Page 15 of Wishful Thinking

Chapter Ten

Beauty and the beach

Reaching the beach an hour before sunset, Sal saw only one other car in the make-shift lot. The air was balmy, the wind shift giving a cooler breeze than the previous day. Grabbing the towel and his camera bag, he moved down the path towards the beach.

“God, please don’t let there be a gaggle of nakedness. I’m not ready for that view.” Coming through the high grasses of the dunes, it surprised him to see Belle. She wore another long white shift. Sal wondered if it was the samegown. It looked similar, but this one wasmore sheer, like a bathing suit coverup. He stopped, indecision tearing him apart.

“I need to protect her, but she hates me, Christ, this whole situation sucks.” Turning, he headed back to the car. In the back seat, he saw a beat-up straw woven hat and grabbed it. Sal looked at his reflection in the window. The hat would hide him enough.

“She won’tapproach acomplete stranger, not after the last night.” Sal headed away from her to distance himself. He came through the path and watched as she began gathering her belongings and moved towards him. Giving a slight wave, he moved in the opposite direction. Taking random shots, he watched out of the corner of his eye as she slipped down the path and disappeared. He exhaled and took the hat off of his head. He spread out his towel and sat on it. Covering his camera with the hat, he watched the water as the sun took its sweet time descending. It was warm on the sand, the breeze cut some humidity, but he longed to slip into the water to cool his core.

“That girl lights my fire, damn, she’s still got it.” He stood up and slipped out of his shorts. Salwas hard from the excitement of seeing her. He walked deeper into the water. Feeling more comfortable with the nudity factor, he made it up to his waist before diving into a small wave. The saltwater stung his eyes, but he felt his hard-on dissipating. He swam out a few feet, unsure of rip tides, gauging the movement of the water. Flipping over, he floated idly staring at the skies. The thick bulbous clouds were innocuous, and he listened to his heartbeat from beneath the water. Ten minutes later he turned towards the beach, feeling his muscles unwind with their workout. He stood up and began to walk towards shore to gather his trunks, ready to capture the breathtaking views of the sunset.

“Stella was right. Thisbeachis a haven. The money shot, right there.” He rubbed his eyes and stopped cold. Belle stood by his towel waiting, arms folded across her stomach.

“Shit, not like this...” He looked down and his penis began its upward salute at seeing her. Not wanting to create more stress, he lingered waist-deep in the water and waited to see if she’d leave. Belle gazed at him, then moved to the water’s edge.

“Are you going to come out of there? You going tostay in the water like a coward? Trust me, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I promise not to bite.” She seemed relaxed, and she watched as the emotions crossed his face. Sal walkedout of the water, stalked past her and grabbed his towel. Wrapping it around his waist, he was ready to deal with what was to come.

“I figured when I saw Stella’s car but no Stella, you must be the handsomeguy she spoke of. I find it an odd coincidence seeing you again, it has been a long time. You’re still looking good, Sal. So, are you here on vacation or business?” Sal stared at her with his mouth wide open, shocked at her easy demeanor.

“I would have liked tohave thanked you last night. Why did you scamper off so fast?” She smiled as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Damn. I was hoping to avoid this. I didn’t know you lived here until I saw you. Stella filled in the blanks. Yes, it’s just a coincidence. I’m a photographer now and was sent hereto work on a calendar for a corporation. A friend mentioned thatthe island was apicturesqueplace to start. God,I’m sorry about last night, again, another coincidence. I’m glad I was there, though. It could have gotten uglier.” She smiled at him and shook her head.

“Maybe it was fate, who knows, but I can’t apologize for helping you out. I won’t do it.” He glanced out at the sun as it slipped towards the surface of the horizon. She sighed and turned away to witness the sight of nature’s finest show.

“Thank you just the same. Strangely, it feels good to see a familiar face again. I love it, living here with this gorgeous sea and the sunrises and sunsets. I realize it’s not like home, but I can’t go back to that life anymore. Good news is that my family is coming later next week, just Mom and Mickey. She and her man broke up.I figuredit would behealthyto get her away from the situation. Will you still be here then?” She ran her finger along her lip and he watched the slow movement of her old habit coming to life.

“Yeah, I’m here for at least a month. I’m sure your mother hates me, and I wouldn’t think she’d be eager to see me. That is if she even remembers me.”

“Oh, she remembers, but with your latest superman heroics, she will be happy that you were there to save my ass. Have you gotten many good shots in today? I know a cave that when it isclose to high tide, will give you some unique perspectives, depending on what you’re looking for. The hardest part is that you must bag up your camera to keep it dry. You can swim well, right?” She watched his face as he stared at her. He noted the swelling of her cheek and it looked as if she would sport a black-eye soon. It hurt his heart to see her wounds.

“That sounds like a great idea, and yeah, I don’t expect to drown, Lord willing. What day works bestfor you?”

“How's tomorrow, late morning work out for you? Ooh quick, get your shot before its gone, the sun is winding down. Going to be a spectacular sunset tonight. Besides, this is the best place on the island to catch it.”

Sal lifted his camera and moved around on the beach, capturing the view from different angles. He managed to slip Belle into a few of the shots and grinned. There was a flash of green as the orb hit the edge of the horizon before sinking beyond view.

“Come on, it will get dark soon, and I didn't bring my cellphone with me. The flashlight thingie app on the cell comes in handy when the storms roll through. Alas, they happen too often for my taste. Come on, follow me, I know the way to the parking lot blindfolded.” Sal grabbed his gear and hung close to Belle as she navigated the path back to the cars.

“I’ll swing by to pick you up tomorrow. Is eleven o’clock early enough for you?” Sal nodded, still shocked that she wasn’t pissed at him. He shook his head, happy with how things were progressing.

“Yes? No? What’s wrong?” she asked as he tossed the towel into the car and sat the camera on the seat.

“I don't know. I can’t believe after what a shit head I was, that you would even speak to me. They say time heals all wounds, but I'm not sure that if the tables were turned I could do the same.” She had a sad smile and nodded in understanding.

“Water under the bridge. We’re not dating, I have my life, you have yours. I guess I feel like you're just someone that I used to know. We had some good times, but maybe in my old age I've mellowed out. Regardless, I'm sure you've moved on, I know I have. Life goes on and it's too short to hold grudges.” Sal shifted from foot to foot, shrugging his shoulders, he stared into her eyes.

“Yeah, I guess you're right. Can't change history, right? Eleven sounds good. I’m staying in the blue house in Stella's compound. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” She nodded once, turned and walked away. He noted the thong beneath her gauzy shift and exhaled. She still looked amazing.

Belle left, the glow of her taillights illuminating the darkness as she drove away. Sal sat for a few minutes digesting the conversation. She was still amazing and beautiful, all of the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place. Nothing had changed, and he realized that he still loved her. He drove home deep in thought, wishing their history had been different.

Sal dropped the car off and Stella leaned out the door, waving wildly.

“Hey Sal, come and have a wine with me and Berta. She’s a hoot and a half, giving me fodder for my next book.” Sal handed her the keys and shook his head.

“I met Belle tonight, and she’s taking me to the localcaverns tomorrow to get some shots for the calendar. Besides, I’m kind of beat, so can I get a raincheck? Tomorrow night, perhaps?” Stella smiled.

“Ah, isn’t she a beauty? I figured you two would hit it off. Sure, a raincheck sounds fine. See you later. Don’t forget to have fun. Tell the Princess I said hey.” Sal waved goodbye and headed home.

Leaving the lights off, he sat out on his back porch and gazed at the twinkling stars above. His thoughts drifted away as he wondered what Belle was doing. Memories flooded through and he wondered where they would have ended up had he not screwed Gina.

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