“Oh, nothing,” he laughed. “I just can’t get over the fact that you’re here.”
“In the flesh, babe.” She flashed him a furtive look. “Come on, good - looking, give me a bite of that ice cream. I’m kind of hot.”
She took a tiny taste off his spoon. “Ooooh, that’s good. You want some of mine?”
Bucky shook his head. “No, I’m pretty full already.”
They ate slowly. Bucky tried to push away thoughts of Dan searching all over the beach for him. It was just something he’d have to worry about later. Right now Deirdre was too pretty to pass up. This wasn’t really anything romantic, but in the soft island lights her presence was almost overpowering. She had on a very simple white outfit, kind of a Hawaiian mini - dress. And her hair was done up special in a way he really liked.
“You look terrific,” he told her. “Pretty dressed up just for a piece of cake.”
“It’s that island magic, Mr. Stone,” she purred, rubbing her hand softly along his. “Getting to you a little bit, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He tried not to gulp.
Finishing the dessert, she dabbed delicately at her mouth. “Thanks very kindly, my basketball superstar friend. What’s next on your agenda?”
Bucky thought for a moment and then decided to level with her. “Look,” he said, “Dan doesn’t know I’m here. And actually, I kind of slipped off just because I felt like seeing you again. But it’s going to be awkward if I’m gone a whole lot longer. I don’t want to have to, you know, make up something too outlandishly fictional when I see him again.” It all came out sounding rather lame.
She nodded. “Stone, you’re always such a sweetheart to people, that’s why I’m still mad for you.” She stared out toward the beach. “You can spare ten minutes of walking on the beach, can’t you?”
He glanced at his watch and winced, then made up his mind. “Sure.” After paying the bill, he took her arm and led her toward the exit. Could they slip through the thinning crowd and get down to the sandy beach without Dan spotting them? As he glanced around nervously, he hoped she didn’t notice.
The island air was even better than last evening, he decided. Cool and softly breezy. In fact, the air seemed almost scented. He edged a little closer to her. “Is that you I smell or just the fragrance of all these coconut trees?”
She laughed. “I imagine it’s a combination.”
“Not bad.” They walked slowly up the beach in the opposite direction of Bucky’s hotel for several minutes, chatting easily about her college classes. Finally he slowed down and turned around. “We’d better get back.”
On the return walk she took his arm – just friendly, not really in a romantic way – as they slowly splashed through the shallow beach ripples. “This is nice,” she told him.
“Yeah, it is.” After all that had happened yesterday it was comforting to be around someone who obviously liked him. And Deirdre did have her thoughtful side, he told himself. His mind flickered back to the night of the bank robbery two years ago when, even though they had broken up, she’d come down to see if she could help him.
She looked over at him. “What are you thinking about, Mr. Stone?”
“Oh, just stuff. Back when we were dating.”
“Me too.” A little gust of breeze made her blond hair swirl around her neck. “I guess this is where I get off the train.” She pointed toward her hotel.
“Yeah.” He turned to face her in the darkness. “This is great seeing you again.”
“You know something?” she told him. “I kind of think so too.”
All at once he was kissing her. Not once; but several times, pulling her close as their lips met. “Bucky . . .” she murmured.
The moment passed almost as quickly as it had hit. “I . . . I’m sorry,” he managed. “I don’t know why I did that.”
“That’s all right.” She managed a little gasp, almost out of breath. Then a smile as she leaned her face against his shoulder. “Probably inevitable. It’s been building up for about a year, big guy.”
He could feel his pulse racing. What was he going to do about this? A million conflicting thoughts tore at him.
“What’s your schedule tomorrow?” Deirdre spoke first.
Bucky swallowed hard. “Our game’s at 6:00. Practice at 10:30, warmup at 5:00.”
“What about after that?”
“Nothing. I guess we’re free.”
She took a deep breath. “You better come see me.”
He nodded. “Yeah.” Then he abruptly shook his head. “What about Dan?”
“Bucky, figure something out.” Reaching up, she gave him another kiss, not quite as long as the others. “OK, babe?”
She walked away from him without looking back.
Hurriedly he made his way back to “The Fleabag,” as Dan had dubbed it, the last few minutes replaying themselves over and over in his mind. How had he let it happen? Girls like Deirdre and Tracy were supposed to be off the list, he knew. And now he was in a predicament with Dan. What if he had seen Bucky out there on the beach? That could wreck their whole friendship.
As he turned the key in the door to their room a major league - sized knot caught in his throat. He could already tell Dan was back. The hazy gray light from the old TV filled the room, and he could hear the dialogue coming from the tinny speaker.
“Man, what happened?” Dan snorted. “I went up the road like you said, then came back to that bench and you were gone.”
“I’m sorry,” Bucky managed. “Shoulda stayed right there, I guess. I went up that same direction, but I guess I missed you.” That’s sort of true, he thought to himself. “There were so many people out there. Sorry, man.” The carefully misleading statement stuck in his throat.
“Aaah, forget it.” Dan didn’t seem too put out, Bucky noticed. “How are your folks doing?”
Bucky hesitated. “I . . . didn’t get through.”
“You’re kidding. How come?”
He didn’t really know what to say. “Just . . . no answer. I guess I’ll call them tomorrow.”
To his relief Dan let the matter drop. “Well, have a seat, shorty. Star Wars is really something on this vivid black - and - white TV.”
Chapter Eight: Postgame Party For Two
“Tomorrow for sure.” The promise came from the tournament officials after basketball practice the next morning. The hotel mixup still wasn’t fixed, but the Hampton Beach basketball team would have to stay in the substitute hotel for only one more evening.
Grumbling a bit, Bucky, Dan, and Jonesy boarded a city bus and rode several miles out of town to where the surfing was supposed to be especially good. Counting out the rental price of the board and leaving his driver’s license with the deposit, Bucky gingerly picked up the heavy fiberglass board and waded into the water. Even though it was Hawaii and the sun was blazing overhead, the water was still a bit chilly to the skin.
“Man!” Jonesy shivered as he began paddling. “It’s cold out here, children.”
“You ever tried this before?” Dan asked him.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been swimming maybe three times in my life. I should have gotten a board with a motor on it.”
“Seems like the waves aren’t high enough for surfing,” Bucky frowned. “Look. Nobody’s getting much of a ride.”
The gently rolling surf was cresting at no more than three or four feet even quite a ways out from shore. Several times the three athletes paddled furiously, trying to “catch a wave,” but after short little bursts, the surf always rolled away from them.
“We should have tried some other beach,” Dan complained after about an hour. “I haven’t gone more than about twenty feet a single time.”
Bucky pointed toward the horizon. “That one looks pretty good. Come on, let’s both go for it.”
The approaching swell did seem to loom a bit larger. In fact, Dan actually managed to climb to his feet and glide along for an impressive ride before the wave slowly dwindled as
it ran up on shore. “That was better,” he called out.
“But there aren’t any more like that one coming along.” Jonesy, who’d stayed in closer to shore, paddled gingerly toward the others. “Come on, you guys. Let’s get out of here.”
On the bus ride back into Honolulu Bucky glanced over at Dan several times. A pang of guilt hit him again as he remembered how he’d slipped away from his friend the previous evening. He tried to push away the sense of shame. Things were just a little bit weird over here, he told himself. It was all new rules in this island paradise. Next week they would be back at Hampton Beach High School where they belonged. Then he’d finish out the year and move on up to Pacific College. What happened last night had been an aberration. Deirdre had just caught him in a vulnerable moment. That was all.
Still, he had promised to try to see her again tonight. Should he go? Last year he’d kind of pledged to God that he wouldn’t get involved ever again with a girl who wasn’t a Christian. And it was hard to see how a fling with the ice - blond college girl, even if it was for a few sun - soaked days in Hawaii, didn’t violate that promise. Again, he almost felt himself giving a quick shake of the head, shoving away the accusations of his conscience.
After a light workout that evening, Bucky slipped into his tournament uniform. “These guys from Phoenix are good,” Brayshaw had warned his troops. “If they get any kind of a lead at all on us, we might be sunk before we start. They’re brutal on defense and hold a lead with a real death grip. So let’s turn the tables on them. Score first, score fast, and then let’s hang on.”
As they always did, Bucky and Dan went over to a corner of the locker room. Bucky offered his usual prayer, but this evening it felt strained. The unresolved threads of his romantic life were threatening to unravel his whole spiritual experience with God.
“Help us to be like you during this game,” he concluded, wishing the words had more meaning. “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Dan gave him a tight little look. “You OK, Buck?”
“Yeah.” He managed his crooked smile. “Let’s get ‘em!”
Brayshaw’s advice seemed to work, especially during the first half. The Panthers grabbed the first two baskets, then held a slim lead right up until halftime. The opposing team’s give - and - go play was hard to stop, all right, but twice Jonesy’s quick switches on defense foiled the maneuver. And Bill Volker seemed to have kept some of last night’s sizzle with him. He sank his first seven shots before making a single miss.
“These guys are tough, but we’re tougher!” Brayshaw praised during the intermission. “Keep it up, and we’ll be on national TV Friday!”
Right at the start of the fourth period Bucky could tell that Dan was slowing down. “Are you doing OK, Litton?”
“Yeah.” Dan grimaced a bit. “My stomach still isn’t a hundred percent, but I can make it.”
“You want a breather?” Coach asked.
“No. Let’s play.”
The Panthers took a precarious three - point lead into the final two minutes of the game, when a Phoenix bomb abruptly tied up the score. Bringing the ball down carefully, Bill dribbled over to the corner and then lobbed the ball into Dan’s hands. Over to Bucky . . . back to Dan . . . a quick return feed to Bill. “Around The Horn!” It was a play they had practiced back in California.
Faking a shot, Bill then dropped a slow pass to Bucky, who whipped a no - look screamer into Jonesy’s hands. The tall center stretched to his full six - foot - seven and slammed the ball through the hoop. Panthers by two!
“Yes!” Brayshaw shouted from the sidelines. “Beautiful!” The other squad brought the ball down and worked a set play to tie the game, but this time it was Dan who blocked the shot right into Volker’s hands. Before the defense could regroup, the little guard had taken the ball coast to coast for an insurance basket. The final buzzer sounded with the California team on top by the four points.
“Marvelous!” Coach Brayshaw, his athletic shirt damp with the humidity, clapped the players on the back. “Great basket at the end, Billy Boy!”
On the bus ride back to the hotel Bucky looked over at his friend. “Man, Litton, you look pooped.”
“Yeah. I guess that intense surfing wiped me out.”
Bucky laughed. “Some surfing. Those killer eight-inch waves are pure terror, aren’t they?” He paused. “What are you up to now?”
“You know what I feel like doing?” A spate of coughing seized Dan, and he barely got the words out.
“What?”
“Man, I think I’m just going to soak in the pool for a bit. Just float out there and look up at the moon.”
“Are you kidding? Our hotel hasn’t got a pool.”
“Yeah, it does.” Another cough. “Out back behind that little section that juts out. It’s not very big, but I saw it there this morning,”
“Sure. Let’s do it.” Bucky’s mind was still working, trying to think if he could get away to see Deirdre as he’d promised. Or if he should even try.
It wasn’t as warm or clear this evening, he noticed, as he slowly swam from side to side in the small hotel pool. Peeking up at the wall clock on the little shed next to the shower he noticed that it was almost 9:15.
“I’m heading out,” he told Litton. “Are you staying much longer?”
Dan shrugged. “A little bit, I guess.”
“OK. I’ll see you up in the room.”
Picking up his towel, he went into the hotel lobby. Just five blocks up the street Deirdre had to be waiting. Should he go?
His thoughts bounced back and forth for only a moment. He knew he was going to – so he may as well do it. Pushing open the front door of the smoky lobby, he began walking quickly toward the beach.
It was getting easier, he reflected, to shove guilty thoughts to the sidelines. He couldn’t get rid of them, but he could mute them to a whisper. It bothered him, but his desire to see Deirdre overpowered everything else.
Walking into the lobby of the fancy hotel, he picked up a white courtesy phone and asked for Deirdre’s room. “Thank you, sir. Please hold.” The operator almost sounded like she knew what was going on between them. Bucky gulped. Deirdre answered on the first ring. “Yes?” It was her sultry voice.
“I’m finally here.”
“Oh, my long - lost knight in shining armor,” she whispered. “Or are you wearing a bathing suit?”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “The second thing you said.”
“Two minutes, baby doll.”
He paced the lobby, sensing the jump in his pulse rate every time the elevator doors opened.
“Here I am, sweetie.” The words came from behind him.
Bucky turned around. “Where’d you come from?”
She pointed. “They have elevators on both sides. We’re in the tower on the beach side.”
“Pretty nice.”
Taking his hand, she led the way to the swimming area. “This is the greatest pool I’ve ever been in,” she told him. “Look how big it is.”
The oversized pool had a couple of tiny tropical islands out in the center, along with a huge fountain that sprayed a mist of water in all directions. Underwater lights shone throughout the complex, and palm trees dotted its edges.
“Wow!” Bucky looked all around at the rippling blue effect. “This is marvelous.”
She swam out into the deep water and then turned around, “I’m drowning. Somebody come save me.”
He grinned. Ducking under the surface of the water, he swam along until he was right next to her, then surfaced.
“Hey, babe.”
“Mmmmm.” She draped an arm around his neck. “I’m trying to remember where we were last night.”
Bucky paused. What was a guy to do? Lisa was out of his life. Home was a long way off on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
Deirdre eased herself closer to him. He could feel her wet bathing suit pressing against his chest. “I said, where were we?” she murmured.
He looked i
nto her eyes. Reaching out for her with both arms, he pulled her closer. “I think I remember.” The quiet mist from the fountain splashed down on both of them as he kissed her.
• • • • •
It was nearly midnight when he finally walked back into the drab hotel lobby where the team was staying. During the short walk his mind had been in unhappy turmoil about what to say to Dan. Should he admit the whole mess and hope his teammate would write it off? Dan certainly owed him one or two “breaks.”
Gingerly he opened the door, scrunching his face up in an involuntary wince as he eased into the room. To his relief, Dan seemed to be asleep. Groping cautiously in the dark, Bucky found a pair of dry underwear. He shed his wet bathing suit and slipped into bed.
“That you, Stone?” Dan sounded three - quarters asleep, but he stirred and looked over at his friend.
Bucky froze. “Yeah.” He hesitated. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“What time is it, anyway?”
The younger athlete glanced over at the tiny LED clock that was angled away from Dan’s line of vision. “Eleven something,” he managed. It read 11:54.
Dan slid his pillow over a bit and shifted in the bed. “Where’d you run off to? Coach came by checking on all his babies, but he doesn’t ever seem to worry about you. I told him you’d taken up going to late - night dirty movies.”
Bucky chewed on his lip, thinking. “Sorry,” he repeated. “When I got out of the pool, I saw an old friend of mine from way back. We were just out talking for a while.” Please . . . don’t ask me who. His explanation hung precariously in the dark humid air for what seemed an eternity. Would he get away with it two nights in a row?
Dan shifted again in the lumpy bed. “Whatever. Those stupid kids next door were making a bunch of noise. I don’t know where their parents are. I finally went over and told them to shut up.”
“Well, tomorrow we’re out of this dump anyway.” Bucky heaved a quiet sigh of relief that the questions seemed to be over. Lying there in the darkness he made a private vow. No matter what else might happen with Deirdre, he just couldn’t keep deceiving his best friend. Somehow Hawaii was turning into a spiritual war zone – and right now he seemed to be losing on two fronts at once.
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 88
