Love Lost, Love Found

by Judy Kentrus

  “Now you look like Mitzi Gaynor right out of South Pacific.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment since that was one of your favorite movies.”

  When he brought his hands around her waist, drawing her closer, she slid her hands the rest of the way to meet in the back of his neck. The hazel color of his eyes had deepened to a pearl gray, a color she only saw when he was aroused.

  “Are you still into the classics? You hated to watch my favorite chick flicks.”

  “My tastes haven’t changed. Modern technology has made it even easier to watch the classics. Unfortunately I don’t have that much time on my hands.” He applied more pressure to his arms erasing the slight distance between them. “Are you going to object if I kiss you?”

  “You probably wanted me to greet you with a body hug and kiss, but the slit in the skirt won’t allow that much movement,” she teased. “Let’s leave it at ‘hello.’”

  The passage of time fed their mutual craving. Her eyes closed at the first touch of his mouth that returned her to the world they’d enjoyed. No matter how many times they’d kissed, it had always felt like the first time. He started slow, persuading dormant sensations to reawaken before he applied more pressure to deepen the kiss. Feeling alive, she moved to stand on her toes and applied more pressure against his mouth, wanting to taste more of him. His arms tightened, and she let herself enjoy the feel of his heart beating against hers. When he lifted his mouth away, she was disappointed he’d ended the kiss too soon.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of holding you in my arms and kissing you again.”

  Nancy rested her head on his shoulder and kept her arms around his waist. “I’ll bet you don’t remember the first time you kissed me.”

  “I certainly do. You showed up at my apartment without your harem of sorority girlfriends, claiming you needed help with a paper. When we were done, I didn’t want you to leave, so I asked you to watch the classic The Creature from the Black Lagoon. You insisted we watch It Started With a Kiss with Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. I agreed because there was a lot of kissing.”

  “And later I confessed to wanting to watch the movie for that reason.”

  Sean lowered his head again and stole one more kiss. “If we don’t stop right now, you’ll fulfill another of my dreams—making long, sweet love to you.”

  “Good idea. Let me get my purse and a light jacket in case it’s cold on the beach.” She hurried to the closet in the bedroom, needing a few minutes alone. The guilt she’d been expecting never came. The first taste of his mouth had set off a yearning she hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Sean could always do that to her, and nothing had changed.

  A half hour later, they arrived at the Turtle Club and were greeted by the hostess. The pretty woman gave them a welcoming smile.

  “Welcome back, Mr. Harrigan. Your usual table on the beach is ready. Follow me, please.”

  “This is lovely,” Nancy said as they walked down a path between the tables draped with white linen cloths. Candles under hurricane globes added to the intimate lighting, and the delicious aromas made her mouth water. When they stepped outside the restaurant, the view took her breath away. Streaks of blue, orange and pink streaked across the sky. The last of the sun balanced on the horizon.

  Tall umbrella lights with recessed heaters were spaced among round tables permanently secured in the ground. The soft glow reflected on the white sand, and she was glad she’d worn her flat sandals. A good distance separated the last row of tables from the pounding surf. Lights from the surrounding hotels blended with lingering daylight.

  “Thank you,” Nancy said when Sean held her chair for her. “This is so gorgeous.”

  “Wait until you taste the food. If you get chilly, let me know.”

  “I’m fine for now. These heaters are great, and the thin shield of plastic stops the brisk breeze off the gulf.”

  Sean glanced around at the neighboring tables, wondering if all this was a dream. He was with the woman he loved, surrounded by paradise. One kiss confirmed that what he felt for her was real and not a conjured memory of what they’d once had. No, they couldn’t go back. He understood that, but damn, he needed to reawaken the love she’d once had for him…if it was still inside her heart.

  “Good evening, I’m Chris, your server for this evening. Welcome back, Mr. Harrigan. Can I get your usual?”

  “Yes, and the lady will have a margarita.” Sean paused, realizing he’d ordered the drink out of habit, and looked at Nancy. “Unless your tastes have changed.”

  She smiled at the handsome, blond waiter dressed neatly in a white button-down shirt and black trousers. “That’s fine.”

  “When you said you were taking me to someplace special, you weren’t kidding. If you’re trying to impress me, it isn’t necessary. I’m just happy to be with you.”

  “I’m not trying to impress you, really, but when we lived together, I never took you out because we didn’t have any extra money. You worked for peanuts as a waitress in that hole-in-the-wall café.”

  “And you coached volleyball at the YMCA.”

  “There’s a team at my sports club, and I play whenever I can.”

  Chris delivered their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.

  “We’ve been so busy talking I haven’t had a chance to look at the menu. Any recommendations?” she asked, looking at Sean and then their waiter.

  “I usually have the Turtlefeller oysters, the seafood chowder and the roasted gulf grouper and lump crab cake.”

  “Sounds delicious,” she said. “I’ll have the same thing.”

  “We’re enjoying a romantic dinner on the beach, under stars and moonlight, but it’s killing me. Did you tell Blue Blood about us last night?”

  “His name is Blue Steel, and Blue Bloods is one of my favorite television programs because it stars Tom Selleck,” she said.

  “You don’t have to remind me. Do you know how many times I had to watch Quigley Down Under?”

  “Yes, and I still watch it. Blue was quite understanding, but he warned me that you have ulterior motives, like wanting to get me into bed.”

  “He’s not wrong, but there will be a time and place for me to make love to you again.”

  “You’re sure of yourself, Mr. Harrigan. He said I shouldn’t trust you. I should find out what your life has been like since we parted.”

  “That works both ways, and I have no problem answering any of your questions.” I’ve just got to skirt some of the truth.

  Nancy took a sip of her delicious drink and relaxed against the back of the chair. The combination of salt and semisweet flavors burst on her tongue. “Tell me about yourself, Mr. Harrigan.”

  “I worked in my father’s law office in Washington for the first seven years as an acquisitions manager. As you know, I have a master’s in accounting and a law degree, so I was considered a numbers guy who knows the law. I opened my own investment firm seventeen years ago. There are two other partners, and we have offices in Washington and New York. I do not have a significant other, but I’m working on it,” he added with a cunning smile, “real hard.”

  Their conversation was interrupted when a server brought their appetizers, and for the next few minutes, they savored the well-prepared seafood.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten more delicious oysters,” Nancy said, wiping her mouth with a white cloth napkin. “Now, where were we? Oh, yes, how is the senator?”

  “Alive, well and a major pain in my ass. He’s chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He’s just turned seventy-five, and I don’t think he’s going to run again.”

  “What happened to your political aspirations?”

  “There are parts of it that I don’t like, so rather than play the game, I bowed out. Needless to say, my father isn’t happy with me. Does he try to run my life? Yes. I’ve learned to tolerate his interference and demands, but in the end, I do what I want.” We need to take this conversation in a
nother direction, he silently determined.

  “Okay, my turn.” Sean took a long drink of his Johnnie Walker Red and water, needing the extra fortitude to ask the first question. “Did you love your husband?”

  Her eyes widened at the direct question. “Wow! Nothing like cutting to the chase. Yes. Did you think I would commit myself to marriage if I didn’t love him?”

  He shifted his eyes and looked down the dark beach, a mirror image of what he felt in his heart. He was jealous of a dead man and the years he’d lost out on being a part of her life. The dark hole he’d created when he left her had been all his own making. Live with it, Sean.

  “No,” he said when he could face her again. He was surprised when she reached across the table and took his hand.

  “Sean, I’m not going to hold anything back. You want to know what my life was like when you left me? When I think about it, that girl depended on you for everything. I loved you with every breath I took, but I was like an albatross around your neck. I sank into a deep depression, and my parents were worried. I had a very difficult time trying to face the world without you. After a month, my father read me the riot act and told me I needed to think of myself and my future.

  “He got me a job as a law clerk in Nelson Griffin’s office. I worked there until I passed the bar exam. Nelson was fourteen years older, but he saw something in me. Within five years, I made partner. I owe a great deal of my success to him. He loved me, and we married. Within a year, I had Kaitlyn. We had a good marriage. He was kind, sweet, gentle and taught me to stand on my own two feet. He died of a brain aneurysm ten years ago. I’ve been running the firm ever since, with two additional partners.”

  The pain around his heart intensified when she admitted to loving her husband, but he was no longer here. Nelson Griffin had played an important part in her life, and Sean needed to accept that the man had made her happy and given her a family. That was something else he couldn’t think about. It hurt too much.

  “When I go home,” she went on, “I’ll be taking on a new associate because my job as chairman of the Planning Commission for Beacon Pointe takes up a great deal of my time. I’m also a member of the city council.”

  “You went into politics!” Use caution where you go with this, he said to himself. The dossier his father had provided included information on her business and involvement with the town. She had an outstanding reputation as a lawyer.

  “I took over Nelson’s seat on the town council and was elected to the position later. The past six months, though, I’ve become very disillusioned with politics.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but I do understand.”

  “Since you’re a lawyer, I’d like your opinion on a situation I’m facing at home.”

  “Sure, run it by me.” Hopefully, this will be what you need to hear, he told himself.

  “I’m in a battle with the other members of the planning board and some of the members of the town council. Oh, did I mention that I’m also deputy mayor?”

  “Nancy Jean, you put me to shame, but continue.”

  “A big conglomerate wants to build an ugly hotel and conference center on a piece of land that has been vacant for years, but I don’t want this monstrosity to ruin the quaintness of Beacon Pointe. We’ve got centuries-old Victorian mansions that draw people to our town year-round to relax, enjoy the beach and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the other shore communities. We don’t even allow amusements on the boardwalk. It would destroy the quaint ambience of the town.”

  The venom in her voice was something he hadn’t expected to hear. “Okay, let me play the devil’s advocate. The hotel and conference center would create new jobs and draw more people to your town. The other businesses would benefit because it would bring in an influx of visitors. It’s economically beneficial, especially in taxes alone.”

  “That’s on the positive side, but there’s more. Their plan is to turn it into a casino, and from what I’ve been able to learn, their proposal has a very good chance of getting approved by the State Gambling Commission. We let one casino in and more will follow. I don’t want another Atlantic City. We don’t have a police force big enough to handle the undesirable element it could draw. As head of the planning committee, I have to sign off on their proposal, but it will contain my objections. This is such an important issue that the town council agreed that only a unanimous vote would give them the go-ahead.”

  “Basically, you’re one woman standing in the way of bringing a financial coup to Beacon Pointe.”

  “I couldn’t have said it any better myself.”

  “And there’s nothing anyone could say that would change your mind in their favor?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, they should look elsewhere because their proposal is dead in the water.”

  Well, shit! You came here to find out her objections, and she couldn’t have made them any plainer. This was a major hiccup. Millions of dollars were riding on this new venture, and he had better come up with an alternative plan of action, real fast. Then he remembered what else she’d said. They better look elsewhere. His workload had just tripled.

  Sean was grateful when the server approached their table. “Here’s our seafood chowder. It’s comparable only to Maine’s.”

  “We have some very good seafood restaurants in Beacon Pointe.”

  “I’ll have to check them out.”

  “Maybe you should,” she said with an easy smile he took as an invitation.

  They ate the rest of their meal without further conversation, enjoying the setting and the lull of the pounding surf. A number of tables had emptied, but were soon filled with new diners.

  “Can I get you coffee and dessert?” Chris asked, clearing away their plates.

  Nancy put a hand to her stomach. “I’m stuffed, but if I run extra tomorrow, I won’t feel guilty having dessert. Any recommendations?”

  “How about key lime pie, one of our specialties?”

  “Chris, make that two, and I’ll have Mexican coffee,” Sean said.”

  “Make mine decaf, please.”

  “I hope you’ve enjoyed everything.”

  “Absolutely,” Nancy said. “The food and the company have been wonderful.”

  “I’m glad,” Sean reached across the table to play with her fingers resting on the table.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise!”

  Sean cautioned himself not to cringe at the sound of a familiar voice. They both looked up when a brassy, red-haired woman dressed in a white sheath that barely covered her boobs approached the table. The diamond necklace around her neck and wide band on her wrist sparkled in the light from surrounding lamps.

  “Well, shit,” Sean said just loud enough for Nancy to hear.

  “Who is that woman?”

  “My ex-wife.”

  Chapter 5

  “Darling, you are a hard man to track down,” she said, giving him a careless kiss on his cheek. “I called your office, and they said you were on a two-week vacation in Florida. Of course I knew where you were staying because you always go to the Casa Blanca. You never took two weeks off when we were married.”

  “What are you doing here?” His voice was filled with obvious annoyance.

  “My fiancé and I stopped by to have drinks with our friends from the Naples Philharmonic. You remember I’m on the fundraising committee, and I plan to hit you up for a generous donation. Who is your friend?”

  Sean didn’t bother to get up to make the introductions. “Nancy Jean, this is Anita, my ex.”

  When Anita’s back stiffened and the fire of recognition shone in her much too green eyes, Sean waited for the bomb to explode.

  “You’re the bitch who ruined my marriage,” she indignantly cried.

  They were drawing attention, something Anita enjoyed. Sean stood up and pulled out a chair. “Sit down and lower your voice. I’m sure you don’t want your rich fiancé to know how much you enjoy making a scene.”

  “I’m sorry
you feel that way,” Nancy blurted, looking from Sean to the rude woman.

  Anita lifted Nancy Jean’s left hand and sneered. “My invitation to the wedding must have gotten lost in the mail. Cheap ring.”

  Nancy pulled her hand away. “Excuse me!”

  “You always had an invisible hold on him. No matter what I did, I couldn’t penetrate his cold heart. Sometimes he called out your name in the middle of the night. He wasn’t even good in bed. I got tired of fighting a ghost. He found more pleasure working than with me. After five years, I gave up.”

  Sean didn’t escape her catty eye. “Did you actually think you could hide her from me? One weekend when you went away to campaign for your father, I went through your closet and found the box you marked college memorabilia. Two items answered all my questions. The picture of you two standing under the arch in Washington Square Park on New Year’s Eve. You wrote on the back, ‘I Thee Wed.’ I also found the black-and-white sonogram picture you have in a frame that says, ‘Our Baby.’” Anita stood up and sneered. “I hope you’ll be very happy. You deserve each other.”

  Nancy’s paled complexion and the tears running down her cheeks cut a path to his heart. Before he could move to offer comfort, she got up and darted between the other tables and hurried down the beach. He wanted to kill Anita for upsetting Nancy and stirring up old hurts.

  Chris came over and asked if he could so something for one of the restaurant’s favorite customers.

  Sean pulled out his wallet and laid a credit card on the table. “Sorry she caused a scene. We’ll be right back. Do me a favor and pack up the pie in a to-go box.”

  “No problem.” The waiter dug in his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight and passed it to Sean. “I was an Eagle Scout and I’m always prepared.”

  He tried to have very little contact with his ex-wife. Their marriage had been a huge mistake, but he couldn’t think about that now. Finding Nancy was all that mattered.

  He found her sitting on the sand a little ways down the beach. She’d removed her sandals, and incoming waves flirted with her toes. She’d buried her face in her raised knees, and her shoulders shook from sobbing.