Chapter 5 #2
“You’ve reached my voicemail, but if you leave me a message, I just might call you back.
” Carly tapped the screen to end the call.
“Maybe today,” she grumbled. “If that was the case, you’d answer your phone.
” He’d texted her less than two minutes ago and suddenly he couldn’t answer?
She rolled her eyes, hating the excitement pulsing throughout her body like falling dominos.
Suddenly the small device buzzed in her hand. Jimmy calling.
With still shaking fingers, Carly swiped the screen and brought it to her ear. “Jimmy?”
“Howdy,” he mumbled. “So, what’d you think?”
And just like that, they were back. The feels and thrills of loving him, of thinking they could possibly have a future together, all of it trickled back into place like a magic potion, promising to quench the thirst in her heart.
“I like it,” she said.
“Like?”
The line went quiet for four long beats.
“I’m trying to figure out what it means.
Are you actually ready to put some effort into this relationship?
To…come out here like I’ve begged you to do every time?
” Even after the words left her lips, Carly wasn’t sure she wanted a yes out of him.
Wasn’t sure she could fully forgive him for the years of torment he’d put her through.
Besides, she was trying to get over him, wasn’t she?
“I’m thinking about coming out there,” he said softly.
That was more than he usually said. It was more often something like, “C’mon, Carly, you know I need more time.
” Or “I don’t want to tie you down. It’s not fair.
” What was truly unfair is that he’d tied her down already.
Just by…by never breaking things off. By never really saying that they didn’t stand a chance.
Because he knew that they did. Knew they could have something beautiful if he could only let go of the pain from their past. Of his fear for what might go wrong.
“I’ve been looking at flights,” he added, causing another burst of excitement to flicker in her chest. “I’ll have to see if I can take time off at the shop, see if I can cover my upcoming shifts, but I miss you.”
She sucked in a breath, surprised by what he’d said.
The truth was, she and Jimmy rarely even saw each other back home.
But just hearing him say it triggered all the troubles she’d been battling the last few days.
“I miss you too.” A beat of panic thrummed through her.
What if he really was ready to change? One more chance, Carly.
You can do that. If he doesn’t show, that’ll be it.
“I hope you can make it out here,” she said, only half meaning it. “Weekends are best, but I’ll take whatever you can do. I’m dying to show you how beautiful it is out here.”
“I’m sure it’s prettier out there now that you’re there,” he mumbled.
She smiled. Silly statements like that always sounded sincere when Jimmy spoke them.
“You have a good night now, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll get back to you about coming out for a visit. I’m not making any promises, but possibly Monday through Thursday of next week?”
That didn’t even include one weekend day. Which was fine. Anything was better than nothing. “Sure,” she said, reminding herself of how wonderful it might be if he actually showed. “That would be great!” She hated how much she hoped he would come out this time.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said.
Carly smiled. “Okay.”
“Oh, and Carly?”
She’d moved the phone from her ear, but at his last words she lifted it back in place. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for being my inspiration. I really want to publish one day. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what I’d write about.” He ended the call then. Always ending on a note to keep her dangling, wasn’t he?
Carly was excited about Jimmy’s potential visit.
She was, but it seemed there was something missing among the inner celebration.
Like a parade marching heartily down the street, all trumpets blaring and flags waving, with no crowd to greet and cheer it on.
As if only part of her had shown up to celebrate, and a small part at that.
The rest of her was sitting in a corner, arms folded and foot tapping saying, “Yeah right, we’ll see if it actually happens this time. ”
Be happy, Carly. This is what you want.
She stared at her phone for a moment, wondering if it really was what she wanted anymore. Maybe Jill was right. Perhaps this really was Carly’s time to move forward and let Jimmy stay behind, right where he wanted to be. Writing his sad, lonely poetry until the day he died.
A call came in just then, causing her phone to buzz and beep. Speak of the she-devil. Carly picked up the call. “Hi, Jilly Billy,” she sang, making her way back to the moon chair on the patio.
“Don’t hi Jilly Billy me,” her sister said. “I heard that Mark Craven’s son is at a private resort on Myrtle Beach taking surf lessons for an upcoming movie role.”
Carly’s eyes went wide. Was she kidding? How could she have possibly heard that already? He’d just gotten there.
“Inside scoop says his instructor will be a beautiful blonde who placed in several surf competitions years back,” her sister continued. “That sounds an awful lot like you.”
Still stunned, Carly thought back on the contract she’d signed upon taking the job.
A couple years back, Carly had instructed the young daughter of country music star, Sheyenne Gold.
Cyree had reminded Carly that she was contractually obligated to keep the names of her students private.
Absolutely no inside information should leak from a staff member at The Royal Palm.
“I’m not supposed to say,” she finally stammered.
“Oh! My! Goodness!” A sharp squeal pierced through the line. “It’s true! I can’t believe it. There’s a picture of him on the front page and he’s like, as gorgeous as his father.”
That was true. An image of him shot to her mind—the smile that owned him once he finally got to his feet while catching the tail end of a wave.
He’d missed out on most of the ride, as late as he got to his feet, but that hadn’t stopped the expression of triumph from spreading over his ridiculously handsome face.
Carly hadn’t even known she was grinning until Christian came into view, waving wildly from the winding pebbled path leading to his bungalow.
“Hi there, Carly!”
She held the smile in place, feeling as if she’d just been caught thinking about—not to mention talking about—Christian’s friend. “Hi,” she lifted an arm to wave in return.
“Is that him?” Jill screeched.
“No,” she mumbled through gritted teeth.
Christian veered off the path. “How was your lesson with the Cravester?”
Oh, no.
“I heard that,” Jill said. “The Cravester—you really are teaching Mark Craven’s sexy son, aren’t you?”
A combination of dread and delight clashed within her. Concern was there too; Carly knew how persistent her sister could be. “Jill, I’m sworn to secrecy, okay? Oh, and I’ve got company so I’ll have to call you back.”
“Just cough or something to tell me I’m right,” her sister persisted.
“Bye,” Carly blurted over her.
Jill started to reply but Carly tapped the screen and looked back at Christian.
He’d stopped just yards from her house, dragging a shoe over the edge of the path.
Her insides were like the ocean at high tide—relentless pushing and prodding.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about winding up in the press.
“What’s wrong?” Christian asked before Carly could snap herself out of her musings.
He came back into focus as she shifted her mind. “The press is already picking up on this, from what my sister said.” Carly shook her head. “I didn’t confirm it or anything, but she’s pretty sure the tabloids suspect that he’s here.”
Christian gave her a shrug and dropped his gaze to the landscape surrounding the bungalow.
Then, in a few deft moves, he hopped over a shrub, landed on a decorative rock below her patio, and hoisted himself over the railing like he was navigating some sort of obstacle course.
A grin pulled at one side of his lips. “Gage isn’t much of a big name yet.
I mean, his father is, but tabloids like to be on the cusp of all the action. It’ll die down soon.”
Carly nodded. “I hope you’re right.” She pictured how he might react to the report.
Would he agree with the beautiful blonde assessment?
Actually, she decided, the chances of him seeing the article or even caring about it were slim.
A vision of his face came to mind. The look he gave her when he was asking if they could go someplace private. An untamed thrill shot through her.
“Do you think he’ll really quit acting after one gig?” she asked, shifting her gaze back to the ocean view. “Or do you think that he’ll fall in love with it and stay in the business like his father?”
When he didn’t answer right away, Carly glanced over.
Christian’s shoulders and arms had stiffened, his jaw clenched tight as he gave her a sharp look. “Do you care either way?”
She hated admitting that she did. “No. Just curious.”
As Christian weighed his response, Carly recalled the handful of times he had asked her out. This was her fifth year working summers at the resort, and not a year had passed that he didn’t test the waters, only to hear that she was in fact, still attached to some guy who might never fully commit.
Jealousy. That’s what she saw in Christian’s expression.
Carly had always figured that, had she not been so tied up in Jimmy, she might be interested in Christian in return.
Heck, what woman wouldn’t be? Not only was he gorgeous, Christian had dance moves that could seduce any woman with a pulse—the Royal Palm’s very own Latin Lover.
Still, despite his wide popularity, he seemed very much like the type who would happily settle into family life with a wife and kids and the big dog too.