He put a hand on his son’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “I used to think that my words didn’t matter. I could always take them back—apologize and make things better. But I promise you, when you say something hurtful to the woman you love, the hurt in her eyes is going to be something that you won’t forget. She will tell you that she forgives you—and she will try—but when you break that spell—when you tread on her feelings as if they don’t matter—she won’t ever truly forget.”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” Thomas narrowed his eyes. “Love isn’t like that any more. People fight all the time.”
“There’s a difference between arguing and hurting. Never lose sight of who is standing in front of you. Dating may have changed, romance may be old-fashioned, but love itself does not change.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll try to remember.”
“I mean it, Thomas. Your words have power. Don’t think for a second that the way I spoke to that woman is ever an acceptable way to treat a lady. I don’t know where my senses went, but it wasn’t right.”
“Maybe they disappeared along with the rest of her bikini.” Thomas laughed.
“Oh, but you are still eighteen, aren’t you?” Dane gave his shoulder a playful slap. “How about a swim?” Dane tossed the football down in the sand. “We can give her space and still have fun.”
“I don’t know, I see a few ladies that I might like to toss a football at.” Thomas glanced around at the young women lined up on the more populous part of the beach.
Dane grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around. “Are you saying that you did that on purpose? You overthrew the ball so it would hit her?”
“I didn’t expect you to catch it.” Thomas shrugged.
“Why would you do that?” Dane narrowed his eyes. “That’s absurd. She could have been hurt.”
“Because I thought she was cute—you know, for an older chick. I thought maybe you might like her. It’s a great way to start a conversation. It worked at summer camp last year.”
“Oh, son, we’re going to have to work on your idea of romance.” Dane sighed and glanced back at the woman. “There is never an excuse for disrupting a person’s peace. And,” he turned back to his son. “I’ve already told you multiple times I’m not interested in any kind of relationship. When are you going to accept that?”
“Never.” Thomas winked at him, then rushed off into the water.
Dane rolled his eyes and charged after him. When his body struck the warm water he was reminded to take it slow. All of his efforts at the gym had made him strong, but his body still had some new creaks that he’d not felt before. He eased his way further out and felt the tug of the current.
“That current is pretty strong. Don’t go out too far,” he shouted toward his son.
“Yes, Dad. Do you want me to wear my floaties too?”
“Ha ha.” Dane sent a wall of water in his son’s direction.
Thomas ducked under the water to avoid it.
The more they played, the more Dane forgot about his frustration with his son. He was only trying to do his old dad a favor. Still, he felt badly that the woman had been a target of his son’s reckless behavior. Beyond that, he was shocked by his own response to her. He’d always prided himself on being courteous—especially to women—and yet he had traded insults without batting an eye. He decided that he’d have a bottle of wine sent to her room as an apology.
He dove under the water and swam hard to try to clear his mind. If she’d had that much of an affect on him it was impossible to imagine what it would be like to have to see her again.
When he emerged from the water, he was surprised to be greeted by the sight of her. He watched as she waded in, stretching her body out to float on top of the water. It was amazing to him that despite the exchange they’d shared, he was subtly fascinated by her. It wasn’t quite an interest as much as a curiosity. He wanted to look away, and yet the draw remained.
To cleanse himself of it, he dove down under the water once more.
Chapter 7
Even after the two men had left, it was difficult for Ella to calm down. Her heart pounded. Her mind whirled from anger at the disruption, but she also felt annoyed with herself for her behavior. She was known to have a sharp tongue, but sometimes she wished that she didn’t.
Most of the men she dated wouldn’t dare to question her. Even when there was an argument, most wouldn’t come back at her the way that the man on the beach had. But maybe that was because she never let a relationship last much longer than a few dates. She told herself it was so that the fun wouldn’t turn into obligation, but she knew better than that. It was because she didn’t want any man becoming too engrained in her life.
No matter how she tried to get back into her book, she wasn’t able to relax enough to enjoy it. One moment she wanted to apologize for being so harsh, the next she wanted to demand another apology from him. But what remained consistent throughout was her desire to look into his eyes again. That need made a shiver race down her spine.
What was it about him that had gotten her attention? He was handsome enough, with a toned body, but she was used to dating younger men, so there was nothing terribly attention-grabbing about his looks.
She tossed down her book. No matter how many times she read the words she couldn’t find a way to stop thinking about the man. As infuriating as it was, she was curious about him. The problem was, she didn’t want to be curious about him. She wanted to forget him entirely.
As she stood up from the beach chair she scanned the beach for any sign of the father and son duo. She spotted them in the water roughhousing yet again. With a shake of her head, she walked for a few minutes along the beach to put some distance between them.
As soon as she put one foot into the water all of the confusion she felt toward her encounter with the man disappeared along with the flow of the water. She waded out further and further until the water was deep enough for her to float. She stretched out on her back and let the buoyancy of the water support her. It felt nice to be weightless.
As the current rocked her, she relaxed even more. It wasn’t long before she let her ears dip beneath the waves. With the subtle lull of the water, she recalled the sailboat that Louis had chartered for them.
It had been during sunrise, the horizon endless. He’d reached out and traced his fingertips along her cheek, smiling at her. The moment had been so precious to her that she closed her eyes and did her best to memorize it. Now she only wished that she could forget it.
A stray splash of water rushed across her cheek and tickled the corner of her lips. Maybe the vacation was a mistake. Years of avoiding her emotions had left her paralyzed by the prospect of actually facing them. Dwelling even for a minute on the past caused a flood of memories to come rushing back.
“I love you, Lou.” She’d grabbed his hand and held onto it even as he continued toward the door.
“Stop, Ella. You’re better than this. We had our fun. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Fun?” She was startled by the word. There were a million words she would have used to describe the relationship that she’d had with her husband—passionate, soulful, intimate, romantic. Fun was not one of them. “Are you trying to say that you never loved me?”
The way he’d looked at her then was burned into her memory, despite every attempt to forget it—the quirk of his brow, the way his lips curled, even the subtle chuckle that was barely above a whisper. It was all she needed to hear to know that she’d been fooled—more than just fooled, she was left heartbroken.
While she’d been professing her love to him, he’d only been playing a game with her.
During the months that followed their divorce, she’d become determined never to be that vulnerable again. Even as time passed, she found herself sticking to that determination. It was the main reason why, when she dated, she stuck to a rule of keeping an emotional distance. She would not be fooled again.
Perhaps the d
raw of a stranger on the beach was enough to get her attention, but she couldn’t expect it to be more than that. Instead, she focused her attention on the subtle sounds of the underwater world that filled her ears.
Weightless and drifting, she opened her eyes. The expansive clear blue sky above her invited her to let her mind wander. She could imagine herself anywhere she pleased, but surprisingly, she was perfectly content in the moment, caught between the water and the sky as her mind stretched as wide as the ocean. She had no concept of where she was, or where the shore was. It never occurred to her that she was drifting—and at a rather rapid rate. All that mattered was the peace that washed over her.
Isolated from the rest of the swimmers, she didn’t anticipate any interruptions. She could unwind and just be herself. As her own hopes began to emerge, a life far different than the one she’d expected began to form in her mind’s eye.
She’d convinced herself that she could be alone and deliriously happy; but cut off from the outside world, deprived of gravity and all sense of boundaries, the truth had somehow emerged in the form of deep brown eyes and a smile just for her.
One man, who knew her inside and out and would never lie to her—that’s what she truly wanted.
Whether it was a bit of water or a tear that slid down her cheek, she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t have time to think about it as she felt the brush of fingertips along her arm.
Chapter 8
Dane couldn’t help but look over in the woman’s direction. It was as if there was a magnetic draw that pulled his attention to her. He’d noticed, with his last few glances, that she seemed to be getting further and further away. He wasn’t familiar with the water, but he knew enough to think that she was out too far.
Still, he reminded himself to mind his own business. She could be an Olympic swimmer for all he knew.
“Thomas, I bet we could sign up for some snorkeling lessons. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.” Thomas sprawled out on his back in the water. “Are you ready to head back? Getting tired?”
“Not just yet.” Dane looked over in the woman’s direction again. He didn’t want to leave the water until he was sure that she was safe. Then he looked back at his son. “You can go ahead if you want.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll wait for you. I’m going to swim for a bit.”
“Okay, take it easy though.”
“I will.”
Thomas began to swim across the water. Dane watched him for a moment. He remembered the argument he and Pam had had over Thomas’s first swimming lesson.
“He’s too young, Dane.”
“The earlier he learns, the better.”
“But he’s told you that he’s scared.”
“That’s only because he hasn’t done it yet. Once he does, he’ll love it.”
“Or, if we push him while he’s too young, he might never want to swim.” Pam shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I already signed him up, Pam.”
“We should have talked about it first.”
“Look, I know why you’re concerned. But I’m his father and I should get a say too. If he doesn’t learn how to swim, then every time we’re around water he’ll be in danger. It just makes sense to teach him now.”
“Then you take him.” She crossed her arms.
“Fine, I will.”
It was one of the few arguments they’d had about parenting.
When Thomas had seen the water that day, he’d kicked and screamed. Dane had thought he’d made a mistake and Pam had been right. But once he waded into the water with Thomas, the young boy had calmed down. And he’d ended up becoming one of the best swimmers in his class.
Dane always thought of that moment when Thomas looked up into his eyes with complete trust and relief, as if he knew that as long as he was with his father, he’d be safe. That meant the world to him.
Now he had to face another milestone—letting his son grow up and head off to college.
He glanced back toward the woman in the water, and his heart jumped. She seemed even further out. He edged his way along so that he would be closer to her in case she had trouble. He was startled by the blare of the lifeguard’s whistle.
“Too far!” The lifeguard blew his whistle again.
At first Dane thought it might be directed at him, but the lifeguard was looking past him toward the floating woman.
She continued to simply float. It occurred to Dane that she might not even realize how far out she had drifted. When she did, she would likely panic.
After the woman ignored the lifeguard’s third warning, Dane swam a little closer to her. He didn’t want to get on her bad side again, but he also didn’t want to let anyone drown. He spent a lot of time swimming in the pool at the gym and had done some lifeguard training in college.
When he looked back at the lifeguard, the man in bright red shorts had already jumped down from the stand. He ran toward the water. He was in the shallow water and headed toward the woman, when a child screamed for help. The lifeguard was much closer to the child. When Dane saw him turn toward the boy, he knew he had no choice. The lifeguard couldn’t rescue both. Thomas swam over to him.
“What’s going on? Why is that woman so far out?”
Dane grimaced. He looked over at his son. “Stay there. I’ll be back.”
“What are you going to do? Dad?”
Dane swam toward the woman with strong swift strokes. He could hear Thomas shouting for him to come back, but he ignored the calls. He couldn’t just watch her get further and further out.
As he swam he could feel the tug of the current. It was strong enough that he knew even he’d have a struggle with it. It grew stronger the further out he went. Even as he swam toward her, she didn’t seem to notice that anything was out of place. The closer he came to her, the more certain he was that she would never be able to make it back to shore without help. The lifeguard likely wouldn’t be able to make it to her in time either.
A subtle sense of fear snaked through the pit of his stomach as he realized that he’d put himself in real danger as well. It was quite possible that he wouldn’t be able to get back to shore, with or without the woman. As he realized that, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. Was he going to leave his son an orphan?
He reached out with his last stroke and brushed his fingertips along her upper arm. He didn’t want her to panic, but he had to get her attention. If she didn’t work with him, they could both be in trouble.
In the split second between his touch and her recognition of it, he caught sight of the way her body was dappled by both the sun and the water. It was as if she’d blended with sun, sky, and water and became a part of the natural beauty that surrounded him—but that moment didn’t last. He felt the tug on his own body and knew that she could be swept away at any time.
When she thrashed in reaction to his touch he slid his arm around her waist.
Chapter 9
When Ella felt an arm wrap around her waist, she knew something wasn’t right.
She opened her eyes and twisted in his grasp. “Let go! Let go of me!” She squirmed and pulled at his arm.
She had yet to look at his face. But she didn’t need to. Whoever would swim up to a woman and grab her had to be a very dangerous person. As she fought him, she swallowed a small amount of water.
“Stop! I’m trying to help you!”
The sound of his voice made her freeze. She tilted her head back to look up into his face. When she saw his eyes, her heart dropped. “What are you doing? I don’t need any help.”
“Yes, you do.” He pointed toward the shore.
When she saw just how far out she was, she began to panic. Her heart raced. How would she ever get back? How could she have gotten so far out without realizing it? She gulped as she thought of how deep the water must be. Could there be sharks swimming right beneath her?
“Oh no!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on to him. In the
chaos of her fear, she didn’t realize that the man was beginning to sink.
“Calm down, you’re going to drown us both!” He locked his arms around her waist and pried one of her arms free of his neck. “I’m going to help you, but I can’t do that if I’m under the water. Just take a deep breath.”
“No, please. I’m going to sink. I can’t swim that far.” Her eyes filled with anxious tears.
“Look at me.” His voice was firm enough to cut through her fear. “What’s your name?”
“Ella.” She blinked back her tears.
“Ella, I’m Dane.” He continued to hold her gaze. “I can get you back to shore, but you have to work with me, okay? If you fight me, we’re both going to have a problem.”
“Okay.” She nodded but her voice trembled.
“Take a deep breath.” He stared into her eyes. “Take a nice, long, deep breath. Everything is going to be fine. Alright?”
She drew the breath as he instructed. To her surprise, her racing heartbeat began to slow. She loosened her grip on his neck, but when she looked away from him—toward the shore—her body tensed up again.
“It’s so far!”
“Sh.” He caught her cheek with his palm and turned her face back to his. “Don’t look at that. Look at me. Just keep your eyes on me. I’m a very good swimmer, Ella. I’m not going to let you go until you’re on the sand, okay?”
Despite the stress of the circumstances, she smiled. It was a purely spontaneous expression and unexpected. Something about the warmth in his voice and the glimmer of his eyes summoned the smile.
“Okay. But what if you can’t make it?”
“I will.” He looked into her eyes. “You have to trust me.”
“You won’t let go?” She looked toward the shore again and then back at him.
“No, I won’t let go.” He tilted his head toward her. “I’m going to make sure that you get back safe. I promise.”
She regarded him for a long moment, took another deep breath and nodded her head.
To Trust Again: A Sweet Romance (Forty and Free Book 2) Page 3