by Ann Charlton
She was moved. 'You're some guy. I'm glad you turned up and grabbed me in the dark that night even if you did scare me to death.'
'I promise not to do that again.'
'What—grab me in the dark?'
'Mmmm—well, I promise not to scare you—'
She laughed. 'Locke, what did Sam ask of you?'
'I'm afraid I lied to you about that. He knew I was interested in you—made me promise not to er—seduce you. Very frank he was. Marriage or nothing he told me. I agreed. Marriage I said.'
'After just two weeks?'
'How long does it take to recognise your other half?'
She gulped. 'That promise must have made Sam very happy.'
'It did,' Locke said softly, 'He fixed me with those fierce eyes and said "Aaagh." I wanted to tell you the day we were married that we had his blessing.'
She pressed into his arms and shed a few tears on his shoulder at that. For a long time they held each other until happiness bubbled up through the memories.
'You know I think I really fell for you on your second night here,' Dru linked her hands about his neck, '—when I went to bed with you.'
'Went to ?' he stopped, thought a bit. 'I thought you were less caustic the next morning—and my door was open—was it the dream?'
'Yes. You cried out Eva's name and I went to you. Even then I wondered how important she was to you that you had nightmares about her. Later when I knew she was your wife I assumed you dreamed of her loss because you still loved her.'
'Eva was—well, I won't ever forget her. But I stopped mourning her long ago. But the way she died… I suppose deep down I can't shake the feeling that if I hadn't been late—oh I know, it's a pointless exercise. When I came up here I didn't realise it but I was at a crisis point in my career. Eva and I had always talked about the kind of work I desperately wanted to do—the roles I would play for nothing, just for the privilege of doing them. It occurred to me occasionally over the past years that Eva wouldn't recognise the man I'd become—a wealthy pin-up instead of an actor. Maybe that's what started me dreaming of her again. A reminder of the ideals I'd begun with and lost somewhere along the way. It was my fault, not Eric's that my career galloped off in one direction. I let him do so much for me, too much. My laziness gave him a certain control. From now on it will be different.' He rested his chin on her head. 'You know I just can't forgive myself.'
'For being lazy?'
'No, not that. For not waking up when I had you in bed with me…' He shook his head.
'Yes, you were pretty tame for a sex symbol.'
'I'm only tame when I'm asleep.'
'Glad to hear it.'
'Hussy. I think the stars are right about you.'
'What stars? Rock stars, film stars ?'
'Philomena's stars. She finished your chart and delivered it to the apartment. Had a long talk to Mrs Curtis who was very impressed, I hear. Philomena is doing her chart now. I read yours on the plane.'
'And it said I was a hussy?'
'More kindly worded than that. "A woman who can constantly surprise—even shock others," it said. But I knew that. "A commonsense person with a passionate nature. A sensuous woman…"' he leered. 'But I knew that too.'
'Know it all.'
'You're going to have three children and be very happy.'
'Oh good.'
'—later in life you could become a celebrity—'
'I'm already a celebrity. I'm married to you.'
'—in your own right. Philomena says your stars show you becoming well known—being interviewed, writing things—'
She kissed the base of his neck. 'I'm going to be busy.'
'You will love one man all your life—'
'I knew that.'
'—and through troubled times you will hold on to what you love because—'
'I know. I have the pincer,' she took a Philomena grip on his arm and he pretended agony.
'I hope that part is right,' he said, suddenly serious, 'It isn't easy keeping a marriage alive in my business. Even without the Ransome image I'll still be photographed with actresses and the studios and papers will want to make a romance between me and every leading lady…'
'We'll be like Mr and Mrs Newman and Mr and Mrs Heston. They survived.'
'There'll be weeks and weeks of location work.'
'I'll get a passport.'
'And how will you feel about seeing me make love to some other woman on the screen?'
'Smug.'
'An answer for everything,' he marvelled.
'Not everything.' She looked around at the lonely stretch of beach. 'What about this place Locke? I don't think I could bear to see a club and carpark over there changing everything.'
'Let's wait and see. It could take years.'
Years. And they would be together. Things change, Sam had said. Perhaps she wouldn't need to cling to this place of time-standing-still anymore.
'I suppose it's too much to ask that you've got some champagne on ice?' he murmured in her ear.
'I've got the champagne on ice. And two glasses that have been frosted over for days.'
'Does that mean you're offering me a room for the night again?'
'It looks like it. And this time you won't have to sleep with the baggage.'
'I have every intention of sleeping with the baggage…'
'Oh! You—' She bounced her fist off his shoulder.
Her letter was plucked fluttering from his pocket and carried away. Up and up where the breeze whispered Sam's old name for her in the cottonwood trees. You see Sam, it all turned out.
The sea rolled and retreated and Dru thought of an April night when Locke had kissed her under a million stars. He held her close now, rubbing his cheek against hers. Then he kissed her and the earth tilted as it was meant to. Dru put a hand to her tingling face as they began to walk across the dunes to Sea Winds.
'You might have shaved,' she said.