Waves of Desire

by Lori Ann Mitchell

  Derek chuckled, not sure whether to feel hurt – or flattered. “The sad thing is, I would have, Sage.”

  “I know that, baby,” she said, taking his hand. “Come on. Colby’s closing for me tonight, so… let’s have dinner on the deck, okay?”

  “God, that sounds good,” he said, following her up the stairs to the scenic loft she kept above the bookstore.

  He grabbed a beer while Sage ordered a pizza, her fridge still full of chicken nuggets and other kiddy foods while she watched Archie for Dana until she was out of rehab.

  The sun was setting, the sky brilliantly orange and blue and even a little red when she joined him, side by side in the Adirondack chairs clustered on her weathered deck. “I’ve missed this,” he said, reaching for her hand as they sat quietly, sipping beers and watching the sun play artist with the sky. “I’ve missed you.”

  She squeezed his hand back and said, “Me too, Derek, but… I can’t help but wonder what life might have been like if Archie was your son.”

  He snorted. “I was just getting used to the idea of having a son, and this dude shows up and whisks him away. He could have waited one more night?”

  “It would have only hurt more tomorrow,” Sage sighed. “This way, it’s like ripping a bandage off real quick, you know?”

  “If you say so,” he said, finishing his beer just as the doorbell rang. He rose, paying the pizza guy and grabbing them two more beers before bringing it all out to the deck.

  They put the pizza on the little table between them, a usual Friday night ritual. But tonight, it remained untouched. They drank quietly in the fading light, until Sage turned to him and said, “You know… I never thought I’d say this, but… you’d make a great dad.”

  Derek nearly spit out his beer. “That is quite a compliment, wrapped up in an even better cut down.”

  She snorted. “No, I’m serious. I never really wanted a kid before. Then I met Archie.”

  “I know what you mean,” he sighed. “It’s kind of the same way I feel about you.”

  “Wow, thanks!”

  “No, I mean… I never wanted to love someone as much as I love you, until I fell in love with you.”

  She blushed, turning to him with a sly, sexy wink. “Well, when you put it that way…”

  “I’m serious,” Derek said.

  “Me, too,” Sage insisted, looking at him more closely. “I’m serious that you’d be a good dad.”

  “Thanks,” he said, going back to his beer.

  She sighed, standing and putting down both their beers. “Can’t you take a hint?”

  “For what?” he asked as she dragged him out of his chair.

  “You dope,” she teased, leading him by one hand back into the loft and toward the bedroom. “When a girl says you’d be a good father – twice – it’s code for ‘take me to bed so we can make a baby.’ Didn’t anyone ever tell you that before?”

  Derek chuckled, not sure which idea appealed to him the most: Having a kid? Or making one?!?

  Chapter 17:

  Sage

  “Wow.”

  Sage leaned against the hood of her car, legs crossed at the ankles, arms over her chest, enjoying the breezy morning when Dana emerged from the rehab center, long and limber on simple flats.

  She was dressed simply, but sparsely, showing off her long, lean, young body in a short, breezy skirt and sleeveless blouse. Her hair was up in a ponytail, green eyes hiding behind white sunglasses.

  “What?” she asked, strolling slowly toward Sage until they were standing face to face.

  “You look… great!”

  “So do you,” Dana said, raising her sunglasses up onto her hair and squinting slightly in the sun. For once, there seemed to be no bullshit pose behind her stance, no snarky line or angle hiding behind her words.

  “No,” Sage said, gently standing from leaning against her car. “I mean, really good.”

  She opened the door for her, no idea why, but it felt… right… somehow. Dana blushed a little and got in, gently shutting the door for herself before Sage crossed the front of the car and got inside as well. “Listen,” she said, starting her up and pulling into late morning traffic. “I know you’ve been eating all vegan BS in there all month, so I was thinking before we got back to town—”

  “Yes, please, I’d love to go to lunch!” Dana said, smiling as they pulled into a local waterfront restaurant named The Sawgrass Inn. It was quaint and rustic and, having just opened, sparsely populated. They took a seat on the deck, shaded under a pitched umbrella, and ordered two unsweetened iced teas from the perky young waitress who arrived at their table moments after they sat down.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a margarita right now,” Dana sighed, peering out at a long, rolling dune that gave way to a wide, unspoiled beach.

  “You really miss it?” Sage asked.

  Dana sighed and picked up her menu. “Not as much as I thought I would,” she admitted. “It’s just, certain situations are triggers, you know? Like sitting on a beautiful deck, overlooking the ocean, having girl talk.”

  “I was tempted to order one myself, but that would be rude, right?”

  Dana shrugged. “They told us not to let other people change their lives for us,” she explained. “But yeah, watching you drink a nice, sweet, refreshing margarita would be pretty distracting.”

  Sage agreed, just as the waitress brought their teas. Sage ordered a salad, but Dana wanted a burger, the bigger the better. After ordering, they sat back, regarding each other, their drinks untouched. “How are you feeling?” Sage asked.

  “Good, so far,” Dana said, somewhat humbly. “I feel guilty, mostly, for how I acted. I miss Archie.”

  Sage nodded, finally sipping her iced tea. It was nice to hear from Dana, for a change, some sudden concern about her son. “You heard what happened?”

  Dana blushed again, avoiding Sage’s eyes. “Derek told me,” she said, finally looking up. “I guess… I guess you’re pretty pissed at me, huh? For lying to Derek like that?”

  “You could say that,” Sage said, putting her drink down. “You could say that’s why I wanted to be the one to pick you up today. Why I wanted to take you to lunch.”

  “I wish I could say I was drunk the whole time I was planning it,” Dana confessed, “but only while I was living it.”

  “But why Derek?” she asked. “And why, when you saw him and I were together, did you keep pressing it?”

  “I was selfish,” she said, shrugging mightily. “Foolish. Sure, I figured Derek had money, being an author and all. And Florida sounded good after hopping all over the country. But mostly I remembered Derek being a good guy in high school. I knew… I knew he’d do the right thing for Archie, and that would give me time to get fucked up every day. That’s honestly what I really cared about the most.”

  “Gheez, Dana,” Sage sighed, sagging in her chair. “Here I was thinking you had the hots for Derek, but you being that messed up? That’s even worse.”

  Dana smirked, picking up her tea at last and giving Sage a shy, insecure wink. “I’m not gonna say I didn’t try to put the moves on him while I was in town,” she said.

  Sage was surprisingly… not surprised. “And?”

  “And, Derek was a perfect gentleman every time,” Dana assured her, eyes clear and honest and soft. “I’m glad that, as much damage as I did, I didn’t do anything to screw up what you two have.”

  Sage nodded. “If you’d been able to screw it up, Dana,” she said, “it wouldn’t have been entirely your fault. Luckily, Derek and I have built our relationship on a strong foundation, which isn’t to say it hasn’t been tested before.”

  “Oh?” Dana asked, but Sage wasn’t going there. “Anyway,” she went on when Dana saw Sage wasn’t coming up with any good gossip about her man, “I’ve been thinking a lot about how nice it would be to be in a relationship one day. A real one, like you and Derek have.”

  “It takes work,” Sage said, smiling at the waitress a
s she delivered their lunches.

  Dana nodded, digging into her burger. “Mmmmm,” she said, relishing every bite and wolfing it down in record time. She was done with her burger before Sage was halfway through her salad, and squeezing ketchup onto her plate to devour her steak cut fries, one by one. “We only had meat once a week in there,” she explained, finally sated and pushing the plate away. “And nothing quite as good as this.”

  “Do you feel healthier?” Sage asked, picking at her salad. She hadn’t really been hungry, just curious, and now that her curiosity about Dana and Derek had been satisfied, she was slightly anxious to get back to Seaside and resume her baby making efforts with Derek.

  “Sure,” Dana said, “but that’s from kicking the booze, not eating sprouts and gluten-free muffins for a whole month!”

  They laughed a lot after that. About little things, and big things. After all the pain and heartache Dana had caused them over the last few months, it was good to see her healthy, happy and even hopeful. By the time their long, leisurely lunch was over, Sage almost felt bad about seeing Dana go.

  Almost…

  Chapter 18:

  Derek

  “Feels funny,” Derek said, packing the last of Dana’s things in the back of her rental car. “Seeing you without Archie.”

  She smiled, looking radiant and refreshed after her stint in rehab. Sage had picked her up and, after a simple dinner for three on Derek’s porch that night, Sage and Derek had retired to her loft above the store, letting Dana have one last night of freedom – alcohol free, of course – by herself in Derek’s cottage.

  Now, the next morning, Sage had thought it best that Derek be the one to send Dana back to California, where her parents lived and she could get back on her feet before petitioning for custody of Archie once more.

  She looked relaxed and in no particular hurry. “Are you gonna be okay on the road alone?” Derek asked as they lingered by the trunk of her rental sedan. “It’s a long trip.”

  She smiled, looking every bit the teenager he’d fallen in love with – or at least, lust with – that night back in high school. “Gonna be even longer than usual,” she said. “My folks wired me some money for the trip, want me to take my time and not rush it. I figure I’ll do some sightseeing, mosey along, pull off when I’m tired, get a room and make a vacation out of it.”

  Derek peered back at her suspiciously. “Your sponsor good with that?” he asked. “Lots of temptation on a road trip.”

  “No more than last night after you and Sage left me alone in your cottage, Derek. I could have gone out to the bodega on the corner and bought a six-pack or a bottle of wine, but I didn’t.”

  Her tone was defensive, at least slightly, and Derek supposed he couldn’t blame her. Holding his hands up playfully, he smiled. “I guess we have to trust you some time, right?”

  “Damn right,” she said, sitting back slightly on the open trunk.

  “You won’t be lonely, all those miles alone?”

  She wriggled her shoulders and pushed her torso slightly forward, full breasts ripe in her loose sundress. Sage had taken her shopping for a few new things after getting out of rehab, and now she looked sexy and stylish. “You could always come with me, player,” she purred, but there was no real teeth to it for a change. “Keep me company in all those roadside motels.”

  “Very funny,” he chuckled, thinking back on all those times Dana had come on to him, and how easy it would have been to succumb. Seeing her now, radiant and healthy, he was glad he’d kept his hands off – and his conscience clean. “I think it’s good you’ll be alone. Give you time to think.”

  She sighed, sitting back on the trunk and looking more relaxed than he’d ever seen her. “I agree,” she sighed. “We did a lot of talking in rehab, but there were so many people and it was so structured. And with Archie at his Dad’s, this will be my first time alone – really alone – since he was born.”

  “It could be a grand adventure.”

  She winked. “It better be.” Then, peering up at him, the morning drifting away before their very eyes, she asked, “Are you mad at me, Derek?”

  He sighed, shrugging. “I’m a little ticked you couldn’t just have told me the truth,” he admitted. “That you couldn’t just come to me and say, ‘Hey, Archie’s not your kid, but I need some help.’ I would have helped you in a heartbeat.”

  “Why do you think I showed up on your doorstep, Derek?”

  He sagged against the fence that bordered his small drive. “I have to say, now that it’s all said and done, I’m kind of glad you did.”

  She seemed surprised. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I got to be a Dad for a whole month!” Derek was surprised by how emotional the statement made him feel, as if he’d only realized it just now. “That was pretty special, so I have no regrets about that.”

  She put on a pouty face, making puffy lips before asking, “That’s all you’re happy about?”

  “No,” he confessed. “It was great to see you, too, Dana. Especially now, looking healthy and sober.”

  “Thanks,” she said, standing at last and, with an air of finality, turning to shut the trunk. “For everything,” she said, voice tight as she turned, whisking him into a brittle, if warm, embrace, before just as quickly releasing him and drifting toward the front of the car.

  She opened the driver’s door, slipping inside before he shut it, gently. “Good luck with everything,” he said over the roar of the engine. “And don’t forget to text every time you stop for the night.”

  She rolled her eyes playfully, though Derek sensed she was secretly glad that someone, at least, was looking out for her. “Okay, Mom.”

  “Seriously,” he said, slapping the hood of her car as she backed, gently, down the shell-lined drive before merging with pavement and pausing just long enough to wink, wave and then peel away, heading east out of town before she could hook up with the interstate farther along the road.

  He was almost glad she hadn’t lingered too long, as if to stick around another hour or more might have ruined the tender moment they’d just shared. Besides, he thought, grabbing his board from where it had been leaning against the fence this whole time, he had a life to get back to…

  Chapter 19:

  Sage

  Sage sat atop her board, the sun on her back, legs in the water, the gentle calm of rhythmic waves lulling her into a warm, mellow stupor. With Archie in town, and Dana in rehab, with taking extra shifts to pay Colby back for watching Archie, it seemed like it had been ages since she’d simply… gone surfing.

  It made her smile to think that, before Derek, she never would have missed a day in the waves; that before Derek, she’d never actually surfed. Now it was second nature to her, nature’s own stress relief, her way of chilling out and calming down and finding bliss among her long, winding days.

  While she would miss Dana, and especially Archie, Sage had to admit how nice it felt to have her old life back. With Colby running the store that morning, and Derek wishing his former lover a fond adieu, Sage pretty much had the Atlantic Ocean to herself.

  She’d dived into the sea an hour earlier, before Dana was even up, preferring to let Derek have his fond goodbye while she slipped out of the loft and into the sea instead. Now she felt smooth as silk, blissed out and stress free for the first time in over a month.

  And that was before she saw Derek from afar, waving from the shore as he tugged off his tank top and dropped it onto her towel, sliding his board into the water and riding it effortlessly out to greet her.

  His energy almost made the waves roll backward, his whole body wet and glistening as he sat atop his board, facing her. “Finally!” he said, and they laughed, knowing just what he meant.

  “How’d it go with Dana?” she asked, sounding – and feeling – lazy.

  “She kinda couldn’t wait to get out of here,” he said, sounding a tad disappointed.

  “Don’t take it personally,” she assured him, a gentle
hand on his thigh. “She’s clean and sober for the first time in years. Has a rental car, a full tank of gas, some money in her pocket and no timetable. Who wouldn’t be eager to start that kind of road trip?”

  He shrugged. “I guess you’re right,” he sighed, and she realized he was an hour behind her in the relaxation department. “I guess having Dana around is almost like having a second Archie to take care of.”

  “Some adults are like that,” she said. “Hopefully now that she’s sober, she’ll be able to become a full-fledged grownup.”

  “And parent,” he added, making her smile.

  She sidled closer, using his board to pull herself alongside. “You miss Archie, too?” she asked.

  He nodded. “It was fun having him around. I liked the way the three of us were together.”

  She sighed; glad that she’d already gotten her surfing in for the day. She leaned forward, kissing him longingly, lingeringly. “You didn’t come out here to go surfing, did you Derek?”

  He chuckled, drawing her closer. “Nope,” he confessed. “I just wanted you to see my wet, ripped body and get all horny so we could go back to my place and fuck in every possible room.”

  She laughed, feeling squishy and warm as she sat atop her board, heart suddenly thumping with anticipation. “Well, when you put it that way,” she sighed, turning and lying atop her board before looking back for the next wave. “I suppose we better get back to shore.”

  “Race you!” he teased. “First one to shore gets to pick the favorite position.”

  Sage chuckled, letting Derek do the hard work of grabbing the first wave and riding it, elegantly, as always, to shore. After all, when it comes to her and Derek, there was no bad position!