Return to Me

by Jill Sanders

  But what harm could it do? She’d agreed to only spend the cash she had brought along that night. No more. If she lost, she would just look at it as if she had paid for admission into the place.

  She sat down and bought in and decided that no matter what happened now, this was the second best night of her life.

  *******

  Sean watched Becca and was shocked and amazed at how smoothly she worked the table. He couldn’t call it anything other than that. In less than half an hour, she had everyone around her laughing and enjoying their time as she won hand after hand.

  Some people even stopped as they walked by just to watch her. By the time she finally stood up to use the powder room, she was up five hundred dollars.

  “That’s some woman you’ve got there.” The man standing next to him slapped him on the shoulder. They had been chatting while they watched. His wife sat next to Becca, but wasn’t having any luck. “I’d make sure to keep that one.” The older man smiled at him.

  The man’s advice kept running through his head during the rest of the night. They traveled from table to table while she tried her hand at the different games.

  When she was up close to eight hundred dollars, after a small losing streak at the roulette table, they decided to finally try the slot machines.

  “I can see where this would become addictive,” she said, putting in another nickel.

  He smiled and then frowned when her machine started shooting out coins as his gave him another buzz, which indicated that he’d lost again. He was down almost twenty dollars at this point and decided it wasn’t worth any more of his money.

  “I think you have a talent for it, or maybe it’s just luck.”

  She laughed. “Luck? I’m not sure about that. I’ve never really been lucky at anything else.”

  He turned and watched her put more coins into the machine. “Since we’ve been sitting here, that machine has popped out more coins than I’ve shoved into mine. That’s lucky.”

  She smiled over at him. “How about I turn all these in”—she jiggled her bucket and looked down to her latest winnings—“and buy you an ice cream cone?”

  He smiled. “That would cheer me up.”

  They walked hand in hand towards the pavilion where there was an ice cream parlor, which even at this time of night was crowded. Instead of adults, like at the casino, kids ran around screaming and having fun as their parents sat nearby watching.

  “There’s a movie theater across the way,” Sean said, nodding to the theater. “Want to catch a show?”

  She shook her head. “I can watch movies anywhere.” She took his hand as they waited in line. “Have you ever thought about having kids?” She frowned a little when a little girl fell over next to her.

  “Sure, everyone has at one point in their lives. Anyone who tells you different is either lying or denying it to themselves.”

  “And?” She turned to him.

  “When I decide to settle down, I’d like three of them, two dogs, my own chicken coop, and maybe a couple horses or cattle. You know, to make things real interesting.” He smiled.

  She laughed. “Nick always wanted a large family. I guess he didn’t like being an only child.”

  “Trust me, with my little sister Dawn running around terrorizing our lives, he knew what it was like to have a sister.”

  She laughed. “I can remember how bad she used to be. But she was always so cute.” She sighed. “I always wanted a little brother. Having an older sister was nice, but if I could have had a brother…” She sighed. “Maybe that’s why I always hung around you two so much.”

  He smiled and then looked down at the ice cream flavors. “Is Rocky Road still your favorite?” She nodded and her eyes lit up, looking down at all the flavors.

  They walked along the deck as they ate their ice cream. The night was so warm and the full moon lit up the entire ocean.

  “I can’t believe how beautiful it is at night.” Becca leaned against the railing. Instead of watching the gentle waves, Sean turned and looked at her. Her hair caught the moonlight and strands of it around her face swayed with the light breeze. He couldn’t remember her ever looking so perfect. “It’s just so amazing.”

  “What?” he asked as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “All of it.” She looked at him and finished the last of her cone. She licked her lips and he sighed, wishing he could taste the sweetness. “Us, being here. I mean, I never dreamed of seeing, of doing, everything we have so far.”

  He chuckled and her eyes zeroed in on his.

  “I didn’t mean…”

  He smiled. “I know what you meant,” he said, pulling her closer. “We haven’t even scratched the surface. Just wait until we dock tomorrow. I’ve got a few things on my list that we’ll tackle.”

  She smiled. “I look forward to seeing what they are.”

  “You’re amazing.” He cupped her chin lightly. “For someone who has never even really gotten out of her hometown, to be so unafraid of trying new things…” He shook his head a little.

  “Oh, I’m afraid.” Her smile faltered. “I would have never had the courage to do any of it if you hadn’t been here.”

  When she reached up and kissed him, he knew that he felt the same way about her.

  He was getting spoiled, he thought, as they walked back to their cabin. He was getting used to having her by his side, sleeping next to her, waking with her in his arms.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When the ship docked the next morning, they were all packed and ready to start the next leg of the trip. A short shuttle ride took them to their hotel.

  “It’s massive,” Becca said as she leaned a little out of the shuttle. “It’s beautiful.” She smiled over at him and took his hand in hers.

  After checking in, they were shown up to their room, which was as the brochure described it, the Lux Signature Suite. She hadn’t overheard if it was going to have an ocean view or a resort view. Either way, she was excited to see it.

  When they finally walked into the room, she was too occupied with the view and the large room to pay any attention as Sean helped unload their bags and tipped the bellhop. The room was gorgeous with its crisp white bed and furniture. There was a large jet tub in the bathroom that she looked forward to enjoying. Even the sitting area was perfect. It sat next to the large windows, overlooking a green oasis that sat between them and the white sands and teal waters.

  “Like it?” he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  She could only nod. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. Look at how green and blue everything is.” She turned in his arms and hugged him back. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  He nodded. “What shall we do first?” He sighed into her hair and she felt little goose bumps rise all over her skin.

  She ran her hands up his back and had a good idea what she wanted to do first. He must have guessed, because he chuckled and nodded, then started to walk her backwards towards the bed.

  “I thought you’d never ask.” He laughed as they fell back onto the bed together.

  A little over an hour later, they stood on the white beach in their swimsuits. They had rented snorkeling gear. She’d never been snorkeling and was a little nervous. Since there had been too many people right by their hotel’s beach, they had walked down a ways until there were fewer people splashing about in the shallow waters.

  “It’s easy,” Sean said, sitting down in the sand next to her. “I’ll go over some basics. This”—he tugged lightly on her mask—“is of course your mask.” He smiled when she gave him a look. “Okay, let’s take it up a step. If your mask fills up when you’re under water, don’t take it off.” He put his mask on, and then showed her as he explained how to gently pull it away from your face and blow air out your nose to clear it. “We’ll practice it in the water before heading out too far.” She nodded and looked down at her breathing tube.

  “What about this?�
� She held it up. “I used one like this at the pool when I was a kid.”

  “Probably not like this. These ones have a purge valve. It allows you to pinch here”—he showed her the small clear plastic area—“while you’re under to clear any water that’s gotten in your tube. Short bursts of air from your mouth and it will clear out.”

  She nodded and thought of how scary it might be to be under with water coming in to her tube.

  “I got certified to dive,” she said, looking over at him. “But they didn’t go over snorkeling. I guess I should have taken the extra class.” She smiled.

  “Seriously?” He looked at her. “You’re certified to dive?”

  She nodded. “Two years ago, Nick and I had talked about it and we both thought it was a good idea. They have a class at the Boys and Girls Club that I took.”

  He smiled. “This opens up the possibilities for us in the next few days. I’ll look into seeing if we can go out.”

  She nodded. “I’d love to. I only ever went in the pool. But to finish the class off, we went down to the beach and practiced in the surf. It was freezing that day.” She shivered remembering.

  He chuckled. “Let’s go get wet, and then I’ll show you more.”

  They spent almost ten minutes in the shallow water before Sean was confident with her abilities. She grabbed her underwater camera and tied it to her wrist, then followed him out to deeper water. It was amazing. They held hands as they swam and watched the sea life below them.

  She had a screen saver on her computer of brightly colored underwater coral and fish. It paled in comparison to what they were seeing now.

  She stopped and took several pictures and turned the camera on themselves as they floated along the surface. When Sean pointed downwards, she felt those nerves kick in as she nodded and followed him to the bottom of the ocean floor. It took her three short dives to finally become comfortable.

  Around lunchtime, he pointed to the shore. “I’m starved.” He smiled. “I saw a place to eat lunch by the pool.” She nodded. “I thought we might rent a Jet Ski after lunch for a while.”

  “I’d love to.” She’d gone Jet Skiing several times and had thoroughly enjoyed the power of flying through the water.

  Stowing their gear back in the bags and returning them to the rental place, they walked hand in hand back up to the large pool area.

  After sandwiches and bottled water, they walked down the beach to the Jet Ski rental area.

  *******

  Sean loved the way Becca held on behind him. Her arms and chest were glued to him as he gunned the Jet Ski. It had been years since he’d had so much fun in the water. She laughed behind him and tugged on him to look at different things along the way.

  He made her hang onto him even more when he started showing off a little by sending the Jet Ski in tight circles. She squealed and held on and laughed when they finally came to a stop.

  “That was so much fun,” she said, pushing some wet hair out of her eyes.

  He laughed and glanced back at her. “Now it’s your turn.”

  She smiled. “I thought you’d never give up the reins,” she said and then frowned a little.

  He could tell what she was thinking. How to get in front without going overboard.

  “You can figure it out.” He smiled. “Climb over me.” What happened next was pure torture. She clung to him as she reversed their positions. Every inch of her almost naked wet body touched every inch of his. By the time she sat in front of him, they were both a little breathless.

  His hands reached up to stop her from turning the Jet Ski back on. Then he was twisting her and taking her mouth with his until he could think only about taking her.

  When she pulled away from him, she rested her head against his. “You make me forget about everything else.” She smiled up at him. Her hands went to his face as she kissed him one more time quickly. “Now, sit back and be prepared to get wet.” She laughed as she turned around and started the Jet Ski.

  By the time he finally tapped her shoulder to signal that they needed to head back in, he was more than impressed by her driving skills.

  “What should we do now?” she asked as she removed her life vest.

  He couldn’t stop watching how her chest rose and fell with every breath. Smiling a little, he nodded. “We could go back and take another nap.” He pulled her closer and kissed her some more.

  When he pulled back, she smiled and nodded. As they made their way back to their hotel room, he wondered if he’d ever stop wanting her as badly as he did now.

  “I have something special lined up for us tomorrow,” he said when they were alone in the elevator.

  “Oh?” She wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his body. “Do I get a hint?” She teased him and he felt himself start to shake with want.

  “If you keep this up, I’ll tell you everything.”

  She giggled and kissed him one more time before the elevator doors opened. It seemed to take forever to get back into their room. Even though they only had their swimsuits on, it felt like an eternity before they were finally skin to skin. He pulled her into the shower and made love to her under the cool spray and then carried her to the bed and enjoyed watching her face as he pleased her over and over again.

  By the time his stomach growled, they were both showered and dressing for their first evening out on the island. He’d looked into which places to eat and decided to stay near the hotel for the night. There was a casino just a few buildings down and when they walked into the restaurant next door to it, he knew he’d picked the right place.

  “Oh my,” she said under her breath when the wonderful smells hit them.

  He glanced down at her and felt his mouth water. She’d worn a little red number tonight with red wispy feathers on her shoulders. Her red heels made her taller, and he very much enjoyed the look.

  “It smells like heaven in here,” she whispered as they were shown to their table, which was right next to a large window. The sun was just setting and they watched the bright colors fill the sky. Becca took a few pictures, and when the waiter stopped by, he asked if they wanted a picture together. Sean pulled his chair closer to hers and smiled as he wrapped his arm around her.

  He ordered a bottle of white wine, knowing what she liked the best, and then they looked over the menu.

  “This sounds wonderful.” She glanced up at him and tapped her menu. “The rock lobster.”

  He’d been interested in that one himself, so he nodded. “For me, it was between that and the baked bonefish. I haven’t decided yet.”

  She smiled and leaned closer. “I’ll get the lobster, you get the bonefish, and we’ll share.”

  He nodded and reached over to take her hand. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Of course, I’ll want my very own dessert.” She smiled over at him as he chuckled.

  He’d never experienced food as good as this. Well, maybe at the Golden Oar, but the fact that they were thousands of miles away from there assured him that it was okay to indulge in the comparison.

  “Do you think it’s possible to gain ten pounds on vacation?” she asked when she was finished eating, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her flat stomach.

  He laughed. “On me, yes. You?” He shook his head. “Do we need to hit the gym again?” He smiled when he saw her face heat.

  “Maybe a brisk walk on the beach tomorrow morning. You know, to watch the sun rise.”

  He smiled. “How about a slow one tonight as the moon rises?” He reached over and took her hand again. She nodded and smiled.

  When they stepped onto the warm sand and the cool night air hit them, he knew he’d remember everything from that moment. She leaned down and removed her skimpy shoes and dangled them from her hand as he held her other hand, and they walked towards the water.

  “You look simply amazing in red,” he said offhand. She stopped walking and smiled over at him.

  “You look pretty dashing in gray.” She reached over and too
k his dinner jacket in her hands and pulled him closer. “Did you ever imagine?” She shook her head and sighed. “I told myself I wasn’t going to do this,” she said, looking off towards the dark water.

  “Do what?” He pulled her closer. “Think of what it would be like to be here with Nick instead?”

  Her eyes searched his and then she nodded slowly.

  “It’s okay. I’ve thought about him a million times already on this trip.” He sighed and looked off towards the water himself. “He would have loved it here.”

  She nodded. “Although I don’t know if he would have fought me over the last piece of my lobster tail tonight.” She giggled.

  “Oh?” He looked down at her.

  She shook her head. “He was allergic to shellfish. Remember?”

  He chuckled. “That’s right. I’d almost forgotten.”

  “I’ve forgotten a lot.” Her voice sounded a little sad.

  “It’s okay to forget some things. What matters most is that we have the truly great times in our memories. Those will never go away.”

  She nodded her head and leaned back against his chest as they watched a boat flooded with little lights float by them in the water.

  “It helps,” she said and turned towards him, “that we fit together like we do.” He watched her face flush in the dim lights and waited. “Personality wise,” she finished.

  He nodded. “That was never a problem with us. Remember when we used to gang up on Nick.” He chuckled as she smiled.

  “Like prom.” She giggled as he tried to remember. “We wanted to vote for the Great Gatsby theme, he wanted to vote for the Fifty’s Rock theme.”

  He nodded, remembering the argument the three of them had about it. “We won and yet, for some reason, I still think he voted the other way.”

  She chuckled. “It was fun wearing that hooped skirt though. I think everyone in our class was against us.”

  “The entire football team wanted to wear black leather jackets and grease their hair back.” He smiled and then sighed. “Well, we’ve got an early day tomorrow.” He glanced at his watch, which he’d forgotten to set to local time.