Chapter 21
Daisy couldn’t wait to visit the Outer Banks, to swim in the ocean and watch the wild horses, though Callan told her after seeing the sharks in the aquarium, he wasn’t so sure about swimming when he couldn’t see what was below him.
“Let’s start in Corolla and work our way back so we can visit the wild ponies first.”
As they walked along the sandy trails, they could hear the waves crashing against the shore. When they crested a small hill, they saw them. A small herd of wild ponies grazed peacefully in the distance, their manes blowing gently in the sea breeze.
“What fine horseflesh.” Callan admired the horses as the wind off the water kept them cool under the hot, humid sun.
After watching the horses for a while, they visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial and then found a spot on the beach for a picnic without too many people around them.
It was the high season, so there were people, cars, and noise everywhere they went.
They spread out a blanket on the soft sand, watching the waves, the sky so blue it looked like another ocean above them.
Callan unwrapped the subs they picked up from a deli, along with chips, slices of watermelon, and key lime pie for dessert. Frankie finished his lunch, then ran after the gulls that dared to venture too close, barking, his tail wagging madly.
It was nice to have another day to relax and swim in the ocean.
After they finished eating and packed everything away, Daisy turned to Callan. “Want to go for a swim?”
Callan winked, his green eyes twinkling. “Aye, let’s cool off, but if anything touches my legs, you’re on your own, lass.”
They stripped down to their swimsuits, the sand hot under their feet as they ran to the water. With a grin on his face, he called out, “Think ye can catch me?”
They chased each other through the water, laughing and splashing. Callan was quick, but Daisy was determined, and finally, she caught him, wrapping her arms around him.
“Gotcha!” she declared triumphantly.
Callan spun her around, their laughter mingling with the sound of the sea. “Aye, ye have ensnared me.”
They swam out past the waves, to where it was calm, enjoying the water, until a fish brushed her legs, making her shriek.
“That’s it, I’m done,” she yelled as they swam to shore.
The sand was so hot under their feet, they sprinted for the blanket where Frankie was still sleeping under the umbrella they’d rented. He opened one eye, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
As she flopped down on the blanket, water droplets glistening on her skin, she told him about all the shark movies she’d watched over the years.
“I am glad ye told me after we went swimming.” He lay on his back, arms behind his head as he told her more about visiting the aquarium in Boston, how watching the jellyfish and sharks in the tanks was beautiful and terrifying.
They relaxed, watching the waves and listening to the sounds of the ocean. The scent of salt and sunscreen filled the air, mingling with the scent of someone cooking out at one of the big houses on the beach.
Daisy turned to Callan, her voice soft. “I could stay here forever.”
“’Tis most beautiful here. We could catch our dinner every night.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body against hers as the day gave way to evening.
He turned to her, his gaze lingering on her face. The fading light kissed her features, highlighting her natural beauty. He was struck by the depth of his feelings for her, a warmth that spread through his chest and settled deep in his heart.
Daisy met his gaze, her eyes soft with emotion. The world around them seemed to fade, leaving only the two of them in this perfect moment. Slowly, as if drawn by an unseen force, they leaned in closer, their faces inches apart, the anticipation hanging in the air.
Just as their lips were about to meet, a gull swooped down, boldly snatching a cookie. Startled, they broke apart as the thief took flight.
Before crossing the bridge to Holden Beach the next day, Callan and Daisy decided to stop at the Food Lion, the only grocery store before crossing over the water.
Holden Beach was made up of vacation homes, which was great for relaxing but not so much if you needed something from the store or wanted to go out to eat.
It was so hot and humid that it almost took her breath away when she opened the door of the van. Since Frankie couldn’t come inside the store, they left the van running with the air conditioning on high and locked it, promising to get him a big juicy bone from the meat section.
Traffic had been horrible, but she’d read it was way worse on Saturdays when most people drove in for the start of their weekly rental.
The store was bustling with locals and tourists alike, carts bumping into each other, as everyone stocked up on essentials.
“Daisy, look.” Callan pointed to a box of cereal. He’d pulled on a heather grey tee and wouldn’t give up wearing jeans, no matter how hot it was.
“Rice Krispies. I didn’t know you liked cereal.” She’d dressed in a pair of navy shorts and a white tee emblazoned with Basgiath War College, and had a picture of a dragon flying through a night sky on the front.
“When I was at Blackford Castle during Samhain, Lucy made something she called Ghost Treats. She made them by toasting rice she purchased for an ungodly amount of gold from a traveling merchant, and then she made marshmallow from the roots of the mallow plants. William dinna care for them, but I thought they were verra tasty.”
“Did they have rice then?” She grabbed a box, then headed for the baking aisle to grab a jar of Marshmallow Creme, and a disposable aluminum pan to make them for him.
Callan shook his head. “Nay, no one had ever seen rice before. When Lucy and I were traveling together after our escape from Agnes, we met a traveling merchant named Aaron. He told a tale of a sailor from Italy who spoke of distant lands. Said he won the rice from the man in a game of dice.”
They’d moved on to the condiment aisle, where she was trying to reach the mustard he liked, but it was on the top shelf.
Warm breath caressed her bare neck as he stood behind her and instead of reaching up and over her to get it, simply lifted her in the air as if she weighed no more than a bag of rice.
“Sara, look at that.” A woman who looked to be in her early sixties stood there, dressed in a pair of red capri pants, a red and white striped shirt, and a pair of red skyscraper heels.
The friend, Sara, fanned herself. “Now that’s the kind of hard man I need.” She cackled, running a hand through short silver hair. “Where can I find a man like that?”
He set her down, cheeks flaming, as Daisy turned to the women. “He’s very handy.”
A rumbling laugh came from Callan. “Aye, I am here to serve, ladies.”
The woman in red pulled her top out and blew down the front of it. “Land sakes, I think you gave me a hot flash.”
She looked him up and down.
“Handsome as hell and a Scottish accent to die for.”
The woman pulled her attention away from Callan, who was smirking.
“You better chain that man to your side, sugar.”
Deciding to join in the fun, Daisy widened her eyes. “I’ll put an AirTag in his pocket, so I always know where he is.”
Sara and her friend cackled as they pushed their cart down the aisle, talking and laughing about the hot Scottish hunk.
“What is an AirTag? And what is a hunk? A hunk of what?”
Callan looked equally pleased and confused, filling Daisy with laughter.
Before the look vanished, she quickly snapped a picture of him and texted it to Zara, telling her friend that the older cougars were on the loose here in Holden Beach.
A moment later, her phone dinged. It was a photo of a tiger chasing a man along with the laughing face emoji.
Without thinking about it, she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek with a loud smack.
“An AirTag is a device to track your belongings, but some people use it to track other people, which is wrong.”
She playfully smacked him on the butt, making him yelp.
“A hunk is a … what do you say? Right. A pleasing visage. You are a hunk. They were simply stating a fact.”
When he leaned down, his mouth next to her ear, Daisy shivered. “’Tis you I want, lass. You and no other. I will be your hunk.”
Oh. My. Gosh. Daisy was floating as they finished buying groceries. The fact that Callan didn’t know how good-looking he was only made him that much more attractive.
They were in a long line to checkout, Callan talking about the fight with the mercenaries and how he’d been wounded, when a man interrupted them.
“Couldn’t help but overhear. Did you say Blackford Castle? In England?” he asked.
Callan and Daisy exchanged a glance before Callan turned around. “Aye, that’s right. I was just telling Daisy here about my brother’s home in England.”
The man introduced himself as Will, the Chief of Police here in Holden Beach.
“Would you happen to be kin to Drake? He was from England, disappeared for a while, then returned years later,” Will said. “Now he’s married to Mildred Merriweather.”
“Merriweather? I’m looking for a Merriweather related to Lucy Merriweather.”
Will nodded, his face sad. “Lucy and her sisters passed a while back when they went overseas. Sad business.”
He looked at them a moment, then seemed to make up his mind.
“Mildred and Drake live in a pale blue house with white trim on the beach. Turn right when you come off the bridge.”
He paused. “The only cafe on the beach is good if you haven’t had lunch yet, but turn left to go there first.”
With a smile, he said, more to himself than them. “And if you see a Cadillac speeding by, that’s probably Mildred.” He laughed.
They thanked him, and since he only had a few items in his basket whereas they had a full cart, they let him go ahead of them to checkout.
Once they were done loading the groceries in the van, Daisy started up their little home on wheels.
“We’re almost there. Are you nervous to meet them?”
“Aye. What if they think my wits are addled?”
She pulled out of the parking lot. “You know enough that I think they’ll believe you.”
Daisy touched his arm. “You can give them closure. Tell them about Lucy.”
The bridge, a marvel of modern engineering, stretched across the water, making him nervous as they drove across it.
“Look at that view.” Daisy gripped the huge steering wheel. “It’s so beautiful.”
At the end of the bridge, they turned left to go to the cafe that Will told them about. The sandy parking lot was full of vehicles. Music played out of the speakers as people sat at outdoor tables under brightly colored umbrellas to shade them from the blistering sun.
Gulls flew overhead, waiting to steal an unsuspecting patron’s meal, and there was the ocean, stretching out to meet the horizon.
It was after two, so they didn’t have to wait long for a table. Their server handed them menus with a friendly smile.
“Is he friendly?” He gestured to Frankie.
“He is.” Daisy hooked his leash around the leg of her chair so he wouldn’t try to chase any of the gulls.
The guy squatted down to pet her dog. “Who’s a good boy?”
Frankie wagged his tail, enjoying the attention.
“I’ll bring him a bowl of water and … how about a hamburger?”
“Better bring him two.” Callan grinned at the dog. “He’s verra hungry.”
“You got it.” He wrote it down on a small pad of paper. “Sweet tea while you look over the menu?”
“Sounds good.” Daisy had never had southern sweet tea and was looking forward to trying it.
After they’d perused the menu and decided what to order, she pulled out her phone to look for a campsite.
“We’re in luck. A spot opened up at the campground just down the road from here while I was looking. It’s right on the beach.”
She booked it for a week, figuring it would give them time to meet Mildred Merriweather and to enjoy the beach.
Their tea came and when Callan took a sip, he made such a face that she stopped, the glass halfway to her mouth.
“What’s wrong?”
He swallowed. “’Tis the sweetest drink I have ever tasted. Makes my teeth ache.”
But it couldn’t have been too bad, because he took another sip, then another.
“Aye, I find I like this sweet tea.”
Warned, Daisy took a sip, letting the syrupy tea fill her mouth. It was icy cold with a hint of lemon as she swallowed.
“You’re not kidding. It’s so sweet, but you’re right, I like it.”
The server brought the hamburgers for Frankie and then their meals. Callan ordered the shrimp plate with hush puppies while she’d decided on the oyster po’boy with fries, knowing he’d finish off whatever she couldn’t eat.
They had peach ice cream for dessert, along with a glass of sparkling wine for her and a beer for him.
While she was looking to see what there was to do, Daisy showed him her phone.
“Look. Because Holden Beach is a south-facing island, we’ll be able to see the sunrise and the sunset. I’m so excited we’re here. I can’t wait to lie on the beach all day long and soak up the sun.”
They paid their bill, then went for a walk on the beach, keeping Frankie on his leash. He loved jumping in and out of the waves as they crashed onto the shore.
As they walked, they talked about everything and nothing, enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company.
“Do you want to go find this Mildred?”
With a shake of his head, Callan looked out at the ocean. “Nay, lass. Let’s set up our camp and look at the stars tonight. Tomorrow we will find her.”
That night, after walking on the beach and watching the stars come out, Daisy decided she would search to see what jobs might be available here.
In the high season, she knew it would be chaos, but she was guessing in the off season the town would practically be deserted and perfect in winter. No more snow. She could get used to walking on the beach every day. Would Callan want to stay here with her?
She’d already had an inquiry from Mrs. Henderson, asking if Daisy was interested in making the sublet permanent. Her granddaughter had found a job and would be happy to take the studio apartment furnished if Daisy was willing.
As she made sure the door was locked and the windows were cranked open, she laid in bed, listening to the sound of the waves, thanking those fates that sent Callan here. To her.