowing how you got there?”
She shook her head. “Not this time. Everybody tried to talk me out of this. My accountant, my manager. My mother more than anybody, and if she couldn’t manage to change my mind, nobody can. It just feels right, in my gut. And my heart. I know you hate that feeling, but really—just tie me down. Drop anchor. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
“What if you decide you want to drift away again, to follow your own dreams? Go to school? Go to Europe or who knows where?”
“Maybe I will. Who ever knows that sort of thing? But I do know this—I’ll be back.”
Like the tide, Will thought.
“It feels right, here. The pace of things, and how much smaller I feel. In a good way. The world feels quieter, you know? I like that. But mainly...” She trailed off, and Will waited patiently for her to assemble her thoughts.
“It’s you. I’m here because of you. To enjoy being caught up in someone else’s orbit, for a change.”
He watched the sun sinking lower on the horizon, letting her words linger, letting hope settle down around them, the sensation as sweet and comforting as her body pressed to his. He brushed his lips against her temple, the faintest kiss.
“I love you, Leigh. Way more than I ever knew I was capable of.”
“I love you. Way more than I used to think was wise...until I figured out that love and logic have nothing to do with each other.”
“Thank goodness for that. I wouldn’t stand a chance if you were in your right mind.”
“Keep driving me crazy, then. You’re good at that.”
He smiled, his cheek pressed to hers. “Nothing on earth I’d rather do.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of His First Noelle by Rhonda Nelson!
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1
Six months later...
DRESSED IN A courier’s uniform, newly minted security agent Judd Willingham made the short walk up the cracked sidewalk to the small front porch of the nondescript brick house. Twinkling Christmas lights with more burnt-out bulbs than working ones sagged from the eaves and a sad-looking wreath hung from a door in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. Dead weeds, their crispy skeletons all that remained from a robust summer, pushed up between the evergreen shrubs, crowding the flower beds on either side of the entrance, and a rusty mailbox hung drunkenly from a lone nail which was dangerously close to slipping from the mortar. Judd grimaced.
