Waves of Desire (7 page)

Sage

“Terry used his binoculars to look around,” Sage read, holding the big pink book in one hand while pretending to peer around with binoculars with the other. “In all directions he could see varying shades of blue…”

“Like your scarf,” Archie said, sitting on the edge of his fuzzy red chair in the Reading Corner as she read aloud from his favorite book,
Terry Treetop Saves the Dolphin
.

Sage looked down to see the scarf she’d worn as a belt that day was, in fact, a brilliant shade of blue. “That’s right!” she said, peering back at her tiny little friend. “And like your shoes.”

Archie wrinkled his freckled little nose, peering down at the new sneakers she’d bought him just the other day. “Yay blue!”

“Yay blue!” she said, putting the book on her lap and clapping her hands, then high-fiving him.

“Okay,” Archie said, adopting a paternal tone as he crossed his arms over his chest, tiny legs dangling over the edge of his fuzzy red chair. “We’ve had our fun, now back to
Terry Treetop Saves the Dolphin
.”

Sage snorted, struggling to keep from another one of her giggling fits. No matter how hard she tried, Sage just couldn’t help but be surprised by Archie’s frequent flashes of brilliance, the way his four-year-old mind worked and what flew out of his smart little mouth. “Yes, sir!” she said, affecting a mock salute when the bell over the door rang.

“We’re over here,” she said, waving to a young man of medium height standing just inside the doorway. He wore sunglasses and, as his eyes adjusted to the bookstore’s light, he raised them atop his head.

He looked vaguely familiar, though she’d never seen him before. “Archie?” he said, the door shutting behind him as he spied the little tyke in his fuzzy red chair.

Archie turned, wrinkling his nose until he spotted the man. Then his face lit up and, as if he and Sage had never met, he bolted for the door, arms outstretched as he hollered, “Daddy! Daddy!”

Sage let out an involuntary gasp, rising slowly as father and son reunited in the front entrance of her store. As the young man swept little Archie into his arms, she realized why he looked so familiar: From their freckle-sprayed pug noses to jolly green eyes, Archie was the spitting image of his father.

“Hey buddy!” his father said, snuggling close before letting him down and peering back at Sage. “Who’s your friend?”

“Sage Drake,” she said, extending a hand.

“Sage reads to me, Daddy,” Archie said, excitedly, tugging his father’s hand. “And buys me blue shoes, and blue jeans and teddy bears and toys and movies, right Sage?”

“And gives you your favorite lemon scones,” she reminded him, winking at his father as she led them to the café counter where the man helped his son onto a bar stool before sitting beside him.

“I’m Clark Hogan,” he said, nodding to Sage. “I’m… Archie’s father. Is his mother around?”

“No, Daddy,” Archie said as Sage slid a small plate heaped with three lemon scones toward them. “She went away for awhile.”

“Yeah?” Clark asked, even as he peered at Sage for further explanation.

“She’s at Sunnyside Wellness Center,” Sage explained, pouring Archie a glass of milk and she and his father two cups of strong Surfer’s Blend coffee. “Getting… better.”

“All better, Daddy,” Archie said, nodding as he bit into a lemon scone. Just then Colby returned from the stock room, burdened down by three boxes of coffee beans and powdered creamer.

“Colby!” Archie said, quickly losing interest in his scone. “Read to me, Colby!”

“Archie,” Clark said, but Sage waved a hand.

“Do you mind?” she asked Colby, taking the boxes off her hands.

“Not if you put those away, boss,” she said, grabbing Archie’s hand as they trundled back to the Reading Corner.

Sage slid the boxes aside and picked her coffee up. “So,” she said, leaning against the ice machine at her back. “Dad, huh?”

Clark blushed slightly, still sugaring and creaming his coffee. “God only knows what Dana told you,” he said.

“Well,” Sage sighed, “she showed up with Archie in tow a few months back, looking a mess and talking about how my boyfriend, Derek, was Archie’s father.”

Clark’s nostrils flared as he put down then picked back up, his coffee cup. Sipping as if to calm his nerves, then sets it back down. “I should have started looking here,” he said, shaking his head at a display of Derek’s books on a table no more than six feet away. “I just, it was so long ago, and she’s had so many… relationships… since then.”

Sage bit her tongue, even as Clark tried to be polite. She noticed no ring on his finger and said, “So… you’re divorced then?”

“Divorced?” He chuffed, picking up a scone. “We were never married. She’s never been married, but the timing was right when she had Archie and, anyway, she had a paternity test to make sure. I’ve been paying child support ever since, but only because she moves around so much I can’t ever haul her into court to get custody.”

Sage sighed. “Sounds about right,” she said. “But then, how did you know to look here?”

He snorted, finishing his coffee. As she filled it back up, he said, “I’d stupidly cosigned on her last apartment,” he explained. “When she hadn’t paid her rent in a few months, the landlord came looking for me. I wasn’t about to bail her out, but I paid just enough to get him to let me in and grab a few of their things. The place was a mess, but I found a little black book. An actual little black book. I’ve been going through it, name by name, and finally got to Derek’s, so…”

“That’s some detective work,” Sage said. “I just wish you’d come here first.”

“Why?”

Sage sighed, watching Colby read to Archie. “I just… he’s been so great. Now I’m going to have to say goodbye.”

“How do you think I felt?” he asked, turning in his swiveling barstool to watch Colby reading to Archie. “Not knowing where he’s been the last few weeks. I just… I didn’t know it had gotten so bad with Dana.”

“I don’t know if she came here looking for money,” Sage said, “or love, or was just acting out because of the drinking, but it’s really going to come as a surprise to Derek that he’s not Archie’s father.”

Clark nodded. “It’s not a pretty picture for any of us, unfortunately,” he said, meeting her gaze with his own. “So, this Sunnyvale place… that’s a rehab, right?” When Sage nodded, sipping her coffee, he asked, “How long has she been in?”

“Just over three weeks,” she said, hopefully. “They’re letting her out next week, if you’d like to—”

“Hell, no! Hell, no!” he hissed under his breath, biting off each word. “Now that I’ve found him, I want to get Archie back to his old life, stat. We’re leaving as soon as he says goodbye to everybody.”

Derek

Derek was still breathless as he rounded the corner from the surf shop to see Sage, hugging little Archie in front of Sequels.
Thank God I made it in time
, he thought, double-timing it down the street until he stood, just shy of the tearful goodbye.

Colby was there, moist eyed and fragile as they hugged, familiarly, while Sage handed Archie his favorite book,
Terry Treetop Saves the Dolphin
. “So you got our texts?” she asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, waving the stuffed animal in his hand. “I just… I wanted to get him something to remember me by, you know?”

“Oh Derek,” she said, squeezing his hand before quickly releasing it. “You were his honorary dad for a few weeks. He’ll never forget that.”

He nudged her playfully with his hip as Sage turned to them, smiling to see him. “Derek!” said Archie, melting his heart as the little tyke ran to greet him. Derek wrapped him in his arms, trying to bottle the moment in his mind: Sniffing his little boy’s smell, feeling his little heart beating against his chest, the warmth of his arms as they tried to reach around Derek’s neck.

“I got you something,” he said, handing him the stuffed dolphin he’d found at the last minute.

“Like in my book!” he said, grabbing the dolphin and clinging to it as he just had Derek.

“I wanted you to have it to remember me by,” Derek said.

“Why would I forget you?” the little guy asked.

Derek winked, tapping him on the pudgy little nose. “Well, you never know. You’re such a great kid, and you’re going to make lots of friends, so…”

“Friends are friends,” Archie said. “But Dads are forever!”

Derek flinched at the beauty of the statement. Sure, he wasn’t the kid’s real dad, a fact that had both shocked and, somewhat, relieved him. But they’d had a few months where he was a dad. They’d always have that. “You bet, Archie,” he said, just as the horn honked on the sedan waiting in front of Sage’s store.

“Oh boy,” Archie said, waving the dolphin as he hustled away. “My other dad’s ready to go now!”

And, just like that, the little tyke was gone. The car roared off, leaving the three of them standing there in the empty space it left behind. Colby sighed and, spotting a pair of tourists walking toward the bookstore door, she greeted them fondly before following them inside.

“Holy shit,” Derek said, collapsing into Sage’s arms where, gently, they had a good, nice, soft, quiet cry. “How… what had just happened?”

Sage snorted, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands and grinning. “I have no idea, but… I’m glad you got here just in time. That Clark guy was not waiting around another minute.”

“Clark?”

Sage sighed. “Archie’s real dad,” she said, squeezing his hand. “They hooked up while she was still in high school and he was a sophomore in college. Never married. Apparently she was going through her little black book, looking for a sugar daddy and saw your books, figuring you’d support her for the rest of her life.”

Derek chuckled, not sure whether to feel hurt – or flattered. “The sad thing is, I would have, Sage.”

“I know that, baby,” she said, taking his hand. “Come on. Colby’s closing for me tonight, so… let’s have dinner on the deck, okay?”

“God, that sounds good,” he said, following her up the stairs to the scenic loft she kept above the bookstore.

He grabbed a beer while Sage ordered a pizza, her fridge still full of chicken nuggets and other kiddy foods while she watched Archie for Dana until she was out of rehab.

The sun was setting, the sky brilliantly orange and blue and even a little red when she joined him, side by side in the Adirondack chairs clustered on her weathered deck. “I’ve missed this,” he said, reaching for her hand as they sat quietly, sipping beers and watching the sun play artist with the sky. “I’ve missed
you
.”

She squeezed his hand back and said, “Me too, Derek, but… I can’t help but wonder what life might have been like if Archie was your son.”

He snorted. “I was just getting used to the idea of having a son, and this dude shows up and whisks him away. He could have waited one more night?”

“It would have only hurt more tomorrow,” Sage sighed. “This way, it’s like ripping a bandage off real quick, you know?”

“If you say so,” he said, finishing his beer just as the doorbell rang. He rose, paying the pizza guy and grabbing them two more beers before bringing it all out to the deck.

They put the pizza on the little table between them, a usual Friday night ritual. But tonight, it remained untouched. They drank quietly in the fading light, until Sage turned to him and said, “You know… I never thought I’d say this, but… you’d make a great dad.”

Derek nearly spit out his beer. “That is quite a compliment, wrapped up in an even better cut down.”

She snorted. “No, I’m serious. I never really wanted a kid before. Then I met Archie.”

“I know what you mean,” he sighed. “It’s kind of the same way I feel about you.”

“Wow, thanks!”

“No, I mean… I never wanted to love someone as much as I love you, until I fell in love with you.”

She blushed, turning to him with a sly, sexy wink. “Well, when you put it that way…”

“I’m serious,” Derek said.

“Me, too,” Sage insisted, looking at him more closely. “I’m serious that you’d be a good dad.”

“Thanks,” he said, going back to his beer.

She sighed, standing and putting down both their beers. “Can’t you take a hint?”

“For what?” he asked as she dragged him out of his chair. 

“You dope,” she teased, leading him by one hand back into the loft and toward the bedroom. “When a girl says you’d be a good father – twice – it’s code for ‘take me to bed so we can make a baby.’ Didn’t anyone ever tell you that before?”

Derek chuckled, not sure which idea appealed to him the most: Having a kid? Or making one?!?

Sage

“Wow.”

Sage leaned against the hood of her car, legs crossed at the ankles, arms over her chest, enjoying the breezy morning when Dana emerged from the rehab center, long and limber on simple flats.

She was dressed simply, but sparsely, showing off her long, lean, young body in a short, breezy skirt and sleeveless blouse. Her hair was up in a ponytail, green eyes hiding behind white sunglasses.

“What?” she asked, strolling slowly toward Sage until they were standing face to face.

“You look… great!”

“So do you,” Dana said, raising her sunglasses up onto her hair and squinting slightly in the sun. For once, there seemed to be no bullshit pose behind her stance, no snarky line or angle hiding behind her words.

“No,” Sage said, gently standing from leaning against her car. “I mean, really good.”

She opened the door for her, no idea why, but it felt… right… somehow. Dana blushed a little and got in, gently shutting the door for herself before Sage crossed the front of the car and got inside as well. “Listen,” she said, starting her up and pulling into late morning traffic. “I know you’ve been eating all vegan BS in there all month, so I was thinking before we got back to town—”

“Yes, please, I’d love to go to lunch!” Dana said, smiling as they pulled into a local waterfront restaurant named The Sawgrass Inn. It was quaint and rustic and, having just opened, sparsely populated. They took a seat on the deck, shaded under a pitched umbrella, and ordered two unsweetened iced teas from the perky young waitress who arrived at their table moments after they sat down.

“What I wouldn’t give for a margarita right now,” Dana sighed, peering out at a long, rolling dune that gave way to a wide, unspoiled beach.

“You really miss it?” Sage asked.

Dana sighed and picked up her menu. “Not as much as I thought I would,” she admitted. “It’s just, certain situations are triggers, you know? Like sitting on a beautiful deck, overlooking the ocean, having girl talk.”

“I was tempted to order one myself, but that would be rude, right?”

Dana shrugged. “They told us not to let other people change their lives for us,” she explained. “But yeah, watching you drink a nice, sweet, refreshing margarita would be pretty distracting.”

Sage agreed, just as the waitress brought their teas. Sage ordered a salad, but Dana wanted a burger, the bigger the better. After ordering, they sat back, regarding each other, their drinks untouched. “How are you feeling?” Sage asked.

“Good, so far,” Dana said, somewhat humbly. “I feel guilty, mostly, for how I acted. I miss Archie.”

Sage nodded, finally sipping her iced tea. It was nice to hear from Dana, for a change, some sudden concern about her son. “You heard what happened?”

Dana blushed again, avoiding Sage’s eyes. “Derek told me,” she said, finally looking up. “I guess… I guess you’re pretty pissed at me, huh? For lying to Derek like that?”

“You could say that,” Sage said, putting her drink down. “You could say that’s why I wanted to be the one to pick you up today. Why I wanted to take you to lunch.”

“I wish I could say I was drunk the whole time I was planning it,” Dana confessed, “but only while I was living it.”

“But why Derek?” she asked. “And why, when you saw him and I were together, did you keep pressing it?”

“I was selfish,” she said, shrugging mightily. “Foolish. Sure, I figured Derek had money, being an author and all. And Florida sounded good after hopping all over the country. But mostly I remembered Derek being a good guy in high school. I knew… I knew he’d do the right thing for Archie, and that would give me time to get fucked up every day. That’s honestly what I really cared about the most.”

“Gheez, Dana,” Sage sighed, sagging in her chair. “Here I was thinking you had the hots for Derek, but you being that messed up? That’s even worse.”

Dana smirked, picking up her tea at last and giving Sage a shy, insecure wink. “I’m not gonna say I didn’t try to put the moves on him while I was in town,” she said.

Sage was surprisingly…
not
surprised. “And?”

“And, Derek was a perfect gentleman every time,” Dana assured her, eyes clear and honest and soft. “I’m glad that, as much damage as I did, I didn’t do anything to screw up what you two have.”

Sage nodded. “If you’d been able to screw it up, Dana,” she said, “it wouldn’t have been entirely your fault. Luckily, Derek and I have built our relationship on a strong foundation, which isn’t to say it hasn’t been tested before.”

“Oh?” Dana asked, but Sage wasn’t going there. “Anyway,” she went on when Dana saw Sage wasn’t coming up with any good gossip about her man, “I’ve been thinking a lot about how nice it would be to be in a relationship one day. A real one, like you and Derek have.”

“It takes work,” Sage said, smiling at the waitress as she delivered their lunches.

Dana nodded, digging into her burger. “Mmmmm,” she said, relishing every bite and wolfing it down in record time. She was done with her burger before Sage was halfway through her salad, and squeezing ketchup onto her plate to devour her steak cut fries, one by one. “We only had meat once a week in there,” she explained, finally sated and pushing the plate away. “And nothing quite as good as this.”

“Do you feel healthier?” Sage asked, picking at her salad. She hadn’t really been hungry, just curious, and now that her curiosity about Dana and Derek had been satisfied, she was slightly anxious to get back to Seaside and resume her baby making efforts with Derek.

“Sure,” Dana said, “but that’s from kicking the booze, not eating sprouts and gluten-free muffins for a whole month!”

They laughed a lot after that. About little things, and big things. After all the pain and heartache Dana had caused them over the last few months, it was good to see her healthy, happy and even hopeful. By the time their long, leisurely lunch was over, Sage almost felt bad about seeing Dana go.

Almost…