He smiled. “I think we usually end up talking about me and my problems. Of course, I’ve got a lot of them so…”
“Oh, hush. We’ve talked about my problems too. It’s only that most of mine were on the Intrepid at the time. Don’t worry. I still have a few doozies left.” She sighed “For instance, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next with my life. I have my PhD in history, but I don’t know what to do with it. I’ve tried to figure it out on my own, but I guess… I guess I’m afraid of making the wrong choice.”
He was quiet for a thoughtful moment, then asked, “Who determines what the wrong choice is? Or, maybe a better question is who determines what the right career is?”
“Um, I’m guessing the correct answer would be God? But…” She bit her lip. “To be honest, the most accurate answer would probably be my parents.”
“What do they want you to do?”
“That’s the thing. For the first time in a long time, I don’t know. They haven’t told me.”
He smiled. “Then this could be a good opportunity to figure out what you want without their influence.”
“I suppose it is.” Honestly? She’d like to forget all about what awaited her at home and any pending decisions she might need to make. She’d much rather focus her energy on enjoying this time away from everything, this time with Ian.
She pulled out the magazines and managed to keep herself and Ian distracted with them until it was time to board. Halfway through their flight, Ian’s hand landed on her knee. She pulled her gaze from the clouds outside her window to glance over at him. He immediately removed his hand and pointed to the small television screen in front of him.
Her eyes widened at the sight of her father standing in front of a podium, giving a speech. “What channel is that on?”
Ian was already leaning over to key it into her remote. She grabbed her earphones as her father thanked the cheering crowd. The network switched back to the studio where newscaster Sandy Crawford announced, “That was Texas Governor James Emerson announcing his candidacy for president.”
Ava’s breath caught in her throat, but she listened intently as the newscaster gave a quick recap of the main points of her father’s speech. Finally, Sandy Crawford promised reaction from the network’s commentators on the other side of the break, then went to commercial. Eyes wide, Ian removed his headphones. He lowered his whispered though his chances of being overheard in first class were slim. “Uh, Ava, your dad is running for president.”
“I know. I mean I knew he was thinking about it. I’m surprised he announced it so soon, though, and without me.”
Ian was watching her closely, probably for some clue as to how to react to the news. She corrected the disappointment that had crept into her voice and lifted one shoulder in a light shrug. “I mean, I understand why he did. I could have been on Pirate’s Plunder for another couple of weeks, and the first debate is probably coming up relatively soon.”
Ian still looked flabbergasted, but she bit her lip to keep from saying more. She needed to stop talking about this until she had a chance to speak with her parents or her dad’s campaign manager. They’d tell her what she could or couldn’t say about her father’s decision-making process and the timetable leading up to the announcement.
His eyebrows lifted. “So, I guess this is a normal part of your life?”
“Of course. My dad has been holding or running for some type of public office for as long as I can remember. This is going to be on a grander scale, I’m sure, but nothing we can’t handle.”
By “we” she meant her and her family, but Ian seemed to find some reassurance in the statement too. Perhaps he thought the “we” she’d been referring to was them as a couple. Thankfully, his look of wide-eyed panic seemed to be fading into sober acceptance. He finally nodded. “Well, congratulations to your dad.”
“Thank you.” She released a soft laugh. “I guess I know what I’ll be doing for the foreseeable future after all.”
His brow furrowed. “Are you usually involved with campaigning?”
“Very.”
“And you’re ok with that this time?”
She offered a little shrug. “Sure. How could I not be?”
He glanced at the screen, then met her gaze again. “Eventually, you’re still going to need to figure out what it is you want, Ava.”
“I know. I will.” But, her mind was already racing ahead to everything she would need to do to help her dad. Like the last gubernatorial race, she’d be expected to act as a surrogate to the younger members of the electorate as well as help her mother secure women’s votes. It was fine. She could do that. She’d done it before.
Of course, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, the idea of her father running for president was overwhelming. It had been since the first time he’d mentioned it way back when he was only Lieutenant Governor. She’d always comforted herself with the fact that the reality of it happening was a long way off. That was no longer true. It was officially happening.
Right now.
She changed the station in search of a distraction. Ian’s face flashed across her screen. She froze. She’d found an episode of Treasure Hunters!
The camera panned out to show Ian dressed in only the bottom half of his wetsuit. Did he ever wear a shirt on camera? Holding back a laugh, she watched Ian argue with a brunet guy around his own age.
She couldn’t make heads or tails of their disagreement except Ian wanted some sort of mechanical system replaced. The other guy thought that would be an unnecessary expense. The show shifted to a confessional by the brunet. He rolled his eyes. “Ian and I will never agree on anything. But, you know what? We don’t have to. All I have to do is convince Emily. She’ll change his mind so fast it will make your head spin. Just watch.”
Did Emily really have that much sway over Ian? Surely, the man had to be exaggerating. Ava leaned forward, anticipating Emily’s appearance on the screen. She only caught a glimpse of the pretty auburn-haired woman before two large hands covered the screen.
She blinked. Her gaze followed Ian’s muscled arms up to his shoulders, then his face. It might as well have been chiseled in stone. The look he gave her was somewhere between a plea and a warning.
Right. He didn’t watch his own TV show. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate her looking at it either. Her gaze flickered to his screen as her photo appeared on it. Lifting a brow, she reached over to cover his screen as well.
His lips twitched with a hint of a smile. He uncovered her screen and changed each of their stations until he found something they were both ok with—Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.
It wasn’t long before the movie cut off in favor of the plane’s landing instructions. After they removed their earbuds, Ian leaned closer to peer outside her window at the island below. He murmured, “Ready to leave the real world behind for a while longer?”
She sighed in relief. “Absolutely.”
Chapter Eighteen
So what if he was dating America’s potential First Daughter? It wasn’t as if she wasn’t already the daughter of a governor, or a former runner-up to Miss America, or Miss Texas—with a Ph.D. She’d already been out of his league. No use getting nervous now just because he’d been given further proof of it.
After opening the car door for her, he slid behind the steering wheel of the blue Jeep he’d rented when they’d arrived on the island an hour ago. “Let’s see. We rented the car, checked into our villas, and dropped off our luggage. Now—”
“Shopping time!” She sang out as she slid her sunshades into place and grinned.
He laughed. “You like shopping, I take it?”
“Well, I like clothes and shoes and accessories, so shopping is a necessity and— Ok. I’ll admit it. I like shopping too.”
He started the car. “You definitely need a swimsuit.”
“For sure. There is a shopping center not too far from here called Mongoose Junction. Do y
ou want me to get directions on your phone?”
“That would require me to turn on my phone.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “You haven’t turned on your phone yet?”
“No, and I’d rather not if I can help it. I think I saw a sign for Mongoose Junction by the ferry landing. I’ll head in that direction.” He began to back out of the driveway, but she put a hand on his arm.
“Wait. Miriam never said you couldn’t use my phone.” She winked. “Just don’t post anything on my social media accounts.”
After finding the shopping center on the phone’s GPS, he pretended to text. “Hey, world! Out and about with my new boyfriend in St. John! He’s super awesome. Smiley face. Winky face. Kissy face.”
“Wow!” She laughed as she took her phone back. “So cheeky and confident. I like it. We’ll have to save that draft for later.”
He backed out the driveway and headed east. “You don’t think I used too many emojis?”
“No, you should probably add a few more.”
“Next time.” He focused his attention more fully on the road. Driving on the left side of the road would take a little getting used to, but the lush tropical forest lining both sides of the curvy roadway made up for any discomfort. He stole a quick glance at Ava. “I’m starting to think I may not know all that much about you.”
She frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Maybe because I just found out your dad is running for president.”
“A girl fails to mention one little fact…”
He laughed. “I know you were probably sworn to secrecy or something.”
“I was.” She was quiet for a moment. “Does it matter? That my dad is… who he is. That he wants to be president?”
He couldn’t lie. It was intimidating as all get out. But, did it change how he felt about her one iota? Stopping at a stop sign, he paused to meet her gaze. “No. No, it doesn’t.”
A soft smile touched her lips. “What else do you want to know about me?”
“Let’s see.” Refocusing on the road, he eased off the brake. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Italian. You?”
“Tex-Mex. Do you cook?”
“Sure… as long as I can make it in the toaster or the microwave. What?” She asked when he chuckled. “I know my limits. What about you? Are you secretly a chef?”
He shrugged. “I hold my own.”
“Favorite movie?”
“Hmm. That’s a hard one. I’ll go with The Magnificent Seven from 1960.”
She shifted in her seat so she could see him better. “North by Northwest wasn’t an aberration then?”
“No.” There was no use sugarcoating his background, so he continued, “Growing up, my father couldn’t always afford a babysitter. He’d sit me in front of the TV and let the classic movie channel play. It was a lot more kid-friendly than some of the other channels. I loved it. What’s your favorite movie?”
“Roman Holiday.”
The Audrey Hepburn movie where the princess ran away for a day and fell in love with a humble newspaper man? Wasn’t that apropos? “Great movie. Not so sure I liked the ending.”
“Oh, come on. It was brilliant. My second choice would be It Happened One Night.”
He grinned as he recalled a couple of his favorite scenes from the movie. “That’s a great one.”
“Great ending too?”
“The ‘walls of Jericho’ thing with the sheet separating the room? Absolutely.” He tilted his head. “You know, your two favorite movies have really similar storylines.”
“Huh. You’re right. I never realized that.”
“How’d you get into old movies?”
“It’s in my blood. My grandmother starred in some of them so, of course, I had to watch those.”
“Of course.” Somehow, he had managed to forget she was Marie Benedetti’s granddaughter. The Italian-born movie star had been one of the silver-screen’s most talented sirens before she’d married an award-winning director and settled down to a quieter life.
“She died when I was ten. I was devastated. That’s when my mom showed me my grandmother’s movies. I branched out from there.”
Ian instinctively slowed down as a car passed them in the opposing lane. “Have you ever considered following in your grandmother and mother’s footsteps by becoming an actress?”
“I thought about it a lot when I was a kid. How could I not after seeing their movies? I wanted to be like them, but my parents never encouraged it. They didn’t want to expose me to the Hollywood culture. They wanted me to have a normal childhood and a normal life.”
“Did you?”
“Relatively?” She laughed softly. “More so when I was little, then my dad’s political career started taking off. By middle school, he was Lieutenant Governor. I can’t say my experience was typical. It was wholesome though. That’s what my parents wanted.”
“When did you start doing beauty pageants?
“Not until my junior year of high school.” She smiled. “It wasn’t something I thought I’d enjoy at all, but I’m glad my mom convinced me to do it. It ended up being a good experience for me. I made a lot of friends and got to wear gorgeous dresses. It also gave me some much-needed self-confidence. There was always a service aspect to the pageants where we were able to give back to the community. I especially enjoyed that.”
He hugged the next curve and caught a glimpse of the ocean through the trees. “What was your talent?”
“Ballroom dancing.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “My mother enrolled me in classes when I was seven. She was hoping it would train me to have good posture, grace, and poise. It also gave me a mean cha-cha-cha.”
He reached a straight stretch of road, which was probably a good thing because it allowed him to spot the black goat standing right in the middle of it. “Look at this.”
“Aw.” She leaned forward for a better look. “Move out the way, buddy.”
Ian inched forward a little more, and the goat bleated a protest before trotting into the forest. As they continued down the highway, the trees fell away to reveal an overlook. Ava touched his arm. “Oh, Ian, let’s stop here for a minute, please?”
He parked on the shoulder and rounded the Jeep to meet Ava at the low stone wall that separated the highway from the rainforest below. She stretched out her arms as though trying to embrace as much sunlight as she could. Finally, she let her hands rest on her hips. Her soft sigh sounded just over the breeze. “Look at this view.”
He glanced down to where the rainforest met the bay. Boats bobbed in cobalt waters that were brushed with teal. The city on the other side of the bay edged right up to the ocean which stretched past the looming islands in the distance to meet the horizon. “It’s beautiful.”
“And peaceful.” She was quiet for a long moment, then added, “It’s been one thing after another with grad school, presenting my dissertation, graduation, the other drama, and the media frenzy that followed it. Not to mention being press-ganged into piracy.”
“Sounds like you could use a break.”
“Yes, and this is probably my only chance to get one for a while since my father made his announcement.” She turned to face him and leaned back against the wall. “Can we just be here? No worrying about the future or thinking about the past. I want to enjoy this time away from everything. Together.”
He tilted his head. “Let’s see, there are no cameras, no obligations, no pirates—”
“No parents. No journalists. No worrying about the past or the future?”
He nodded. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t live in the moment and fully enjoy every second of it.”
Relief filled her eyes. She swayed toward him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. “No holding back.”
Well, maybe a little holding back just to be safe. Otherwise, this exchange was about to t
urn into something a lot more heated involving a lot less talking. He returned her hug and somehow managed not to kiss her before letting her go. “C’mon. Let’s go shopping.”
She laughed. “My kind of guy.”
He certainly hoped so.
R
The warble of a telephone awakened Ava for the second day in a row. It had to be Ian. No one else had the number for her vacation rental’s landline. Except… Miriam!
Ava jumped out of bed and rushed into the living room to grab the phone off the charging station. She answered on what was probably the last ring. “Hello?”
Miriam’s voice filled the line. “Ava?”
“Yes. Hi, Miriam. I’m sorry I didn’t call yesterday. I don’t know how I forgot.”
“It’s ok. I’m glad we were able to connect now. How’s St. John?”
Ava glanced out the large window. A vibrant green tropical forest covered the descending mountainside until it gave way to a pale golden beach. The ocean rippled toward the horizon, its waves dyed in blue and gold by the early morning sky. “It’s absolutely gorgeous here. How is everything at the bungalow?”
“Oh, fine. Just trying to keep Scott from blowing everything up with his crazy science experiments.”
Ava laughed as she curled up on the comfortable teal sofa. “Ian told me about some of those experiments, so have fun with that.”
“Speaking of Ian, is he around? I’ve been trying to reach him.”
“I don’t think he’s quite ready to give up the idea of living off the grid. He isn’t here right now, but I’m going to see him in about…” She leaned over to check the clock in the kitchen. “An hour. Do you want me to pass along a message?”
“Yes, please. Tell him I need him to look over the email I sent about his press tour and confirm he received it. I included information about his travel arrangements in the email. There is also an overview of what he can and can’t reveal about the show. I’ll send you a similar packet when the time comes for your press tour. Meanwhile, if Ian has any questions, tell him to give me a call.”
“Will do.” Ava held back a yawn. “Anything else?”
Beyond the Tide Page 21