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Mick parked the car on the coastal side of town. Carlton Bay was known for its boardwalk, reminiscent of Coney Island’s, albeit on a considerably smaller scale. He stretched and inhaled the invigorating scent of the sea. It was surprising how it was so different from Willow Oaks, yet only a stone’s throw away.
The sky was bright and people were out and about, each doing their own thing. Families, friends, they all chattered happily in their own little bubbles. Mick took Carly’s hand and smiled at the comfort of his own bubble. The fact that she didn’t take her hand away filled him with a sense of happiness and contentment, two of the things his life had lacked thus far.
Although he didn’t expect to be talking about his past that far back, Mick decided it was best to come clean with everything. He was an open book—though not for many people. He didn’t want any secrets between him and Carly. As he’d learned, secrets tended to drive a wedge between people. Too much of his life had already been spent alone. He didn’t want to risk pushing Carly further away.
“Do you ever feel like you’ve missed out on time with your family? I mean, being away from such a young age?”
It was a reasonable question that Carly had asked, and if he was being honest with himself, he had thought about it many times before. There was, no doubt, some regret and resentment on his part. “I guess, but it doesn’t help to dwell on the past.” He meant it. Mick didn’t like dwelling on the past. His ability to look to the future was what made him successful. Dwelling on what had been was a surefire way to slow oneself down. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Carly asked.
He wanted to know everything about her—what made her happy, what inspired her. “What’s your story?”
“I told you everything when we were chatting online,” Carly said.
“Yeah, but it’s different hearing it from you.” Mick pressed his lips against the back of her hand. “Do you want a hotdog?” Mick motioned at a Sabrett stand.
“I could eat something.”
Mick grinned. “I love a good hotdog!”
“Me too—mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish—the works,” Carly said. “Oh, but no onions!”
He liked Carly’s enthusiasm for what lay ahead. Mick ordered a hotdog and soda each for them. Once they had their food, they made their way to a free bench that faced the water. “So tell me about you.”
Carly offered him a smile and looked out on to the water. “I’m not sure what to tell you. I mean, I work at the cafe. I’ve worked there for most of my so-called career. And you know I like to paint.”
“Yeah—about that—why’s that a secret?”
* * *
IT WASN’T SO MUCH THAT it was a secret. “I don’t know. I guess it’s something that I keep for myself. My life is already an aquarium. You know that movie, The Truman Show with Jim Carrey? Everyone always knows what’s going on in it. With painting, it’s something that I can do by myself... and for myself.”
“What do you do with the paintings when you’ve finished them?”
“I’ve kept some of them.
“And the others?”
Carly smiled to herself. “I donated them—anonymously,” she grinned at Mick.
Mick took a bite of his hotdog and wiped some mustard that gathered at the corner of his mouth. “How do you do that?”
“I drop them off at places when no one’s around. Mostly at night.” She laughed at how insane it sounded just saying it out loud. As if she were a sleuth or something. She’d dropped many paintings off to many different places. And to this day, no one knows they were from her. At least she didn’t think anyone knew.
“No way! Have I seen any of your paintings around?”
“Maybe,” Carly shrugged. “They’re all around town.”
“And no one knows you’ve painted them?”
“Nope.” She was quite pleased with herself. After all these years and no one has ever been able to identify her. “Except for you now.”
“Do you ever want to tell people that you painted them?”
“I’m not bothered. I don’t need for them to know.” They sat together in a moment of thoughtful silence. She enjoyed hearing the buzz her paintings created when a new one turned up somewhere. Hearing people wonder when theirs would come drove her to paint more. And she enjoyed it—the solitude gave her peace.
“Do either of your parents paint?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve never seen them do anything of the sort.”
“Where do you think you get it from?” Mick crumbled his hotdog wrapper into a ball and took a sip of his drink.
The cancer, Carly thought. Having stared death not just once, but twice, had trained her senses to see beauty and to not take things for granted. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I think it’s really cool. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”
Carly studied Mick’s face. She would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy his attention. It’s been a long time since any man has shown any genuine interest in her. All she needed to do was to mention the c-word and they would slowly—in some cases, swiftly—walk away. A twinge of sadness pinched at her heart when she wondered what Mick might think once he finds out.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Plenty, Carly thought. Carly shook her head and smiled. “This is nice,” she said, as she took the last bite of her hotdog and crumpled the wrapper and passed it on to Mick who reached for it.
“It is, isn’t it?” Mick stood up. “Wanna go for a stroll?” he asked, reaching for her hand.
Carly sighed at the touch of his hand. It wrapped around hers perfectly, just like a woolen glove on a cold winter’s night—warm and comforting. It was like they fit flawlessly together.
“So tell me... why hasn’t anyone snapped you up yet?”
“What do you mean?” Carly laughed.
“You know what I mean... you’re a great woman. Any man would be lucky to have you. I mean, I’m glad you’re here with me. I’m just curious.”
“I guess... I don’t know. There aren’t too many guys to choose from. Willow’s such a small place, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that you didn’t already know.” And there isn’t anyone strong enough to deal with the possibility of my cancer returning, she thought.
“I can see that being a problem,” Mick agreed. “So, are you saying you haven’t had a relationship in... what? How long now?”
“Let’s just say, I haven’t found anyone worth putting myself out there for,” Carly said. “How’s that?”
“Lucky me, I guess,” Mick said with a grin.