The waves crashed below her like cymbals in an orchestra. Rosie drove all night, her hands gripping the steering wheel. When she felt her eyes closing, she pulled over at a rest stop near Big Sur and curled up in the driver’s seat.
Her car pulled onto the main street of Carmel in the early morning. The sky and the ocean were matching shades of gray, and the streets were slowly waking up. Rosie could smell eggs and bacon and longed to sit in the diner and drink a steaming cup of coffee.
She parked her car on Ocean Avenue and looked for the bed-and-breakfast where she and Josh were going to stay. Carmel resembled a medieval town. The streets were narrow and there were pubs and taverns and antiques shops stuffed with musty furniture.
Rosie climbed the steps of the Carmel Inn and rang the bell at the front desk. A man wearing a plaid shirt and slippers greeted Rosie sleepily.
“Check-in is at three o’clock,” he said, and closed a magazine.
“I’m looking for one of your guests, Josh Fellows,” Rosie replied. “Tall and blond, with surfer’s hair and blue eyes.”
“I remember him. He checked out an hour ago.” The man shook his head. “His things are still in his room.”
“Did he leave a note for Rosie by any chance?” she asked.
The man consulted the computer on his desk. “I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
“I really thought he’d be here,” Rosie insisted. “His sister said he was staying in Carmel.”
“It’s not a very big town.” The man shrugged. “There are only four intersecting streets, like a tic-tac-toe board.”
Rosie thanked him and walked back to the car. She didn’t want to call Josh. She had to talk to him in person. The coastal air was foggy and she wished she had brought a sweater. The cotton dress she had ripped out of Morris’ hands as he crossed the lawn was too thin, and her sandals didn’t keep her feet warm.
Rosie turned the heater in the car on high. If Josh wanted to see her, he would have left a note. Maybe she should give up and drive back to Montecito. She drove down Ocean Avenue and turned into the parking lot of Carmel Beach.
Josh was crouching on the cement, waxing his surfboard. He wore a black wet suit and his hair curled around his ears. He covered the board in long, easy strokes, not looking up as she raced towards him.
“Hi,” Rosie said.
“What are you doing here, Rosie?” Josh jumped. His eyes darkened and his jaw was set in a firm line.
“I came to your house to tell you I didn’t accept Colby’s offer. I saw Yvette carrying in a bag of groceries. I thought she was an old girlfriend and ran away,” Rosie said in a rush. “I went back to see Yvette last night and she told me you were here.”
“You should accept Colby’s offer; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Josh kept waxing his surfboard. “I have to go. A bunch of the guys are waiting for me out there.”
“I drove four hours straight,” Rosie said. “Can we please talk?”
“We talked enough, Rosie.” Josh didn’t look up. “What’s the point anyway? We’re different people, we want different things.”
Rosie crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re not who you said you are. Your mother is Esmeralda.”
Josh stood up, his back stiff. “Who told you that?”
“I met Esmeralda.” Rosie gulped. “She’s staying with Estelle.”
“My mother is here?” Josh’s voice softened.
“She was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease,” Rosie said quietly. “She came to see you and Yvette.”
Josh’s face crumpled. His eyes were suddenly wet, like those of a little boy who lost his puppy.
“She showed me a Lladró statue of a boy playing a flute. She said it looked just like you.”
“My mother as good as killed my father,” Josh said tersely.
“It was an accident. It’s easy to lose control of a car on the Pacific Coast Highway,” Rosie protested. “Esmeralda loves you, she wants to see you.”
“I can’t do this, Rosie. I’m not good at relationships. Maybe I’m too stubborn or I don’t know how to communicate, but it never seems to work,” he said, and there was anguish in his voice. “I was falling in love with you and you betrayed me. It’s better that we end it before we hurt each other again.” He looked at Rosie. “I’ve been offered a job at a classic car dealership in Carmel. I want to see my mother, of course. I’ll fly down next weekend.”
Rosie felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “I didn’t betray you and I would never hurt you,” she begged. “You have to believe me. I never told Estelle I didn’t want to move in with you.”
“Then why did Angelica say you did?” Josh asked.
A line of surfers waited in the water. Rosie glanced at the surfboard on the ground. She took a deep breath. “I told Estelle I wanted to stand in a church and exchange vows. I want to marry you.”
“Oh.” Josh stood so close she could see the blond stubble on his chin.
“I was afraid you weren’t ready to get married. I couldn’t handle the rejection if you said no.”
“I told you I wanted to live with you,” Josh reminded her.
“I lived with Ben for eight years, and it took five minutes for him to get up and leave.” Rosie’s voice shook. “I want to be connected in so many ways it would take years to unravel us.”
“My parents were married for thirty years and my mother still told my father she wanted to leave him,” he responded.
“They lasted thirty years, and maybe Esmeralda would have changed her mind,” Rosie insisted. “They had two beautiful children and a home. They invested in each other.”
“I always felt my mother would rather be in Hollywood, sipping champagne at the Chateau Marmont,” Josh replied. “She hid her husband and her kids because she was ashamed of us.”
“She was terrified of growing old, of the public not loving her anymore. And she wanted to protect you and Yvette from the paparazzi,” Rosie urged. “It’s terrible to grow up with a camera pointed in your face.”
“It still hurt. I was just a kid who wanted to be loved.” Josh flinched. “I don’t know how to forgive her, and it’s hard to trust others.”
“I love you and I’ll never quit on you,” Rosie whispered.
Josh looked at Rosie and touched her cheek. He pulled her towards him and hugged her against his chest. “You’re shivering,” he whispered into her hair.
“Can we get in the car?” Rosie asked. “I didn’t dress for fog.”
They got in the car and stared at the beach. A man walked his dog and carried a big stick. A couple walked arm in arm, wearing matching fisherman’s sweaters.
“I sold the MG,” Josh said. “I made a mint.”
“I knew you would.” Rosie beamed. “She was a beauty.”
“I think I’ll turn down the job at the dealership in Carmel. I don’t really like it here. People say the waves in Carmel are awesome, but they break right onto the rocks,” Josh mused. “It’s not a good beach for surfing.”
“I’m glad. It’s so foggy.” Rosie rubbed her hands together from the cold. “I heard you only see the sun in Carmel in October.”
“And everyone eats organic food. There isn’t a single diner that makes a decent cheeseburger with fries.” Josh sighed.
“I’d do anything for something hot to eat right now.” Rosie’s teeth chattered. “Let’s grab a bowl of soup and drive back to Montecito.”
Josh turned her face towards his and kissed her. His lips were moist and salty. “There is something I want to ask you first. The front seat of a car isn’t the ideal place, but if I don’t do it now, I don’t know when I will.” He reached into his bag and took out a velvet box. “Rosie Keller, will you marry me?”
“You’re asking me to marry you?” Rosie had never been more surprised in her life.
“I bought the ring after I asked you to move in with me.” He snapped it open and revealed a small diamond on a gold band. “It’s not much, but the jeweler in the village gave me a great deal.” He stopped. “Marriage scared me, but I knew it was the right thing to do. You’re everything to me and I don’t want to be without you.”
“But you never said anything.” Rosie scanned her memory for any hint that Josh wanted to marry her.
“I was going to ask you the weekend that Angelica and Dirk came to visit, but we got into a terrible fight about their wedding.” He paused. “Then Angelica said you didn’t want to live with me and I was so angry. But I’m asking you now. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy. I love you, Rosie, will you marry me?”
Josh took the ring out of the box, and she studied it in the morning light. Her heart pounded and she took a deep breath.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” She nodded. “But I have one request.”
“What is it?” Josh looked up.
“It’s only a small one.” Her eyes danced. “I want to elope.”
“Are you sure you want to elope?” he asked. “I thought you wanted a church wedding and a white poufy dress and a six-tier wedding cake.”
“I thought I did, but all I want is to read our vows and the minister to pronounce us husband and wife,” Rosie said. “Angelica is my best friend, and if we plan a wedding now it will interfere with hers. And if we wait, the date will be too far away. Besides, planning a wedding is as stressful as producing a movie. I don’t want to spend my days choosing a site and creating budgets and overseeing vendors.”
“But what about your parents and the dress and the cake?” Josh asked, rubbing his forehead.
“My parents got married at a registrar’s office and their wedding cake was from Carvel. They’ll understand.” She shrugged. “We’ll have a party next summer when Angelica and Dirk are back from Europe.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, fiddling with the diamond ring.
“We can drive to Reno next weekend.” Rosie nodded. “Maybe we’ll stop on the way back and pick up a puppy. I’d love to start our life together with a dog.”
Josh slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. She kissed him back, and a shiver of excitement ran down her spine.
“Let’s go back to my motel and get my things,” he said hoarsely. “I’ll show you how much I love you.”
Rosie turned on the ignition and shifted into reverse.
“Rosie, wait!” Josh shouted and clutched the dashboard.
“What is it?” She froze, her hand on the steering wheel.
Josh ducked his head out the window and grinned. “You almost ran over my surfboard.”