by Ellie Hall
Then something awful occurred to him. She was always waiting for word of her husband’s return or recovery. Ford’s chest suddenly ached. He knew what it was like to lose good men. Mrs. Higgins had lost her best man, her husband. Eisley never knew Bob Eisele Higgins. His chin dipped toward his chest.
It was backward, completely backward, but it was then Ford realized part of the reason he’d left and never looked back. He knew the path of the soldier meant he might not return. He didn’t want to get closer to Eisley in the event she lost not one, but two of the men in her life. But that fear was the fear of a boy—of a boy who’d clung to certainty whenever he could because his life while growing up had been so chaotic. It had been easier for him to make a clean break than to travel the unknown road of romance and service.
Ford gasped a breath.
“You okay?” Mrs. Higgins asked.
His thoughts and stomach swam and a cold sweat pricked his hairline. It was almost as if a bomb of sudden comprehension had dropped into his lap. Despite that, he was okay because he understood something important about himself and his actions. He took a few deep breaths as his counselor had taught him. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
Eisley appeared from the bathroom. Her hair was smooth and her face bright. She seemed to take to life in Florida quickly and pleasantly.
Ford got to his feet. “Good chat, Mrs. Higgins.”
Confusion and concern rippled over Eisley’s features. “Did you give him the Jersey mama bear smackdown?”
Mrs. Higgins laughed. “No. We hardly talked.”
“You helped me understand something important,” he said to Mrs. Higgins in a low voice as Eisley poked her head into the kitchen area.
“Well, I’m glad I can help.” Her lips turned down and she shrugged.
Ford gestured for Eisley to go ahead of him out the door.
She stopped on the steps to the porch and turned around to look up at him. The peppered sunlight from the canopy of trees illuminated her eyes. “Is that your car?”
“One of them,” he muttered. And he was going to take her out on a date in it. The thrill of a second chance rocked through him. Then in a classic move from the movies, he jogged down the front path, leaped, and slid across the hood of the blue convertible. He landed on his feet on the other side.
Mrs. Higgins, watching them leave from the porch, clapped.
Eisley giggled.
Then Ford realized he ought to open the door for her. He scooted around to the passenger side, let her in, and then closed the door. He skipped doing the cool slide again and merely got behind the wheel.
“Have fun, kids,” Mrs. Higgins called as he started the engine.
The smell of leather, gasoline, and summer filled his nose.
“Come back for dessert,” Mrs. Higgins added. “Eisley’s been making ice cream. She came with just two suitcases, a broken lamp, and her ice cream maker. Go figure.”
Eisley laughed as he drove down Pelican Lane.
“Is this really your car?” she asked as they headed to the edge of town.
“It really is.”
“Do you still have the old Ford pickup truck?”
“I have that, a Jeep, and—” He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about the sudden wealth he’d come into. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but Mrs. Higgins mentioned Eisley had only arrived home with two suitcases, a broken lamp, and an ice cream maker. Surely, she owned a house or condo by then. She’d gone to college. Although the rusty Honda in the parking lot looked like it was about to break down any moment and she lived with her mother again. There was a story there, but he wasn’t sure how to ask.
The wind blew as they cruised to the drive-in movie theater so it was hard to have a conversation. When they pulled into the field at the theater, the sun had nearly set in the west. The big screen was on the eastern side of the field, but still dark.
“Want to grab something to eat?” Ford asked.
Eisley nodded. “Sure.”
Again, he opened the door for her.
“You’re such a gentleman. Is this what going on a date with you in high school would’ve been—?” She abruptly cut herself off.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to go on a date with that idiot.”
“You were my best friend. Not an idiot.”
“That’s why we didn’t date.”
“What do you mean?” she asked as they slowly walked toward the concession stand.
“I didn’t want to date you because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. No, wait. That’s not what I meant exactly.” That time his own word choice tripped him up. He stopped and took her upper arms in his hands. He fought against pulling her to his chest, hugging her tightly, keeping her as close to him as possible.
“I can say this now. I think.” Ford drew a deep breath. “I did want to date you. I wanted to ask you on a date a thousand times, at least. But we were friends and I didn’t know if that’s what you wanted or if—”
“If?”
“If you’d say yes or if it would mess things up.”
“So instead you asked Jessica Sutherland to the prom?” Eisley’s eyes were damp. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. It’s in the past. Never mind.” She started to walk toward the line by the order window.
“No. Not never mind. Life is too short for never mind.” He wanted to have a good time with Eisley, but they needed to get the conversation about the past over with. They were overdue. Ten years overdue.
Her gaze was imploring as though she’d been waiting to hear what he was going to say for a long time. Strange thing was, he didn’t know what he was going to say until just then—he’d thought of meeting her again enough times, but the words had never formed before that moment.
“Eisley, we both had our hardships growing up. You know what my family was like. You were a bright spot in my life and I didn’t want to do anything to mess with that. I clung to order. Why do you think I joined the Marines—the most regimented branch of service? You were my anchor and the military was my line to hold me steady when the sea got rough.”
She inclined her chin. “Wow. Really?” she asked softly.
“Really.” Ford pressed his lips together suddenly feeling foolish, but it was true. “So much has happened recently. I don’t even know where to begin, but I’m glad it all lead me back to you. I know we can’t exactly pick up where we left off, but I’d like to try. I’d like to at least be friends with you again.”
“I guess that’s a good place to start,” she said.
Being with Eisley made him feel like he was eighteen all over again and hadn’t had the experiences that had hardened him and made him a man. But there was no denying those. Yet, the night was velvety, warm, and filled with possibilities.
No, maybe it wasn’t that she made him feel like a teenager, perhaps he was going back in time to when they were kids. Some of the boys in the neighborhood would tease them with the song First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Well, he’d already done all of that and that was why they had to only stay friends.
They got in the line at the concession stand. The air smelled like popcorn and hotdogs, but a light breeze gusted Eisley’s scent, reminding him of how he’d had feelings for her that went beyond friendship. “So we can be friends?” he asked. His voice tightened, but he restrained himself against desire. He knew better. He was no longer a boy and he had an entirely new set of challenges he didn’t want to saddle her with.
The line shuffled forward and they bumped into each other. She gripped his arm and left it there. “Sure, we can be friends, but I thought this was a date,” she said boldly.
Chapter 7
Eisley
Eisley and Ford walked back to the convertible at the drive-in movie theater in the dreamiest little town in the world. The sun had set, but the air had remained warm and she was with her high school crush, her longtime love, and the man she’d thought she’d lost.
After they sett
led into the seat in the car, she pinched herself then squeaked because it had actually hurt.
“What are you doing? Are you okay?” Ford shuffled the tray of French fries, drinks, and hot dogs between them on the seat and reached for her arm.
“I’m fine,” she said, feeling foolish. He wasn’t supposed to notice.
He hopped out of the car and then popped the trunk. He gestured her over.
When she rounded to the back of the car, he passed her a can of bug spray for kids. “The bugs can get nasty here.”
Her lips peeled back into a smile. “Good thing you came prepared.” She’d always been able to rely on him.
They went back to eat their dinner as the lanes surrounding them filled in with moviegoers. Ford had opened up, mentioning how he’d wanted to ask her out and everything that had gone unsaid between them, but as soon as she reminded him that they were on a date, he closed off again.
She wanted to say more about senior prom and how it had been the start of the sliver that had given way to her broken heart when he then disappeared for ten years. Instead, she ate her French fries in silence.
A few commercials flashed by on the screen. “It’s a double feature, but we don’t have to stay for both if you don’t want to,” Ford said.
“Have you seen this movie before?” she asked.
“The first one is just out—part of the new pirate trilogy, but the second is a Harrison Ford classic—a surprise. I guess they don’t tell us until intermission.”
“I never realized that you share a name,” she said, popping another fry in her mouth.
He chuckled. “Well, I never told you that my mother wanted to name me after her favorite actor, Harrison Ford, but my father thought everyone would call me Harry Arm-strong.”
Eisley giggled. “I definitely would’ve called you that.”
He playfully elbowed her in the ribs, bringing them closer on the long seat of the convertible.
Ford’s skin still held the warmth of the day and she imagined melting into him. She had to resist. Going down that path would only lead to heartache when he left Blue Bay Beach and when he left her life again to return to the service.
She cleared her throat, eager to get back on track. They could date and become friends again, but that was as far as she could let it go. She’d tried doing the long-distance relationship thing before and it had failed, splendidly and in six cities. She sighed. “So your parents compromised and gave you the actor’s last name?”
“Not exactly. I think they name me after Dad’s truck,” he clarified.
Eisley couldn’t help herself but laughed a little too loudly during the opening credits of the pirate movie.
“Well, half after the actor and half after the truck.”
“Good thing the truck is still running and Harrison Ford is still lighting up the silver screen.”
Ford smiled and she felt the mood equalize.
The movie began with a series of jump scares that brought Eisley even closer to Ford on the seat. She felt him walk his hand across the back of the seat and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. It was no hairy arm, but rather, a strong, capable, man-arm. She shuddered a breath at the way it felt—warm, protective, and solid. It was like she belonged there by his side and for the next couple of hours, she let herself believe that and cast all her doubts and boundaries from her mind.
During the intermission, an announcement was made that the feature with Harrison Ford was going to be Apocalypse Now, an old war movie.
Ford stiffened beside her as the preview flashed on the screen. Bullet fire. Explosions. Wounded heroes.
After serving in the military for ten years and the scar on Ford’s face, she was sure he’d seen some gnarly things. Eisley wasn’t sure he’d want to see it on the big screen, but maybe he wouldn’t say as much.
She yawned and stretched her arms overhead.
“Getting tired?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I do have to work the opening shift at Coconut Cove tomorrow.”
“We can head back,” he offered.
She nodded. “Sure.”
As they put distance between themselves and the drive-in, he visibly relaxed.
“I liked the pirate movie. I wonder when the next one comes out,” she said absently.
“Next summer, I think.”
She wasn’t sure where she’d be in a year or what she’d be doing. She only intended to live with her mother for the summer and after saving money she’d go north again and do what? After living in the paradise that was Blue Bay Beach she certainly didn’t want to return to her dingy apartment in Baltimore. So far, the tips she’d made at the restaurant were decent, but she wasn’t sure if it was because it was the summer season and things slowed down in the winter months. She’d always been a dreamer but wasn’t sure what she envisioned for her life.
“Maybe we can go on another date next summer,” she said.
That or the wind blowing on the long stretch of road quieted them until they pulled back into town, passing the mansions, illuminated with landscape lighting. The waves shushed on the other side of the road.
Ford pulled to the side. “Want to sit on the beach a bit?” he asked.
“Aren’t these private beaches?” she asked.
He got out of the car. “It’s okay, you’re with me.”
She fought against wanting to be with him the next summer and beyond.
They crossed the road called Mansion Mile. A wooden path led them through the dunes and onto the beach. The moon shone overhead, casting a shimmering ribbon of light onto the bay. It was as if they could just keep walking onto that path and across the water.
Instead, they sat in the sand. The air was warm, but with the breeze, Eisley shivered. Once more, Ford wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close. She hesitated then dropped her head onto his shoulder. They sat for a long time as though trying to think of what to say or simply enjoying being together or both.
“So, tell me about ice cream,” Ford said at last. Maybe he was just waiting for her to warm up so he could talk about something cold without making her shiver more.
A smile lifted onto her lips. “Well, it’s typically made from a few simple ingredients including dairy milk, cream, sugar, and salt. You can certainly add anything else you’d like—”
He nudged her. “I know that. I meant your mom said you were making ice cream.”
“Oh, it’s, like, a hobby or whatever.”
“I get the sense it’s more than that.”
“Well, I do love ice cream. Always have. Always will. It’s—” For a second she felt like she was talking about something, or rather someone, else. And maybe she was.
Ford had always visited her at the ice cream shop where she worked during the summer when they were in high school. She couldn’t bear to eat it then because she was stuck scooping it day after day, but in the winter, he’d make them hot chocolate and plop a scoop of ice cream in it.
“I started making it in college. The first flavor I ever tried to perfect was called Hot Cocoa, which is ironic, I suppose. It was a vanilla base with veins of chocolate fudge and marshmallow along with mint candy bits.”
Somehow, those flavors not only reminded Eisley of the treat they’d share when they were younger, but were also Ford’s scent: slightly sweet, but with a more rugged, manlier note like pure dark chocolate and laced with mint. Nestled close to him, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“What flavor were you working on today?”
“Key lime coconut—inspired by that amazing pie at the restaurant.”
“That pie was tremendous. But I’d like to try your ice cream.”
“It takes a while to make, but it’s worth the wait.”
A beat passed as the waves lapped softly toward the shore.
“Eisley, you were worth the wait,” Ford said.
Her stomach turned a cartwheel. Had she heard him correctly?
He turned to her. “I want to be with you.
These last days, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he said boldly. “No, it’s been years now that you’ve been in my mind and my—” He pressed his lips together as though having second thoughts about his confession, but then bravely pressed on. “I've made the mistake of not letting a girl know how I feel before. I learned my lesson.”
Did he mean his ex-wife?
“I should’ve asked you to prom. I should’ve told you that all those times we went to the movies, the diner, and hung out after school, I wanted them to be dates.” His chest rose and fell like making that confession took the wind out of him and he was more than fit. “I made the mistake of not telling you how I felt.”
“I thought I was just the girl next door.” The words were practically a whisper—her voice stolen by the surge of emotion rushing through her like a great wave rising up and preparing to sweep away all her pain, resentment, and heartache. Whatever he said next would determine if the water soothed her or crashed down like a wall of whitewater. She held her breath.
“You were more, Eisley, so much more.” He shifted and met her gaze.
She could breathe. Thank goodness, she could breathe. She lifted her chin to meet his.
“You know why I nicknamed you Eyes?” Ford asked.
“Because it’s the first sound of my name?”
“Because you have the biggest, most beautiful, soulful eyes.” He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
His eyes searched hers.
Emotion and longing and warmth swelled inside her.
He inclined his head and leaned closer. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”
Their lips met.
It was like all the stars in the sky blinked and twinkled behind her eyes. It was like warm water danced on her toes. It was like dipping underwater and surfacing for fresh air. No, it was better than that.
Ford cradled her head with his hand and they shifted closer. His fingers tangled in her hair as he slowed the kiss as if to ask if it was okay.
Her belly squeezed as she curled into him in answer.
The kiss intensified as they exchanged years and years’ worth of longing. Ford’s massive hands gripped her, drawing her closer.