Sweet Nothings: A Bethany Beach Romance

by Lacy Hart

  “You mean we’re getting in that?” I said to him, still with the stunned look on my face.

  “Sure, I thought it would be fun. They’re going to take us over the Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Bay. It will be beautiful. Have you ever been in a balloon before?”

  I gripped Damian’s arm tightly as he started to walk towards the balloon, bringing him to a halt.

  “Damian, “I said quietly, “I’ve never even been on an airplane, never mind a balloon.”

  “What are you talking about?” he questioned as if he didn’t believe me. “You lived in New York for a few years, you must have been on an airplane to get there or to travel.”

  “I always drove to New York or Delaware when I went back and forth, and I’ve never traveled anywhere that I couldn’t drive to. I’ve never been west of West Virginia.” I was sure Damian could hear the tremble in my voice as I began to get more fearful with every stride we took that brought us closer to the balloon.

  “Trust me, it’s perfectly safe,” Damian said, trying to reassure me as we got within about twenty feet of the balloon.

  An older gentleman strode over to us, wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans, and firmly shook Damian’s hand. He introduced himself as Todd, owner of the company, and said he would be taking us up today as soon as we were ready.

  “Damian, I don’t know if I can do this.” I felt more and more intimidated every time I looked at the immense balloon.

  “Miss, you have nothing to worry about,” Todd told me calmly. “I’ve been flying for over twenty years, I’ve gone on thousands of flights, and I’ve never had a problem. The basket is nice and stable and comfortable, we only go up about a thousand feet or so, and I’ll be taking care of everything to make sure it is enjoyable for you.”

  Only a thousand feet? Does this guy realize just how high that is? My inner voice was doing everything it could to convince me that this was a bad idea.

  Damian turned to me and looked into my eyes. “Kelly, if you don’t want to do this, just say so. It won’t hurt my feelings if you’re scared to try it.”

  As soon as Damian said the word “scared,” I started to get my back up and felt a surge of bravery move through me.

  “I’m not scared,” I said defiantly. I stood up straight and looked at Todd. “Let’s go,” I stated calmly and started moving towards the balloon. I looked back as I reached the basket and I could see Damian chuckling to himself as he followed me.

  Todd got us both settled into the basket. It was a lot more challenging to get into the basket than I ever thought it would be, and Damian gave me a helpful boost so I could bring myself aboard. The sides of the wicker basket were higher than I had imagined, and the basket seemed much stronger than what I had always envisioned when you see them on TV or in the movies. I even stamped my feet on the floor before takeoff just to see what it was like.

  Todd could see I had some panic on my face as he and his crew were readying everything for us to take off.

  “If you think you have a fear of heights, this is the perfect way for you to challenge that,” he told me. “The ride is much more stable than you think it will be, and we move with the wind, so it is very smooth for passengers. I want the ride to be enjoyable for you, so you just let me know if you have any questions or concerns.”

  I did feel a little bit better, and Damian took my hand in his as soon as Todd fired up the propane burners to pump more hot air into the balloon so we could take off. I felt the lift start beneath us as the crew untied the balloon. Part of me wanted to bury my face into Damian’s chest as we ascended, but I wanted him to see I could overcome any fear and I turned to look as we started going up.

  I could see the crew beneath us gradually get smaller as we climbed the sky and started to move along with the wind. I had worried about just how fast we would get moving, but Todd let us know the balloon rarely went beyond six or eight miles per hour.

  “How… how far are we going to travel?” I croaked.

  “It’s hard to say,” Todd answered as he looked at me. “We go as far as the wind will let us. We’re scheduled to fly for about an hour so it will be several miles, at least. Just relax and enjoy the view.” Todd pointed out towards the east, and I got a clear view of the coastline beneath us. Seeing the water and the shore from this view was truly breathtaking, and I moved closer to the edge of the basket so I saw out more clearly.

  Damian must have sensed that I was getting more comfortable with my surroundings, and he stood next to me, putting an arm around my waist.

  “What do you think?” he said as we looked out and saw the amazing views, the birds flying by, and even a few boats out in the water as we quietly soared through the area.

  “It is beautiful,” I said to him as I gazed outward.

  I went to take my phone out of my pocket to take some pictures and snapped off a couple as we went along.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Damian told me. “There’s a photographer with the chase crew that will meet us when we land. He’s taking pictures of everything for us. We can just enjoy the view as we see it. It’s much nicer that way.”

  We cruised along for quite a while, with Todd pointing out things for us to look at and watch. We were down low enough to skirt some treetops, which was a little intimidating, and Damian reached out and snagged a few leaves from one of them to present to me. At one point, we saw a few dolphins playing in the water off the coast. We even had kids wave to us from the beach as we went by.

  The whole experience was much more exhilarating than ever imagined it could be, and by the time we were coming to an end and starting our descent, I was feeling disappointed that it was over. Todd guided the balloon gently down into an open field, and the chase crew was there to greet us to wrangle the balloon. We posed for a couple of pictures inside the basket and then celebrated with a champagne toast to our flight. I even received a certificate to mark my official first flight in a balloon.

  The chase crew took us back to where our vehicle was located, and I still had a bit of a rush from the experience. I sat in the truck next to Damian as we headed out and back towards Bethany Beach, gazing out the window and at the sky and the view.

  “Did you enjoy it?” Damian asked me as we drove along.

  “It was incredible, Damian,” I told him. “Thank you so much for that. That was something I can honestly say I never would have done on my own.”

  “Great,” he said, beaming back at me. I could see he glanced at the clock on the dashboard before turning his eyes back to the road.

  “We probably won’t get back to Bethany until about four,” Damian added. “Maybe we can go grab an early dinner, and since I picked the balloon ride, that means the next stop is your choice.”

  I knew immediately just where we should go, and I gave Damian directions, taking us back towards Bethany Beach and then out towards Ocean City. It was about four o’clock when I directed Damian to turn right into the parking lot, and we were lucky enough to find a spot easily.

  “What’s this place?” Damian said, hopping out of the car and looking around.

  “It’s Seacrets,” I told him. I grabbed my bag from the back of the truck to take it in with me. I could already get the salty smell of the ocean air mixing with whatever Caribbean grilled foods they had going on inside. “Did you bring a bathing suit?”

  Damian looked at me like I was crazy. “I thought we were just getting an early dinner and some drinks. Why do I need a bathing suit?”

  “Trust me, you need one,” I told him. Damian shrugged and then grabbed his bag from the truck, taking it with him.

  I directed Damian over to the changing station located in the parking lot between the front entrance and the end of the street so we could change into our suits. I was hoping Jodie had been kind and packed a practical bathing suit for me, and lucky enough she had put two in there. One was a black bikini with a halter top, and the other was a simple sage green one-piece suit with a scoop neck to give me a little modes
ty. I decided on the one-piece and slid into it, tugging it in all the right places to get the best look. I slipped my sandals back on, took my towel from the bag, and walked out to see Damian was there waiting for me.

  He was wearing a classic pair of red swim trunks and sandals, and it was now that I could get a better look at his body. He was more sculpted than the clothing I had seen him in let on. He clearly worked out a lot and had the ripped abs and strong pecs you expect to see on an athlete. Excitement raced in my body a bit from the way he looked and the way he was looking at me in my bathing suit.

  “All set?” I asked him, trying not to let my voice quiver as I watched him.

  “Sure, let’s go,” he replied.

  We walked through the front entrance and made our way through some of the crowd indoors towards the outside where there was a beach bar. Damian started to walk towards the round tables located just beyond the bar under some palm trees, but I kept walking further. I turned and waved to him to follow me.

  “What’s out here?” he asked, but he soon saw where I was going as we appeared on the beach. People were sitting in the sand and at some tables on the beach, but there were also tables out in the calf-deep water that you could sit on. Beyond the tables were inflatables where you could lounge in the water.

  One of the staff members walked up to us, and I asked her if Susan was working today. Susan and I went way back, having gone to high school together, and I knew she was one of the managers here that might be able to help me. I had helped her out many times with pastries and cakes for parties held at the bar and restaurant, and she always told me to ask for her if I came out here, but I never really had occasion to until now.

  Glancing at Damian, I could see him taking in the amazing view. The sky was still crystal clear, and there were some boats and jetskis making their way across the water just beyond the inflatables area.

  Susan quickly appeared at my side and gave me a hug.

  “You finally came out here!” she exclaimed.

  “Yeah, Monday is my day off, and I thought this would be a great place to bring a friend,” I answered. Tugging on Damian, I pulled him over towards me.

  “Susan Howard, this is Damian Woods. Damian, Susan is an old friend of mine and one of the managers here.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Damian said, speaking loud enough to get his voice over the reggae music currently blaring from the outdoor sound system.

  I could see Susan look Damian up and down, shaking his hand politely when she did. She turned to me and gave me a big smile, indicating her approval of the way Damian looked.

  “What can I do for you, Kel?” she asked me.

  “Do you have any floats still open we could use?”

  I could see Susan scan the water and then look at the clipboard she had in her hand.

  “I’ve got one out there on the left,” she pointed. “It’s all yours. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks,” told her, leaning in to give her another hug.

  “I want the whole story on where you snagged him from,” Susan whispered to me.

  “I’ll call you during the week,” I said as we broke our hug.

  Damian and I began to make our way out to the blue and white inflatable, working through the warm ocean water. I didn’t get much time to spend in the water anymore, and the reminder of the ocean floor squishing between my toes made me smile.

  We reached the inflatable, and I worked to pull myself in, grabbing one of the handles for support. I felt Damian put his hand on my thigh to help me get my leg up and over, and I felt chills run up my body just from his touch. Once I was in and settled, Damian got right in easily, using his strong arms and legs. We settled into one side so that we could easily look out over the water by turning to the left or see the beach and the bar by turning to the right.

  “This place looks great,” Damian remarked as he scanned the crowd. “But I should have got us a couple of drinks before we came out here.”

  “Not a problem.” I pointed to a young man working his way out to our raft with a tray in his hand. He was well-bronzed from spending the summer in the sun and gave us a welcoming smile.

  Hey guys, I’m Chris,” he told us, spinning his empty tray on his left index finger as he talked to us. “Welcome to Seacrets. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’ll have a Dirty Banana,” I spoke up.

  “A Red Stripe for me,” Damian stated.

  “Perfect,” Chris told us. “Be back in a minute.” Chris waded his way back to shore to put in our drink order as Damian looked at me through his sunglasses.

  “What?” I asked him.

  “A Dirty Banana? Sounds kind of… well, dirty.” He smiled at me and waited for my response.

  I could feel my cheeks blush a bit.

  “It’s really good. It’s banana and coffee liqueurs, and cream, and fresh bananas. A perfect tropical taste.” I was trying to cover up my hint of embarrassment.

  The gentle sway of the raft in the water, combined with the warmth of the sun, even at this hour of the day, made the setting perfect. I laid my head back on the edge, feeling the tip of my ponytail just brush the top of the warm water, and I could feel myself move my head slightly back and forth, running my hair over the top of the water just like I used to do when I was a child out on a raft in the water.

  Chris arrived shortly with our drinks, and that first slurp of my frosty drink through the straw gave me a blast of banana flavor. I could see Damian watching me as I took a long sip to watch my reaction.

  “Did you want a taste?” I offered, pointing the straw towards him.

  “Are you asking me to have a taste of your dirty banana?”

  I laughed strongly when I heard him say this.

  “I guess I am,” I said boldly.

  “I’ll pass this time and stick to my beer,” he said, holding up the sweating beer bottle.

  “Your loss,” I said to him coyly.

  We lounged on our raft for a while, finished our drinks, and then each had one more. By the time we were each into our second drink, I had moved closer to Damian, resting my head on the arm he had placed around me.

  “How about we get something to eat?” Damian suggested.

  “Sure. We can get changed and then grab a table outside or inside, whatever you want.”

  “Let’s eat out here. I love the atmosphere,” Damian said.

  He rolled himself out of the raft and then held his arms out to help me do the same. I slid over the side, and he caught me around the waist, letting his hands linger there for a moment before taking my hand in his and leading me out of the water. He caught up to our waiter, Chris, to pay the tab, but Chris let him know that Susan had taken care of the bill.

  Now I really have to make sure to fill her in, I thought to myself.

  Damian and I both walked off to our respective changing rooms to get out of our wet suits and dressed for dinner. I opened my locker, took my bag out and peeled out of my damp bathing suit. I saw the dress that Jodie had tucked into the bag, rolling it up nicely so that it had just the slightest of wrinkles. I slipped the yellow dress over my head and shimmied into it. The dress clung lightly to my damp body, but I liked the way it looked, and it made me feel more feminine than what I usually took the time to wear.

  By the time I got out of the changing station, Damian was standing there waiting for me, wearing khaki shorts and a short sleeve button down shirt to go with his sandals. I watched him as his eyes locked onto me as I moved toward him, never breaking away. I took this as a good sign of him liking the way I looked.

  Damian reached and took my bag for me as we walked them back to the truck.

  “You look great,” he said as he slammed the truck door closed.

  “Thanks.” I tossed my damp hair back a bit, feeling it curling from the water and the humidity.

  We got back towards the outdoor dining area, and Susan greeted us there and seated us at a nice table out of the direct sun but also within view of the band that was se
t up. I took a glance over and saw the familiar shape of the lead singer and knew right away it was Captain Caraway and the Seeded Ryes. Within moments the band started playing, breaking into “Kokomo,” always a beach favorite. Damian looked over at the band and then back at me.

  “Aren’t these the same guys that were at the bar the other night?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said loudly over the singing. “Captain Caraway and the Seeded Ryes. They play everywhere in the area.”

  “Captain Caraway and the Seeded Ryes? That’s really the name of the band?”

  I guess he has a fondness for rye bread,” I answered Damian. “I’m sure if I ever get around to bread making I’ll see him all the time in the bakery.”