by LuAnn McLane
“It’s hard for me to picture you as shy, but I get it. I’m not nearly as outgoing as my brothers.”
“Oh, I worked hard to overcome it later in life. Then there was my appearance.” She gave a low chuckle. “I looked like a Q-tip on fire, and then I kept gaining weight. My grandma meant well by cooking and baking. There were always homemade cookies in a jar. Meals filled with delicious comfort food, and oh, I sure indulged. And since my mother worked full-time and Grandma part-time, I was often a latchkey kid. I spent a lot of time reading, watching TV, and not getting much exercise.”
“Harsh winters, city dwelling.”
“Yeah, it was different from the paradise you grew up in. It’s not that I’m not fond of where I lived. It’s home. I just adore the beach. I hope you’re not one of those Floridians who takes the beauty here for granted.”
“I try not to. I’m outside more than inside. The view from my balcony gives me inspiration and calms me down. It’s almost like I have to be looking at water for the words to flow.” Jimmy took a swig of his beer and would have said more, but he didn’t want the Heartbeat thing to get in the way of getting to know her, even though sooner or later it would come out. “I didn’t get such good grades in elementary school. I was always a daydreamer. Doodling, gazing out the window. Not paying attention.”
“ADD?”
“I don’t know, maybe. I was a visual learner.”
Maggie nodded. “Another problem is that we try to teach all children the same way. And I sure wish music and art were as important in school as how far you can kick or hit a ball. Don’t get me wrong, I think sports are important and can be used as tools to teach, but wow, the arts sure take a back seat.”
“I love sports as much as the next guy, but you’re preaching to the choir, if you’ll pardon the joke.” He longed to tell her how his family supported music and theater in Sea Breeze, but he changed the subject. “You must have worked hard.” He liked the way the candles filled the air with the scent of vanilla and gave her skin a soft glow. “To be such a good student.”
“I wanted to please my sad father, so I tried to be the perfect child, the perfect student. And when he left, the only thing I wanted was to bring a smile to my mother’s long face because she thought I was happy and thriving.” She smiled, but a hint of sadness remained at the corners of her mouth.
“You never told her that kids were being mean to you?”
“No. She had enough on her plate. And Grandma Mags would have stomped into the principal’s office and caused a scene. The last thing I wanted was to bring more attention to myself or make others mad at me.” She shuddered visibly, as if reliving the pain. But when she looked at him and smiled again, it hit Jimmy hard how courageous she must have been to put on a brave face. “Don’t look so sad.” She raised her palms upward. “Honestly, I’m glad I went through the adversity so I could have the background, the knowledge to help kids going through the same thing.”
“The old making-lemons-into-lemonade approach?”
“And now I can add vodka.”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?”
“Ha, then I should be able to bench-press a bus!” she said with a chuckle.
“I would have stood up for you,” Jimmy said with such heat that she laughed lightly.
“You know, I believe you,” Maggie said, and even in the flickering candlelight he could tell she was blushing. “But look, in so many ways, I was actually thriving. I continued to do well in school, landing the scholarship money I desperately needed for college. And I had friends—we were an odd lot for sure, but I still keep in touch with most of them.” She picked up her wineglass and looked at the contents before taking a slow sip. She rubbed her lips together as if mulling over how much more of herself she wanted to reveal to him. He thought that the low light and the wine must be helping to mellow her toward him, even though he could feel the feisty energy surrounding her like an aura. Jimmy was passionate about his music, but this was different. Powerful.
Jimmy waited, hoping she would turn the page and reveal more. Meanwhile, he realized that the storm raging on all around them was getting worse. He’d been so intent on listening to her, looking at her, that everything in the background had faded away. Additional lightning flashed through the windows, and thunder rumbled.
“Angels bowling,” Maggie said.
“Granny Mags’s observation?”
“Yep. An effort to calm me down during a storm. I have an active imagination, and I always pictured little cherubs with bowling balls nearly as big as themselves, throwing gutter balls.”
Jimmy laughed. “So, do you like to bowl?”
“It’s one of the few sports—okay, maybe the only sport I’m sort of good at. Granny Mags played in a league and I used to go sometimes. I’m a southpaw like her, and we have a natural hook.”
Jimmy filed this information away for future use.
Trixie trotted closer and laid down beneath Maggie’s chair, getting comfort and perhaps lending protection too.
“Well, Trixie didn’t growl this time, so I hope it’s the beginning of a lasting relationship.”
“I’ll give you some treats in a plastic bag so if she ever does go outside and bark when you’re working again, you don’t have to resort to a pretzel.”
“I’m sorry I did that. I was just getting desperate.”
“I overreacted,” she said with a shy smile, and when she licked her bottom lip his brain went straight back to wanting to kiss her.
Jimmy leaned in closer, trying to decide if he should go for a kiss. But he’d made progress with her, and he wasn’t sure how she would react. She and Trixie were quite a pair. “Would you do something with me?”
“That depends on what it is,” she answered softly, but she seemed intrigued.
Jimmy reached over and grasped her hand, gently tugging her to her feet. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Just trust me, okay?” he asked gently.
CHAPTER FOUR
DANCING IN THE DARK
Maggie gazed into those warm brown eyes of Jimmy’s and braced herself for the seductive power of his smile, the same slightly crooked smile that she’d blown a kiss at every night growing up. “I don’t know you well enough to trust you,” she replied, trying to sound firm, but her damned traitorous voice came out breathless. She didn’t withdraw her hand from his grasp, even though she probably should have, because she liked the feeling way too much.
Flowers? Holding hands?
Oh my …
This needed to stop.
But why? The thought tiptoed into her brain and hovered.
“I want you to get to know me, trust me,” Jimmy said.
“Yeah, but—” Maggie started, but when he arched an eyebrow she had to chuckle.
“Just come with me,” he coaxed, and she was powerless to refuse. Using the flashlight app to see in the still pitch-black dark, they walked across her living room. “Is it just as colorful in here as on the balcony?”
“Yes, vivid colors seem to have such great energy,” she said, trying hard not to feel giddy that she was holding Jimmy Heart’s hand. She failed. “And just make me feel happy.”
“I get it. I feel the same way about music.”
Trixie followed, making mewling sounds of protest. “I have lots of stuff, but I’m kind of a neat freak. Comes from being bored as a kid, when I’d organize everything in the apartment. I liked to alphabetize,” she said, wincing at how much she was babbling. Soon, he was going to think she was damned weird … and she supposed she was a little on the odd side. “Where are you—” she began, but then pulled up short when she realized they were standing in front of the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. “Whoa, wait … a minute.”
“Maggie.” Jimmy looked at her with a hint of challenge. “Let’s go outside.”
“Seriously? It’s storming.” She pointed to the elements in case he’d forgotten.
“We�
��ll be mostly under cover, but we’ll get to hear the waves crashing on the shore and the whistle of the wind … feel the misty rain on our faces.”
“Uh, hell to the no. Are you forgetting that I’m afraid of storms?” She shook her head. “Going out there would take more than one glass of wine.” She held up her index finger.
“I haven’t forgotten anything about you. Come on, face your fear head-on. Once you do, you’ll love the fury, the beauty, the scent of the falling rain and the salty sea.”
“Did you just quote song lyrics?”
Jimmy chuckled. “No, I’m trying to persuade you. Is it working?”
“No.” Maggie shook her head firmly and held back. “I don’t even like being by the window.”
“I’ll be right there with you, holding your hand.” He gave her fingers a little squeeze. “Together, we will cure your astraphobia.”
“I’m guessing that’s the fear of storms.” Maggie felt a tug of war between her phobia and the excitement of being out there in the wildly whipping wind with him.
“It will be exhilarating. It’ll be like a magnificent light show sponsored by nature.” Jimmy held up his phone. “We can even add music if you like.”
“I’m afraid. My heart beats like crazy and my knees get all weird and wobbly.”
“But after the experience, you won’t be afraid any longer.” He slid the door open just a few inches, making the sound of the storm scream through the small opening. Rain pounded on the roof of the balcony, waves crashed on the shore, thunder boomed, and the wind howled—wait, no, that was Trixie doing the howling. “Come on,” he coaxed. Oh, why did he have to be so damned cute?
“Trixie is frightened out of her mind.”
“She can stay inside,” he said, and when he looked down at Trixie, she tilted her head and gave him a big-eyed stare, as if saying, What are you doing, you crazy humans? But apparently thinking she might be forced to join the insane experience, Trixie scampered away in the direction of Maggie’s bedroom. “Where’s she going?”
“To huddle beneath the covers of my bed, like I should be doing,” Maggie said, but talking about her bed to Jimmy had her blushing so furiously that she was sure she looked like a beacon.
“So, are you ready?” He opened the door a few more inches.
“No, I might get wet!” she protested, but when he slid the door wide open she suddenly found herself on her big balcony clinging to Jimmy as if he were a life preserver and she were floating out to sea. Mist from the rain blew toward them and she shrieked. “This is seriously insane!”
“It’s only water,” Jimmy said, laughing at her reaction. Wind whipped across the balcony, making her various wind chimes tinkle and jangle wildly. Lightning flashed like strobe lights out on the ocean, illuminating the inky darkness of the night.
“It’s more than just water.” Maggie tried to control her trembling but failed.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
“My heart is pounding like I just ran a marathon, and I don’t run marathons. It feels as if I could blow away any minute and land way out there in the ocean! And the lightning would surely strike me!”
“I’m your anchor.” With a grin, he tugged her even closer. “And the lightning is way out to sea.”
“This is wild!” she shouted over the sound of the storm.
“And wonderful. Just look at the power, the energy. It makes me feel alive, teases all my senses.”
“Aren’t you a little bit afraid?”
“Not really.” Jimmy shook his head. “I grew up with storms like these. When I was a kid and the electricity went out, we had a blast. Played board games by candlelight. Hide-and-seek in the dark. My mother and father would join in,” he said, and she could hear the wistful sadness in his voice. “When it stormed like this, we loved getting out the candles and making life slow down for just a while. Didn’t you feel that way on snow days?”
Maggie shrugged, trying to imagine a house filled with laughter and rowdy siblings. “School would be called off, but my mom and grandma still had to make it to work. My mom had an ancient, beat-up car, so they used the transit system more often than not. I was usually alone on snow days.”
“Oh,” he said with a hint of sadness.
Maggie cringed. She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her. “But getting to sleep in was sweet.” She wasn’t a morning person. Insomnia plagued her sometimes, and she was a tosser and a turner, resulting in crazy bed-head. So when she did get to sleep in, it was pretty much heaven.
“But it was pretty, right? Everything turning frozen and white.”
“Yeah, at least on the first day.” Maggie nodded. “Haven’t you seen snow?” she asked, but then felt silly. Of course he’d seen snow. Heartbeat had traveled all over the world.
“I have, over the years, but usually just when I went skiing. I lived on the West Coast for a few years before returning to Sea Breeze,” he explained. “No, wait, I’ve seen snow in New York, and maybe a few other places. But never in an everyday kind of way, you know, shoveling snow or scraping car windows.”
“You’re not missing anything, trust me.” Maggie was about to ask more, but a sudden deep boom of thunder made her jump and bury her face against Jimmy’s shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed lightning zigzag across the pitch-black sky. The wind blew more misty rain their way, and she could feel her clothes getting damp even though they stood just outside the condo.
“Do you want to go back inside?” Jimmy asked, hugging her close.
“No … yes … no!” she said, and then laughed. “My heart is still beating like the wings of a hummingbird, but—”
“It’s exhilarating?”
Boom!
“Ohmigod!” she shrieked, and jumped again, and he laughed, a low pleasant sound that she longed to hear often. “Why does it do that?”
“The noise?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s because the increase in air pressure and temperature causes a rapid expansion of air, which in turn causes a crack, rumble, or boom that depends on the distance and nature of the lightning.”
“Ah, so lightning causes thunder,” Maggie said, risking lifting her head to look at Jimmy.
“Yes, it’s actually a sonic wave.” He grinned. “I’ve always been fascinated by weather, especially storms. I could toss out a bunch of terms like cumulonimbus, squall line, supercells.”
“So you could be one of those insane storm chasers?”
“Such a rush! My dream job.”
“You’re out of your ever-loving mind! Haven’t you ever seen Twister?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m guessing you’ve seen Jaws and you still go into the ocean.”
“But I wouldn’t chase a shark. And I’m a little afraid when slithery things touch me in the water. Aren’t you?”
“No. The ocean has been in my backyard for years. I love swimming in any kind of water. Lakes, pools, but especially the ocean. Just look at it.”
“But there’s stuff swimming in that big body of water. Lots of stuff.”
“That slithery stuff is usually just seaweed.”
“Ah, the operative word there is usually.”
Jimmy chuckled. “I’m going to have to take you snorkeling. Are you a good swimmer?”
“I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say good, but I took lessons at the local YMCA in Cleveland, so I can stay afloat.”
“Good. I know some great spots.”
Maggie pushed a damp lock of hair from her face and inhaled the briny scent of the sea. She tried not to get excited about his invitation. She decided to change the subject. “So, you’re a daredevil?”
“Me?” Jimmy tossed back his head and laughed. “No, unlike my brothers, I’m usually the voice of reason.” He paused and then added, “But maybe I should switch it up a little bit. What do you think? Go ahead. Give me a dare.”
“You’re daring me to dare you?”
He laughed. “Yeah.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because then you’ll want to dare me and I don’t do dares,” she admitted, thinking back to when she’d been bullied, dared to do things that would make her look foolish, and, when she’d refused, been called a big fat chicken. But Jimmy hadn’t dared her to come out here; instead, he had encouraged her to join him. She was becoming less frightened and more exhilarated. “I’m a pretty big scaredy-cat. In case you haven’t already noticed.”
“I’ve noticed a lot about you,” Jimmy said, sending a thrill down her spine. “And you’re brave, Maggie.”
“Brave? Ha … no, no … no.”
“Sure you are. Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared, but that you conquer your fears in spite of them. I know it’s not easy to get up in front of people, and you do that a lot, right?”
“It shouldn’t be easy, I guess. I know that public speaking is something a lot of people are afraid to do, but oddly enough, I don’t get frightened in front of a roomful of young girls and women. Something comes over me and, I don’t know, I just sort of … do it.”
“Must be how strongly you feel about the subject matter.”
“I guess so.”
“What an amazing gift to be able to inspire,” he said so sincerely that Maggie had to smile. Other than the audiences she spoke to, not many people knew what she wrote about, so to have Jimmy give her that compliment felt wonderful.
“I hope I make a difference.”
“I’m sure you do.”
She inhaled a quick breath to clear her head, but instead she caught the clean scent of his cotton shirt, a hint of spicy aftershave. When he shifted his arm lower, to her waist, she felt a ripple of muscle and nearly moaned. She could only resist so much.
Maggie knew this was when she should say something sassy, to keep things casual, but how could she when it felt so good to be out here with him while the storm flashed all around them? The next loud crack of thunder made her shriek, and she fisted her hand in his shirt. When Jimmy chuckled, she could feel the low rumble beneath her hand. A gust of wind blew her hair across his chest, and he threaded his fingers through its curly strands. With a moan, he pulled her into his arms, gently tugged her head back, and then he kissed her.