A Map To Destiny

by Ellis, Nicole

  He laughed. “Good company.” He stood and reached for her hand.

  Electricity passed from his fingertips to hers, sending a warm glow throughout her body. She allowed him to pull her up from the booth. When he let go of her hand, she felt as though something was missing. He tucked a tip under a cup on the table and then jutted his thumb toward the door.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded. “I still can’t believe it’s so late.”

  “Are you ready to go home?” he asked, gazing out toward the Gulf. “It’s such a beautiful night.”

  It seemed earlier than it was because the streets were still alive with partying college students. She looked at them, envying them their carefree lifestyle. Had she ever been like that? Why not imitate them and live in the moment?

  With a huge grin, she said, “Let’s take a walk on the beach. I’ve never seen it at this time of night.”

  A wide smile spread across his face. “Me neither.”

  She walked next to him and he brushed the back of his hand against hers. When she didn’t pull away, he threaded his fingers through hers. The warm glowing feeling returned. The sun had set long ago, but it was still close to seventy degrees out, and a warm breeze blew off the ocean, enhancing the carefree atmosphere.

  She pulled off her sandals and walked barefoot in the sand, savoring the feeling of it sifting through her toes. Jack looked at her and smiled, then removed his own shoes.

  He pointed to the pier in the distance. “Race you there.”

  He took off before she could agree. She laughed, gripped her sandals tightly in her left hand, and chased after him. They stood together next to the pier to catch their breath. While back in the main part of the beach there were many tourists still around, here in the shadow of the pier it was quieter.

  Their eyes locked. He smiled and pulled her close, brushing her hair back from her face.

  Her heart hammered in her chest and she stared into his eyes, his face illuminated only by the moon. He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. While the kiss they’d shared on the dive boat had been electrifying, it had been all too brief.

  Now, he took his time, deepening the kiss as she leaned into him and placed her hands on his shoulders. His touch burned into her back in every place he caressed. Being with him was a feeling she wanted to last forever.

  Too soon, some teenagers ran past them on the beach, yelling as they streaked into the ocean. Jack and Laney broke apart.

  “Wow,” she said. Her vision was still hazy from the intensity of their connection.

  “No kidding,” he said quietly. He reached for her hands and kissed her gently. “We’d probably better get home. But, we’ll continue this later, I promise.”

  Laney nodded. “I’d like that.” She was glad that the darkness hid how pink her cheeks were. It was unlike her to kiss like that on a first date, and this hadn’t even officially been a date. What had gotten into her?

  At her doorstep, he stood on the porch and gave her another long, tempting kiss. She closed her eyes and moved forward, pressing her body against his.

  He stepped back and placed a finger on her lips. “Later.”

  She smiled and opened the door. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  He laughed and said, “I’ll call you tomorrow,” before walking to the sidewalk.

  Laney stood there as he left. How had this all happened so fast? It seemed like one minute she hated him and the next minute, well, she wasn’t sure what she felt for Jack, but it definitely wasn’t hatred. All she knew was that she hadn’t wanted the night to end.

  8

  The next day, Laney stood at her kitchen sink washing a plate. After the late night, she’d called the library and asked for a few days off work. They owed her over eight weeks of vacation and were more than happy to let her take some time off. Now, she stared out the window at her backyard, lost in thought. Spending the evening with Jack yesterday had been amazing—surprisingly so. In the light of day, she almost wondered if it had all been a dream.

  They’d stayed at the pub for hours, talking about anything and everything, reluctantly closing it down. Although the two of them led very different lives, they had many things in common—most importantly a mutual love of local history. She’d never shared that with anyone else, but was she just a fleeting fancy for him?

  A bluebird landed on the windowsill and she realized the water in the sink was now lukewarm, and she’d been washing the same plate for at least five minutes. She set it in the drying rack and removed her dish gloves. Jack had been on her mind all day, and she’d thought by doing some routine tasks, she’d be able to shake the persistent thoughts of him. That hadn’t worked out as well as she’d hoped.

  She pulled the vacuum out of the closet and started working on the living-room rug. Marshmallow was snoozing on the couch, completely oblivious to the roar of the vacuum. She finished the task and looked around the house. What now? Maybe she could mop the floors. At some point, hard work had to make thoughts of Jack go away.

  Knock, Knock. Someone was at the front door. She checked the clock. Becki sometimes stopped by at lunchtime, but it was already three o’clock. Probably a solicitor to ignore. Opening the broom closet door, she grabbed the handle of the mop. The knocking continued.

  She sighed and closed the closet door. “Coming.”

  Ready to politely refuse a salesperson, she opened her door to find Jack standing there. She checked her clothes—ugh. Thinking her day would be filled with housework, she’d dressed in her grubbiest attire. Jack didn’t seem to notice though, or he was too polite to comment on her sweatpants and stained tank top.

  “I was hoping I could take you out on a proper date today.” He smiled and her heart melted. So much for trying to think of something other than him.

  She glanced behind her at the sparkling clean house. Might as well. Marshmallow nudged around her legs and she pushed him back.

  “Sure, I’d like that. Give me a chance change my clothes first.”

  “No problem.” He stood by the door with his hands in his pockets and she ran upstairs.

  She was back in five minutes. “Where did you want to go?”

  “I was thinking the pier with the amusement park.” He smiled mischievously at her. “It’s been a while since I’ve practiced my pitching skills and those midway games are calling my name.”

  She laughed. “I love it there. It’s one of my favorite things about living in a tourist town like Fortune’s Bay—it’s perpetually summer, with all the fun activities that come with it.

  They walked hand in hand down to the pier. Laney couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent a carefree day just enjoying her adopted hometown.

  * * *

  “Winner!” The game attendant at the milk-jug game shouted as Jack knocked all three jugs down with one baseball. He handed Jack a giant stuffed panda bear.

  Jack held it up to Laney, feeling like he was a teenager again, out on a date with the girl he’d been eyeing in math class.

  She smiled back at him and hugged it to her chest. “Thanks. He’s cute. I’ve never won one of these. She glanced at the carnival games. “Throwing balls at milk jugs isn’t my forte.”

  “Well, I was the captain of my Little League team,” he joked.

  She wrapped her arm around his waist and he smiled to himself. He’d never expected to find anyone like her when he’d come to Fortune’s Bay. She wasn’t anything like the strict elderly librarian he’d imagined her to be. Instead, she was beautiful, smart and had many of the same interests as he had—a combination he didn’t run across very often. Great, he was starting to sound as sappy as Dane now.

  “What’s next?” Laney asked.

  What’s next? Marriage and 2.5 kids if I’m following along on Dane’s path, he thought. To his surprise, the idea didn’t terrify him like it usually did. He could see himself having a future with Laney.

  “I should probably take the bear home or we’ll have a third wh
eel for the rest of our date.” Laney paused and waved her hand in front of his face. “Jack? Are you in there?”

  Jack shook his head to clear away his daydream. “Sorry about that.”

  “No problem. But I was thinking that after we drop off Mr. Panda, we could have dinner at this little Greek place in town I love—that is unless you’re partial to carnival food.” She gestured to the food booths set up along the boardwalk. “They do make a mean Coney Island hot dog here.”

  “Nope, lady’s choice. Greek food sounds great.” He took her hand again and they walked back to her place together.

  Marshmallow jumped them as soon as Laney opened the door. She laughed and pushed him back. He sniffed at the panda, looking very confused.

  “Marshmallow, stay inside.” She motioned for Jack to sit on the couch and then held up the panda. “You can wait here. I’ll put this in my guest bedroom and then we can go eat dinner.”

  Her dog continued to bounce around on the floor after she left, reminding him again of a white string mop. Jack shook his head at the little dog’s antics and bent down to pet him on the head. The dog nudged him with a wet nose, begging him for more pets. Marshmallow was so cute that he had to give in and soon found himself on the floor with the dog as they played.

  If anyone asked him and Laney how they’d met, they’d have a great tale to tell, thanks to Marshmallow. It surprised him how quickly he’d come to enjoy spending time with her, considering they’d had a rough start. She seemed to have mellowed to him, for which he was extremely grateful. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to upset her in the first place, but he intended to make sure he didn’t repeat that transgression. This was too important to him to screw up—he wanted to see where things with Laney could go.

  * * *

  Laney lay back against the tall oak tree in the middle of Providence Park and lazily twisted a strand of grass through her fingers. In the shade of the live oak tree, the temperature was pleasant and the company even more so. She glanced over at Jack, who sat upright next to her, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His attention was on Marshmallow, who was trotting toward them with a stick that was almost as big as him.

  “Go long,” Jack shouted to the dog as he threw the stick. He let the leash extend out to the maximum as Marshmallow chased after his prize.

  Laney smiled. Although Jack’s first interaction with her dog had not gone well, he seemed to be enjoying himself now. Every day that Jack was in town, she became more accustomed to having him around. When Spring Break was over, she didn’t know what would happen. They’d talked about it briefly and he’d assured her that a long-distance relationship wouldn’t be a problem. She had a nagging feeling that it wouldn’t be as easy as he made it out to be.

  She turned her head to the side, examining his profile. He was one of the most handsome men she’d ever met, but he’d turned out not to be the playboy she’d imagined. Instead, he was respectful, intelligent, and a romantic. He’d even shown up at her doorstep that afternoon with a bouquet of roses and an invitation for a picnic in the park.

  Enough worrying. She had a few more days off work and she intended to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the few days she had left with Jack before he returned to the college.

  Laney popped a grape in her mouth, savoring the sweetness of the fruit as it burst between her teeth. She gazed up at the canopy of moss-covered tree limbs above her and the patches of blue sky peeking through the leaves. This was a perfect day.

  “Okay, Marshmallow, time for a break.” Jack retracted the leash halfway, allowing the dog to frolic in the grass about ten feet away from them. He reached for a piece of Brie cheese and paired it with a slice of a French baguette. “Now this is the life,” he said to Laney.

  She nodded. “Especially when someone else did the cooking. I didn’t even know that the café had picnic baskets to-go. I would have recommended them to the tourists that ask me about the best places to eat in town.”

  He flashed her his charming smile that lowered her defenses. “They don’t. I asked nicely and they whipped all of this up for me.”

  “Of course they did,” she said wryly. “I’m sure they do that for everyone.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I was thinking of having them prepare a lunch for tomorrow. We can bring it out on the dive boat with us when we’re watching them recover items from the Livingston. We’ll be out there for a while, so we should definitely bring something to eat.”

  She stared at him and edged away from him. So much for it being a perfect day. “What do you mean ‘watching them recover items at the shipwreck site tomorrow’?”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Didn’t I tell you I arranged for the work to start tomorrow?”

  “No. You didn’t.” She stared blindly ahead of her. How could he have forgotten to tell her something so important? And he hadn’t involved her in it at all.

  “In all the fun we’ve been having, it must have slipped my mind. Anyway, you can come tomorrow, right? Don’t you still have some time off?” He put his hand on her arm. “I’d hate for you to miss it.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “I can come tomorrow. But I would have liked some more notice. This is important to me too, you know.”

  “Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose and she felt herself flinch at his touch.

  He froze, then moved away. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I’m fine. I was just thinking about all the work I’ll have piling up for me at the library while I’m out on vacation,” she lied. It shouldn’t be a big deal that he’d proceeded without her and made arrangements with the state for further assessment of the Livingston. Unfortunately, it was to her.

  “Okay,” he said, but his eyes didn’t leave her face. “Are you sure nothing is wrong?”

  She pasted a fake smile on her face. “I’m fine.” She got up from the grass and brushed some dirt and moss off her jeans. “If we’re going to be out all day on a boat tomorrow, I have some errands I’d better take care of today.” She placed the picnic items back in the basket and gave it to him. “I’ll let you take care of returning this.”

  “Sure. I’ll call you later with the details.” He handed Marshmallow’s leash to her and kissed her cheek. “I should probably head back to the B&B myself to take care of some work.” He shook his head. “This wasn’t exactly the low-key Spring Break I’d imagined I’d have, but it’s been so much more.” He gave her a quick hug. “I’ll see you later.”

  She nodded.

  “Talk to you later.” Laney tugged on Marshmallow’s leash and steered him toward her house. She’d lied to Jack. There weren’t any errands to run. She had just gone grocery shopping and her dry cleaning wasn’t due to be picked up for a few more days.

  But, she couldn’t take one more moment of sitting there next to Jack, fuming about him taking over the whole process. She shouldn’t be this upset with him. She knew he cared about her and hadn’t meant to be inconsiderate. It was ridiculous to be mad at him and she needed to get over it. Hopefully she’d be in a better mood by the next day. She didn’t want to spoil the excitement of seeing the work being done at the shipwreck site.

  After entering the house, she flopped on the couch and Marshmallow curled up next to her. The air-conditioning came on, creating a draft in the room, and she shivered. The high that she’d experienced while with Jack had disappeared, leaving her emotionally drained. If she was this upset with him at an early bump in their relationship, how would they ever weather the trials of a long-distance relationship? This didn’t bode well for their future.

  9

  Jack rested his arms on the railing of the boat that he’d rented for the day, enjoying the sun’s warmth. He glanced to his right. Laney stood there, facing the water with her eyes glued to the action happening in front of them. Her dark hair drifted softly to the side, floating in the breeze off the water. Their boat was anchored onl
y a short distance away from the recovery boat at the Livingston site.

  “I can’t believe this came together so quickly,” Laney said as she observed the divers coming in and out of the water.

  “I know.” Jack followed her gaze. “I called that buddy of mine at the state and he really came through. Usually it takes months to get the recovery process going.” He watched as another diver suited up and checked their gear. How had it only been a few days since he and Laney had been out here diving with little hope that they’d make such a big discovery? Everything this week was happening on super speed.

  He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. She stiffened in his embrace and he dropped his hands down to his sides.

  “What’s going on?” he asked to the back of her head. “You’ve seemed upset with me since yesterday.”

  She turned toward him, but didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m fine.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and tipped her chin up to look deeply into her eyes. “Really?”

  She sighed. “I thought we’d do more of this together. I wanted to be involved with notifying the state and everything else. I was so excited when I found the journal entry about the shipwreck and realized it was most likely undiscovered in modern day. But then, you came to town and it was like you took over as soon as you got to Fortune’s Bay. Hiring Dane and his dive boat, this, everything.” She gestured with her hands to the divers on the other boat, who were busy organizing their gear. “I feel left out of it. You’ve made all the decisions by yourself.” Her words became softer and her tone more resigned with each word she spoke.

  He stepped back from her and cocked his head to the side as he regarded her. What was she talking about? All he’d done was to notify the authorities about the shipwreck. It was a good thing that he’d been able to put things in motion so quickly. He could feel her eyes searching his face. Even if he thought he’d done nothing wrong, he’d obviously hurt her.