William looked up into Annie's eyes. He held onto her hand, not wanting to break their link.
"You know, until I met you, I never looked twice at another woman. I never thought I'd find anyone who I could connect with." He chuckled. "You'll probably think this is silly, but Sara, being the artsy type of person she was, always promised me that if anything happened to her, she'd find a way to come back to us. She said we were soul mates and that we would always, in some way, be together. I never took her seriously until after she died. Then I started waiting for her to return. I wanted to believe that she would find her way back to us. I believed she'd keep her promise. The day I looked into your eyes, even though I knew you weren't Sara, even though you didn't look like her or act like her, I saw her in your eyes, and I felt like I had finally found her again."
Annie sat back in her seat as she continued to gaze at William. She'd been drawn to him long before she'd met him. She'd dreamt of him and, if she admitted the truth, stalked him with her camera. Although she didn't understand why she'd been drawn to him, she knew she wasn't his Sara.
"William, I'm not Sara. You know that, don't you?"
William brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it, all the while holding her eyes with his.
"Yes, I know you aren't my Sara," he said softly. "But somehow, someone sent you to me, and that's all that matters." He reached across the space between them and pulled her to him, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She responded in kind until their soft kisses turned urgent and demanding.
Annie knew she wasn't his Sara, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like she belonged in his arms as completely as if they'd been together, forever. Finally, reluctantly, they pulled away from each other.
"I guess I'd better take you home," William said halfheartedly, and they drove away into the moonlit night.
After a time, William pulled into a parking space near Annie's condo. He walked her to the door.
"Do you want to come in for some coffee?" Annie asked.
William slowly shook his head. "I should head back home. How about I call you in the morning?"
Annie nodded. Looking up, she searched William's eyes to see if she could read his thoughts. He looked sad. William bent his head down and brushed a soft kiss on her lips, then he was gone.
Sandy sat warming herself next to a fire pit on the beach in front of a house not too far from her own. She didn't know whose house it was. She didn't care. A couple of old friends from high school and a few other people she didn’t know also sat around the fire. They were drinking beer and vodka shots, smoking weed, and doing God knows what else, but Sandy wasn't participating. She just sat quietly, watching the flames flicker blue, orange and red.
She had sobered up considerably since her encounter with Annie at the restaurant. She didn't remember most of what they'd said to each other, but she remembered one thing very clearly. When Annie had stood there, her blue-green eyes flashing, and ordered her to give her the phone. At that moment, Sandy had no longer been looking into the eyes of a stranger but felt she'd been looking straight at her mother. That was why she had given up her phone so easily to Annie.
Sandy pulled her phone out of her pocket and scanned through the contact numbers. There, near the top, she saw the name 'Annie' with a cell number beside it. For one moment, she thought about deleting the number, but something made her stop. Maybe it was the way Annie's eyes had flashed at her, so like her own mother's eyes. Or maybe it was Annie's request to call her, anytime of the day or night if she needed someone. Whichever it was, she decided not to delete the number, even though she knew she'd never use it.
"Hey, baby, whatcha doing sitting here all by yourself?" One of the guys in the group came up and placed his hand on Sandy's shoulder. She didn't really like it there, but she didn't flinch away either.
"How about a walk on the beach?" The guy extended his hand to Sandy. She accepted. She tried to remember his name. She knew he was a college student at PSU, but she didn't know his major. He was a friend of a friend. She thought his name was Josh.
As they walked slowly down the beach, Josh pulled her closer to him and began kissing her neck. When Sandy tried to pull away, Josh only held on to her harder.
"Hey baby, I only want to have a little fun," he said in a soft voice. "Don't you want to have some fun?"
Sandy looked at him a moment, then shrugged and continued walking with him. When he stopped to light up a joint, she joined in. She let the sweet release of her high wash over her as Josh had his fun with her and she thought about her mother's blue-green eyes.
Chapter Nine
The colors appeared above her, fluttering in the soft breeze, enticing her to float up and touch their softness. Sky blue, sunshine yellow, baby pink, rosy red, they, along with all the colors of the rainbow, danced and twirled in the radiant golden light that filtered through from above. Annie stretched her arms high above her trying to touch the colors, but they were just beyond her grasp. Willing herself to rise, she ascended into the sky, but no matter how high she rose, the colors and the warm, golden light above them were always just out of her reach. Frustrated, Annie looked down below her and saw a gray mist rolling in. She didn't want to return to her gray existence. She wanted to join the colors and the golden light above. Suddenly, floating down from the ribbons of color, Annie saw a shadow of a figure coming toward her. Annie paused, not knowing if she should turn and flee from this shadow or rise up to it. When the shadowy figure drew near, Annie could make out long, slender legs and arms, and honey-yellow hair floating among the colors. As the figure's arms reached to embrace Annie, she found herself looking into a pair of brilliant blue-green eyes.
Annie awoke with a start and quickly sat up. Her heart pounded in her chest as it took her several minutes to realize she was not surrounded by colors in the sky but was instead sitting in her bed, surrounded by her quilt and pillows. Once she realized it was only a dream, she pulled her quilt up, hugging it tight, and leaned back against her pillows.
Why had the dream of colors in the sky startled her this time? She'd dreamt of the colors and the golden sky above them so often, they had become a part of her, much like the dreams of William had, even long before she knew who he was. But this time, the watercolor dream had been different. This time, another being was in the dream, and Annie was staring into a pair of eyes exactly like her own.
Annie looked at the clock beside her bed. It was past two in the morning. She knew she would be unable to sleep again after being startled by the dream, so she slipped out of bed and dressed in a thick, heavy sweater and jeans. She needed to calm down, and she knew exactly what would help ease her mind. Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door of her condo and to her car.
William stood on the deck of his home staring out at the ocean under the bright, full moon. Fog was rolling in over the beach, and the light of the moon turned it into an eerie haze. It was past two in the morning, but he'd been unable to sleep. Twice, he'd crawled into his bed, only to find himself getting out again. He'd started a fire in the fireplace in his bedroom to ward off the damp chill of the night, but the familiar crackling sound of wood burning was not enough to lull him to sleep. So he'd pulled on his thickest sweatshirt and the pants he'd worn on his date with Annie and gone downstairs to the deck.
Annie. His thoughts kept returning to her and their evening out. Even though it had been a strange night, talking about Sandy's troubles and his wife, he'd still felt he'd made a deep connection with Annie. She had invited him into her place at the end of the evening, and he'd declined. Why? She was an attractive woman, and he was a single man. They had spent a lot of time together over the past weeks and were becoming close. It would not have been a one night stand. Yet, he'd still said no.
William ran his hand through his hair as he looked up at the full moon in the sky. Was he still too attached to Sara to think of being with another woman? Did he honestly believe his Sara would come back to him, that she'd keep her promise an
d return? Or was he using her as an excuse to back away from Annie and not get hurt again? One other question lurked in the back of his mind no matter how much he tried to push it away. Was he still feeling so much guilt over Sara's death that he didn't believe he deserved to love again? William shook his head to try to clear his thoughts. He didn't have answers to any of his questions.
As William stood, deep in his own thoughts, he dropped his gaze to the beach below. He was startled to see a figure standing on the beach with the fog enveloping it. The figure looked to be a woman, with the moon casting a bright glow around her, giving her an ethereal quality.
"Sara?" William said softly in disbelief. Had he wished her here? Had she come back to him? The figure raised her hand to him then, and that was all the invitation he needed. William ran outside the house and down the wooden stairs to the beach.
Annie went to the only place where she'd ever found complete peace—the beach. It was damp and cold, and she wished she'd brought a jacket, but this didn't prevent her from leaving her car and walking along the shoreline. The fog rolled in, surrounding her in a shroud of dewy haze, but the full moon gave off enough light for her to continue walking. Slowly, with the sound of the water lapping against the shore, she calmed down. The anxiety she'd felt from the dream gradually left her body. She didn't understand what the dream meant or why it had upset her, but walking on the beach helped ease her mind.
When she reached the spot on the beach that lay below William's house, she stopped and looked up. She was surprised to see William standing on the deck, looking down at her. Feeling embarrassed for being seen, yet comforted that he was there, she raised her hand up to him in greeting. In a flash, he disappeared off the deck and she wondered if he'd seen her at all. But a moment later, she saw him running down the wooden steps to the beach calling out to her. Except he wasn't calling her name. He was calling to Sara.
As William approached Annie, he immediately realized his mistake. His mind had been so full of thoughts of Sara that he'd actually believed for one instant she'd come back to him. He reached out to Annie, pulling her close as the fog encircled them. He felt her shiver in his embrace.
"Annie, what are you doing out here? It's cold, and you're chilled."
Annie let William hold her tight, enjoying the warmth and safety of his arms. Slowly, she pulled away. "I couldn't sleep."
William grasped her hand. "Come up to the house," he told her, leading her to the wooden stairway. "You're shivering. We need to warm you up."
Annie followed him without hesitation. They walked into the house. He grabbed the soft, throw blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her as she shivered. Her hair was damp and hung limply around her shoulders. Beads of moisture from the fog still clung to her cheeks and lips.
"Let's go upstairs. I have a fire in the fireplace, and you can warm yourself there," William said, pulling her close and leading her up the stairs. He led Annie down the hallway and into his bedroom, drawing her close to the fire. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her once again and held her tight, warming her with his body heat. They stood there like that for several minutes, each taking pleasure in the heat of the fire and the warmth of each other.
Finally, William spoke softly, his lips close to her ear. "Why couldn't you sleep?" he asked.
Annie didn't know how to respond. Cherise was the only person she'd ever revealed her dreams to, and she didn't know how to explain them to William. "I had a bad dream," she answered. "It woke me, and I thought a walk on the beach would calm my nerves."
William led Annie to the bed, and they both sat down, facing each other. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked, reaching for her hand.
Annie shook her head, then looked up into William's caring brown eyes. "You were awake, too," she said.
William nodded. "I couldn't sleep either," he admitted. "I went out on the deck to think."
"About what?" Annie asked softly.
"About you," he replied honestly. "And about Sara, my life, and why I didn't say yes when you invited me in tonight."
Annie looked at William, her eyes tranquil. "You thought I was Sara on the beach, didn't you? I heard you calling her name."
William nodded, looking embarrassed. "I thought, for an instant, that Sara had returned to me, just like she'd promised." William looked into Annie's beautiful eyes, eyes so much like Sara's. "I know it sounds silly, believing she could come back. I know she's gone and isn't coming back. But I was thinking about her, then there you were, shrouded in fog with the full moon making you look like an angel from Heaven."
Annie's face turned sad. "Were you disappointed I wasn't Sara?"
William gave Annie a warm smile as he shook his head. "No, not at all. I was happy to see it was you." He lifted her hand to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "I was right about one thing, though," he said.
"What?" Annie asked, her heart warmed by his loving gesture.
"I did find an angel from Heaven on the beach. I found you."
Annie smiled up at William as he drew her close and kissed her. Slowly, he left a trail of kisses from Annie's lips, down across her cheek, and to the hollow of her neck. She gently ran her fingers up his back and through the hair at the nape of his neck. William slowly pulled away and looked at Annie with sensual eyes.
"Stay with me tonight," William said, his voice husky.
Annie wanted nothing more than to have William make love to her, but she hesitated, unsure of whether William was ready to let go of Sara. William saw the hesitation in her eyes.
"I just want to hold you close," he told her. "I want so much to hold you."
Annie nodded. She slipped off her jeans but left her sweater on, and William did the same. He turned out the lights, and they crawled into bed. He curled around Annie's small body, pulling her close, into his arms. By the light of the fire, Annie fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, feeling she had finally found where she belonged—in the safety of William's arms.
Chapter Ten
Annie slowly awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sunlight streaming in through the windows. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat until she remembered where she was, then a slow smile spread across her face. Stretching out in the large bed, she turned and found William was no longer lying beside her. Then she heard the shower running in the adjoining bathroom and realized where he had gone.
She sat up and surveyed the room around her. Last night, she had been too entranced with William to notice much about his bedroom, but now in the bright sunshine, she saw the large room spread out before her. Across from her was the fireplace, the fire having burned itself out overnight. Next to the fireplace sat two striped, overstuffed chairs and a small table, where she spied the coffee pot, mugs, and a tray of pastries that William must have left for her before showering. A large dresser and mirror stood on another wall. What attracted Annie's attention the most, however, was the unfinished painting propped up on an easel in the corner of the room.
She slipped out of bed, still wearing her long sweater from the night before, and walked over to stand in front of the painting. What little that had been finished was beautiful, and Annie sensed instantly that it must have been the last painting Sara worked on before she died.
Slowly, Annie gently stroked her fingertips over the canvas, entranced by the beautiful watercolors on the painting. The colors were soft and welcoming, so much like the colors of her dreams.
William walked into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, and stopped short when he saw the scene in front of him. Annie was standing in front of the painting in only her sweater, gracefully brushing her fingers across the canvas. Her brown hair was tousled, and her petite frame was hidden beneath the bulky sweater, except for her slender legs. William remembered a similar scene with Sara, and he drew in a sharp breath at the memory. Annie turned, startled by the sudden sound.
Seeing William, Annie sm
iled.
"You startled me. Good morning." She crossed the space between them, reached up, and gently pulled William's head down for a kiss. He obliged.
"Good morning to you, too," he said, kissing her again. "I didn't mean to scare you. Seeing you standing there just took me by surprise for a moment."
Annie's brow furrowed, but she didn't question him. "I was just admiring the painting," she told him as she turned and walked back to it. "It's Sara's, isn't it?"
William also stepped closer to where the painting sat on the easel. "Yes, it was the last one she worked on before she died," he said softly. "I keep meaning to put it away with the others, but I just never have."
Annie turned back to him. "The others?"
William nodded. "There are more unfinished paintings in the small closet under the staircase. Sara would start a painting, then never have time to finish it. Life just kept getting in the way, I'm afraid."
Annie turned toward the painting once more and sighed. "It's such a shame," she said. "She was so talented. I always wished I had the talent to paint like this."
William stepped up closer to Annie until he was only inches away. He circled his arms around her waist and gently pulled her to him. A chill of déjà vu crept up his spine. "I always hoped that someday Sandy would finish some of the paintings that Sara started. Sandy is also such a talented artist. But her style is very different, so I'm not sure if she would ever want to finish her mother's work."
Annie turned and smiled up at William. It felt good to be so close to him, his arms around her and his chest pressed against hers.
"I was thinking today would be a great day to do something outside," William said. "Do you like to hike?"
Annie nodded. "I love hiking. Anywhere special in mind?"
Sara's Promise Page 8