Chapter 15
Charlie greeted the couple who took care of the house, and set his bags down in his bedroom.
He took a walk on the beach at sunset, and it felt good to be back.
The smell of the sea air, the sand under his feet, the breeze off the ocean.
It felt wholesome and sane. His life had been out of control for a long time and now it was manageable.
He wasn’t afraid anymore. Everything had changed, and he had grown and changed with it.
Everything he had been afraid of had happened, and it wasn’t so bad.
The worst part was losing Devon, running away from her, being too afraid to be with her and stand beside her.
And something terrible had happened to her, and he hadn’t been there.
He could only imagine what going blind and fearing never being able to paint again would have been like for her.
She must have been terrified, and she hadn’t called him, because he had abandoned her.
He had no idea what to say to her now. There were no words to tell her how sorry he was.
And she probably didn’t care. Why would she?
But she had cared enough to send him the painting and he wanted to thank her for it.
At least he could do that. Real courage was standing in front of someone you love, knowing you had hurt them, and being able to face them. He owed her at least that.
He looked far down the beach and saw a woman running with an enormous dog.
She was throwing a ball for it, and it kept running away from her and back again.
She chased the dog into the surf. The dog was barking and leaping and she was laughing.
As they came closer, Charlie saw that it was Devon, her hair loose in the wind.
She looked happy and free. He smiled, watching them as they approached.
She was so intent on the dog, she didn’t see him.
For a moment, he wanted to hide, or run away, but he couldn’t do that anymore, and didn’t really want to.
He had to face her, at least once, and then she never had to see him again.
She had lived the last seven months without him, and she looked happy.
As she slowed to a walk, she saw him, and looked startled.
The dog was still running and playing. Devon looked serious as Charlie walked toward her.
Destiny had brought them together again, but he would have gone to see her anyway.
He could never stay away from her, and then he’d run away.
He wasn’t running anymore. There were no demons left.
She took off her dark glasses as he approached, and he could see her green eyes shining in the sun.
He wished he had a portrait of her to remember her by, just like this, on the beach, with her wild red hair flying in the wind.
“I owe you an apology and a thank-you,” he said when he was standing in front of her.
“Not really. I’m fine.” She smiled at him then.
“The painting is good though, isn’t it? I had fun doing it.
It was so perfectly you, on your sailboat.
” And she was so perfectly her, standing in front of him.
It made his heart ache to look at her, she was so beautiful and so brave.
She could hide in her art. He had nowhere to hide.
He felt naked, and ashamed of how he had treated her.
“I’m sorry I canceled your portrait. I had an accident.
I was out of commission for a few months.
Your painting is the first one I worked on when I got back. I wanted you to have it.”
“I don’t deserve it, after my disappearing act.”
“You missed some bad months,” she said simply. “I’m fine now. And grateful. How are you?”
He smiled at the question. “It’s been interesting. I sold my business, and my house. I bought a smaller house, and I’m looking for a new business to start. And my divorce will be final on Friday. I can’t take credit for it. It was Faye’s idea. Best idea she’s ever had, and we’re friends.”
“You’ve been busy.” Devon smiled at him as the dog ran between them, playing, and almost knocked them down. “I went blind and got my sight back. That’s all I did. Wendy brought me luck. She’s a guide dog, and I started to get my sight back the day I got her.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” She could see he meant it.
“Me too. But I survived. You survived. We’re survivors.
I grew from it. It was terrifying being blind.
But most of the time the things we fear most don’t happen, and when they do, we get through them somehow.
” Devon had been to the worst and back, and now she was walking on the beach and playing with her dog, and Charlie was standing there talking to her.
The man she had lost. And now here he was.
She kept a little distance from him, afraid to get too close.
She didn’t want to get hurt again. He was history for her.
“I’m sorry I was such a coward,” he said.
“You weren’t a coward, you were human. I was scared too.
I’m not anymore. The old ghosts are at peace and I can see again.
It’s enough.” As she looked at him she realized she had forgiven him months ago for hurting her.
He might hurt her again, if she let him, or he might not.
Living meant taking risks, getting hurt, loving, being happy, being sad, taking a chance on life.
“Can I ask you to the house for a glass of wine?” he asked her. She hesitated, and smiled.
“Sure.” He took her hand and they ran down the beach, laughing, with the dog following them into the future.