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Storm wasn’t at the restaurant the next day. My shoulders slumped. I’d told myself he wouldn’t be there, but I was still disappointed. Then I gave myself a mental shake. This guy was for Traci. Besides, he may have already ordered and was waiting on the beach. I peered out the windows toward the ocean. He was there! We needed to get outside before he left. I hurried and ate my lunch, my insides jittery and nervous.
“What’s going on?” Traci asked. “You act like you’re expecting a bank robbery or something.” She smirked.
I crinkled my eyebrows together. “There’s nothing going on. What would be going on?” She was so paranoid.
“That’s right! You were expecting Storm.” She reached out and patted my arm. “It’s a small community. I’m sure we’ll see him again.”
I grabbed a french-fry and stuffed it in my mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Not willing to let her know that I was trying to give her relationship a nudge, I changed the subject. After all, they would probably get around to having a relationship soon enough even without my encouragement. And, my life would not be over if I never saw him again. I didn’t even know him. Regardless, I managed to eat lunch in record time, and then said, “Let’s take that walk on the beach you promised me.” I jumped up and took my trash to the bin by the door.
Traci still had a few bites left, but she grabbed up her things. “Yeah, let’s take a walk on the beach. Maybe we’ll find a handsome stranger.” She laughed.
Yeah, I ignored her, but the sight of Storm sitting at a picnic table, with the ocean behind him, set my heart into motion flipping somersaults like a porpoise. A smile lifted my lips and I inhaled the scent of seaweed and salty ocean air. “This is a welcome change from the smog in Fresno and the hustle-bustle of city life.”
“Uh-huh.” Traci folded her arms and looked over as though I had a few loose marbles.
“What? I’m just saying—I love the smell of the ocean.”
Storm waved, and Traci said, “Let’s go meet your tall, dark stranger.” She headed toward him.
I wanted that too and started to follow, but then a jolt of fear stopped me in my tracks. What was I doing? He could be another Brad. Traci hadn’t communicated with him since high school. But, even more than that, I didn’t have any business hanging around a good-looking guy even if he did like Traci. He seemed like a great catch for my friend, but for me, Storm was a heartbreak waiting to happen.
“You know what?” I said. “Why don’t you go ahead without me. Lunch filled me up, and I need to walk it off.” My being away would give them a chance to get to know each another again.
“Are you sure?” Traci tilted her head as if appraising me. “I thought you wanted less time to think.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. And, no thinking. I promise.” I raised my right hand. “I won’t be long. Just being here has made a world of difference. I think I just needed a change of scenery.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, and then grinned mischievously. “But, tell me something first.”
“What’s that?”
“Storm is good-looking, don’t you think?”
“He is.” That was so cute—her asking my opinion of a guy she likes. “And nice, and I love his voice.” I smiled so she’d know I was serious. “There. I admitted it. Now you have to tell me something.”
“What?”
“Did you ever date him—maybe he came to Fresno to see you when you first moved in?” It had to be something like that. Why else would he seem so familiar?
Traci winced. “No, it wasn’t like that between us. Besides, he was dating someone pretty seriously when I left.”
“I wonder what happened to her?” I chewed a fingernail. Did she kick him to the curb for cheating? I couldn’t leave my friend in the hands of a creep.
“I don’t know.” Traci glanced toward Storm. “He seems available now.”
Yeah, so had Brad—to every waitress he met. “Go talk to him. You’ll find out.” I nodded in his direction. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I took off before Traci could object. It didn’t look like we were far from the spit, so I jogged toward Homer.
I would save myself a lot of grief and let Traci have dibs. The two of them made a nice couple, and the last thing I needed was to get emotionally involved with another guy right now. Storm was interested in Traci, and I was pretty sure that the feeling was mutual. With a little space, they would easily turn into more than friends. After a while, I quit jogging and then walked up onto the road.
The rhythmic sounds of the ocean lulled away my troubles with the waves’ gentle forward and back motions. A few seagulls soared above, letting out their high-pitched squawks. One dove down to the shoreline, gobbled something up, and then swooped back into the sky.
On the other side of the street was tall brown grass. Perhaps that area used to be underwater. I walked over to take a closer look. The dried mud had deep cracks. Farther down the road was what appeared to be an abandoned dock and ship.
This view was vastly different from the ocean-side of the road. I blinked, recognizing the metaphor to my own life: brown, withered, and marooned. I didn’t want to be loveless and empty. I needed to choose life, so I turned toward the boardwalk where signs of life were everywhere.
As I approached Storm and Traci, they were shoulder-to-shoulder talking seriously, and pitching pebbles into the water. They looked cozy like they belonged together. I was glad for Traci, really. But, though I knew it wasn’t the same, the scene of Brad and the waitress popped into my mind. With a jolt of my heart, I turned and jogged back the way I’d come, hoping they hadn’t seen me.
“Why am I so stupid?!” I screamed to myself and stormed back up the road. When I got to the dry, lifeless grasses, I couldn’t continue. I needed to get over Brad’s hurting me and to open my heart to new possibilities. “I will do this,” I muttered determinedly between clenched teeth. “I will not live my life as damaged goods.” I turned toward the ocean and my friend and strode forward. “I can do this!” Do what, I wasn’t sure of, but maybe being around Storm would help me move on, then I could start dating after I got back home.
When I jogged past the restaurant, and with my heart racing, I stepped off the road, shook my limbs and heaved a breath. I then walked toward the couple with forced calm. What looked like shiny seashells near shore, were actually clear jellyfish blobs in the sand. They’d make a perfect science project for my class, but there was no way I was flying home with even one in my suitcase. I slowed my pace even more so as not to step on them.
“Oh, hey, you’re back.” Traci left Storm without a word and walked toward me.
“Yeah.” My friend did need lessons on how to catch a guy. She shouldn’t have walked away like that. Then I remembered Traci mentioning the girlfriend he might be married to. Maybe he was just being nice to an old friend. Storm pitched another rock and then joined us.
“So, will the jellyfish swim away when the tide comes back?” I knelt over a jelly-glob. I even dared touch it but quickly drew my finger away.
Storm knelt beside me, his brown eyes twinkling. “No. I’m pretty sure they’re dead.” He scooped down and lifted the jellyfish in a bed of sand. When he did, his arm touched mine, and a current passed between us. I stiffened at the implication, refusing to be attracted to Traci’s boyfriend. He turned, glancing at me with questioning eyes.
“Don’t hurt it.” Traci thankfully interrupted our moment by placing her hand possessively on Storm’s shoulder as she leaned forward to get a better look.
“Like I said, I’m pretty sure it’s already dead.” Storm got up, and we walked over to the shoreline where he lowered his hand into the water. The jellyfish lay suspended and lifeless. “What are your plans for the rest of your vacation?” he asked.
“Traci said we’d go kayaking, but tomorrow we’ll probably go to the boardwalk and shop.” I looked to Traci for confirmation.
“Marcia likes the outdoors, so we’ll go on a couple of hikes, and maybe take in some salmon fishing.”
“Salmon fishing?” I crinkled my nose. Although I loved eating fish, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hook and clean my own. “Or maybe we could do something else?”
Storm slipped his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “If you’re interested, the tour boats go out to Seldovia and back every day. It’s a fun little cruise, and you might see some whales.”
“I’d love it,” I said a little too quickly, then bit down on my bottom lip. But really, I needed to see those whales so I’d know my life would be okay.
Traci nodded. “We’d talked about going on a tour. Is there a cruise you recommend?”
Storm rubbed his chin. “Northern Star gives the best value, and the crew are all honest, hardworking men.” He smiled crookedly. “And I can get you a great price.”
“Get out of here!” Traci chuckled. “Is that what you do in the summer? You own a tour boat?”
“Not by myself. Conner and I are partners with Trent—we own the excursion boat together,” he said. “Do you remember Trent?”
“Not in a good, I-want-to-invest-money-with-you, way.” Traci made a face.
“He’s grown up. A lot.”
I hadn’t ever been on a cruise before, and I especially wanted to see humpback whales before going home to Fresno. They were such huge, elusive creatures. Almost mystical. If I could see one before going home, I’d take it as a sign that I would find love again. I turned to Traci. “A cruise sounds great. And, you mentioned seeing glaciers up close?” Maybe we would see them from the ship.
Traci brightened. “Look across the bay.” She pointed to a large mass of white. “That’s Grewingk Glacier. We’ll take the kayaks across the bay and then hike to the glacier.”
Storm frowned. “The tours around here all take the water taxi.” He nodded toward the bay. “Because of all the commercial ships, it’s safer.”
Traci made a face. “That’s just for tourists. We’ll be perfectly fine.”
“So, you’re planning to camp on the other side?” Storm’s eyebrows lifted. “Because it’ll take the better part of a day to kayak across.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Traci nodded thoughtfully. “We’d better plan on the water taxi then.”
“I don’t mind camping.” I lifted a shoulder. “I mean, if you have sleeping bags and a tent.” Brad didn’t like camping and I hadn’t been out in ages.
“There’s a campsite there, Randy’s Lagoon. It’s near the Grewingk Glacier Lake Trail,” Storm said. “For a fee, they provide the tents and they even have a few cabins. They’re usually booked months in advance though, so you’ll need to call and see if they have any openings.”
Traci peered southward. “It’ll be beautiful there.”
“Do you want company?” Storm tapped his boot into the sand. “You know, in case you come across a bear.”
Traci touched her hand to his arm. “Like you’d save us from a bear.” She glanced at me before speaking again. “When are you free? Surely you have to work.”
“We do keep busy during the summer, but I’m not irreplaceable.” He pulled out his phone and checked his calendar. “I have Wednesday and Thursday off this week, and Tuesday and Wednesday off next week.”
“What do you say, Marcia, are you game?”
I pretended to consider it graciously, but I did not like being put on the spot like that. How did I end up being the third wheel in a girlfriend vacation? “Sure,” I said to Storm. “If you don’t mind tagging along.” Perhaps he’d get the hint with that.
“Tagging?” Storm slammed his fist against his chest mockingly. “I could never tag along. No way.” He scrunched his face as though upset. I couldn’t tell for sure. “I plan to escort two gorgeous ladies through the Alaskan wilderness. I will be your hero, your tour guide and your—” He stopped mid-sentence and watched Traci. “What?”
“Don’t be a clown,” she said.
He turned to me with a deflated expression. “Was that a little overboard then?”
“A little?” I laughed. It was overboard, and it helped me relax. “I was worried about your sanity for a minute there.”
“Well, um, I’d better get going.” Storm ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll meet you Wednesday then?”
“Yeah. So if it’s okay, we’ll do the kayaking this Wednesday and Thursday, and then next week ...” Traci opened her phone and checked her calendar. “I’ve got some things I need to do for my mom in-between. Can we take you up on the Seldovia cruise next Thursday, or are you too busy then?”
“No, that’ll be great. I’ll put you on the calendar.”
I was leaving for home Saturday night, so the cruise would be my last big thing.
“I’ll be there.” He gave Traci a quick hug and then turned to me as though to give me a hug but then stepped back. “Um, see you in two days.” He shook my hand, turned directly around and headed up to the road and out of sight.
As soon as he was out of earshot, I said, “I have a couple of concerns. One, what will the sleeping arrangements be if he goes with us?” I did not want two days of awkwardness.
“You and I will share a tent or a cabin, whatever is available. Storm is on his own. He knows that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She pressed her lips together as though I was ridiculous. “He’s pretty great though, right?”
“He’s absolutely perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve known him most of my life and he’s always been a ‘keeper.’” Her faraway gaze told me volumes about her feelings for him. Then, she focused on me and said, “What’s your second question?”
“He acted so weird.” I scrunched my nose. “Surely I didn’t offend him.”
“Heavens no. I think he’s smitten.”
I nodded. “So, the two of you hit it off while I was jogging?” I was a little bummed, but really, it’s what I hoped would happen. Besides, who man-shops on vacation?
“For a teacher, you’re kind of obtuse sometimes.”
“Hey!”
“I mean it.” Traci headed up to the car. “I already told you that Storm and I are just friends. We grew up together.”
“Uh-huh.” As though that negated a relationship between the two. They were friends for now. I’d seen the way Storm had looked at Traci and the close way in which they interacted—and all those Hallmark movies about friends with secret crushes on each other couldn’t be wrong. Traci was the thickheaded one, but it didn’t matter to me either way. I was leaving in less than two weeks and even if I did get the job with the state, chances of me being able to come back next summer were slim.
However, that night as I slept, I dreamt of brown eyes lit with mischief and fond memories.
