by Jeff Adams
“For you,” I said as I approached Miles, holding out the small piece of wrapped fudge.
He set the bucket on the ground in front of the horses, who were content to keep eating.
“You didn’t have to do that.” He grazed my hand as he took the morsel, and I was sure I’d feel that heat for days to come. He inhaled before unwrapping it. “And my favorite too. Totally unnecessary, but thank you.”
The horse closest to Miles snorted and nudged Miles with his head when he popped the fudge into his mouth.
“I think he’s jealous he didn’t get some.”
“He’s mad I stopped rubbing him,” Miles said, once he’d swallowed the treat. “Wildfire is an attention hog. Aren’t you?” He grabbed both sides of the horse’s head and gave him a good scratch. “You’d think he was a dog. So, are you going to explore some more, or are you ready to head back?”
“I suppose I should get back. I need to get ready for dinner.”
Miles nodded as he climbed up to his perch. “They are sticklers for appearances, but it makes for an elegant dining experience. You’ll enjoy it. Even better are the costume dinners once the event starts up.”
“I’m looking forward to that.” I settled in where I’d been before so our conversation could continue. “Hopefully I have a proper outfit.”
“Don’t want to be called out like Collier was in the movie, eh?”
“No, I really don’t.” I laughed. “I figure this crowd’s going to be hardcore for period and I didn’t want to take any chances. I suppose I could’ve gotten a direct copy of the wrong suit from the movie, but I wanted to go for authentic 1912. I’m assured that’s what I’ve got.”
“That’s what he thought too.” Miles turned just enough so his smirk was visible.
“Are you trying to make me nervous about tomorrow?” I immediately thought about the suit and how it looked compared to the ones in the film.
“No, I promise.” He sounded regretful. “But there are usually a few people who do show up with clothes that aren’t as accurate as they thought. I have the feeling you know what you’re doing, though.”
“Sounds like you know the movie pretty well.”
“I love it. Not only because the island looks so good and that it still brings tourists in, but it’s a great love story. I didn’t appreciate it when I was younger, but it clicked for me during college.”
His phone rang before I could respond and he apologized that he had to take it.
I adjusted in my seat so that I faced the back of the carriage rather than watching him take the call. He appreciated the film for both its economic impact on the island and its love story. That appealed to the business consultant and romantic in me. Just one more thing to draw me to him. Why couldn’t I have met him in Chicago?
Miles was agitated and I felt bad I was hearing it. From his side of the conversation, it sounded like an argument related to the business. Once he’d disconnected he apologized again.
“It’s okay.” I adjusted so I could look at him again. “Sometimes things come up.”
“I shouldn’t have answered it with a passenger, but since I’m the boss, I have to be available.”
“I run my own business so I know how that goes.”
He nodded, but this time it was a tight smile rather than the warm and inviting one. Hopefully I hadn’t said something wrong and it was just the call bugging him.
“So will I see you for the riding tour in the morning?” he asked as we pulled, all too soon, into the hotel drive.
“Yes.”
I had no choice but to say yes. I wasn’t going to give up an opportunity to be around him and hear the stories he’d have.
“Great. We’ll meet at the stables at nine thirty and you’ll be back in time for lunch. It’s the best way to see everything, I promise.”
Chapter Four
OVERNIGHT I left the french doors open just a crack, which brought cool, crisp, clean air into the room. Perfect weather for burrowing under the covers because it was in the forties. It was the most refreshed I’d woken up in a long time. It was actually a struggle to get up, because I was so cozy.
By the time I arrived at the stables, I’d had a lovely light breakfast of eggs, toast, and coffee and checked in for the weekend’s activities. There were some people already dressed for the occasion too. I wished I’d splurged on period outfits for the entire weekend, but that seemed extravagant.
Miles was a vision in khaki and green since the various shades worked so well with his eyes and hair. Not to mention how they hung off his working man’s physique. Especially the shirt and vest, which showed how pumped his chest was. The definition wasn’t visible, but the sheer size of him was well outlined. Again, I struggled not to stare. It was silly to get caught up. I was only on the island for a few days, and Miles had already been clear this was his home.
“You made it,” Miles said, smiling at me. “Good morning.”
I reached out to shake his hand, even though it wasn’t necessary. I wanted to see what kind of grip he had, and I wasn’t disappointed. We were about the same height at around five-ten, but he had muscular bulk compared to my workout-as-little-as-possible physique. I wasn’t fat per se, but I could stand to lose a few pounds. I felt the weight of all those pounds standing next to Miles’s perfection.
“It’s a great morning to ride,” he said. “Looks like it’ll be a group of about a dozen if everyone shows up. If you go on in, Caleb will set you up with Buttercup and show you through the basics.”
“Great.” I managed to hide my tinge of disappointment that Miles wasn’t my teacher. Of course, he was the leader and had to greet people, so I don’t know why I expected personal treatment.
Finding Caleb was easy since he was standing next to the stable marked with Buttercup’s name. Caleb had me walk the horse outside and then gave me a bunch of instructions for how to work with her—when riding and walking. He also showed me how to mount Buttercup. It wasn’t as easy as it looked, at least not for me.
“I swear I’m usually more coordinated.” I was embarrassed that I couldn’t do it. Caleb, who couldn’t have been older than seventeen or eighteen, made it look easy. Not to mention that some of the others in the group were already riding their horses around the enclosure.
“It’s okay.” His tone was encouraging. “Try to keep the momentum going so you get the one foot in and then keep going to swing the other up and over.”
Setting up to do it again, I willed myself that this would be the magic time I’d end up in the saddle. Making the push with my right foot, I suddenly felt hands on my butt giving me an extra push. The push came with the slightest of squeezes. Caleb hadn’t seemed the type.
“There we go.” Miles’s voice came from behind. “Now you’re up.” He came around where I could see him and stroked Buttercup’s mane. “Caleb, sometimes you just gotta give people the extra boost.”
He clapped Caleb on the shoulder and gave me a wink.
“Yes, sir,” Caleb said as Miles went off to check on the others in the party. “Okay, so now you can walk her around. Remember what I said about the….”
I paid half attention to Caleb because the wink and the squeeze I’d gotten from Miles drew my focus. He’d squeezed my ass, and I didn’t think that was an accident. He could’ve lifted me without that extra touch. I liked it because it was playful.
Luckily Buttercup seemed to know what to do more than I did. She gave me no trouble. I’d caught enough of what Caleb said that I seemed to know the basics, and Buttercup took it from there. We had a successful, albeit slow, trip around the paddock while others were getting ready for the trip.
Miles swung his powerful leg over Wildfire. How had I not noticed how Miles’s legs looked in those tight pants, not to mention his ass? If I wasn’t around so many people, I might’ve slapped myself for having those thoughts. I couldn’t let myself fall into lust with this man, despite the fact that his ass was giving me other things to consider.
“Okay.” Miles addressed the group. “We’re going to ride out. You’ll follow me as we ride on some trails and streets around the island. We’ll stop to look at locations as well as some spots that weren’t in the film, and there’ll be plenty of time to snap pictures. I’ll be up front, and we’ll have Caleb, Caitlyn, and Grant with you in case anyone needs help. Sound good?”
Murmurs of yes came from the group, and then we were off. We traveled at a leisurely pace, which gave me time to get used to Buttercup. I fell in with the middle of the pack, and that put some space between Miles and me. He got me flustered and I didn’t want to be that way on the horse. Miles didn’t need to get any wrong ideas either, since I’d involuntarily flirt if given the chance.
“Much of the movie was shot on the Grand Hotel’s grounds,” Miles began as we headed away from the main building. “But, we’re going to get started at a place that everyone thinks is on the grounds, but isn’t.”
We headed out and went north on the western side of the island, along the road I’d seen when I was on the ferry. The hotel stayed to our right and a boardwalk was to the left. It was only a few minutes before I got goose bumps as we approached a small grove of trees just past the end of the boardwalk.
I recognized the place immediately. It was where Richard and Elise met beside the unique heart-shaped tree. Everyone excitedly chattered around me, and for the first time in the trip, I felt alone. I was the only one on this tour who wasn’t with someone else, so I had no one to share this moment with. All of this was making me emotional. It might be sappy to get worked up over a tree two actors had stood in front of nearly four decades ago, but I couldn’t help it.
We stopped and dismounted to get closer for pictures. I couldn’t imagine doing what Richard had done in the movie—approaching a stranger, and introducing himself. It was ballsy putting yourself out there like that. Propriety dictated that she rebuff him. Their first meeting wouldn’t be their last.
A marker, which was set into a boulder, declared this as the meeting spot from the movie. I cleared my head of the romantic fantasy I was having and pulled my phone from my jacket. I snapped a selfie before Miles came up and offered to take a couple of shots from farther away.
“Smile, Jordan. You can’t stand in this spot and look all gloomy.”
I couldn’t be near Miles and not be affected by his energy. I didn’t even have to put on a fake smile because his presence wouldn’t allow it.
“That’s better,” he said.
I grabbed some close-up shots of the marker as well as the lake beyond the trees before he called everyone together.
“If you’ll pass your phones and cameras over, we’ll get pictures of the entire group around the marker. Get in close and stay in place until we snap one for everybody.”
We did as we were asked, and once I had my phone back, I went to Buttercup and managed to get in the saddle in a single, unaided try. Luckily, I quelled a victory yell.
“Would you mind snapping a picture of me up here?” I asked Caleb, and he reached up to take my phone. “No one’s going to believe I actually did this without proof.”
He silently stood back and snapped from a few different angles.
“There you go.” He handed the camera back with a smile. “Everything you need to show off your time with Buttercup.”
We were out for almost ninety minutes, and I learned a lot about how the movie was shot on the island. Miles had a fun mix of stories—many that could only come from someone whose family lived here during the filming. The island was more beautiful than I’d imagined with its classic architecture in town and the natural beauty all around. From what Miles said, regulations on the island made sure that there was little change.
“You’re doing pretty good.” Miles settled Wildfire in next to Buttercup as we rode back to the stables. “Enjoying yourself?”
I hadn’t expected him to drop out of the lead position. I gripped the reins tighter, while trying to make sure I wasn’t sending the wrong signals to Buttercup. A runaway horse would create the wrong impression.
“I am. Your stories are great and riding a horse is more fun than I thought it would be.”
“Well, you’re on one of the best. Buttercup’s just about as amenable as they come. Isn’t that right, girl?” He leaned over to stoke her neck and she neighed, clearly agreeing with him.
I decided to talk about safe topics, so I asked about one of the stories he’d told earlier in the tour.
“Your story about watching Superman in the same row of the theater as Christopher Reeve was awesome. Do you seriously remember that?”
“I do. I was four so it’s on the edge of my memory, but yeah. He was a nice guy to the island kids. In the scrapbook my dad made, there’s a picture he took of me in a Superman T-shirt next to Christopher. He was kneeling down so he was on my level and it looks like I’m about to take off to fly.”
“That’s awesome,” I said. “A helluva memory, and to have a picture on top of it.”
“I wish I’d agreed to show Dad’s pictures this year for the convention.” Miles furrowed his brow. “I think you’d enjoy them.”
Miles’s pull on me was fierce, and I forced down my desire to ask him to get together to see them. We held each other’s gaze too long as the horses kept going along the trail.
“I think I would.” That was as close to asking him as I could get.
“How long are you in town?”
“Through the hotel’s closing ceremony. I thought it’d be cool to take part in that.”
“I’ll be there too. Maybe we can grab coffee or dinner before you go home and I can show you some of Dad’s collection. Since you’re here the extra day, it wouldn’t interfere with the weekend activities.”
“I don’t want to put you out.” I offered the chance for him to rescind the offer, while my heart soared that he asked to spend more time with me.
“It’s no trouble. It’ll be fun to show them to someone I know will appreciate them.”
“Okay, then. I’d love to.”
Chapter Five
ENTERING THE Grand’s dining room Friday evening was like walking into the movie. It was an extreme goose-bumps moment, which the day had been filled with. While I’d been here yesterday for dinner and taken in the differences with the color palette and some of the other specifics from the film, coming in to a room full of people dressed in period costumes made it feel like we might all be extras in the dinner scene.
I spotted Melanie, George, and their daughters as I entered, and they waved me over to their table.
“Don’t you look handsome,” Melanie said as I took a seat.
I’d been in many tuxedos over the years from prom to weddings to formal dinners. I dressed up enough that I’d even bought a basic black tux so I could stop renting them. What I wore for dinner, I’d found at a vintage clothing shop that specialized in formal wear. I’d been an ubergeek talking with the owner about what I was looking for. I’d even brought the movie on my tablet so we could compare clothes. She seemed to enjoy taking me through her stock until we found the perfect suit. With some alterations it was perfectly tailored, and I felt great in it. I hoped I might find some other event to wear it to because it seemed a shame only to wear it here.
“Thank you, ma’am.” I offered a slight bow, which coaxed a laugh out of the girls. “Don’t worry, that’s just about all of the 1912 manners you’ll see.”
“Have you had a good time so far?” Melanie asked.
“Very much. I did the horse tour this morning and loved it.”
“Awww, Mom, see,” Angie said, with a pout, “I tell you every year we should do that.”
“I’m scared to death of those horses.” Melanie looked terrified even talking about it. “A bicycle is much more my speed.”
“The horses are gentle,” I said. “I’ve never ridden before and I did just fine. They give you a little training before you go, but I think Buttercup would’ve taken me around and broug
ht me back with no effort on my part.”
“Buttercup?” Cathy giggled. “You rode a horse named Buttercup?”
“I did, and I’d be happy to ride her again.”
“Can we, Mom?” the girls asked together.
“We’ll see,” Melanie relented.
“And you’re still on for golf in the morning?” George asked.
“I am. Did you complete the foursome?”
“All it took was leaving word at the front desk and they had it filled quickly.”
“Great. That’ll be a good start to the morning.”
Dinner was a multicourse feast. The flavors of beef, garlic, and potatoes were sublime. I didn’t know if the food was correct for the period, but it was delicious. The meal’s conversation focused on the day’s events. I enjoyed hearing what everyone did with their day since it let me in on some things I’d missed while doing other activities.
As dessert was served, a string quartet began to play and some people took to the dance floor. There were plenty of people dressed in replica costumes from the movie’s dinner scene along with many Richard and Elise pairings.
“May I?” George asked as he stood and held a hand out to Melanie.
“Yes, please.” He took Melanie’s hand as she looked back to the table. “Excuse us.”
I gave another nod, and the girls beamed at their parents. George and Melanie looked blissfully happy as they joined the other couples.
As the girls and I ate dessert, I marveled at them. It was hard to believe any teen wanting to come to something like this. During dinner, the girls hadn’t even gotten fidgety without their phones. These were the kind of kids I wanted one day.
“Excuse me, sir,” a voice whispered into my ear. My pulse quickened as I recognized it. Was he really doing this?
