Chapter 18 #2
“Oh, you think I’m ruggedly handsome? That’s even better.”
“Not rugged, per se. More like a London street rat.”
The way his expression folds up makes me burst into laughter.
He huffs a couple of times. “I don’t even understand what that means.”
“I’m not going to try to describe it. That expression is way too much fun.”
“Wow, Ari. You have a mean streak. Who would have thought such a tiny girl could pack such an emotional wallop?”
“Who knew your self-esteem was so easily bruised?” I snicker as I watch nighttime beachgoers out my window. I point at a bride and groom with their wedding party getting pictures taken on the sand. “Oh, fun. And sweet!”
Crispin nods, a smile curving his lips. “I love when a bride and groom fill their wedding with the things they love instead of following tradition because it’s expected.
Everybody in flip-flops. The surfboards in the background.
It’s clear the couple are surf junkies. Maybe the bride wore heels for the ceremony, but she’s showing her true colors now. ”
“It is fun.”
“What kind of wedding will you have?”
I startle like he zapped me with a taser. “I’ve literally never thought about it.”
“You haven’t?” He sounds stunned.
“What kind of wedding would you have?” I ask.
His mouth flops.
“Ah huh! You were being sexist by assuming I’ve planned out my wedding because I’m a girl.”
I see his cheeks redden. “Yeah, you totally caught me in that one. It’s just that I’ve had a lot of girls write to me about what our future wedding will be like, so…yeah…I fell right into that one.”
“Oh my gosh. Have you really?”
“Yeah. I mean, our future weddings, our future children, where we’ll live. There are a lot of people out there who plan waaaay ahead.”
I chuckle but also cringe. “I never thought about that end of the rabid fan spectrum. That seems kind of creepy.”
“It wasn’t too bad before artificial intelligence.” He glances at me and makes a face. “Now I get illustrations to go along with these big plans. Some of the kids…oof.”
I let my head fall against the headrest. “Oh no! Maybe I’ll rethink this career. At least I wouldn’t inspire such devotion in my fan base. They enjoy that I make them laugh, but they don’t want to marry me.”
When he looks at me, his gaze skims me like he’s cataloging all my best features. “Give it time, Ari. You’ll be having little AI babies soon too.”
I shudder. “No, please, no!”
We pull into the parking lot of a strip mall. The far end of the lot is packed with cars, but the rest is empty. Crispin parks with the masses and we climb out of the car.
I frown. “I don’t even see a restaurant.”
He laughs. “It’s at the end of the pier.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
A boardwalk splattered with sand and footprints takes us to the pier, which stretches far out over the ocean.
The tide is out, so there are people with buckets wandering the shoreline, digging for clams on the wet sand.
The scents of briny water and rotting fish tease my nose occasionally.
Neither is especially strong but they make me wrinkle my nose in displeasure until I’m more used to them.
The farther out on the pier we walk, the more the wind picks up.
I pull my hood over my hair to keep it out of my face and stuff my hands into the pockets of my hoodie, which I’m thankful I grabbed.
Vocal seagulls land on the pier, the railing, and the backs of benches, eyeing us to see if we have any food to steal.
The bark of sea lions grows louder as we approach the restaurant.
“What are they looking at?” I point to people gathered around openings in the pier, leaning as far over the railings as they can.
“The sea lions.”
I can’t help myself. I run to the nearest opening and squeeze into a small space between two women.
Far below, there are dozens of sea lions lazing about.
The sea lions overlap one another like a basket of kittens, rolling and climbing on each other to find the perfect spot.
Crispin comes up behind me and leans over my shoulder to look down.
I point to a sea lion sitting alone on a dock, barking the loudest. “He’s huge! ”
“Yeah, I’d say he’s in charge down there.”
I laugh and bite my lip as I watch the antics. A sea lion inches to the edge of her dock and dives in a fluid arch face-first into the water.
“Wow, they’re so awkward on land, but such graceful swimmers.”
The woman next to me steps aside, and Crispin shifts forward, leaning an arm on the rail. His body is only inches from mine, and the warmth he provides chases the chill of the wind away. I fight the urge to lean against him.
“That little harbor seal is enjoying the show too.” He points to a cute little round head bobbing in the water.
“I can’t believe how loud these things are.”
“They never stop either. Very chatty creatures.”
I snap a couple pictures to share with Mom. I’ll have to bring her out here when she’s stronger. She’d love this. “Are they here during the day too?”
“They’re always here. I mean, probably not the exact same ones, but this is definitely a popular place for them to hang out.”
I straighten and smile over my shoulder at him. He’s still leaning forward to see over the rail, so his face is inches from mine. My smile falters, and my eyes drop to his lips. Suddenly, I’m thankful for the incessant wind. It’s cooling the heat that just ignited within me.
Pushing away from the rail, I stammer, “We don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Crispin spins deftly so that my erratic movements don’t knock him over.
He falls into step beside me, acting as if I didn’t just make a total fool of myself.
I think about me, with my mouth hanging open as I watched him trip over his own feet and my wardrobe outside my dressing room the other day. He’s got way more class than me.
I spot Sally, leaning over another of the sea lion viewing holes.
Her face is lit with a stunning smile as she points to something, making her laugh.
Her hair blows attractively around her face like the ocean is her own wind machine.
River stands next to her, with his arm around her, leaning over her shoulder in a similar way to how Crispin just did to me.
Seeing River doing it to his girlfriend makes the memory of Crispin’s nearness feel even more intimate.
On Sally’s other side is an attractive blond girl who is a couple of inches taller than her and looks like a female version of River.
She’s holding her long hair in a ponytail with one hand while she points to animals with her other.
“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling very silly.
“What’s wrong?” Crispin’s brows are pulled in as he studies my expression.
“For some reason, I thought River’s sister was like eight years old or something. Yeah, they wouldn’t have fit in your backseat together.”
A funny expression crosses Crispin’s face as he places a hand on my back and steers me toward them.
“Hey guys,” I say, as we approach.
Sally’s eyes are glowing with joy. “Did you see the sea lions, Ari?”
I nod.
“Aren’t they the best? I think they’re my new favorite.”
“Can you see the head guy from there?” I ask.
Sally shakes her head, so I grab her hand and pull her back to the opening we just vacated. There are only a couple people around it now, so we’re all able to crowd around while I point him out.
Her laugh is pure elation. “Whoa! He’s humungous.”
As we watch, another sea lion jumps onto the dock with him, and he snaps at the much smaller animal, who immediately leaps back into the water.
“Oh, and he’s not having any of it,” River says.
We watch for a bit longer before finally turning toward the restaurant.
“By the way, this is my sister, Brook. Brook, meet Ari and Crispin.”
Brook waves at us, like being introduced to celebrities like Crispin Moore is an everyday experience. Props to her.
Because Crispin made a reservation, they seat us immediately in a secluded back corner of the restaurant.
I see a few people whisper to one another as they stare at Crispin as we pass, but nobody makes a scene.
As I settle into my chair, I admire the sun, which hangs low over the ocean.
It looks like it’s perched on a dark golden shelf.
A burst of bright white above the orb slowly fades into a cornflower blue sky.
Every sunset over the ocean I’ve witnessed since I arrived in California has made me wish I could paint just for the challenge of reproducing the amazing colors.
If our waiter recognizes Crispin, he doesn’t show it.
He’s professional and personable and takes great care of us as we eat an amazing meal.
Conversation flows easily from River and Brook sharing more stories about their time sailing around the world, Crispin talking about his favorite movie roles, and all of us regaling Crispin with tales of growing up in a small town.
As we talk, I watch the ever-changing colors of the sunset until finally the afterglow winks out and the ocean and sky are just an inky black.
Looking around the table, I wonder at the fact that I’m sitting in a restaurant on the ocean, having a wonderful time with new friends.
This time last year, if someone had told me this is where I’d be, I’d have thought they were not only crazy but very wrong.
As the familiar guilt starts to creep into my thoughts, I brush it away as fast as I can. I remind myself that Dad wouldn’t want me to wallow. He’d be the first to laugh his contagious laugh over the turn of events that have me eating crab cakes on a pier.
“Hey, are you okay?” Crispin whispers.
I startle and turn my gaze his way. He’s turned away from the others so they can’t hear him. Concern scrunches his brow. I let my own expression relax. “Yeah, I am. Just thinking how crazy it is that I’m here with you guys. I never would have predicted this, is all.”
His concern morphs into understanding. “Your life has changed a lot, hasn’t it?”