Page 32 of Falling Again
“Make sure you have some fun too,” his mother urged, reaching out and pulling Anthony in for a hug. “We still have the canoe and kayaks in the shed. Make sure you take Natalie out on the water,” she whispered in his ear, and Anthony was hit by a slew of happy memories on South Bass Island.
Anthony could practically feel the tickle of Natalie’s hair against his face from when they had last kayaked together. They would find a peaceful spot in the lake and just let their feet hang over the side, Natalie’s head resting against his chest. Their first vacation together had been at his parent’s house, and they had made the most of their time away. Roasting marshmallows in the fire pit, going on wine tastings at the local vineyard, and swimming until their fingers pruned and their skin screamed with sunburn—these were the memories Anthony cherished. These were the times he missed the most.
But, like a bucket of ice water, Alice joined them to remind Anthony that this wasn’t a trip back in time. “Make sure you give Nat breaks every four hours. Isn’t that the Ohio labor law?” She scoffed and hoisted her duffel bag over her shoulder.
“It’ll be nice,” Natalie said, joining them and reaching out to take Anthony’s hand. At the last moment he hesitated and stepped away, watching her arm fall to her side. Natalie wrapped her arms across her middle, and Anthony wished things were different.
The burning in his chest was more than spicy noodles; it was the feeling of his heart breaking. He couldn’t stand the notion of losing Natalie and all the memories they shared, but he also didn’t know how to fix what was broken. It was like Father Time had snapped his fingers and dropped them in a foreign land with no map, no passport.
So how could he convince Natalie that the trip was what they needed?
CHAPTER 9
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“Would you stop that?” Ginny yelled from her desk. “If you keep walking by my office with that look on your face, I’m going to take it personally.”
Natalie abruptly stopped her pacing, her heel snagging on the cheap commercial carpeting. “Stop what?” she asked.
Ginny clicked on her keyboard to save what she was working on before rolling her eyes. Pointing to the floor, she said, “You’re practically wearing a hole in the carpet. Not to mention you’re giving me the stink eye every ten seconds.”
Now it was Natalie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Stink eye? What are we, children?”
“If the shoe fits,” Ginny retorted, now leaning over her desk to gesture at Natalie’s dancing feet. “You’re exhausting me.”
Finally finished with her pacing, Natalie entered Ginny’s office and slunk down into a chair. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’m nervous.”
Ginny smiled sadly and opened her desk drawer, pulling out a jar of chocolates. Taking one for herself, she slid the jar toward Natalie. She’d only had three chocolates so far today, so she greedily took another two.Remember to pack your running shoes, she chanted to herself.
“This place will be fine. I know I’m still learning the ropes, but I did manage dozens of accounts in New York. Not to mention, you’re only a text away. You’re going to South Bass Island, not Mars.”
Realization hit Natalie in the gut. Ginny misunderstood her frustrations. “What? Oh no. I trust you implicitly.”
Ginny frowned, her second chocolate frozen halfway to her mouth. “Then what’s with the tap dance routine, Bojangles?”
Natalie groaned, ripping the foil off her candy before eating it whole. Now was not the time for dainty chocolate consumption. “It’s about the trip,” she said. Ginny opened her mouth to interrupt, but Natalie waved her off. “No, not your part in it. It’s the trip itself.” Leaning further back in the chair, Natalie’s shoulders slumped.
