by Ellie Hall
“You did not just do that.” Oliver roared with laughter and then pointed at her. “Izzy ate the poop.”
It was out of character for her to do something like that, especially now, when she was twenty-eight with a serious career. But she was silly around the younger cancer patients. And if one of the older cancer patients needed cheering up, she often did silly things.
She reached out to Oliver's diaper, took a bit of the candy bar, and popped it in her mouth. “Yum.”
Oliver busted into even more laughter, then took a bite. “Mine is snickers.”
The whole table burst into laughter. Then everyone at the table started taking the candy bars out of each other's diapers and eating them.
It was hilarious. It looked like everyone was eating baby poop.
The only person who did not find this at all funny was Tess's mother. She stood. “Excuse me. I think I'm going to be sick.” She rushed away from the table.
Izzy and Oliver thought this was even funnier, and so did Tess and Chad. They all started giggling even more.
Even Tess’ father, who was already laughing, laughed even harder. Then he stood and went after his wife. “Oliver, get things under control before we get back,” he said still laughing.
It was stupid, but it felt like the barriers between her and Oliver were gone. Every time she looked at him, their inside jokes from years past started tumbling out.
“Remember that scene from Top Gun that you always liked to watch?” she said to Oliver.
He glared at her. “Again, with the volleyball scene.”
She giggled harder and turned to Tess, wanting to tease him. “Do you remember how we had to rewind that volleyball scene like a million times?”
Tess busted up laughing. She had just taken a sip of water and it started coming out of her nose. “That volleyball scene,” she said, half laughing and half choking.
“You did not just say that. You did not just out me on my addiction to Top Gun.” Oliver put his fingers in his glass of water and then flicked them at Izzy.
Everyone at the table started calling out memories about Tess and Oliver.
Izzy felt like she was at a family reunion, except it was just their high school memories. She didn’t let Oliver's water-flicking go unanswered. She put her hands in her water and flicked him back.
Oliver pointed at her, eyes wide. “Listen, Rocky, you got your shots in this morning. Don't make this bigger than it has to be.” He picked up his glass of water in a threatening pose.
She giggled and put her hands up in surrender. “You got me. You win this round.”
Oliver grinned and put the water down. He looked at her lips again, and she wanted to kiss him.
So bad.
Instead, she picked up her glass of water and dumped it on his head before dashing away from the table.
“You did not just do that!” Oliver shouted after her.
She ran as fast as she could, wheezing with laughter.
She hoped he would catch her.
7
Maybe it had been a mistake to ask Izzy to go with him to the hot spring next to his grandfather's house. But, after the glorious evening they had shared among friends and family, Oliver had found himself feeling lonely when it hadn’t taken any time to put together the slide show with her.
So, he had taken a chance, knocked on Izzy’s door, and asked her to go to the hot spring. Just as he'd hoped, she had agreed.
Now, he tried to look away as she stepped into the water, his breath caught at the way her black one-piece clung to her skin. He clenched his fists under the water, needing to get himself under control.
The way he wanted her now was so much more intense than when they were younger. He was a complete goner. He needed this woman in his life.
How would that work? It didn't seem logical. She had an established job in Billings doing what she loved. Plus, he didn't want to come back here, even though he had inquired with the realtor about his grandfather's house. Of course, the realtor was puzzled why he hadn't just discussed it with his father.
His father and mother had seemed preoccupied after dinner. Oliver decided he would talk to his father later. Tomorrow, after Tess’ wedding, he’d approach him and finally clear the air. He would forgive his father, just like Izzy had forgiven him.
He had already done it in his heart, and … it felt good.
It had smarted when Izzy had pointed out his lack of forgiveness in the hospital, but she had been right. He didn't have to have struggle and war with his father anymore. When his grandfather passed, his father had made sure Oliver got all the rights to the beach company. Amidst Oliver's grief, he hadn't properly thanked his father for that. It was only now that he realized how immature he'd been. He didn't need to harbor resentment toward his father any longer.
“When you asked me to the hot spring, I didn't think you'd ignore me the whole time.”
He jerked out of his reverie and turned to face Izzy.
The steam from the hot spring had made her cheeks flush and her hair was even more curly than usual. She had it piled on top of her head, but a few strands had escaped the binding. One was right in the middle of her face. On impulse, he closed the distance between them and gently pushed the hair out of her face and behind her ear.
She caught her breath.
“Sorry,” he pulled his hand back, and slipped it around the rock behind her.
She didn't move away. “You seem preoccupied.”
He decided to level with her. “I was just thinking about taking some advice from an old friend in regards to my father.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Are you?”
“I'm going to forgive him. If I want forgiveness, I guess I better be willing to forgive others.” He met her gaze. “My grandfather always used to quote scripture to me.”
“I remember your grandfather doing that a lot.”
He grinned. “You forgave me today. And it made my day.” He thought about all the uncontrollable laughing that had occurred from the diaper game and the other jokes that had been made. Gently, he tapped her nose. “I think I needed a busted nose.”
She gave him a confused look. “I don't understand.”
He sighed and leaned back in the water, relaxing even more and loving this moment. “Do you remember when Pastor John told us the story at youth camp about an angel knocking Saul to the ground?”
She thought for a moment. “Those youth camps were a long time ago.”
“They were. I've been thinking about them a lot lately since I've been sailing more. With the business doing well, I've been able to get more time away and I've been doing a lot of thinking.” He wouldn't tell her that he'd been semi-obsessively thinking about her. “One day, as I was out on the sailboat trying to decompress, I turned off my cell phone. I was pondering and praying, thinking about my purpose and what I wanted in my life. I was in South Port.”
“Right, the place you just moved to.”
“Oh my gosh, Izz, you would love this place. It's like an undiscovered gem on the coast of North Carolina. It’s a little town that is kind of like Snow Valley, just on a beach.”
A soft smile spread across her face. “It sounds amazing.”
“You’re going to visit, right?”
She smiled. “I’ll try.”
“Anyway, the story I have been thinking about is the one where Saul is such a knucklehead. Right? He was persecuting Christians. He was going forward and killing a lot of them. But the angel went to him and knocked him out and when he woke up, he had a change of heart and he became Paul. One of the greatest leaders of the Christian church.”
Her grin widened. “That's right. That is a good story.”
“So, it occurred to me. Maybe I've been like Saul in the past—oh, I don't know—maybe my whole life.” He winked at her.
She splashed him. “Maybe not so bad. But okay, close.”
He laughed.
She laughed, too.
It felt so good to talk
to this woman again.
For a long moment, they stared into each other’s eyes.
She lightly touched his nose. “Does it hurt?”
It did hurt; it had been throbbing before he came to the hot spring. “Naw. But a little kiss might help it.”
The tension between them ratcheted up a notch.
She laughed and pulled back. “I really didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know.” He wanted to tell her he wasn’t kidding about the kiss.
She let out a light laugh.
He pointed at her. “I can tell how upset you are by my pain.”
She grabbed his finger. “You said you didn’t have any pain.”
On impulse, he held her hand and pulled her closer. “Well, I do.”
“Oli,” she said. Her voice was breathy, on the edge of panic and… something else.
He stared at her lips. He wanted her lips. He needed her lips. “I should have kissed you all those years ago.”
She didn’t pull away. “Then do it.”
This woman. Every part of him yearned to lean in. “What about Brian?”
“Okay, true.” She cocked an eyebrow back at him. “And, your secret wedding date?”
“Exactly,” he said, wishing he was brave enough to tell her the truth. Okay, he could tell her the truth, but he was more concerned about this thing with Brian. How far in was she with the jerk? He pulled away and sucked in a breath. “I guess we should get back.” His heart pounded inside him like a caged bird.
She sucked in a breath, too. “I guess we should.”
Twenty minutes later, as they crept into the house, it was nearly one in the morning. The light sound of jazz was coming from the kitchen.
Oliver stopped. His parents had always liked jazz.
Izzy ran into the back of him.
“Sorry,” he whispered to her.
If he was smart, he would head up to his bedroom, but he wanted to see if what he suspected was happening. He started toward the loft that overlooked the kitchen.
“Oli,” Izzy whispered from behind him.
He motioned for her to follow. “Come on.”
They crept up the stairs and then he got down on his stomach so he wouldn't be detected. Izzy flattened herself next to him. They inched forward so they could peer over the edge and into the kitchen.
His parents were slow dancing. His mother's head lay against his father's chest.
As Oliver had witnessed so many times during his life, his parents just held each other and danced.
Izzy leaned into him. “That's cool,” she whispered.
A mixture of feelings washed over him. Since he had decided to forgive his father, it was like he was seeing him with new eyes. He was a good husband to Oliver's mother. He was a good father to Tess. And he had tried to be a good father to Oliver, even though he hadn't known how.
His mother pulled away from his father but kept dancing with him. “You need to tell Oliver soon. And then you need to tell Tess after her honeymoon.”
It troubled Oliver to hear the worry in his mother’s tone.
“I know. I would prefer to wait until after the wedding. Let’s just have tomorrow be a good day.”
Unable to stop himself, Oliver stood. “How about you just tell me now?”
His parents stopped dancing.
“Oli, you’re home?” his mother said.
His father looked grim.
“What is going on, Dad? Just tell me.”
“Stage three, son. Just found out last week.”
8
The next day, Izzy helped Tess put on her dress and made it her sole responsibility to reassure her over and over. “You look amazing. That dress is spectacular.”
Tess's mom had set up a huge mirror in her bedroom, and all the bridesmaids now surrounded Tess, who was looking into the mirror.
“You do look amazing.” Tess's mom teared up.
The other girls ooh-ed and aah-ed over Tess.
All Izzy could think about was what Oliver's father had told them last night. He had a fighting chance, so that was good. She knew the type of prostate cancer he had and the doctors he’d been seeing. It would be okay.
It would.
Oliver’s parents had asked them not to tell Tess. They wanted her to enjoy her wedding and honeymoon.
Izzy agreed, even though a sinking feeling filled her chest and she wanted to cry. But she took a long breath. Yes. Breathe in, breathe out. The news was shocking, but she could handle it.
Oliver had listened and then gone down the stairs and hugged his father for a long time. Thinking about the look on Oli’s face still had her reeling. She bit back tears for the umpteenth time.
She was grateful that Tess was so preoccupied with the dress and everyone else. There were no official activities that morning, and Izzy had gone to the family gym, hoping that she would run into Oliver. She wanted to talk to him and help him process things.
He hadn’t been there.
What if he had gone to pick up his secret wedding date?
Brian was supposed to show up any second. Part of her hoped he would flake. She immersed herself in Tess's world. The girls had helped her with her makeup and her hair and now, the final part in this wedding preparation, the dress.
It took every ounce of Izzy’s will to compartmentalize her feelings, but she could do it for Tess.
The door cracked and her father said, “Let's go, ladies. It’s go-time.”
9
How had Oliver gone from not wanting to be in Snow Valley and not wanting to be around his father, to making plans to live here part time? He needed to be near his father in a way he never thought possible.
They’d talked for a long time last night. Oliver would do all he could to help his father, and to make his parent’s lives easier. He would do anything for them.
Since he had been told the awful truth last night, he realized how foolish he had been. He realized what his grandfather had always been trying to tell him about family; that you had to treat those closest to you as precious. That you had to live each day with forgiveness and love in your heart and never be offended.
He wanted to do that. He vowed that he would.
This morning, he had woken up as a new person. Everything had changed and as he watched his sister and his father walk down the aisle. His eyes went to Izzy, who now stood across from him.
If time was all he had, he would find a way to tell Izzy how he felt about her.
He would.
10
The ceremony was beautiful. Pastor John did a fantastic job with the usual ‘do you take this person and do you take that person,’ but he had also sprinkled in many memories of Tess and Chad’s lives and their will to do the things that God wanted.
Izzy tried to focus on Tess's day. It didn't matter what she had learned the night before about Tess and Oliver's father. It couldn't matter right now. She smiled and wiped away tears as she watched Tess and Chad commit to be together for all time.
Brian hadn’t shown up, and she didn’t even care.
Wow.
What a waste. She had spent the last year of her life in a relationship that meant nothing. Clearly.
It was more than distracting to realize that Oliver was blatantly staring at her. Every time she met his eyes, he was already gazing at her.
Earlier that morning, her brother Noah and his wife Ruby had shown up for the wedding. It had been a joyous reunion.
Now, Izzy gazed into their faces as they sat holding each other's hands and watching the ceremony, and she was unable to stop the tears from running down her cheeks. Ruby had fought cancer since she was a child. It had only been a knew, life-altering procedure that had saved her life. Izzy had been there to witness that miracle, and she had also been there to see another miracle—her brother falling in love with Ruby.
She wanted her own happily ever after. Her gaze met Oliver's again. Which supermodel would show up to be his secret wedding date? She looked out into the cro
wd, but she didn’t see any unfamiliar faces.
If someone did show up, it would definitely break her heart.
After Pastor John pronounced Tess and Chad man and wife, everyone clapped as the couple kissed.
Shortly after, Izzy found herself sitting with Noah and Ruby at a table.
Of course, Noah asked about her and Oliver.
It was impossible not to spill everything because she and Noah were so close, and she and Ruby had been best friends since Ruby used to be one of her patients.
Reluctantly, but with some relief because she needed to talk about the situation, she spilled her guts to Ruby and Noah about everything, starting with the conversation that Oli had eavesdropped on between she and Brian and ending with, “I just can't believe his father has cancer. And I can't believe that I have all these mixed feelings about him.”
“You know that miracles happen.” Ruby wagged a finger at Izzy. “You're the person that made me believe in miracles, remember?”
Izzy nodded, thinking about the look on Oliver's face last night when his father had told him the news. “I just hate it for all of them. I hate it so bad.”
Ruby put her hand on Izzy's and gave it a squeeze. “I know. Your complete desire to take away people's pain has always been your superpower.”
Noah wagged a finger at her. “And your kryptonite.” He gave her a stern look. “Sometimes you let people get away with too much because you care so much.”
She thought about Brian and how she did let him get away with a lot.
Noah stood and moved to the seat next to Izzy. He put his hand on her other hand. “What do you need, sis? Or what can we do for the Browne family?”
Izzy pushed away all the emotion she wanted to vent. “You guys know there's nothing to do. But,” she said, turning to Ruby. “We also know what they're facing.”
Both Ruby and Noah nodded. For a long time, all of them simply sat at the table. Noah held one of her hands and Ruby held on to the other.
“I feel like you guys are my parents and I'm your little kid,” Izzy said finally.