Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tom cleared his throat as he approached the gazebo in the center of town.
His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket despite the fact that it wasn’t very cold outside.
There was a strong breeze blowing, but it was warm enough that it felt almost balmy.
Tom sniffed the fragrant air and felt his spirits lift even further.
This is perfect weather for my walk with Delilah, he said. I’m so glad it isn’t raining or cold today.
He felt a flutter of nervousness as he stepped inside the gazebo.
He was early, and Delilah wasn’t there yet, but he knew that she would be there soon, and his hands were sweatier than they’d been since he took the SAT in high school.
He sat down on one of the benches, cleared his throat again, and then stood up and began to pace.
His mind whirled. He couldn’t believe that he was really about to spend time with Delilah for a reason other than reading the screenplay together.
Of course, they’d already cooked a meal at The Lighthouse Grill together, but that was because they’d already been there because of the screenplay.
Spending time together at the Owens’ had been wonderful, but that had been different as well.
This was the first time that Delilah was spending time with Tom simply for Tom’s own sake, and he could hardly believe it was happening.
It feels like a date, he thought, and his face turned bright red a second later.
At that moment, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes, and he turned and saw Delilah walking across the town square toward him, wearing a pink floral tunic over leggings, paired with a long white jacket.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, and for a second, he forgot to be nervous, he was so struck by how beautiful she was.
“Hello, Tom,” she said as she approached him.
She looked happy and full of energy, and he wondered what had put her in such a wonderful mood.
A moment later, it occurred to him that she might be in such a wonderful mood because of their walk, and he felt himself begin to blush again, even though he immediately told himself that couldn’t be the case.
She gave him a friendly, gentle hug, which he returned with polite hesitation, even though he would have loved to give her a bear hug. He felt so grateful that she was there with him, and seeming so happy to spend her time off with him.
“Thanks for coming with me,” he said, starting to walk toward his car, which was parked on the edge of the town square.
“Thanks for inviting me.” She smiled. “Where are we headed?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said, feeling almost gleeful. He was excited to show her the place that he’d picked out for her. He didn’t know what she’d think of it, since he was sure she was used to far more breathtaking locations, but he still felt proud of the beauty that Rosewood Beach had to offer.
They reached his car and he opened the passenger door for her. He offered her his hand as she got into the car and she took it, holding onto his fingers a little more firmly than might have been necessary. Tom’s hand tingled as he walked around the car and got in on the driver’s side.
He realized that his nerves had greatly subsided, and he knew it was because she seemed so eager for the adventure they had planned.
He’d been worried that she might regret her acceptance of his offer, but it was clear that she was just as excited to spend time with him as he was to spend time with her.
He drove his car along the quiet streets, heading toward the edge of town. On the way, he pointed out various landmarks and popular stores and restaurants to Delilah, who looked at everything with what appeared to be genuine fascination.
Finally, he reached the park that he’d been headed toward. He parked his car at the bottom of a hill which was overgrown with birch and pine trees. A wooden staircase led up the hill, the top of which was obscured by foliage.
“This seems very mysterious.” Delilah laughed as she got out of the car and took in her surroundings. “Are we on our way to a wizard’s tower?”
“Something like that,” Tom said, delighted by her imagination.
They began to climb the staircase together, and Tom had to repress an urge to hold her hand more than once.
In the woods surrounding them, birds trilled and called out haunting notes, and the wind sighed sleepily in the pine branches.
The air smelled spicily of old dead leaves and pine needles, and all of the new plants that were pushing up through them, ready for a new summer of growth.
At last, they reached the top of the staircase, and Delilah gasped.
Stretching out in front of them was a beautiful rose garden, well-tended and arranged in a tidy, meandering pattern.
Various stone fountains gushed sparkling, clean water, and the sunlight that was no longer obscured by the pine trees fell in dazzling brightness on the garden.
Tom had to admit that Delilah’s joke about a wizard’s tower wasn’t too far off, since the place did seem almost magical.
Delilah clasped her hands, staring about her in wonder.
There was a shining look in her eyes, as if she was a child who could still appreciate simple joys.
Tom’s heart stirred as he watched her, thinking to himself that she fit so well in his world, even though he never would have expected a Hollywood star to be so content with the simple beauty of Rosewood Beach.
“Do you like he?” he asked her, his voice soft.
“This… this is wonderful,” she whispered.
“The air smells incredible. A picture of this place would be breathtaking, but it could never do it justice. It wouldn’t include the aromas in the air, or the sound of the birds, or that wind!
” A ruffle of sweet spring air blew against their faces as she said the words.
“This is one of my favorite spots,” he said. “Not a lot of people come here, at least not all that often. Tourists don’t usually find out about it. It’s kind of a local secret.”
Delilah gasped eagerly and whirled in his direction. “How secret is it?”
He cocked his head to one side, confused. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve been looking for a place to film the proposal scene for our movie,” she told him.
“This place is absolutely perfect.” She gestured to the pink blossoms of the roses that bobbed in the wind and the sparkling froth of the fountains.
“I’m sure we’d never be able to find a spot more beautiful than this. ”
“It’s definitely not too secret for that,” Tom said. “I’m sure everyone in Rosewood Beach would love for this place to feature in a Hollywood movie. I think more people should get to see it, don’t you?”
“Mmhmm.” She stepped over to a white metal bench tucked along a line of rose bushes and sat down. “It’s marvelous. This is just what that scene needs.”
Tom sat down next to her, feeling suddenly shy but experiencing a desire to be close to her that was even stronger than his jitters. “Tell me about the proposal scene.”
“Oh, it’s very dramatic,” she said, looking off across the gardens as if she was envisioning the story in her head.
“The heroine of the movie feels that she shouldn’t be in love with the man that’s proposing to her, since they come from extremely different backgrounds.
It’s got a bit of a Romeo and Juliet element to it, for sure.
She’s filled with longing for him, but she’s also afraid it isn’t going to work out.
There’s a struggle going on inside of her, and of course the audience is going to want her to say yes.
Usually, proposal scenes happen at the end of a movie and you know what the woman is going to say, but in this case, she doesn’t say yes right away.
I love how dramatic it is. It should really have people sitting on the edge of their seats. ”
“That does sound dramatic. Do you remember some of the lines?”
“I’d better, we’re filming it soon.” She laughed. “Let’s see…”
Suddenly, a shift came over her as she clicked into character. Tom could see a new, performed persona settling over her, but underneath it was her own eyes, shining with sincerity as she spoke the words.
“You don’t really mean you want to marry me, do you?” she gasped out, her tone light-hearted. She then laughed breathlessly and seemed to be waiting for a response. Tom felt as though he needed to answer her, and he found himself nodding.
“But—but you can’t mean it,” she said, her tone becoming more intense as her character realized what was really going on. “It’s been so wonderful getting to know you like this, but I thought you knew that we could never be together like that.”
Tom, still feeling as though it was his line, cleared his throat gently.
He found himself getting swept up in the story.
He knew she was speaking her lines from the script, but he couldn’t help thinking of their own situation.
How they were getting to know each other, and it was wonderful, but they could never really be together.
His heart ached a little as he thought about it, finding himself suddenly filled with longing that they lived in a world in which they could have been together.
“We come from two different worlds,” she said, her voice a whisper.
Instead of looking off across the garden, she turned to Tom and looked directly into his eyes.
He felt his core get hot and then cold and then hot again.
“There is no way that you would feel accepted in my world. Even if you did, your world would not accept me.”
Tom shook his head. His heart was pounding now, and he felt as though she was really speaking the words to him. In the back of his mind, he wondered if she really was. It was possible that she was taking the lines from the movie and turning them into a real conversation with him.
“I would accept you,” Tom said, his voice almost a whisper. “And that’s all that matters, isn’t it? If we accept each other?”
“I can’t pretend that I don’t feel things for you,” Delilah said, and Tom wondered if her words were still part of the script or if they were entirely hers.
He could practically hear his blood rushing in his ears.
“You’ve done an amazing job of inviting me into your world.
I feel so at home when I’m with you, and it took me completely by surprise.
I never thought that a world devoid of the glitz and glamour that inhabits my world could feel so much like home. ”
“I’m glad you feel at home here,” he said, realizing that he’d begun to lean closer to her. “You’ve brought more excitement than you’ll ever know to our small town. And even more notably than your fame, your presence has been a particular gift to me.”
He wondered if it was the element of feeling as though they were still acting out a scene that allowed him to be so honest. He chose formal, romantic-sounding words, words that he wouldn’t have used in his real life, because it made it seem more like make-believe.
But it wasn’t make-believe. He felt things for her he hadn’t felt for a woman in a very long time—maybe not ever.
He wanted to express those things to her, but if they’d simply been sitting there talking as themselves, he never would have dared.
She was leaning in closer to him as well.
Tom watched himself move as if he was a character in a film that he was viewing.
He felt himself lean even closer to Delilah, and he didn’t stop himself.
She smelled like lemons and vanilla, and he wondered how someone as famous as she was could smell so much like the way his childhood home had smelled.
Their lips met, and he felt the thrill of kissing her before he’d fully realized that it was happening.
I’m kissing Delilah Bates, he thought wildly and broke their kiss accidentally as he grinned.
Laughing and blushing, Delilah pulled her head back a little.
“I was hoping you’d do that,” she said softly.
He knew she wasn’t speaking lines from the movie now. It was as if a wall had been broken down between them, and they were finally able to admit to what they were feeling.
“Really?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Wow.”
She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear shyly. He tucked more hair back behind her other ear, and then gently kissed her again.
They sat there quietly for a while, enjoying the beauty of the garden.
Tom felt in awe of the unlikely relationship that they’d built together.
Never in a million years would he have thought that he would be sitting in a garden with Delilah Bates and she would tell him that she’d been hoping he would kiss her.
“This is my favorite place I’ve ever shot a movie,” she told him finally, her voice soft. “Rosewood Beach is absolutely lovely.”
“Ever?” he asked, incredulous. He loved Rosewood Beach, but surely she’d been to all kinds of wonderful places during her career.
“Ever,” she echoed. “By far. I’ve been enjoying every minute that I get to spend around the people of Rosewood Beach.” Her eyes flickered over his face, as if she was drinking him in. “Especially you.”
For a moment, he couldn’t think of anything to say. His entire stomach felt like it was swirling with butterflies. Glittering, glowing, hot and cold butterflies. “I’m going to a surprise party soon,” he said. “For Faith Talbot. Would… would you like to come with me? As my date?”
Delilah gasped, her delight apparent on her face. “I would love that! I would love to celebrate Faith, and I haven’t been to a surprise party in years.” She smiled coyly at him. “And going as your date would be the best part of all.”
Tom felt the tips of his ears become bright pink. “Well, then,” he said, clearing his throat again. “It’s a date.”
Her expression looked as radiant as his own emotions. “It’s a date.”