by Marnie Perry
Oh gosh, she wished she knew more about men and their ways, she wished she had more experience so that she could tell the charmer from the sycophant, the flatterer from the liar, the honest from the false. She was a child really in many ways, a child let loose in the world for the first time and she found herself floundering, and men, men such as Sterling Hennessey could perhaps take advantage of that. And yet his eyes, his lovely expressive eyes assured her that he was serious and sincere when he complimented her, that he meant what he said.
Oh she must stop this, stop analysing things, stop analysing him and his intentions. So what if he was insincere, so what if he enjoyed teasing her? He was amusing and interesting and smart and fantastic company, as well as very attractive. She had enjoyed his company immensely these last few days and she would continue to enjoy it. So she would take him as she found him, and take the things he said, especially his compliments, with just the tiniest pinch of salt. Yes, she would live for today and leave tomorrow to sort itself out.
His voice broke into her thoughts, ‘well, what do you think?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘About going to the nude beach, it’s not far and it makes sense since you don’t have your bathing suit with you.’ He couldn’t decide which had opened wider, her eyes or her mouth, but instead of the usual red suffusing her face it was almost white as she stammered, ‘nu…wha…I…what…no.’
He continued to watch her outraged face until he could stand it no longer and burst out laughing. Her face went from white to pink in an instant. She said, ‘oh you…you…’
She couldn’t finish so outraged was she.
He said, ‘serves you right for not listening to what I was saying.’
Her outrage turned to contrition, ‘oh I’m sorry, I was miles away, I never meant to be rude. I’m so sorry.’
Still laughing he said, ‘I think I got my own back, it was worth being ignored just to see the look on your face, so you’re forgiven.’
She was shamefaced now as well as embarrassed. He said, ‘what were you thinking of that caused you to divert from your usual good manners?’
She certainly wasn’t about to tell him exactly what she had been thinking so edged a little, ‘oh, just stuff, about how much I’m enjoying myself, how I would never have come here by myself, or if I had I would have been very nervous and on edge.’ She looked back at him, ‘I’m very grateful to you for organising this trip, and for accompanying me today, and all the other times too.’
He looked into her eyes and his gaze was very direct as he said, ‘you know you don’t have to be grateful to me, I’m enjoying myself too, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Gulfport or here to Ship. I would not have thought about coming here on this little trip of mine. I’m grateful for your company too.’
She said softly, ‘thank you, Sterling.’
‘Hallelujah, at last she calls me Sterling without hesitation or prompting.’
She smacked his hand lightly but he cried out as though in pain, ‘ouch, God that hurt, how will I ever explain all these bruises to my cousin and his new bride.’
‘Tell them you met a woman who got quite violent when she was laughed at.’
He laughed out loud then said, ‘hidden depths, Miss. Faraday, hidden depths, I like it.’
She turned from his gaze and said, ‘don’t be si…a ninny.’
His laughter grew and people walking past and those sitting nearby looked at them and smiled.
He said, ‘shall we get something to eat then take a walk and admire the scenery, we might spot some of those Dolphins I was telling you about. Then we could go to Fort Massachusetts if you want.’
‘Oh yes, that sounds lovely.’ He stood up and held out his hand to her, she hesitated only slightly before putting her own hand in his. She immediately felt that frisson that she experienced every time he touched her skin.
He pulled her to her feet but did not release her hand; instead he held it tightly in his as they made their way along the beach to the picnic area and snack bar.
It was very hot indeed now but they were lucky and found a table with a big umbrella in the middle. He told her to sit down while he went to get their food. He said, ‘is there anything you would particularly like to eat?’ Craw fish, oysters, lobster.’
She didn’t rise to his teasing but said, ‘all of the above please.’
He chuckled and asked if he should choose for her and she replied in the affirmative.
When he was gone she felt somehow alone and exposed. It was funny how she felt safe and secure and protected with him. She hardly knew him yet she trusted him to look out for her well being.
She looked around at the scenery; it was certainly very beautiful here. The sea was so clear and very blue. She was so happy she had come here today, and even happier that she was with Sterling, it made this day twice as special.
He returned five minutes later with a tray on which were two plates piled high with fries and chicken and two large plastic cups of orange juice.
She said, ‘gosh, they certainly don’t stint on the food here. Thank you.’
‘I’ll bet you don’t finish all that.’
‘Is that a challenge?’
‘Yes.’
‘Accepted.’
They ate while he watched her from under his eyelashes intermittently as she tried, tried very hard, to finish the huge stack of fries but eventually she sat back in her seat let out a huge sigh and said, ‘all right, I submit, you win.’
He laughed, ‘well you did better than I thought.’
‘That’s only because I’m stubborn.’
‘Well I’m glad you stopped, I don’t think I would have the energy in this heat for carrying you around the Island.’
‘Oh you spoil sport.’
He laughed again and as he did so he was thinking that he had laughed more this last few days than he had done in, oh, in so long he couldn’t even recall. Once or twice today he had almost forgotten why he was really here, almost being the operative word. While he had teased her and laughed with her on the ferry he had been thinking that the first thing he would buy with his five mil was a yacht. He liked to sail and he was a proficient sailor. Yes, he would get himself a fifty footer, nothing to elaborate or flashy, nothing that would attract too much attention, except to the ladies of course.
Her voice broke into his daydream about the new gleaming white boat. 'You said it was a long time since you’d been to Ship Island, did you used to come here very often?’
‘Not too often, I’d say a few dozen or so times in my life. And Cat and Horn Island too, all of them really.’
She nodded, ‘you’re so lucky, it’s a beautiful place.’
‘Yes it is.’ But you told me that you lived near the coast, I expect that’s beautiful too.’
‘Oh it is, Cornwall is lovely, a great tourist place. But we don’t have the weather for this,’ she waved her hands around encompassing the beach and the ocean where people sunbathed and swam, ‘last year for instance the weather was so bad we hardly had any tourists staying near by. They probably went abroad, it can be cheaper and you get the nice weather too. It’s so unpredictable at home, sun in the morning, rain in the afternoon, that kind of thing.’
‘Maybe you ought to leave there, move here.’
‘Yes, but then I’d just complain that it’s too hot all the time.’
He smiled, ‘we have our seasons too, it rains and it gets cold here the same as anywhere else. Not forgetting the hurricanes too.’
‘There’s that, but you get this lovely sunny weather to make up for it.’
‘That’s true.’
They sat and talked about this and that until he said, ‘are you sufficiently recovered from the mountain you just ate to walk a little?’
‘I can keep up with you, Mr. Sarcastic.’
‘Ah, back to my last name again.’
She laughed and they stood, gathered their things and began to walk across the warm sand.
> As they walked to Fort Massachusetts Adela was feeling the heat pretty badly, she had been hot since she’d been here but this was something else, it was as though there was no air. She glanced at Hennessey but he seemed unaffected by the heat, perhaps because he lived here, or had lived here and she knew that it got very hot in Texas where he now lived too, so maybe he was used to it.
He caught her looking at him, he said with concern, ‘are you all right?’
She managed a smile, ‘yes of course, I’m just still unaccustomed to the heat.’
‘It is a little oppressive. Perhaps I shouldn’t have arranged this trip today; I keep forgetting that you’re not as used to it as we Mississippians.’
She said, ‘oh no, I’m glad we came here, it’s lovely, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’
‘All right, but if you start to feel ill please tell me, okay?’
She smiled gratefully, ‘okay.’ Then somewhat mischievously she said, ‘anyway, you’re not a Mississippian either, you’re a Texan now.’
He looked surprised for a moment then said, ‘once a Mississippian always a Mississippian. No matter where you go your home state is always your home state, and your own kind always welcome back a prodigal son…or daughter, that’s just the way it is.’
‘That’s a nice sentiment.’
He smiled and said, ‘there’ll be more shade at the fort, we’ll find somewhere for you to sit down for a while, gather your strength.’
She looked peeved, ‘what and admit that I’m a wimp, a wuss, a big girl?’ She panted,
you think I’m not up to it, you think I’m a feeble, insipid female who faints clean away at the drop of a hat. ‘
He was taken aback but grinned and said, 'there are only two adjectives in all you’ve just said that I agree with.’
‘Wuss? Wimp?
‘No, big.’
She stuck her tongue out and he screwed up his nose, ‘that’s very unladylike.’
She crossed her eyes and he laughed. ‘I meant “girl and “female”.” Someone who can walk fifteen miles in one afternoon is obviously no wimp or wuss, or indeed insipid or feeble.’
‘Come to think of it, it was further than fifteen miles, more like sixteen.’
‘Definitely no wimp or wuss.’
She laughed then cleared her throat. He said, ‘well, I must be a wimp or a wuss because I’m suffering too, let’s sit here a moment.’ He sat down on a rock and patted the space next to him and she sat down. He didn’t even seem out of breath and had hardly broken a sweat, so she knew this was his way of getting her to take a break and she was grateful. She was very thirsty so had been taking constant sips from her water bottle and now had hardly any left. Acting all strong and resilient was one thing, keeping it up in this heat was something else. He took off his sandals and shook the sand from them saying, ‘you’ve hardly any water left, I have two in my bag, help yourself.’
She thanked him and opened his bag feeling around for a bottle of water but instead her hand gripped something else, something cold and metallic. She pulled it out but when she saw what it was she gasped and immediately dropped it back in the bag then jerked back as though it had stung her. He said, ‘it’s all right, the safety’s on.’ He cursed himself for forgetting the gun was in there. He must concentrate on his job and not on her and her fine ass, her ample bosom and her tanned legs.
She said, ‘I’m sorry, I just…it was just the shock, I hope it’s not broken.’
He grinned, ‘doubtful, guns don’t break very easily.’
‘That’s good.’
‘I’m sorry if it gave you a fright, but I did tell you that I take a weapon with me most places; especially if I’m going into uncharted waters,’ he glanced around, ‘excuse the pun.’ He picked up the bag and retrieved the water bottle which he handed to her. She thanked him and drank thirstily still shaken from unintentionally touching a gun for the first, and she hoped, last time. He smiled and said, ‘I’m honoured that you didn’t wipe the top before taking a drink.’
‘Oh didn’t I? How unhygienic.’
He chuckled and took the bottle from her taking a large swig then handed it back to her. She looked mischievously at him from under her eyelashes then she too drank from the bottle. 'Now we’re both honoured, either that or we’ll both get colds.’
He laughed and she smiled and standing up said, ‘if you’re quite finished wimping and wussing, shall we continue with our walk?’
He gave her a mock aggrieved look before getting up. He had to admire her tenaciousness, she was certainly game for anything, well, not anything, not yet. A short time later they arrived at the Fort. Hennessey was right there was more shade here hence it was cooler.
They walked around and Adela admired everything and asked a lot of questions of the tour guide. Hennessey was amused by her enthusiasm as was the tour guide.
They spent a very pleasant ninety minutes looking around until Hennessey convinced her she had seen everything they could possibly see in the fort. They found a place to sit and drink a glass of refreshing lemonade before heading back to the ferry, which left at five.
As they walked suddenly she grabbed his arm and cried, ‘look, oh look, dolphins.’
He turned to look where she was pointing and sure enough there they were two dolphins leaping in and out of the water, obviously having fun and showing off to the watching crowd. They stood and watched as the dolphins performed their tricks.
Hennessey turned to Adela watching her face as she in turn was watching the show laughing, completely delighted and enraptured by what she saw. Then she seemed to sense he was looking at her and turned to him. She looked a little embarrassed as she saw him smiling at her enthusiasm. She said, ‘I’ve lived by the sea all my life and never seen a dolphin, and I’ve been here five days and seen two. This must be my lucky place.’
He stared at her for a moment, amused and inexplicably moved by her. But at the same time he was thinking, if you mean bad luck lady then yep, lucky all right.
He said, ‘I don’t want to rush you but we only have forty five minutes to catch the last ferry.’
She seemed reluctant to leave. He said, ‘unless you would like to stay and camp here for the night.’
She looked at him to see whether he was joking but his face was straight. She decided to call his bluff. ‘Well I would of course, but we don’t have any equipment with us, tent, sleeping bags etcetera.'
‘They hire them out over there,’ he pointed to his right.’
Caught out she said, ‘oh, right. But then if I don’t go back Dean might raise the alarm and the good sheriff will have to gather a search party to come looking for me, then you’ll be arrested.’
‘Me? Why would the sheriff arrest me?’
‘Because he can.’
He slanted his eyes in her direction, ‘you’re probably right about that. But you’d back me up of course and tell him that you were here at your own volition.’
She shrugged nonchalantly.
‘You wouldn’t?’ He asked.
‘I might like to see you arrested for all the teasing you put me through.’
‘How long would I serve for that do you think?’
‘Oh, at least twenty years.’
‘That long huh.’
‘At least.’
‘As horrifying as that prospect is I can’t promise not to tease ever again, I enjoy seeing you blush too much.’
She looked at him in exasperation, ‘oh you.’
He laughed and after a moment she joined in then said, ‘you know I actually meant it, I really wouldn’t mind camping out here.’
He looked surprised at her admission, ‘really, you’d like to camp on the island?’
‘Not by myself, ‘she laughed and he smiled. She went on, ‘I wonder what it’s like at night here.’
His smiled faded and he seemed reflective as he said, ‘it’s actually pretty quiet.’
She picked up on his sudden change of mood, ‘you’v
e camped out here?’
He nodded, ‘when I was a kid.’
‘Who were you with?’
‘No one.’
‘No one, you mean you came here as a child all by yourself, at night.’
He turned away so that she couldn’t see his expression and said quietly, ‘it was necessary.’ He said those three words in such a way that Adela instinctively knew that it was the end of that conversation.
She sensed the change in him, he was thoughtful and preoccupied and she wondered what it was that had made it necessary for him to spend time on the island alone when he was only a child. They didn’t speak much as they walked and she was disappointed that he had lost his bantering air.
Once on board the ferry he reverted back to his earlier mood and talked to her about the day and asked if she had enjoyed her visit to Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts.
She assured him that she had enjoyed herself very much and asked him the same question. He said that although he had been to the island many times he had never enjoyed it as much as he had today. But maybe it was the company that had made it so special then he had laughed when she said, “oh you.”
She was pleased that he had regained his earlier good spirits as for Hennessey he cursed himself for falling into his own trap. His plan had been to get her to go camping with him, not Ship Island but somewhere more isolated, where they could be really alone, with no interruptions. Where they could spend the night, maybe even in the same tent.
He had a plan in mind for just that particular contingency. But when she had asked if he had ever camped on the Island it had brought back those memories, those memories he had thought long forgotten, buried deep in his subconscious. Perversely he had blamed her for causing him to recall that time, although he should have known that going back to Ship would have done that anyway, even coming back to Gulfport should have been enough to thrust him back to that time. But he had deemed it worth the risk, he had thought that as long as he stayed away from Crystal Springs he would be all right, that he was strong enough now to deal with anything, apparently he had underestimated the strength of his memories and overestimated his willpower.
He was brought out of his reverie by Adela saying, ‘you mentioned earlier about your cousin’s wedding, when exactly is that?’
