Forty-One

The next morning Susan stood outside the hotel, waiting for Ryan to arrive. He’d called her last night and Susan had hoped that when she heard his voice she would recognize him, but she did not.

He wanted to come to her that very second, but she said that she needed a good night’s sleep first and urged him to wait until morning. Now that it was morning she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake in contacting him. Yes, they have been in love at one time, but now he was a stranger to her. Who knew how she would feel when she saw him?

She watched the streets; Devon’s Island was sleepy this time of year and there was little traffic. So far she’d only seen a handful of cars.

A convertible turned on to the street, a man and two dogs inside. The radio was playing and the deejay was talking about the good weather. The man slowed and parked in front of the hotel. The man opened the passenger side door and the dogs bounded in her direction. They both jumped on her and nearly knocked her over with their exuberance.

“Liberty! Mutsy!” the man called out.

The dogs were licking her face. A rush of memories washed over her. “Lib? Mutsy? Oh my God!”

The dogs continued to lap at her face, as if they could not get enough of the taste of her skin. She sensed the man standing over them. Susan felt shy and was afraid to look up at him.

“Hello, Susan,” he said softly.

Her eyes met his, and when he smiled it was like the sun peeking through a bank of dark clouds. Memories, warm and poignant, came flooding back. So many wonderful memories.

And love, she thought. You love this man. Ever since the moment you met him.

“Ryan? Is that you?”

He nodded, tears filling his eyes.

She approached him and touched his cheek as if she had to confirm that he was real. “It’s really you. I thought I’d lost for you forever.”

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Susan leaned in to kiss him, his lips so soft and familiar. She felt as if she could get lost in that kiss. Except for Liberty and Mutsy, they were completely alone on the street, and yet she felt like she was being watched by unseen eyes. She glanced up at the sky. A single heart-shaped cloud floated above, and the smell of Caroline’s witch hazel filled her nostrils.

A song reached her ears from the radio in the car. One of her favorites: “Heaven is Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle. It was an apt song, because at that moment she genuinely felt like she was in heaven now that she was back in Ryan’s arms again.

“Please, let’s not ever be apart again,” Ryan said, holding her close.

“No,” she said breathlessly, tears pricking at her eyes. “Never, ever again.”

A deep knowing filled her body. Even if they were inadvertently to part again, she suspected they would always find themselves back with each other.

Their love would always find a way.