Suddenly, small strong hands steadied him and guided him through the dragging surf and beyond the breaking waves. Pete collapsed on the ground once more, sitting in ankle deep wash, still gasping to fill his lungs with blessedly dry air. Finally, his racing heart calmed at last, he wiped the last of the streaming water from his face and smiled weakly at Deborah. “Thanks,” he rasped painfully, “I’ll be okay in a minute.”
Deborah, her right hand still resting protectively on his shoulder met his grateful gaze with a relieved smile. “You scared me when you went under the second time,” she told him shakily.
“I was pretty scared myself,” Pete admitted, taking another deep breath and coughing hard to clear his lungs. They sat side by side for a minute, and Pete noticed that she sat so close to him their arms touched in a way that seemed so intimate and right. Now that his breathing had steadied, he couldn’t help looking at her. She looked so beautiful, sitting beside him! Her green eyes, still shadowed with concern, met his. Impulsively, Pete leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Thanks for coming to my rescue,” he said sincerely.
Taken off guard, Deborah blushed, but before she could reply, another huge wave crashed in front of them and the surf burbled up around their arms and legs .“Let’s get out of this mess,” he muttered disgustedly, staggering to his feet.
He reached down for her hand and pulled her to her feet beside him. Together they made their way back to their towels, and Pete threw himself down. He lay on his back with his eyes closed, letting the sun dry the salty water from his skin. When he opened them again, Deborah was propped on one elbow beside him. She studied him with a slight frown of confusion on her oval face.
“What was that?” She asked him at last.
“Just a kiss,” he answered offhandedly, wondering why he had done such a stupid thing. He closed his eyes again, feigning indifference and not wanting to see rejection in those green eyes.
But Deborah wouldn’t let it go. “But why did you kiss me?” She persisted. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and you’ve never even tried to kiss me before.”
Pete mentally kicked himself. He’d seen the way she’d looked at Steve when he’d mentioned another girl. It was obvious that she hadn’t really given up on him. Yet Pete had grown so tired of waiting patiently for her to notice him! He berated his foolish impulse inwardly. An unexpected kiss might not bring him the kind of attention he wanted from her!
Why had he kissed her? Pete took a deep breath before he answered her. “Partly because I wanted to say “thank you…” He paused, steeled himself, and looked directly into those incredible emerald eyes, knowing he couldn’t pretend any longer. “But mostly because I like you, …,” He took a deep breath and summoned a lopsided smile. “and you’re so beautiful, even when you’re dripping wet.”
He watched the play of emotions race across her face with a sinking heart. Deborah seemed stunned. Her eyes widened and she stared at him, unable to speak.
Not exactly the reaction I dreamed of, he thought miserably. Embarrassed by her silence, he rolled abruptly onto his stomach and rested his chin on his arms, wishing there was some way to take back the last five minutes. Being nothing but friends, but being able to dream of more was still better than being told the dream was a hopeless fantasy. From the look on her face, he had been living in a fantasy world! He waited in wretched silence for Deborah to stand up and walk away.
But she didn’t leave. Instead, the silence stretched until Pete was unable to stand it any longer. He turned his head toward her and was surprised by what he saw. Deborah had rolled onto her stomach, too. Her chin rested on her hands and she chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. When she finally lifted her eyes to study his face, her expression was open and vulnerable.
At last she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Like… a little like?” Her hesitancy touched his heart with hope. For the first time, Pete felt as if she was really seeing HIM, and mayber, as something more than just her friend!
Pete’s brown eyes grew warm as they looked at her. “Like- a LOT like,” he replied quietly, barely daring to breathe as he waited for her response.
Deborah flushed and looked away under his gaze. Something in his tone of voice made her stomach do flip flops. Her heart bounced around her rib cage in a crazy rhythm that made it nearly impossible for her to catch her breath. Pete- safe, comfortable Pete -had kissed her and suddenly her entire world had turned inside out!
She had always known she could trust Pete; they had been friends since the first day that they had met. Yes, he had admitted to a crush on her long ago, but he had never spoken of it again, and she had half forgotten his declaration in the wake of Steve's accident. For her, it had always been Steve. She had decided the first day that she talked with Steve at the refreshment bar by the lake that they were meant to be together, and she had not allowed herself to believe anything different – until today.
Pete; gentle and considerate, and always there when she needed him. She had known instinctively that he was a good man, and in the last year their friendship had only deepened into...what? It was as if that simple little kiss had opened her eyes. Why had she thought that she and Steve should be together, just because she had had a crush on him in high school? Had she been blinded all this time? Maybe she had been chasing rainbows when the real gold had been beside her all along...
She turned back to Pete, a tremulous smile on her lips. “I think, I’ve been a fool…” she whispered shyly. Pete sent a silent prayer of thanks to the lord above. Gently, he placed a finger under her chin. His lips touched hers and lingered for a long moment. Deborah tasted the salty warmth of his lips against hers. The sensation made her breath catch in her throat and she sighed. A kiss had never before felt so – right.
Pete drew back after a moment. “Okay?” He asked, hardly daring to believe this was happening at last. Deborah felt her insides melt under the intensity of his eyes. A slow smile spread across her face. She leaned close to him and returned his kiss hungrily, letting it go on for some time.
At last she drew back, “Okay,” she said with a shaky little laugh. She lay back beside him, and felt his hand close around hers. She was surprised at just how perfectly their hands seemed to fit together. And how peaceful it was to lay here, simply holding hands.
Steve stood dripping in the sand a few feet away, uncertain of how he felt about the scene he had just witnessed between Deborah and Pete. Was this a new thing? He could have sworn on the drive out here that Deborah was still oblivious to Pete’s quiet feelings for her. Deborah had pursued Steve for so many months; it felt strange to see her look at another man that way.
As he watched, Deborah tucked her fingers more firmly into Pete’s big hand. A sigh of regret escaped Steve’s lips. He had definitely let something good get away, no doubt about it. But he also felt an overwhelming certainty that Pete and Deborah together was a good thing. Much better than he and Deborah would ever have been! They would be a great couple! Steve even felt that he was happy for them….or, at least he would be happy, he thought ruefully, if he could just get off of this leg!
He gritted his teeth, thinking how stupid he had been to race into waves as rough and huge as the waves were today, as if he still had two good strong legs. Going in had been easy enough, but walking out…! The undercurrent had ripped and pulled at him, and before he had been able to make his way out of the surf, a wave had knocked him sideways, twisting his knee in a way that still sent waves of nausea through his stomach. It had been a slow and painful walk back up the beach.
He desperately wanted to collapse on his towel and pray that he’d not done any lasting damage, but now, watching what appeared to be the opening scenes of a love story long in the making, he knew he could not intrude on their happiness so soon.
He stood hesitating, balancing on one good leg and wondering where he could go. He scanned up and down the beach until he finally spotted Chuck, sitting on a big ice cooler and talking animatedly t
o a couple of young girls. The girls appeared fascinated, hanging on Chuck's every word, but Steve suspected that his near perfect tan and windblown surfer appearance added a great deal of interest to his story telling skills. Girls always had liked Chuck and Chuck looked as if he was glorying in the attention. Right now, sharing a seat on the cooler seemed like the best option.
Steve limped painfully toward Chuck. “Hey, amigo!” He hailed his friend, hoping Chuck wouldn’t consider Steve’s appearance as an intrusion as well. “I wondered where you’d gotten to.”
“Hola!” Chuck replied raising a can of root beer in a kind of welcoming salute which erased Steve’s apprehension immediately. Chuck flipped the trap door on the top of the cooler and produced another can of root beer, then slid over to make room for Steve, who sank onto its cool white surface thankfully.
“Perfect timing!” Chuck announced. He turned back to the girls. “Lisa, Amy, this is my buddy, Steve Williams, the cliff jumper I was telling you about.
Steve raised an eyebrow in alarm. “Cliff JUMPER?”
Chuck shrugged and shot Steve a totally disarming smile. He leaned closer to Steve so that the girls couldn’t hear. “You’ve got to admit, it sounds better than ‘the guy who fell off of a cliff,’” he whispered seriously.
Steve’s mouth formed a silent “oh”. He rested the icy can against the throbbing knee and nearly groaned in relief.
“Did you really fall off a fifty foot cliff?” Amy, a blonde with large brown eyes and a ridiculously small bikini, asked skeptically.
Steve winced, unable to block the momentary flashback of himself as he pushed off desperately from the cliffside the last time, and felt the sickening lurch as the rope gave way…he shook himself and smiled weakly into Amy’s rapt brown eyes.
“More like 20 feet, actually. I was already more than halfway down when he…” Steve caught himself. “…when the rope broke,” he finished, aware of Chuck’s sudden intent gaze, studying him closely. Steve shifted uncomfortably. He had never told anyone that David had cut that rope, and no one had bothered to check, since he had told them it was an accident. Still, it unnerved him how swiftly Chuck had focused on that tiny slip…
“But still,” Amy prodded. “Twenty feet! How terrifying!” She shivered appreciatively.
“How long before you were rescued?” Asked Lisa, a bleached blonde with short loose curls and possibly wearing less bathing suit material than her friend.
“A long time,” Steve replied quietly. “Almost too long.” He paused again, remembering, and had to shake himself back to the present. Then he flashed a smile at Chuck. “Did you get to the part yet where you and Pete led the daring rescue, rappelling down the same cliff in the middle of a wild thunderstorm?” The girls’ attention riveted immediately back on Chuck, who attempted to look modest but failed miserably.
Chuck took a huge swig of his soda and wiped his lips on his arm. “I was just coming to that part,” He responded with a nod to Steve.
Chuck picked up the story at the top of the cliff telling of how he and Pete had searched feverishly despite the dangers of high winds and lightening strikes, until they had spotted something at the base of the cliff.
Steve sipped his root beer quietly, nodding occasionally to agree with Chuck’s highly embellished version of his rescue while surreptitiously massaging the swelling knee. Steve’s eyes wandered over to where the girls lounged in their beach chairs following Chuck’s tale with apparent delight...except for Amy, who much to Steve’s surprise, caught his eye. She deliberately licked her lips in a way that did not mistake her meaning, and smiled an invitation. Steve blinked, stunned. She was just a kid, he thought. He doubted that she was old enough to vote, even!
Slightly uncomfortable, he looked away, glancing furtively toward Pete and Deborah, who still lay contentedly on their towels, fingers entwined. Then he spotted the tall blonde woman standing near the foot of the dunes in a soft peach and white sun dress, holding a huge picnic basket.
Beth! Relieved, Steve waved and shouted until Beth spotted him. She came across the sand toward them, but as she drew closer, her smile of greeting froze, and she paused to survey the young girls who were sitting with Steve and Chuck with a distinct coolness.
“Hello, Steve,” she said stiffly, setting the large wicker basket down in the sand. “Are these your friends from the mountains that you are always talking about?”
Steve flushed at her tone. The sudden possessive jealousy in her voice irritated him. So what if he was sitting with some girls? It wasn’t as if he and Beth were dating!
“Not quite,” he replied, forcing himself to appear at ease despite her tone of voice. He nodded up the beach. “Pete and Deb are working on sunburns over there, and this shaggy beach bum is Chuck.” Chuck leaned forward, eyeing Beth appreciatively, and squeezed her hand in greeting. “And these young ladies,” Steve continued, have been kind enough to share some cold sodas while Chuck has been going into some fascinating detail about how he rescued me from certain death.” He smiled. “Amy and Lisa, this is Beth, my friend and diving instructor.”
Beth nodded curtly at the girls. Amy’s nod of acknowledgement was equally curt, but Lisa was another story. “Are you really a diving instructor?” She gushed eagerly. “I was hoping to take diving lessons this summer! What’s the name of your school?”
Beth’s frosty smile warmed slightly at Lisa’s enthusiasm. “It’s a private school, really,” she responded. “I’m still a full time nurse. I’ve only recently started taking pupils. Steve is my first, actually.”
“Oh,” Lisa said, slightly disappointed. “Could I call you still?" She pressed Beth hopefully. "Are you in the phone book?”
Beth fished in her purse and pulled out a card. “Give me a call. We’ll see if we can’t work out a time.” She said, looking pleased. She turned to Steve. “How about helping me with this thing?” She asked nodding at the huge picnic basket. It’s pretty heavy.
Steve gritted his teeth, unwilling to admit he had injured his knee again. “Sure,” he answered, getting up slowly and reaching for the basket handles. Chuck, however, moved quickly. “I’ll get it,” he announced. In one swift fluid motion he scooped up the basket onto his shoulder and headed up the beach. Steve hid his relief and strolled more slowly beside Beth, doing his best to mask his discomfort.
After about ten steps, Chuck paused to readjust the basket, and shake his head at Beth in wonder. “You sure you didn’t pack rocks in this thing instead of food?” He asked wryly, switching shoulders.
“Only some finger foods and drinks,” Beth reassured him. “But if Pete is as big as you are, maybe I should have brought two baskets! Steve didn’t mention that you’re the size of a mountain.”
Steve raised an eyebrow, noting her appreciative gaze following Chuck as he walked ahead of them. Was she flirting with Chuck? “Naw,” Steve told her, suddenly wanting to shift her attention back to himself. “He only looks big here on the beach. Stand him next to a real mountain, and he looks kind of puny.”
Beth looked Chuck up and down, “If you say so,” She replied with a dubious smile.
Chuck gave Steve a look of mock contempt. “Don’t believe a word he says,” Chuck advised. “He’s just jealous.” Chuck continued toward the distant figures of Pete and Deborah. “Next to a mountain he pretty much disappears from view,” Chuck tossed over his shoulder in a mock serious tone.
“Here we…” Chuck froze, looking down at tableau before him. Pete and Deborah were still holding hands as they basked in the warm sunshine. A grin of satisfaction spread across Chuck’s face as he contemplated the meaning of the scene. “Well looky there!” He muttered, nudging Steve. “It’s about time, too,” he said approvingly. He kicked a little sand their way. “You two lovebirds need to wake up!” He announced. “We got company – and she brought lunch.”
Deborah sat up, flustered, and snatched her hand out of Pete’s guiltily.
“No need to do that,” Chuck advised kindly. “We
already saw the kissy hands, and we all approve.” He set the basket down and gave Pete a thumbs up sign. “Wondering if you’d ever get around to making a move, mate,” Chuck said.
Pete stretched and grinned happily, unabashed to be found out this quickly. “Everything in its season and everything in its time,” he quoted.
“And it appears that your time has come at last,” Steve teased, “if that lip lock I witnessed earlier is any indication” Deborah blushed, mortified by his words.
“Don’t be like that,” Steve cajoled. “I’m happy for the two of you.” Deborah gave him a long look. “Thanks,” she said at last.
“By the way, I’m Beth,” Beth said in the pause that followed. She leaned forward and shook hands with Pete and Deborah. “I’m pleased to finally meet you, and I offer you my congratulations as well. I hope you’re all hungry,” she said. “I brought a ton of sandwiches.”
“Starving!” Chuck agreed.
Beth knelt beside the basket and began pulling out a table cloth, plates, sandwiches, chips and drinks. Everyone watched in fascination. Like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag, it never seemed to empty.
“Beth, this is a feast, not simply snacks,” Steve said, slightly awed by the amount of food and drinks she had managed to stuff into the wicker basket. Chilled fruit had followed the chips and sandwiches, and a whole cheesecake appeared, in case they had room for dessert. “Were you planning to feed the whole beach?”
“No, silly. If I’d intended to do that, I would just have needed two fish and five
loaves of bread!” She quipped.
“Someone read her lesson this week,” Steve said smiling.
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