Romance: Calmer Tides - A Suspense Romance Novel (Romance, Suspense Romance, Contemporary Romance Book 1)

by Nancy Adams

  “Shall we?”

  “Where are we going?” she asked, trying to sound normal even as her insides fluttered with nerves.

  Eli just grinned. “You'll see.”

  He led her all the way to his truck, and helped her into the passenger seat. The first thing she noticed was how clean it was this time. All the garbage was gone, and the seats and windows looked as if they’d been scrubbed down. She hadn't minded how it was before, but he’d obviously cleaned it up for her, and she felt warmth spread inside her. Gentler than her nerves. When he climbed in on the other side, she smiled.

  Eli shut his door. “You ready?”

  She nodded.

  He inserted the key, and the engine started with a lazy roar. He looked back at her. “Alright then, here we go.” He pulled out of the driveway, and together they drove out into the night.

  * * * * *

  Like the last drive they’d taken together, they drove out seemingly toward the middle of nowhere, and she was unable to guess their destination. But the mood in the cab was completely different. This time they both seemed to feel the same anxious excitement.

  They continued on in darkness for another 30 minutes, going away from the mountains this time instead of toward them. They spoke a little, but not of anything serious, just casual conversation. Abby could feel Eli’s suppressed excitement. Obviously eager to share whatever it was that he had planned. And her anticipation grew with his.

  Eventually they came to a dead end, nothing in sight. Of course, even if there was something out there Abby wouldn't have been able to see it in the darkness. All she could see in the bright beams of the headlights was a small hill. What they could they possibly be doing here?

  A sudden shock of panic flew through her, an unconscious reflex.

  Calm down, she told herself. Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. She took a few deep breaths, trying to slow her heart rate. Carefully trying to hide her concern from Eli.

  “We're here,” he said. He put the truck in park, then killed the engine. He jumped out of his door and walked quickly over to hers, opening it and offering his hand to help her down.

  Abby breathed. And took it.

  Eli headed around to the bed of the truck. He reached over and grabbed a picnic basket and two big blankets. Abby looked at him, perplexed. “Just follow me,” he said, grinning. “It will all make sense in a minute.”

  He led her up and over the hill, as soon as they reached the top she understood why he’d brought her here.

  In front of them lay a perfect view of the entire town. Brightly lit with twinkling lights. Just off to their right stood the remnants of an abandoned lighthouse; she could just make it out in the light from the town below. She was overcome by the sheer beauty of it all, and stood in absolute amazement.

  Eli had continued on towards the lighthouse, and she could see him fiddling with something. A flicker of light suddenly appeared near him, and she saw him light a number of candles.

  When she moved closer to see what was going on, Abby couldn't believe her eyes.

  He’d set up a full table with chairs, dining cloth, plates, drinks, and three lit candles to provide just enough light to see their food and each other. Eli slid one of the chairs back, and stood behind it waiting for Abby to sit down. It moved her almost to tears. This whole gesture. This whole thing. It was all for her. She wasn’t worthy of such devotion and meticulous planning, but here she stood, in front of a candle lit picnic dinner, with an extravagant view as a backdrop, and an extremely handsome man beckoning her forward.

  Eli eased the chair beneath her. He then lifted two neatly wrapped ham and mozzarella sandwiches from the basket, and placed them on the table. Then he reached back inside and brought out a very nice-looking bottle of wine. Abby didn't drink very often, but even she could tell this wasn't something you bought off the clearance rack at Walmart.

  He popped it open, and then poured them each a glass and finally sat down across from her.

  Abby looked at him, drawn to his eyes just as she’d been the first time they’d met. She wanted his attention, and didn't want to let go of it once she had it. He stared back at her, an excited smile coming over his face. There was something so charming about his smile. It drew her in, and completely captivated her. He lifted his wine in a toast. She did the same, holding her cup just inches from his.

  “To the gift of being able to feel,” he said, “Without it we’d never know what it's like to really give ourselves to someone else. There’s no pleasure without pain, and without valleys, there are no mountains. Let’s enjoy the peak of this one.”

  He tilted his glass forward against Abby's. The sharp ching of it rang through the air around them, and yet Abby felt surrounded by the atmosphere Eli had created for them. She never wanted this moment to end.

  They ate while talking extensively about their pasts. Eli shared how he’d grown up mostly with his mother, since his father was a navel officer and often out at sea. When he saw his father, he said, it was mostly aboard the ships he captained, and that was how he’d begun to love the sea. Abby then shared her past growing up in central New York with her parents, how she’d hated the confined city, and desperately wanted something greater and more in touch with nature. She told him how she visited Melody as a child, and that's how she met Molly.

  When they finished eating, they moved towards the wide concrete platform surrounding the lighthouse. It was flat, and more than wide enough for them to sit comfortably. Every ten feet or so large, pillars provided perfect back rests. They sat facing each other, looking down at the flickering lights. Sneaking peeks at each other. Their eyes often locked, but instead of quickly turning away in embarrassment, their gazes lingered, trying to decipher the others emotions.

  The tension between them grew stronger, and elation began coursing through Abby’s body.

  She wanted him. She needed him. Needed to feel the warmth of his touch just once more. The taste of his lips called to her... but she resisted. What if she couldn't go through with it, like last time? Raising his hopes only to smash them again wouldn’t just be mean, but cruel. No, she couldn't do that to him. Not again. But the desire persisted, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep it at bay.

  Suddenly, Eli leaned in close, and her heart skipped beat. “Abby.” Even the way he said her name sent chills down her spine. “I... I think I need to tell you something.” She sat very still, waiting. Then, he leaned in closer, lips touching the stray hairs on her neck. “I think I might be falling in love you.” The butterflies that had been tormenting her back in the living room with Melody rushed back in with a vengeance. A sickly sweet, all-consuming feeling of doubt and desire. She didn't know what to say. How to respond? Abby couldn't make sense of her emotions. They veered and swerved in a million different directions, leaving her completely lost.

  Eli pulled back, still staring into her eyes, and as she still said nothing his expression slowly shifted into regret, probably wishing he hadn't laid his heart bare for her so soon. And then it opened into despair. He began pulling back, clearly unsure of how to proceed next.

  But what he actually did next took Abby completely by surprise.

  He turned back to face her suddenly, lifting both hands, gradually, gently, until he touched her cheek. She didn't move. He slowly caressed her face. Then he placed both hands gently behind her neck, just beneath her ears. Making her feel lost, and yet completely safe in his warm embrace. He leaned forward, and pulled gently on the back of her neck so that she would do the same. She didn’t pull away, but let herself go with it, inching closer and closer towards the very taste she had been craving endlessly. Their lips met. Passionately... intensely... lovingly. Fireworks lit up inside her, and in a moment all doubt was wiped away.

  Oh no.

  She was falling in love with him, too.

  Interlude four

  Six Months Ago.

  PAIN. SEARING PAIN. Burning. Burning!

  Abby woke to a scal
ding, unbearable pain on her left side. She was on fire. The thought woke her instantly, and she began to roll on the floor, frantically trying to stop the fire from spreading. To put it out. Screaming the whole time.

  It hurt more than anything she had ever felt in her life, but when she looked down after a full minute of flailing around on the carpet, the flames had gone out. Only a gaping, charred red patch remained.

  Just looking at it nearly made her pass out again, but she couldn't let that happen. She had to get out. The end of the hallway was consumed by fire, and the length of it swam in thick black smoke. The door was right in front of her, or should be, but she could hardly open her eyes.

  Blackness crept into her vision, trying to force her back to sleep. To save her from having to deal with the excruciating pain that consumed her scorched and broken body. She coughed, tasting smoke.

  If I sleep, I die.

  She forced herself onto her stomach, dragging her limp body forward inch by painful inch, until she felt the wall in front of her.

  The door. Where’s the door?

  She searched frantically, sliding her hands across the wall. Nothing but the rough bite of plaster. The fire crept forward down the hall. The heat of it was agony on her burned side. And then—

  There. A fresh burst of adrenaline gave her just enough strength to reac

  h up and turn the handle, throwing the door open with a rush of cool air.

  Her body fell out onto concrete stairs, tumbling into the dry grass below, and she lay there, too weak to cry out. She could barely breathe. Exhaustion consumed her. There was no one around to hear her even if she did call. And the pain. The pain was insufferable.

  She closed her eyes, and let the darkness take her.

  fourteen

  “HE KISSED YOU?”

  Every time Abby tried to tell the story, Molly said the same thing. Abby just blushed. After so many torturous inquisitions from her friend, it felt good to turn the tables.

  “Come on, you have to tell me! I'm your best friend, remember?”

  “Not a lot of competition around here,” Abby said smugly.

  Molly shot her a look, and Abby laughed.

  “I'm only joking, you know I love you Molls.” Clearly overemphasizing.

  “If you really loved me you’d tell me the rest,” Molly huffed, offended.

  Abby laughed again, but decided she'd had enough fun at Molly’s expense. And she was dying to tell someone about it anyway, if only to try and make sense of it herself. So she told Molly everything. From her debacle with Melody, to Eli giving her the roses, to the lighthouse and the gorgeous view, to the candle lit dinner, and finally the kiss. Abby had never heard Molly so quiet. Hanging on her every word. Only the occasional sigh slipped past her lips. She melted just as Abby had done when it had happened to her.

  “Oh my gosh, that's so romantic,” Molly said. “I wish Eric would do something like that for me.”

  Abby laughed. “Maybe he will.”

  Molly just looked at her. “So now what?” she asked after a moment. “What's the next step for you guys?”

  The question took Abby by surprise. She hadn't thought of that. What did this all mean? Were they dating now? Were they a couple? Maybe Eli had gone home and realized what an awful mistake he’d made and now he didn't want anything to do with her. Maybe he was just trying to recreate what he used to have with Hannah, but couldn't, and now wanted nothing more than to just be friends.

  She didn't know, but she now she wanted to find out.

  “Come on,” she grabbed Molly and headed towards Splash Café.

  * * * * *

  “Ay, I'm proud of you gringo. You really did your homework this time.”

  Eli had spent the past hour talking about nothing but Abby. Ricky, who was both listening and making the food, was excited for him.

  “I told you she was gonna be a lot of work to win over. But obviously you’re up to the challenge,” Ricky said, as he lifted the sizzling fries from the deep fryer.

  “Yeah... I'm just nervous I overdid it,” Eli said. “You know, when Hannah died, the love I woke up with every morning for her never stopped. It kept coming long after I had anyone to give it to. Rudy helped, but a dog isn’t a person. All this love has been bottled up for so long that now, when I finally have a chance to let it out, I feel like I can't control it. It's all coming out at once. And I don't know how it makes Abby feel.”

  Mostly, he wasn’t sure how she felt about the kiss. He’d told Abby he would never do anything she wasn't ready for, and then he’d gone and kissed her anyway. She’d gone along with it, and it had felt incredible, but he was nervous he had pushed her. Too far, too fast. He might have scared her off.

  “Well, you're about to find out,” Ricky said. Eli looked at him, startled. He was pointing towards the boardwalk. Eli followed the path of his finger, and saw Abby and Molly approaching.

  Even though he was nervous to see her, Eli couldn't help but be awestruck by her beauty. Looking at her never got boring, or old.

  “Hello girls!” Ricky said to them as they approached. They waved and said “hi” back. “They're all yours pal,” Ricky murmured as they walked up to the counter. He turned away and headed towards the back, and Eli was left on his own.

  “Hey Molly.” Eli said casually. Just being this close to her instantly made his day better. “Hi Abby.”

  “Hi Eli.”

  He was struggling to read her body language, which only added to his anxiety.

  “Brr,” Molly said. “You guys are making me cold. One night you’re kissing on a mountaintop, the next you’re barely speaking to each other.”

  He watched Abby’s eyes widen. Obviously she’d told Molly about their date, but that didn't bother him nearly as much as her lack of reassurance about it did. She shot Molly a vicious look, but the other girl simply scooted back and said, “Alright, I get it. You guys don't need me here. I'll just uh… be over here. Sitting.” She pointed towards an empty table, but made a disgusted face when she went to sit down. “Ew, gross!”

  Seagulls, Eli thought. He smiled.

  “I'm... I'm sorry about that,” she said. Obviously talking about Molly's outburst. “I just needed someone to talk to. You know, to process what happened last night.”

  Eli could relate. “I don't mind, really,” he reassured her, knowing full well how nice it was when someone took the time to do that.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  Silence.

  “So uhh... how's business today?” she asked, though her tone couldn't have shown any less interest in his answer.

  Eli couldn't handle it. “Can we please just stop beating around the bush, and talk about what we really want to talk about? Last night. Our kiss. How you felt about it, maybe?” He immediately regretted just blurting it out like that, but be was also curious to know how she would respond now that it was out there.

  Abby looked shocked. But then her face straightened, and she spoke softly. “That's why I'm here, Eli. I'm trying to figure out what I feel. What you feel. I'm feeling a little lost in this whole thing. But please, since you have it all figured out, why don't you tell me? How do you feel, Eli?”

  Eli flushed. That wasn’t what he’d meant to say. “Sorry, that was… unfair of me. I barely understand what I’m feeling myself; I didn’t mean to force you to come to any conclusions. I don't know what it all means yet. I don’t know how it makes you feel, but what I said about falling in love with you last night, that was true.”

  Abby's face softened, and Eli knew he had her full attention.

  “Abby, every time I see you my heart skips a beat. You energize me like no one’s been able to do since Hannah died, and I don't think that's a coincidence. I never thought I would be able to feel this way about anybody else, and had resigned myself to misery, but then you came along, and I don’t want to feel guilty about my affection for you. Hannah wouldn't want that. She would want me to be happy. She’d want me to move on and find someone w
orthy of taking her place. And Abby, you are. You’re strong, beautiful, courageous, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. You’re free to do whatever your heart calls you toward, but just know that if it’s towards me then I’m here with open arms. That’s how I feel.”

  Abby stood there, expressionless, blinking. More than anything Eli wanted to know what was going on inside her head, but he couldn't do anything about that now. He’d laid his cards out on the table. His heart was in her hands, now, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. It was both a horrifying and an exhilarating prospect.

  The seconds dragged on, and Eli struggled to stay composed. Do something, his mind screamed. Say something. Fix what you’ve just done. But anything he said now would probably only make it worse, and he needed to be patient. Let her process and think, and when she was ready, if she was ready, she would let him know.

  A single tear spilled down Abby's cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. Eli didn't know if that was good or bad.

  She looked up at him, her gaze piercing through him like it had so many times before. She was struggling not to cry, he could tell. She was struggling to keep herself strong, like he had tried to do for years.

  Her mouth began to move, and Eli's world was reduced to slow motion. The birds hung in empty space. The waves disobeyed the laws of gravity.

  “Eli,” she whispered, “I'm not who you think I am. I'm not strong, and I'm not courageous.”

  “…What?”

  “There's so much about me you don't know, and if you knew... you'd want nothing to do with me.” Her tears broke through, and coursed down her face. “I don't want to hurt you, and I don't deserve your love. I had my chance, and I blew it. Don't make a mistake by loving me, please. You deserve so much better. I’ve been blessed to have gotten to know you these past few weeks, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But my luck ran out a long time ago, and I think it's time I get back to reality. I'm sorry, Eli.”