Home on Seashell Island

by Brenda Kennedy

  I look him in the eyes so he can see my sincerity. “All I want is you and Myra. Everything else is a bonus.”

  Silence lingers between us as we stare into each other’s eyes. “I love you so much, Carly Jo Stewart.”

  It’s the first time these words have been spoken between us. I couldn’t think of a more perfect time.

  “I love you, Beauregard Anthony Romano.”

  He pulls me to him to seal our words of love with a kiss. This time the kiss is deeper, more intimate. I feel the heat rise as I cling to him for more. He deepens the kiss and I gladly accept it. Breathing hard, our kiss becomes harder, faster, more intense. He quickly stops and pulls away breathlessly. This is unusual for Beau to get carried away. Me, on the other hand… I don’t have the restraint he has, but I do respect his position in the church. I try hard not to get carried away with kisses, as that’s all we’ve done. We’ll never have sex before marriage, but during times like these, a little fooling around might be nice.

  He wipes his mouth off with his hands as he tries to catch his breath.

  I try to think of anything else; however, my needs are in the forefront of my brain. I touch my still swollen lips. That kiss. If that’s a sample of what’s to come, I definitely want more. If I had never had sex before, I might not know what I am missing. But I have and I do and it makes me want more with Beau.

  “That,” he says with short, uneven breaths, “can never happen again.”

  Unable to speak, I nod instead.

  He walks into the bathroom and I go into the kitchen to splash water on my neck and arms to extinguish the fire burning in my core.

  After several minutes he walks out of the bathroom looking more in control than he did when he went in.

  We have just enough time to sit down and have some fruit and muffins together at the dining room table before we head downstairs just before ten. It doesn’t go unnoticed that we eat in silence. I decide now is a good time to open the card he and Myra got me. The card is a picture of a man and a little girl with long dark braids. He’s holding a bouquet of flowers and she’s holding a sign that says, “Congratulations.” I open the card and it says, “Good luck today. Love, Myra and Beau. XOXO.”

  “Thank you,” I say, closing the card. “I’m going to put it in the shop behind the register on the wall.”

  “I picked it out. Daddy said it was a nice card.”

  Looking down at Myra, I say. “It’s the perfect card and I also thought the little girl looked a lot like you.”

  She smiles brightly, “She’s cute, isn’t she?”

  “She is very cute.”

  When we get downstairs, our families are just parking their cars. I’m surprised to see Tony walking across the street from the market.

  “Tony, you made it!”

  “How could I miss Shorty’s grand opening?”

  “Who’s running your market?” I ask through a smile.

  “I put a sign on the door that said I’m attending the grand opening of the bookstore and they wouldn’t want to miss it.”

  I hug him. “Thank you. You’re the best.”

  Sarah and Chloe carry in a basket of products. I peek inside and I love everything in the basket. There’s some WoodWick vanilla-bean-scented candles, Bath and Body Works lotions and body sprays, some gift cards, make-up, perfumes, wax warmers and wax scents, and even a handbag.

  Excitedly, I reach for the basket of goodies. “Are these for me?”

  Sarah jerks the basket away. “No.”

  “It’s not a welcome grand opening gift for me?” I say with disappointment evident in my voice and on my face.

  “No, but that would have been a good idea,” Sarah says, looking at Chloe.

  “Then what is it?”

  “We decided to do a give-a-way every hour on the hour for your grand opening.”

  “Oh, Sarah and Chloe. That’s a good idea.” My sister and her friend came through with an amazing idea to draw in customers.

  “Winners need to be present to win,” Chloe says proudly.

  “Now you’re talking. That’s a great way to keep the customers in the store shopping. Once they lay eyes on the prizes they could win, they’ll all stick around hoping to win something.”

  Pap walks in carrying a basket identical to the one Sarah and Chloe has, but this one has beautifully wrapped presents with silk ribbons and bows tucked inside. My eyes get big when I think this basket must be for me.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Sarah says, sternly.

  “Really? None of those are for me.” Surely, my sister would have bought me something.

  “Okay, this one is yours,” Sarah says, holding up her basket. “But you can’t have it until the end of the day. We’re using it for advertisements on what customers could win, and these are the wrapped gifts we’ll distribute hourly as prizes.”

  I hug my sister and her friend. “I knew you’d get me something.”

  “Thank Chloe. I wanted to keep it for myself.”

  “Now that, I can believe. Thank you, Chloe,” I say, hugging her. “And you, too, sis.”

  She walks into the other room. “Yeah, yeah.”

  I hug Mom, Gram, and Pap next.

  “It’s showtime, Shorty.”

  I look at the clock and then at the long line of eager customers outside. “Wish me luck,” I say, flipping over the “Open” sign and unlocking the door.

  Beau

  I stay as long as I can for Carly’s grand opening. The shop is fairly small and it fills up quickly. I let Myra look around and allow her to look at books and choose one to buy. We sit in the corner of the room as I read to her. I’ve always read to Myra as my mother always read to me.

  “Is this the book you want, Myra?”

  “Yep.”

  “How about we buy this book, then have some lunch together?”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  Once the book is purchased, we head across the street for some lunch. I want to be close enough that I can still see what is going on in the bookstore. Myra and I sit outside beneath a red and white umbrella.

  She orders a cheeseburger and fries from the children’s menu while I order the same off the adult menu. We also splurge on vanilla milkshakes with our meal. Myra colors on her children’s menu while I watch the florist deliver a bouquet of lilies to Carly at the bookstore. I watch through the glass window as she inhales the fragrance from the arrangement. While sitting here with my daughter, I admire Carly’s beauty and grace from a distance.

  After lunch, Myra and I walk to the market. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey, Beauregard. I thought you and Myra would still be at the grand opening.”

  “We were. It’s a bit crowded so we had lunch down the street.”

  “Yep, and we had a milkshake, too,” Myra says. Myra is a big fan of milkshakes.

  Dad picks up Myra and tickles her. “Grandpa’s girl’s getting so big.”

  “Yep, and I’m almost four,” she says, holding up four fingers.

  “I was wondering if she could stay here with you for an hour or so?”

  “Sure, she can stay all day if she wants.” He watches me since I rarely need a sitter. “You got plans?”

  “No plans, I thought I might do some light shopping since it looks like everyone on the island’s inside the bookstore.”

  When I walk outside I run into Pap, Gram, and Grace, Carly’s mom. “Is everything all right at the bookstore?”

  “Yeah, it’s great. We needed some air so we came over here,” Gram says, waving a flyer in front of her face.

  “Still crowded, huh?”

  “Barely room to walk, let alone stand.” Pap smiles. “I think the shop’s going to do well.”

  “Do you have a moment? I have something to ask you all.”

  Chapter Nine

  Carly

  “I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it.” I kick off my shoes and prop my feet up on the coffee table. “It was crazy down there today.”<
br />
  “After a month of being opened, you would think business would have died down by now.”

  “Yes. I’m not complaining, Beau, but if it keeps up, I’ll need to hire someone to help out.”

  Beau smiles. “This is great news.”

  “It is, but I wanted something I could work at leisurely.”

  He laughs. “A leisurely job, you say?”

  I toss a down-filled pillow across the room at him and he catches it and says, “News flash… if it’s leisurely, it’s called a vacation. If it’s work, it’s called a job.”

  “I know this,” I say, catching the pillow he tosses back at me. “Being on the island, I was hoping to mix business with pleasure.”

  He stands and walks over to where I’m sitting. “That doesn’t work for the working class.” He bends down and kisses me before heading to the door. “I’m going home to shower, and I suggest you do the same.”

  “Are you insinuating something, Mr. Romano?”

  “Never. However, I will be here in an hour or so as we have dinner reservations for seven and it’ll take some time to get there from here.”

  “I’ll be ready, but you never did say where we’re going.”

  “It’s a surprise. You’ll see when we get there.”

  I watch as he walks out the door, locking it behind him.

  The time I spend with Beau is never enough. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. We’ve never fought and I doubt we ever will. Maybe a few disagreements, but not the full-on fight that Spencer and I would have.

  I already have my clothes ready and laid out as this is something he has had planned for nearly a week. I shower, shave, and sit on the balcony while I apply my makeup. An hour isn’t enough time to do all the things I’d like to do to get ready for a romantic night with my man. Sarah and I even went out yesterday to have our nails done.

  While Mom, Pap, and Gram have moved to the island full-time, Sarah hasn’t yet committed to the move. But she does spend every weekend and holidays here. I hope eventually she’ll leave her job in the city and will settle on a less-busy life on Seashell Island.

  Today, I’m thankful for my naturally curly hair. There’s no way I could straighten it in the hour I had to get ready. After I dress, I apply some clear lip gloss, put on diamond-studded earrings, and then pull the sides of my hair back.

  The sleeveless black dress with a scalloped sweetheart neckline falls just above my knees. This isn’t something I would wear to church, but it’s perfect for a romantic evening with Beau. I decided on a strappy, black, sexy, three-inch heel minus the stockings.

  I stand and admire myself in the mirror. My toned, tanned legs look amazing, if I say so myself. My plan is to catch Beau walking up to the apartment. I want to see what’s he’s wearing. If I’m overdressed, I want to change before he sees me.

  Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. I jerk my head in the direction of the door then to the wall clock over the fireplace mantel. He’s early! He’s never early.

  “Who is it?” I call out. I roll my eyes at myself. I know who it is.

  “Hi, Carly. It’s me.”

  “Coming.”

  What if I’m overdressed? He’ll feel bad and I’ll look stupid.

  I slightly open the door so I can peek through the opening with the chain lock still attached. The only thing I see is a bouquet of white lilies.

  He bends over, unintentionally blocking his clothing with the bouquet of fresh flowers. “Can I come in?” He smiles.

  I wait for him to move so I can see what he’s wearing, but he doesn’t.

  “Sure.” Quickly, I say a prayer before opening the door wide enough for him to walk through.

  “I thought you weren’t going to let me in there for a minute.”

  When I see he’s wearing a black suit, with a crisp white shirt and black tie, I’m very happy with my decision about my clothing choices. I stand taller with more confidence.

  “I just had to make certain it was you.” I bite the inside of my lip to keep from adding to the already told lie.

  “Here, these are for you.” He steps closer and hands me the beautiful bouquet.

  I smell the flowers at the same time I inhale his cologne. Suddenly, I wish they made flowers that smell like his cologne. “Thank you, you smell wonderful.” I take the flowers and realize what I just said. “They smell wonderful. Not you, but the flowers.” He smiles and I suddenly feel like an idiot. “You smell good, too, and I have no idea why I’m suddenly acting like a twelve-year-old girl meeting Justin Bieber for the first time.”

  I take the flowers and walk into the kitchen thankful that the apartment is not an open floor plan.

  Exhaling, I try to calm my nerves.

  “Did you just put me in the same category as Justin Bieber?” He smiles, letting me know he feels that’s a compliment.

  It was. Ignoring his question, I say, “Let me put these in water and then I’ll be ready to go.”

  “You look stunning this evening.” His voice is husky and sexy.

  I look over my shoulder and say, “Thank you. You do, too. I like the suit you’re wearing.”

  He walks over and caresses my shoulder lightly with his thumb. “Is that a new dress?”

  Goosebumps suddenly cover my skin. “It is.”

  “I’m not sure how I’ll be able to keep my eyes off of you this evening.”

  Instantly, I feel like a melted piece of chocolate. All gooey and mushy. I have no idea how I’ll be able to walk out of here this evening.

  ***

  On the way to Charlotte, I ask Beau exactly where we’re going this evening.

  “To dinner.” The playfulness is evident on his face.

  “I know that, but where?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “I can tell you put a lot of thought into this.”

  “Thank you.” He looks over at me and holds my stare. “I hope it’s special enough.”

  I can hear the doubt in his tone. “Beau, we could have stayed home and eaten cold pizza out of the box and that would have been special as long as you were there.”

  “How do you do that?”

  “What? Eat cold pizza?”

  He laughs. “No. How do you say things like that and mean it?”

  I hold his hand and intertwine our fingers. “Because I mean them. It doesn’t matter what we eat or where we dine, as long as you’re there, that’s all that counts.”

  “So, if we turn around right now, you’ll be fine with eating bologna sandwiches and American cheese on white bread?”

  I would, but I’d rather not. Bologna is made out of the body parts that animals are least proud of. American cheese is an atrocity. Why people eat white bread when they can eat brown bread I’ll never know. Why Americans get fat eating such bad food I’ll never know. Seriously, if you’re going to get fat, at least eat good food … like cheese-flavored air puffs. “We got dressed up and everything. Seems like a waste to turn around now.”

  “Good, because I think you’ll like what I have planned for us.”

  “Thank you for planning such a special evening.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  We pull into the parking lot of Lake Norman and in front of us is a gorgeous yacht. My First Fair Lady is written on the side.

  “Don’t get too excited, I didn’t buy her.” My smile now turns into a laugh. I know he doesn’t have that kind of money. “However, it is ours for a few hours.” He smiles when he sees my excitement. “I know the owner and he’s offered to take us out on the lake for a few hours.”

  “You do and he did?” Clearing my throat, I try it again. “We’re having dinner on that?”

  “We are.”

  “Just us two?”

  He puts the car in park and removes the keys from the ignition. “Us, and the captain and his two-person crew. I need someone to drive the boat while I give my date my undivided attention.”

  My heart warms at his thoughtfulness. I lean in
and kiss him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Stay in the car while I get your door.”

  We walk up to the yacht holding hands and are greeted by a woman dressed in black slacks and a white blouse.

  “Good evening, Mr. Romano, Miss Stewart. The yacht’s scheduled to leave on time. There’s drinks and refreshments on the top deck if you want to head up there.”

  “Thank you, Lacey. Is it okay if I show Miss Stewart around first?”

  “The captain said to give you free rein of the vessel. Please, make yourself at home and nothing is off limits except perhaps the galley. The chef likes to work uninterrupted. He’s very temperamental.” She tries to conceal her smile.

  Beau leans into me and whispers, “The chef’s her husband.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  “We understand, Lacey. Thank you.”

  Lacey disappears around the corner as we walk into the yacht. It is everything I ever imagined a yacht would be.

  Beau

  Carly’s expression is what I had hoped it would be. The excitement on her face is all I need for this evening. I know I’ve made the right decision for our dinner date.

  “Do you want to look around?”

  “Yeah, I’d love to.”

  I give her the grand tour before we make our way upstairs.

  “Are other guests on the yacht with us?”

  “Other than the captain, the cook and Lacy, no, just us. Why?”

  “There’s some swimming suits lying on the bed.”

  I look at the new swimsuits with the tags still attached. “Those are for us for later. I bought them earlier just in case you wanted to go swimming or get into the Jacuzzi later. I asked your sister about the size you wear.”

  “There’s a pool and a hot tub on here?” she asks, looking around.

  I take her hand. “There is. The pool’s located on the lower deck. Let’s check it out first.”

  She plucks my trunks and her one-piece swimsuit off the bed. “We might need these later.”

  Once we see every level of the yacht, we head upstairs. She says, “I’ve never seen anything so extravagant before. You really did think of everything.”

  It makes me feel good that she realizes the time I spent in planning for this evening. “I hope so, but I’m sure there’s something I forgot.”