Return to Me

by Jill Sanders

  “How early? You know I was just joking about the brisk walk at sunrise.”

  He laughed. “We’ll need to be dressed and have eaten breakfast by eight. That’s not too early for someone who has been waking up at four every day for the last couple years.”

  She nodded. “I can do eight.” They turned and started walking back towards their hotel. There were lighted tiki lamps leading the way.

  “I wish I could take the sand and water with us. Can you imagine having a beach like this in Pride?”

  He smiled. “Something tells me that everyone who lives in Pride is glad that our beaches are cooler and don’t fill up with a million tourists each year.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I guess the sticky weather would get old.” She sighed. “And I do enjoy a good rain in the spring and being snowed in during one of our big storms during the winter.”

  His mind flashed to a scene of the two of them in front of a fireplace, being snowed in together. He wanted it more than anything else he’d ever wanted in his life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, she stood in the lobby in shorts, a tank top with a button-up over it, and tennis shoes. She’d worn her swimsuit underneath it all, just in case.

  Sean wouldn’t tell her exactly what they were doing. He had picked out her clothes and made sure she’d worn the right thing for his secret plans. They’d grabbed muffins in the eatery in the hotel lobby, and she’d downed a whole thing of orange juice, while he’d sucked down two cups of coffee.

  “I don’t know how you live the life you do without coffee.” He shook his head and looked at her as they waited for a shuttle, which would take them to their next adventure.

  “Coffee makes my heart go nuts,” she said.

  “I thought that was my job?” He chuckled as a tour bus arrived. There were almost a dozen other people waiting for the bus, as well.

  When they entered, he pulled her into a seat and handed her a brochure.

  “Okay, so it’s not any one thing we’re tackling today, but many.” He nodded to the paper in her hand.

  “It’s a tour?” She smiled at him. “Of the whole island?”

  He nodded. “I thought we might as well get to know a little about where we are.”

  “Oh, I love it.” She leaned over and hugged him, then went back to scouring the brochure. “I can’t wait. It’s a good thing I cleared this off last night.” She tapped her phone. “I’ve taken more pictures on this trip than I did all last year.” She chuckled.

  “The first stop is on Paradise Island.” He reached over and took her hand. “It’s just a few minutes from here.”

  “The Cloister,” she read from the paper and then continued to read its history. “I’m a huge history buff.” She glanced at him.”

  He chuckled. “I remember. You used to help Nick and me with all our history homework.”

  She nodded. “It’s what I want to teach,” she said a little nervously. She didn’t know why, but just saying it out loud made her feel better.

  He smiled and squeezed her hand. “You’ll be great at it.”

  She chuckled. “If my sister doesn’t kill me when I tell her I have to cut back my hours so I can go to school.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows, maybe I’ll fill in for you.”

  She laughed. “Right. You, working for my sister in a bakery.” She shook her head. “No, you would get fat, trying everything on the menu.”

  He laughed. “Okay, so maybe not.”

  “Don’t worry about deciding on what you want to do.” She could see his eyes grow a little distant. “Something will come to you when you least expect it. When it does, you’ll just know that it was meant to be,” she said as the bus pulled away from their hotel.

  The driver spoke over the little speakers as he drove, telling everyone the history of the island and pointing out anything of interest. She listened intently and took pictures out the open windows.

  She enjoyed seeing the police officers standing on their little boxes with their makeshift tops at each intersection as they directed traffic. The bus passed a little market area, which was crowded. She desperately wanted to get off the bus and go exploring. Then they turned a corner and the Cloister came into view.

  They were ruins of an old building. High arches and columns circled the entire first floor. Wide stone stairs took you past a green lawn with bushes, stone benches, and statues.

  The bus parked and the driver told everyone that they had twenty minutes to explore. She grabbed Sean’s hand and tugged him along, taking pictures as they went.

  Flower beds full of colorful flowers she’d never seen before were everywhere. When they were done exploring inside the open walls, they moved to the back area, where more stairs led them down a path towards the water. A beautiful gazebo-type structure sat at the end of the pathway. She took over a dozen pictures of the structure from all different angles.

  Tall statues lined the walkways. There was an old pond that was lined with stone, and another tall statue stood in the middle of the water.

  “It looks like some English gardens that I’ve seen in books.” She sighed and took another picture of Sean standing next to a column.

  A woman took their picture together as they sat near the pond on a bench. She knew she’d treasure that one, just as much as she would the one their waiter had taken last night as the sun set behind them in the restaurant.

  “I can’t believe anything else I see today will top that.” She sighed as the bus started pulling away.

  He chuckled. “Have you read about our next stops?”

  She shook her head and looked down at the pamphlet he’d given her. She’d been too busy learning about the island’s history before.

  “A fort?” She felt her heart jump as excitement ran through her. “Fort Charlotte.” She read out loud.

  “I remember the school trip we took to Fort Stevens. You didn’t let Nick or I talk to you the entire time, just in case you missed something.” He smiled and she felt her heart skip again. He remembered that? It was so nice having that history with someone.

  When the bus stopped again, the driver let them know that they would have another twenty minutes to explore The Queen’s Staircase. She glanced down and read how it was built in limestone by the slaves to honor Queen Victoria’s help in abolishing slavery in the Bahamas.

  They walked with the rest of the group through a narrow pathway lined with tall limestone walls that were covered by moss. Everyone made their way towards the tall staircase near the end. Off to the left there was a small waterfall. Water ran over smooth tall stones into a clear pool near the bottom.

  “It looks like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. You almost expect to look up and see the big stone rock chasing after you.” She laughed at his joke.

  “It does.” She nodded. “We might just have to buy you a Fedora.” She smiled and placed a kiss on his mouth.

  They climbed the stairs, and she took pictures from the top. There was a small garden area up there, but they had spent too much time enjoying themselves below and were running out of time to explore.

  “I hope they give us more time at the fort.” She frowned a little.

  “We’ll have two hours there, and it includes enough time for lunch at a place called the Fish Fry.” He smiled. “I’m told they have the best seafood on the island.”

  She nodded. “Perfect.”

  The fort was only five minutes from the staircase. They passed the brightly colored seafood place on the way to the parking lot.

  “We can walk back down here.” He nodded. “See, there’s the fort.” Her eyes were already glued to the gray stone ahead of them.

  Becca felt like she’d been hiding her desires for so long. She’d denied herself the true pleasure of learning history. Glancing over at Sean as everyone else got off the bus, she knew that because of him, she wouldn’t have to hide it anymore.

  *******

  Sean had never seen so
meone so excited about walking around a bunch of rocks before. Sure, the old iron guns were pretty cool, but he just couldn’t see the draw of the rest of it. But he watched her and smiled when she’d read off some of the history from the small plaques that were around.

  Finally, when he thought that she’d seen everything, he tugged on her hand until they were on the path towards the wonderful smells at the Fish Fry.

  They sat out at a bright blue table and had some of the best fried fish and shrimp he’d had in years.

  He chased it all down with a cold beer while Becca had an iced tea.

  “You two are staying at the Lux, aren’t you?” someone said from behind him.

  “Yes,” Becca answered with a smile. He turned to see an older couple and their teenage son sitting at the orange table next to them.

  “We saw you on the cruise too. We’re staying for six nights. How long are you two here for?”

  “Four,” Becca said easily. “Were are you from?” she asked them.

  The woman chuckled. “A small town on the boarder of Washington and Oregon.”

  “We’re from Oregon ourselves,” Sean said, turning a little so he could see the family. He reached out and, after introductions, they started chatting with Barbara, Stan, and their son, Ronny.

  Stan was a retired principal and Barbara was still teaching high school geometry. Ronny, who had just turned seventeen, looked like he’d rather be anywhere than sitting in the Bahamas with his folks. Sean did notice that at least the kid wasn’t on some sort of game or cell phone, wasting his time. Instead, he sat and listened to their conversation, answering any questions his parents asked.

  It turned out that the Hammonds lived less than an hour from Pride. Though they had never visited the small town before, they had heard of it. Barbara was an avid lotto player and had always promised her family a trip to the Bahamas if she ever won. Well, last month she hit the big jackpot of two point five million.

  “So, I booked the first available cruise, and here we are.” She beamed.

  “I’ve never met anyone who’s won the lottery before.” Becca smiled. “Of course, I’ve never played the lottery before, either.” Everyone laughed.

  “We’ve booked a charter boat tomorrow. They’re supposed to take us out scuba diving and fishing. There’s plenty of room for two more. If you aren’t certified, you’re welcome to fish with me. That is if you two want to tag along,” Stan said as they were all walking back towards the bus.

  “Actually, we were just talking yesterday about looking into going out. We’re both certified.” Sean looked towards Becca who gave him a big thumbs up.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Sean said. “I can see about renting some gear when we get back.” He tried to remember if the snorkeling place had scuba gear or not.

  “If you can’t find any, I’m sure the company we hired to take us out has more for rent,” Barbara said. “Well, this was just the loveliest day I’ve had all year.” She smiled as they walked back towards the bus.

  When they sat back down on the bus in front of the family, Becca turned towards Barbara and said, “I’m wanting to finish my schooling and become a teacher.”

  “Oh.” The woman’s smile grew. “What do you want to teach?”

  “History, but I don’t think I’m quite ready for high school kids yet.”

  Barbara laughed. “I wasn’t ready either until Ronny, here, turned thirteen.”

  “You still aren’t, honey,” Stan broke in and everyone laughed while Ronny sat and looked out the window.

  When the bus stopped in front of their next stop, Ronny perked up a little.

  “What stop is this?” Becca asked, looking down at the paper.

  “Bat caves,” Ronny said, smiling for the first time.

  “Bats?” Becca said in a soft voice. Sean could instantly see her skin crawl.

  “You don’t have to go in, if you don’t want,” Sean said next to her.

  She nodded. “I think I’ll listen to the guide, but stay outside with the other squeamish people.” He watched her shake a little.

  “Look at how that kid’s face lit up when they mentioned bats,” Sean said to Becca.

  “He’s a teenage boy. Remember we took that trip to the zoo when you and Nick where his age.” He remembered that trip.

  “So?” He frowned a little.

  She shook her head then whispered. “All you and Nick wanted to see were the monkeys doing it.” She chuckled and then covered her mouth when Ronny looked over at them.

  Sean smiled. “Yeah, teenage boys.” He looked towards Ronny who was busy listening to the guide talk about the bats like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

  Sean sat out on the patio area with Becca while the rest of the brave group walked down towards the caves. They shared a large drink in a coconut and enjoyed the shade as colorful birds flew overhead.

  The bus ride back to the hotel was full of Ronny talking. Even his parents looked surprise at how excited the kid was about the nocturnal creatures.

  “We’re leaving from dock three around seven tomorrow. They told us not to worry about lunch, but you’d better make sure you have some breakfast before we head out. We’re not supposed to be back until two in the afternoon,” Barbara said as they stood out front of the hotel.

  “We’ll be there.” Becca hugged the woman and waved good-bye to the men.

  “What a wonderful family.” She sighed as she wrapped her arm through Sean as they walked back towards their elevator. “What a wonderful day.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was thinking about finishing the day off with a scooter ride through town and finding some place to have dinner.”

  She smiled. “Sounds wonderful. First, I’d like to change.” She looked down at her shorts and shirt.

  He nodded. “A shower and a change does sound wonderful.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  She’d never driven a scooter before, but after five minutes of putting along the road, she was seriously thinking about buying one for herself.

  It wasn’t just fun, it was a blast. Sean drove next to her on his own scooter as they made their way from the hotel to the heart of Nassau.

  They stopped at the little market she’d seen before, and he bought her a rope bracelet she admired. Sean bought a couple souvenirs for his parents while she looked for something for Sara and Allen. It was actually Sean who found the perfect gift in one of the smallest stores.

  He held up a set of shirts. There was a woman’s shirt that said Bahama Mama, a large one that said Bahama Dada, and then a baby’s shirt that said Bahama Baby.

  “They are perfect.” She held up the little shirt and felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. Her sister was going to have a baby. She shook her head and smiled. “It’s hard to believe that in less than eight months, I’ll be an aunt.” She smiled at Sean as she paid for the shirts.

  He smiled and then frowned when his stomach growled loudly. “All of this shopping has given me a huge appetite.”

  “I saw a place that looked good.” She tucked her bags under her arm and grabbed his hand.

  He followed her until they stood in front of a place called the Poop Deck. They had tables and chairs outside facing the water and when they walked up, they were seated quickly outside near the side on the patio area.

  “I can see our hotel from here,” he said, nodding past the row of boats tied to the docks they were overlooking.

  She followed his gaze and smiled, then looked at the large bridge they had crossed on the way over. That was the only part of her journey that she hadn’t liked. If they had been in a bus or a car, she wouldn’t have minded, but on the scooter, it had been a little too open for her liking.

  “We can find another way back.” He reached out and took her hand, guessing what she was thinking by her look.

  “No, it’s okay. I need to learn to face my fears. Besides, after everything else we’ve done on this trip, driving over a bridge on a scooter is nothing.”
r />   He chuckled.

  They ate fried calamari and grilled shrimp, and split the largest lobster tail either of them had ever seen.

  By the time they made it back to their hotel, Becca was more than a little tired.

  “I can’t believe how much we packed into today. It will be nice enjoying ourselves out on the water tomorrow.” She sighed as she dropped her bags inside the door. The sun had gone down as they had driven back over the bridge.

  When she took off her sandals, she sighed.

  “Here.” He walked over and took her hand in his, then led her to the bed. “Lie down.” He nudged her until she lay on the bed, face down.

  When he moved over her, she felt every nerve in her body start to vibrate. Then he started kneading her shoulders, and she simply melted.

  “Mmm, that feels so good,” she said against the comforter.

  He chuckled a little as her entire body relaxed in his hands. When his fingers started pushing and moving her clothing aside, she moved and pushed right along with him, trying to get as naked as he wanted. The entire time, his fingers continued to work their magic on her sore muscles.

  “You have a talent for this,” she mumbled. “Maybe you should do this for a living.” She chuckled.

  “Would you really want me doing this…”—he leaned down and placed his mouth on the skin between her shoulders—“to another woman?”

  She quickly shook her head no.

  “What about this…” He mouth dipped lower. “Or…” His hands ran over her hips, pulling her long cotton skirt down until she was completely naked before him.

  He used his hands to push her legs wider until she was fully exposed to his view. Then he stood up and yanked off his own clothing quickly.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered as he came back to her and ran a fingertip over the curve of her back. “So soft.” His finger traveled lower until she felt it brush against her soft skin, which was slick from wanting him.

  “Sean,” she moaned and grabbed fistfuls of comforter.