me, roiling inside my head.
Across the street stood the ferry line and the charter tour offices. Aaron wouldn’t be working now, but I could still catch the last ferry to Peaks Island where he lived. He was the best of all worlds.
A shoulder to cry on, and someone who wouldn’t judge me if I admitted I wanted to kiss another girl’s boyfriend. I’d always been able to say anything to Aaron. He had never been judgmental. Instead of being critical of me, he’d always just hand me a beer, tell me a joke to make me laugh, and I’d know things would be okay.
Right now, I needed the peace and acceptance he’d always offered. I crossed the street and headed for the ticket counter. As I waited for the departure of the ferry, I calmed. My heartbeat returned to normal. I inhaled the fresh sea air and closed my eyes. At this point I didn’t think Colin would still be on my tail, but even though Commercial Street remained free of his presence, relief washed through me when I finally boarded the boat.
I loved riding the ferry over to the island. The splash of waves against the side of boat, spraying cold salty beads of water against my lips brought me to life. Underneath my feet the rumble of the engines and the toss of the waves mixed to create a soothing motion, rocking the anxiety out of my bones. I stood at the bow and gazed into the night.
Pricks of light dotted the darkness, filling the vastness with life. Boats, houses on the islands, the city behind us. Thousands of stars floating around me. The fantastic view revived me, reminding me again of the things I’d forgotten about my life in this city. The wind dried my tears. By the time the ferry docked at Peaks, my energy and sanity was nearly replenished. I wouldn’t turn up at Aaron’s a complete wreck.
Of course, by the time I started the familiar walk to his place, I sort of wished I stayed put on the mainland. Embarrassment slowed my steps. I shouldn’t have come, at least not without calling first.
What if Aaron had a date and they were at his place? How horrifying would it be to barge in on a romantic evening? But those thoughts hit me too late. Unless I wanted to go sit down at the dock for six hours, I had to go somewhere.
I’d walked these roads a hundred times, so even the dark didn’t hinder my progress as much as my new doubts did. There were lights from some of the houses, but at eleven-thirty on a weeknight most were dark. The dark didn’t bother me. In fact the lack of visual distraction helped me figure out what to say when I finally knocked on Aaron’s door.
Thank God his lights were still on. His small truck, which rarely left the island, was parked in his driveway. Still, that didn’t mean he was alone, but I had no other options. I opened the door to his screened in porch and knocked on the front door. After what seemed like hours, he finally opened the door. I bit my lip as his brows rose. He gave me a lopsided smile, and I saw the questioning behind it. I’m sure he thought I was as crazy.
“Lila, what are you doing here? Come in.” He held the door open for me to let me into his little two-bedroom cottage.
“Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?” I kept my voice light and walked into the living room. No guests there. One lamp lit the living room and a Stephen King book lay on the couch.
This room was all about comfort. I could sink into the pillows on the sofa and be asleep in a minute. Which I’d done plenty of times before. Or sit in the easy chair next to the Franklin woodstove, with my feet up and have a beer. Done that too. The dark wood paneling, the minimal decorations, and comfortable, but worn furniture made this a place I could relax.
I walked across to the couch. I needed to get off my feet before I collapsed. Exhaustion rolled over me.
“Of course not. You look like hell. Sit down. Can I get you anything?”
I sat hard on the sofa and looked up at him, a half smile on my face. “No, I’m
Across the street stood the ferry line and the charter tour offices. Aaron wouldn’t be working now, but I could still catch the last ferry to Peaks Island where he lived. He was the best of all worlds.
A shoulder to cry on, and someone who wouldn’t judge me if I admitted I wanted to kiss another girl’s boyfriend. I’d always been able to say anything to Aaron. He had never been judgmental. Instead of being critical of me, he’d always just hand me a beer, tell me a joke to make me laugh, and I’d know things would be okay.
Right now, I needed the peace and acceptance he’d always offered. I crossed the street and headed for the ticket counter. As I waited for the departure of the ferry, I calmed. My heartbeat returned to normal. I inhaled the fresh sea air and closed my eyes. At this point I didn’t think Colin would still be on my tail, but even though Commercial Street remained free of his presence, relief washed through me when I finally boarded the boat.
I loved riding the ferry over to the island. The splash of waves against the side of boat, spraying cold salty beads of water against my lips brought me to life. Underneath my feet the rumble of the engines and the toss of the waves mixed to create a soothing motion, rocking the anxiety out of my bones. I stood at the bow and gazed into the night.
Pricks of light dotted the darkness, filling the vastness with life. Boats, houses on the islands, the city behind us. Thousands of stars floating around me. The fantastic view revived me, reminding me again of the things I’d forgotten about my life in this city. The wind dried my tears. By the time the ferry docked at Peaks, my energy and sanity was nearly replenished. I wouldn’t turn up at Aaron’s a complete wreck.
Of course, by the time I started the familiar walk to his place, I sort of wished I stayed put on the mainland. Embarrassment slowed my steps. I shouldn’t have come, at least not without calling first.
What if Aaron had a date and they were at his place? How horrifying would it be to barge in on a romantic evening? But those thoughts hit me too late. Unless I wanted to go sit down at the dock for six hours, I had to go somewhere.
I’d walked these roads a hundred times, so even the dark didn’t hinder my progress as much as my new doubts did. There were lights from some of the houses, but at eleven-thirty on a weeknight most were dark. The dark didn’t bother me. In fact the lack of visual distraction helped me figure out what to say when I finally knocked on Aaron’s door.
Thank God his lights were still on. His small truck, which rarely left the island, was parked in his driveway. Still, that didn’t mean he was alone, but I had no other options. I opened the door to his screened in porch and knocked on the front door. After what seemed like hours, he finally opened the door. I bit my lip as his brows rose. He gave me a lopsided smile, and I saw the questioning behind it. I’m sure he thought I was as crazy.
“Lila, what are you doing here? Come in.” He held the door open for me to let me into his little two-bedroom cottage.
“Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?” I kept my voice light and walked into the living room. No guests there. One lamp lit the living room and a Stephen King book lay on the couch.
This room was all about comfort. I could sink into the pillows on the sofa and be asleep in a minute. Which I’d done plenty of times before. Or sit in the easy chair next to the Franklin woodstove, with my feet up and have a beer. Done that too. The dark wood paneling, the minimal decorations, and comfortable, but worn furniture made this a place I could relax.
I walked across to the couch. I needed to get off my feet before I collapsed. Exhaustion rolled over me.
“Of course not. You look like hell. Sit down. Can I get you anything?”
I sat hard on the sofa and looked up at him, a half smile on my face. “No, I’m
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