After following nothing but the stars in the sky for an hour, Ryan pulled off the highway, seeming to slow to almost a crawl after the speed of the open road. The car drifted silently, the empty road stretching out before us like a forgotten gateway to the unknown.
Peering out my window, I watched the dark shapes of bushes and trees as they silently guarded the night like sentinels of old. “Where are we?” I asked, sudden nervousness crawling around my stomach. It dawned on me how alone we were, and how much I didn’t know about one of the world’s most famous guys. They don’t tell you things like who is a serial killer in their spare time in the pages of People.
“What’s a matter,” he asked, sensing the nervousness I suddenly carried. “Do you not trust me?”
I looked at him, seriousness in my eyes. “Should I?”
Ryan looked at me for a moment, the seriousness echoed in his own. “That’s for you to figure out. But…” he said, his gaze drifting back to the road. “I hope you do.”
I stayed silent as he pulled into an empty parking lot. The lines painted on the pavement were faded with age. Weeds grew up through cracks in the blacktop, showing nature’s desire to claim what was rightfully hers. Everything was silent around us. Nothing moved. Nothing even breathed out there.
“It’s as if no one’s been here for years,” I said, creeped out by the stillness around me.
Ryan laughed softly. “That’s because no one has,” he said, opening the Lotus’ door. “Come on, I want to show you something.” He shut his door and came around to mine.
As he opened it, another wave of doubt came over me. What was I doing? Was I crazy? Here I was going out in the middle of nowhere with a stranger.
He looked at me, concern clouding his eyes as he seemed to guess where my thoughts were heading. “It’s okay, Maxie. I won’t bite. I promise.” Extending his hand out for me, he added with a slight grin, “At least…not yet.”
My heart seemed to stop at that grin. He wanted to spend some time alone with me and I was ready to call America’s Most Wanted. I smiled shyly, letting him pull me from the car. What the heck. I was already here, might as well put a little trust in the man. After all, he was America’s golden boy.
“So what’s so important out here?” I asked, trying to put some confidence in my words as we crossed the parking lot to the weed covered hill in front of us.
“You’ll see,” he said, pulling me forward into a well-worn path up the hill. He smiled at me, pure delight in his eyes, as we carefully trudged up the trail.
I stopped for a moment, pulling my new Manolo Blahniks off my feet. Heels were definitely not made to climb in. I could just see me breaking an ankle out here. That would be a great way to end the evening.
Ryan slipped the shoes from my hand, meaning to carry them for me, and looked down at my bare feet. “Are you okay like that?”
I nodded, my toes wiggling against the dirt. One of my favorite things was to feel the grass between my toes. Not a very sophisticated thing, I know, but what can I say? I’m a very complicated person.
“Good,” he said, taking my hand in his. “We’re almost there.” He led me casually up the rest of the path, his fingers gently laced with mine.
A shiver ran down my spine as I followed behind which had nothing to do with the chill in the air. Being this close to him, our fingers intertwined, was nothing short of magical. Maybe I was already dead, because this was Heaven.
Ryan stopped, turning to me before we reached the top. Excitement bubbled in him, threatening to overflow any second. I looked at him as the corner of his lips twitched in anticipation. He acted like he had the world’s biggest secret to share. What could be so important?
He pulled me closer, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “Welcome to Jaden Park Paradise Pier. The most thrilling amusement park in the world,” he said, leading me to the top of the hill.
I gasped as I stared down at the beach in front of us. There, nestled on the sand and jutting out into the ocean, were the remains of a forgotten nautical theme park. It sat there, a skeleton on a boardwalk, calling out, enticing me by its ghostly appearance.
“Oh, wow,” I said, taking in the rundown blackened buildings. We were high enough on the hill to see everything. The old rusty rides sat silent in the moonlight. It made me sad to think that they would never move again. “It’s breathtaking, in a depressing apocalyptic way,” I told him.
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “I suppose it is. This place does have a beautifully tragic allure to it.” Taking his suit jacket off, he spread it across the ground, then with grace I could never achieve, he bent a knee taking a seat on the makeshift blanket. Looking up at me, his perfect teeth shining in the moonlight as he smiled, he patted the spot next to him. “Care to join me?”
Smoothing down my dress, I lowered myself to the ground, praying I could look only half as good as Ryan. I looked out at the water, the haunting structure taking up most of the view. “Why is it still lit up?
“It stays lit so boats can see it. There were too many accidents at night here when it was first closed down. Too many late night boaters not paying attention. In the end, it was safer to keep it lit all night.”
I took in the park. I guess that made sense. It was the same reason people came up with lighthouses. “Why don’t they just tear it down?”
“Maybe the owner doesn’t want to.”
I let his words sink in as I took in all the place had to offer. The faded colors, the broken statues. It made me wonder what it would have been like in its heyday. I could almost hear the ghosts of memories floating around down there, rejoicing in what was now lost to the world.
I understood why it was still there. It had somehow survived the hardships placed against it and still managed to keep its place in the world. In many ways, we were alike. Time tried to wear us down, but we remained intact, just waiting for someone to love us enough to make us whole again.
“What was the name of this place?” I asked Ryan, only taking my eyes off it for a second. There were too many wonderful things down there to stop looking at it for any longer.
He leaned closer. “Jaden Park Paradise Pier,” he said, awe in his voice as he spoke, almost as if he was naming royalty.
“I’ve never heard of the place.” I turned and looked at him. “Why haven’t I ever heard of this place?”
Ryan shrugged. “Not a whole lot of people have. It was one of the most popular parks in the 20’s. People came from all over just to ride the Big Dipper,” he said, tracing a finger down the sloping wooden arch of decaying roller coaster track. “This was the spot to be. Young, old. Rich, poor. Famous, or not. Everyone wanted to spend a day under the glittering lights of the midway.” He pointed a finger down at the old boardwalk as waves crashed around its supports. “That was the jewel of amusement parks.”
I watched the wonder in his eyes as he spoke. This place meant a lot to him. “What happened to it?” I asked, being swept up in the emotions of it.
“The Great Depression came and went. People stopped going to places like this. Carefree days and frivolous nights were something people couldn’t afford anymore,” he told me with a shrug. “Visitors stopped coming. Money dried up. The park started to be too much of a burden to keep open. They shut it down and walked away.” His gaze drifted to me. “It sat here, empty, a ghost of its former self, waiting for something to change. Nothing ever did. Except for a small fire in 1954. Turned part of her into a charred mess, but…she still stands.”
“It must have been wonderful here.”
“Oh, yes. It was. It was the greatest thing around. So fresh and new. You’d look at her and know anything was possible here.”
I looked at him in amazement. He talked like he’d known this place. It was as if he’d actually witnessed its days of glory. But that couldn’t be right. He was only a few years older than I was. He had been b
orn in the days of neon-jellied sandals and crimped hair. He wasn’t even thought of yet in the heyday of this park’s past. Why was he so attached to it?
He noticed the confusion on my face. “I’m sorry. The way I talk about this place, you must think I’m crazy.”
I shook my head. “No, not crazy. I'm just not quite sure how you can have sentimental feelings for a place you’ve never seen.”
He turned away from me and shrugged. “Stories passed down to me,” he said, almost automatically. “I’ve grown up hearing all about Jaden Park. Sometime…” He stopped, glancing out at the water, his eyes glazing over at the memories stirring in his head. “Sometimes I feel I’ve lived all her stories personally.”
Wow. The guy sitting here, telling me stories about his past wasn’t the Ryan I had gotten to know through the big screen. This Ryan was quiet, thoughtful, almost vulnerable. No longer was there any trace of the cool Hollywood actor.
I realized this was a side of him most people never got to see. I doubted if he even realized he was showing it to me. There was so much sadness in his eyes as he watched the waves dance in the darkness below.
I leaned towards him. “Ryan,” I whispered, “who used to bring you here?”
He looked over at me, startled. It was almost as if he had forgotten I was even there.
“My mother,” he said softly before slipping a smile back across his lips. “But…that is a story for another day.” He slipped back into the controlled golden god with those words. The perfect dashing leading man, who made women drool with that smile.
But I had seen the real Ryan for a moment. The one who was haunted by things I couldn’t even begin to imagine. There was a depth to him that seemed endless, a depth you might fall into if you got too close.
My instincts were telling me all of this from that one brief glimpse. I also knew something else. Something that I could totally relate to. Despite all his wealth and fame, Ryan was a very, very lonely guy. And even though I knew I should stay away, (my gut was screaming that this could only end in heartache) I wanted to fix that. Desperately!
I leaned closer, smiling up at him. “You surprise me, Ryan Everheart. Most movie stars don’t have real passion for anything other than themselves.”
“Oh,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll come to find I’m full of unexpected surprises.” He closed the space between us, brushing his lips softly against mine.
It was as if I had stuck my finger in a light socket. My body shuddered at the flash of electricity running through me at his touch. I pulled back instantly, not even realizing I had.
Ryan looked down at me, slight disappointment in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
I raised my fingers to my lips, making sure they hadn’t been scorched off. What was that? Nothing like that had ever happened when I kissed a guy before. And I’ve had my fair share of kisses.
I looked at him, curiosity burning deep within me. What could that have meant? Had he felt it too? Considering I was the only one who pulled away, I seriously doubted it.
Ryan took in my silence and then started to move. “I should get you home.”
“No,” I said immediately, with such force I shocked us both. I was with Ryan, alone, and I wasn’t going to ruin it. No matter what. Even if all my skin smoldered off at his touch. “I don’t want to go.”
He moved close again, looking into my eyes. “What do you want?” he breathed.
“This,” I said, my fingers digging into his shirt as I pulled him into me. Our lips found each other and I kissed him softly, making it perfectly clear I wasn’t going anywhere.
Lightning struck my senses again as he moved his lips against mine, but this time I was prepared for it. I mentally swatted the sensation away, shoving it deep into the back of my mind. I didn’t care what it meant. I wanted this and nothing was going to stop me.
The bolt of electricity died down as our kisses deepened. It became a dull buzzing, seeming to dance across my skin as my whole body flushed from the contact. It almost became pleasant as I melted into Ryan, becoming aware of nothing but his lips and tongue as they told me things only a body could.
Maybe everyone felt that searing rush of electricity burn through their bodies when they kissed that special someone for the first time. Maybe I had finally found where I was meant to be and this was my sign. My sit-up-and-take-notice moment when I was supposed to cut through all the mundaneness and realize that I was with the one.
My heart stopped for a moment as I felt that sink in. Maybe it was an early warning system and I was falling in love with Ryan Everheart. But…I couldn’t be. I was smarter than that.
Wasn’t I?
Fifteen
Bell, Book, and Sandals Page 19