Persuaded

by Misty Dawn Pulsipher

  Eli had asked Hanna to meet him at one of the nicer restaurants downtown. When Hanna saw him waiting for her in a cozy booth, in a button-up shirt and tie, she was glad she’d dressed up a little herself. Eli’s whole face lit up when he saw her. He stood, kissed her on the cheek, and helped her into her seat.

  “You look gorgeous,” he said, sitting down across from her.

  “You too,” she said. “How was New York?”

  Eli sighed happily, unabashed contentment on his face. “There’s something about the city that’s electrifying. The beach is great when you want laid-back, but there’s nothing like the city that never sleeps.”

  Hanna listened with a peaceful smile on her face. She disagreed, of course, infinitely preferring the quiet coast to the rat race of a big city. The very thought of a city that never slept made her tired.

  Dinner went off without a hitch, Eli recounting his trip to Hanna with an eagerness that was contagious. When the check was delivered, Eli slipped a card into the slot of the sleek black check holder and handed it off to their server. A moment later the server returned with an apologetic expression.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but your card has been declined.”

  Eli scowled, his story breaking off abruptly, before the tension in his face eased. “Oh, I forgot, I canceled that one last week. Sorry,” he chuckled, replacing the offending card with another.

  After dinner was paid for, the pair set off at a leisurely pace for Uppercross.

  A few minutes into their nighttime stroll, Eli took her hand. “So, how was your weekend? I’ve been going on about myself all night.”

  “It was nice for a change. Besides, nothing much happened here. Let me see . . . I got a cold.” She cast her eyes around, thinking what to tell him next. “Oh, and I’m pretty sure Derick and Ella are getting engaged, if they’re not already.”

  Eli’s brows shot up. “Really? What do you mean ‘pretty sure,’ though?”

  “They haven’t announced anything yet. They haven’t really been around either; it’s been a little weird.”

  “If they haven’t said anything, what makes you think they’re engaged?”

  Hanna hesitated. “Just something Derick said.”

  Eli waited expectantly, but she didn’t clarify. She had that same feeling of wanting to keep the interaction to herself.

  “Anyway, it’s kind of odd they haven’t been around. Maybe they’re scoping out honeymoon destinations.”

  Eli laughed softly, squeezing Hanna’s hand. “Did you have time to think about anything else this weekend?” He nudged her with an elbow.

  So, they had finally arrived. Hanna’s pulse raced ahead, but it was mostly out of relief that they had come to it at last. “Of course I thought about what you said.”

  “Is that all you thought about?” Eli asked, halting his steps and coming around to face Hanna. His eyes settled on her lips.

  “No,” she admitted, blushing furiously. “But I’m afraid you won’t like what I’ve come up with.”

  Eli’s eyes twinkled in the darkness. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? If you’re right, I’ll simply kiss you until you change your mind.”

  Hanna laughed, more for his benefit than out of sincerity. “I realized I really don’t know much about you at all, while you’re pretty well informed about me.”

  “What do you want to know?” He tilted his head to the side.

  “More than you can tell me in one night,” she answered. “I think we should spend time getting to know each other before jumping into anything serious.”

  “You’re not going to let me kiss you, is that what you’re saying?”

  “I’m saying I don’t want it to be only about that,” she amended, casting her eyes downward and straightening her skirt.

  “You’re fidgeting again,” Eli observed in a honeyed voice, bringing Hanna’s free hand to his lips. “All I want is a chance, Hanna. A reason to hope. Can you give me that?”

  She nodded, her heart thudding—a base drum under her bones. Could he hear it?

  “Then I guess it’s good enough for me, at least for tonight.” He gave her a look, his dark eyes traveling to her lips and back up to her eyes. Waiting, asking permission. Hanna stayed still as he leaned in and kissed her. As before, the kiss was controlled, almost calculated. This was probably best, given her terms, but Hanna felt that she had yet to see any burst of emotion from Eli. The thought niggled at her.

  “I missed you this weekend,” he told her as they resumed their walk toward Uppercross.

  “I doubt that,” she answered as they approached the house. In all his recounting, this was the first she’d heard of his missing her. Besides, if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t missed him. Not really.

  Eli gave her a hurt look, and she backpedaled. “I just meant that you were probably too busy to miss anything here, especially with all those city lights surrounding you.”

  He drew her into his arms. “Those lights are nothing compared to the stars in your eyes . . .”

  Hanna couldn’t help it—she laughed, a most unladylike snort that chased away any thought of romance.

  “Too cheesy?” Eli said with an embarrassed grin.

  “That was a really bad line.”

  “Hm. I guess I’ll have to come up with some new material,” Eli murmured as he nuzzled her ear.

  “No, that’s okay,” Hanna said, shoving him away in what she hoped came across as playful rather than get away from me.

  “All right, you little tease,” Eli relented, releasing all but her hand and bringing it to his lips. “I guess you’ve put up with enough for one day. Rest up and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “‘Kay,” Hanna answered, not sure how to feel about his assumption that she had nothing to do tomorrow but spend the day with him. She wasn’t overly fond of being called a tease, either. After waving to him, Hanna went inside to make herself a cup of tea.

  TWENTY-THREE

  BUSINESS and PLEASURE

  He sometimes took out a gun, but never killed; quite the gentleman.

  —Jane Austen, Persuasion

  Derick had spent most of the weekend hiding out on the Laconia. Sophie hadn’t been pleased, but given her brother’s reasons for going AWOL, she let it drop. At the very least, Derick had expected a lecture about being up front and honest, about not leading Ella on, but it hadn’t come. He assumed that meant Sophie’s delight at the turn of events canceled out whatever speech she might’ve had in store for him.

  Monday night, Derick determined to return to Kelynch. He’d had more than enough time to reflect and come up with a plan. His only reason for staying away now was fear over the fallout. Pulling out his phone, he texted Sophie.

  D: Coming home tonight

  S: J Out of milk.

  D: I’ll grab some at the marina store. Anything else?

  S: Your courage.

  D: Must be around here somewhere ;) See if I can find it.

  The door of the marina store dinged as he entered, and he saw that there were a few peopled poised on bar stools at the counter, finishing their food and drinks. After getting the milk, he made his way back up to the register, realizing that one of the people at the counter was Eli. He was talking on his cell phone, a bottle of beer on the counter before him. Derick was about to step into his line of sight to say hello, when Eli’s next words froze him in place.

  “Sure, it’s business, but what’s wrong with having a little fun along the way? They just don’t make ‘em like that in the boroughs. She’s virginal, dude. Pure as first snow. Could you refuse a conquest like that?”

  Derick’s blood boiled in his veins, a pain in his jaw notifying him that he was grinding his teeth together. Eli listened to the person at the other end of the call for a moment, then spoke, frustration surfacing in his tone.

  “The source was right, but I just need a little more time, Hoss. She doesn’t trust me enough yet. Give me a week, just a week, and I’ll make my move. We’ll bot
h get what we want, and you’ll be sorry you ever doubted me.”

  The name Hoss stirred something in Derick’s memory, but the anger bubbling inside him incinerated the vague impression.

  Stepping up beside Eli, Derick slammed the gallon of milk onto the counter. It pleased him that Eli jumped, that his eyes widened in shock, as though he’d just been caught with his pants down. The look was only there for a second before it sank out of sight, replaced by a guarded nod of recognition.

  “I’ll call you back,” Eli said, snapping his phone shut and then facing Derick with a polite grimace. “Hey, Derick, what’s up? Can I buy you a beer?”

  “I don’t drink,” Derick answered shortly.

  Eli gave a wry smile. “Alcoholic?”

  “I think inhibitions are there for a reason; I’m not a big fan of mine being taken from me,” Derick answered, fixing eyes on Eli’s in what he hoped was an intimidating glare.

  “Interesting. I guess you can’t believe everything you read in Us Weekly, can you?”

  Derick’s eyes narrowed. What kind of game was this loser playing? Taking a moment to digest the comment and its implications, Derick turned his attention to the cashier. Tossing a five dollar bill up onto the counter, he said, “Keep the change,” then sat rigidly on the stool beside Eli. “Funny. You don’t strike me as a fan gossip kind of guy. But then again, people aren’t always what they seem.”

  Eli’s mouth quirked into a cocky grin and then he eyed Derick as he finished off his beer. “Well,” Eli said with an air of finality as he stood, “this has been fun, but some of us have work to do. I’ll catch you later, Wentworth.”

  Derick bristled at the use of his last name, at the way Eli bumped his shoulder as he made for the door. Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands into fists, Derick followed him outside.

  “Eli?”

  He turned, impatience evident in his posture, but said nothing. That suited Derick just fine—he’d listened to enough already.

  “Hanna may be pure and innocent, but she’s not stupid. You might want to take that under consideration before you make your ‘move’.”

  Eli’s eyes widened infinitesimally before his face split into a grin. “And to think she’s convinced that you don’t care,” he said virtuously. “For someone who bit off a fairly big chunk of her heart, you’re awfully self-righteous.”

  Derick nearly lost his cool, feeling he might explode with the effort of keeping the anger in. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said in a low voice.

  “Actually I do,” Eli continued, his eyes sparkling at Derick’s reaction. “Hanna told me the whole story . . . how you were her first love, how you mangled her heart without bothering to explain why, how you used her up and then cast her aside like a pair of dirty socks . . .”

  Derick’s hands began trembling, darkness bleeding into the edges of his vision. He might have been able to walk away if Eli hadn’t said anything else.

  “Don’t worry, Wentworth. I’ve never had a problem eating off of someone else’s spoon.”

  For someone so adept at button-pushing, Eli wasn’t gifted with much in the reflex department. He had the good sense to look bewildered as Derick’s fist connected with his face. The sickening crunch might not have been complete vindication, but it was satisfying, at least. Staggering back, Eli steepled his hands over his bleeding, and likely broken, nose. The lowlife hadn’t even seen it coming.

  “You might want to put some ice on that,” Derick told him as he took the stairs down to the sand. “People are bound to comment.”

  Eli’s mask of façade had fallen off and shattered against the dock. Derick wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Eli retaliated; the way his eyes flashed told Derick that he was considering it. But then he turned and stalked away, throwing one last angry glare over his shoulder.

  “Pleasure doing business with you,” Derick muttered, shaking out his hand as he headed home. A stinging pain alerted him to the fact that he hadn’t come out of the confrontation unscathed himself. An oozing gash ran across his knuckles. Knowing it wouldn’t be pleasant, Derick set the milk down on the sand and rinsed his hands in the ocean. The saltwater had a sharp bite, but at least he wouldn’t return to Kelynch looking as if he’d had an accident in woodshop. Straightening, Derick picked the milk up and continued down on the beach, wondering how he was going to tell Hanna about Eli, and what on earth he was going to say.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  INSIGHTS and WATERFIGHTS

  With Captain Wentworth, some moments of communications continually occurring, and always the hope of more, and always the knowledge of his being there.

  —Jane Austen, Persuasion

  Hanna drew in a breath of thick ocean air as she pressed her palms into the sand, leaning back and looking up at the bottomless night sky. There was simply nothing like stargazing on the beach. She’d had to walk several hundred yards past the houses to get away from all the porch lights that blared from back doors. Now, with her ears full of the relentless tide and its whispered secrets, and her lungs full of heady summer air, she trained her eyes on the stars. She could see the Milky Way clearly, could almost perceive the celestial waltz of each star and its subjects as they danced around each other.

  “Hanna?”

  Startled, she looked up and found Derick walking toward her with a jug of milk swinging from one hand. She must have been totally engrossed not to have seen him coming.

  “What are you doing out here all alone?” he asked.

  “Stargazing.”

  “Want some company?”

  She nodded, and he sat down beside her. Now that Derick was here, she found herself gazing at him more than the sky. During her surreptitious scrutiny, she noticed a thin, bloody cut along the ridge of his knuckles. “Derick, you’re bleeding! What did you do to your hand?”

  Curling said hand into a fist and then spreading it out, he shrugged. “Oh, I, uh, snagged it on . . . something.”

  Grabbing her bag, Hanna rummaged until she came up with baby wipes and a bandage. “Let me see,” she said, holding out her hand for his.

  “What, do you have a hospital in there?” he asked as she began gently cleaning the blood from his skin.

  “The boys are always falling and scraping knees and elbows, and the only way to stop the crying is a Band-Aid—whether there’s blood or not. It’s just easier this way.”

  Biting her lip, she shut up, fully aware that she was babbling again. Why did she do that every time Derick was around?

  “Thanks,” said Derick as she applied the bandage.

  Crunching the wrapper in her palm, she threw it in her bag. “No problem,” she said, trying to sound casual, light, flippant. “I should probably head back before Mary puts out an APB.” She stood, brushing sand off her clothing.

  “I’ll walk you,” Derick offered, retrieving the milk and falling into step beside her.

  ☼

  Derick found himself surprised by the shift in his mood. When he left the marina he’d been livid. But something had calmed him—the sound of the ocean? Watching the stars? Hanna’s presence?

  Together Derick and Hanna wended their way back to the houses, walking in the shallows. There was something fulfilling about ocean waves crashing over your toes, like mother nature kissing your feet.

  As the tide waxed with the gathering night, Hanna listed to the left to avoid the water. “That one got close.”

  “Are you afraid of a little water, Banana?” he teased. “It’s just the tide coming in.”

  “I’m not afraid,” she corrected. “I just have no desire to get soaked at the moment.”

  “Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “Back in 2004 where it belongs,” she said loftily.

  “Is that right?” Derick said, a thought planting itself in his head. He hesitated for only an instant before grabbing her by the hand and towing her farther into the water. To his delight, she protested with a halfhearted squeal when
the water crawled up her legs. Music to his ears.

  She struggled with as much gusto as she could manage with her willowy frame. Derick awarded her full points for earnest effort, before setting the milk down, seizing her around the waist, and tugging her toward himself. An obliging wave crashed into her back, sending her right into his arms, and they both went under.

  For just an instant, Hanna’s hands were flat against Derick’s chest, and his hands were clamped on either side of her waist. Time slowed, the earth turning back in its rotation as they hung motionless in the water. Then the universe blinked, and Hanna broke the surface, coughing and sputtering. Derick braced himself for a scolding, a dirty look, maybe even her getting angry and storming off—so he was thoroughly surprised when she lunged and dunked him. He recovered from his shock quick enough to stand his ground, but after what he’d done to her, he figured that Hanna deserved some recompense. So he allowed himself to be submerged. Now they were both battling the oncoming waves and laughing.

  “See, wasn’t that fun?” he prodded.

  She responded by sending a wall of water at his face. Apparently pleased with her retaliation, she grinned in satisfaction before slogging out of the water. Derick followed her to Uppercross, where she confiscated the towels draped over the beach chairs. She tossed one to him before wrapping the other around herself, and guilt elbowed Derick in the ribs. One thing he had come to realize about Hanna was that she was constantly putting others first. He had allowed himself to resent that about her for years, choosing to view it as a selfish tendency. But now that he’d been around her and had taken the time to observe, he understood that there wasn’t a selfish bone in her body.