Picture Perfect (Butler Island) (7 page)

Grant gestured toward the end of the
pier. “I’m taking you to Snapper’s.”

“What…? Are you serious?”

“Of course, I’m serious…”

“I… I’ve never been there before—I’ve
always wanted to, though.”

Reaching for her hand, he raised it
to his lips and kissed the soft skin along the back. “Well then, I guess
tonight is your lucky night…”

They were seated outside along the
pier overlooking a fiery sunset, listening to the gentle waves collide against
the wood pilings beneath. The subtle coastal breeze on a determined voyage to
reach land.

 He observed as Olivia unfolded her
white cloth
napkin and placed it gently in
her lap. “I hope this
table is okay.”

“This is perfect, Grant… Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They ordered a bottle of red wine and
enjoyed a tray of oysters on the half shell before their entrees arrived. The
wind was beginning to pick up as the sun fulfilled its destiny and he couldn’t
seem to peel his eyes away from her as the gulf breeze gently
tousled her honey-blonde locks. Her countless
attempts to tuck her hair behind her ear, only to be disturbed by the wind
again, fascinating him.

 It was strangely…
erotic
. In
fact, his fingers were practically twitching at the thought of tangling them in
her hair.

Damn it, Womack, what the hell’s the
matter with you?

Well, wasn’t that the million dollar
question?
Every simple, nonchalant thing she
did somehow
turned him on: her hair blowing in the breeze, the way she
stuck her pinky finger out when she took a sip of wine, the way she licked
those pouty pink lips—

“Kendall told me you’re Mr. Gibson’s
grandson. How come I never remember you comin’ to visit him?”

“Probably because I didn’t.”

“Oh. Is that because you lived far
away?” she asked as she dipped her bread into the clam sauce at the bottom of
her bowl.

“No. I grew up in Pensacola.” He took
a sip of his wine, debating about how much detail he wanted to go into about
his past. It wasn’t something he talked about regularly, but somehow it seemed
easy
to open up to her. Maybe it was the
adorable
southern accent. Or maybe it was the intensity behind those
emerald eyes, delivering a message of comfort and understanding.

 “My grandpa and my parents didn’t
get along. They weren’t on speaking terms when he died five years ago…”

Olivia reached
out and grabbed his hand
across the table and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry”, she uttered softly.

“It’s okay.” God, she was so
beautiful, her eyes reflecting concern and recognition. She understood the loss
of a loved one probably better than anyone he’d ever met and before he even realized
it, he was speaking again. “My parents and my grandpa had a ‘
disagreement’
when I was just a baby. And in an attempt to punish him, my parents refused to
let him see me. About six years ago, right before he died, I came here and
spent a week with him...”

Sensing the somber aura, Olivia
decided to
share one of her fondest memories
of Grant’s
grandpa, one that would not only transform the sudden doleful
mood, but also acquaint him with the kind of man his grandpa was.

 “Mr. Gibson was probably the most genuine
person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowin’. When I was a little girl and Ty
would take me to the beach, your grandpa would sit out on the back deck, and on
really hot days, he’d come down the steps and bring us some sweet tea. He made
the best sweet tea I’ve ever tasted.”

Grant chuckled. “Yeah, he sure did…
so anyway, enough about me. I want to know about you.”

Olivia’s posture
stiffened slightly. “Well,
there’s not much to tell, really. I moved here
with Ty when I was nine after my parents died; left the island for college two
days after I graduated and never came back until now.”

“Where’d you go to college?”

“A small arts college in Northern
Louisiana. I studied photography.”

Grant took another sip of wine and
then placed his glass gently in front of him on the table. He studied her for a
long beat, her disposition softening before him. “Ty tells me you’re a
freelance photographer.”

“Uh-huh. Three months after I
graduated college, Hurricane Katrina hit. After the storm I packed my camera
and took pictures of some of the aftermath. I hadn’t planned on specializin’ in
any particular kind of photography, but that experience changed me.”

Stroking the stubble along his
pronounced jaw, his eyes bored into hers. “How do you mean?” he asked
curiously.

“Well, most folks heard about the
storm and probably thought it was such an unfortunate thing to happen and then
went on with their everyday lives… There was so much devastation, Grant—I mean
parts of the city looked like it was a part of a third world country! So many
people lost everything they had and for most of them that wasn’t much. For me
capturing pictures of the devastation and chaos after the storm was like
speakin’ for those who didn’t have a voice. My pictures helped New Orleans
command the national attention that it so desperately needed.”

He loved how her features lit up
whenever she spoke about her career. He was beginning to see a whole new side
of her—a caring, softer side. And he liked it.

After dinner they took a lazy stroll
down the boardwalk and turned the corner toward the part of the pier that ran
parallel to the shore. Darkness blanketed the night sky, the stars glistening
like diamonds amongst a mine of black coal. Up ahead the historic Ferris wheel
towered above the pier, gliding effortlessly like a pirouetting ballerina.

Their date was coming to an end, but
not before he stole a private moment away with her on the Ferris wheel. Grant
gestured toward the ride, “That’s where we’re headed next.”

Olivia came to an abrupt
halt.“Whoa—wait a minute. You said dinner; you never mentioned anything about a
Ferris wheel…”

He turned to face her, reaching for
her hand. “Technically you’re correct, but now that we’re here…”

She tried to contain her nerves. She
was ter
rified of heights. It was probably
ridiculous
considering all of the dangerous and crazy behavior that’d
cluttered her past. She could feel her palms becoming slick, could hear her
rapid pulse in her ears. Her body’s fight or flight mechanism was set into
motion. More than anything she wanted to gather the bottom of her dress and
sprint toward her car, but she knew she couldn’t.

He glanced at their joined hands.
“You okay?” he asked. “You’re hands are shaking.”

“It’s j-just the wind. It’s getting
c-cooler out here”, she stuttered.

Grant raked his eyes over her body.
She was trembling, her hands were clammy, and her pupils were dilated. And
suddenly he had an epiphany. “You’re scared.”

“
What?”

Now her face flushed a brilliant
shade of red.
“You are, aren’t you…? You’re
really
scared
right now!”

“Don’t be
ridiculous!” she countered. “It’s just…”

Grant licked his lips and grinned.
“Children get on, you know—even frail old ladies.”

“What’s your point, Womack?”

“The point is, I think I’ve stumbled
across the
one thing
that the ‘daredevil’ is afraid of”, he uttered as
he gestured with his index finger.

Olivia lunged forward and placed her
palm over his mouth. “Shhh! Do you mind keepin’ your voice down? Nobody on the
island needs to know that heights make me… uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable…
Her choice of
words didn’t surprise him. No way was she going to admit she was scared! Grant
grabbed her wrist, rotating it in order to plant a kiss on the back of her
hand. If she only knew how incredibly adorable and irresistible she looked.
“Well,
DD,
I think it’s time to conquer your fear. What do you say?”

Are you nuts, girl? Grant “GQ” Womack
exposes a bone-melting smile and you’re putty in his large, manly hands!

 
Alright, so if not for his
charming good looks, she probably would have told him to go to hell. But
honestly—she couldn’t think of a more perfect person to take this journey with
her.

 “Okay”, she said hesitantly, “but
let me make something perfectly clear: If it weren’t for the fact that you
helped me after my jellyfish incident, I’d tell you where you could shove that
Ferris wheel right now…”

He took a step closer, lifting her
chin with his fingertips; savoring the genuine smile adorned to her beautiful
face. “Point taken.”

“Good.”

Slowly, they walked toward the Ferris
wheel, her heart threatening to burst with every step she took. The ride was
nearly empty, no eager customers waiting in line.

Yeah, probably because you’re the
only one stupid enough to get talked into falling one hundred fifty feet to
your death!

She watched as Grant handed the ride
attendant two tickets and then whispered something in the man’s ear. The young
man smiled and nodded and as the next bucket seat approached, he ushered them
inside and lowered the bar snug across their lap.

Just breathe. You can do this, girl…
“Can I ask
you a question?”

“Anything”, he answered.

“What did you whisper to the ride
attendant before we climbed aboard?”

Grant hesitated for a moment. “I told
him… this was your first ride; to go easy on you—”

Suddenly the ride jerked into motion,
causing the bucket to sway back and forth; also causing a strangled squeal to
escape from the back of Olivia’s throat. She clenched her eyes shut, dug her
nails into his arm and leaned into him.

Humpty dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty dumpty had a great fall…

“Jesus, Joseph
and Mary—how long is this
gonna take?” she uttered breathlessly.

“Open your eyes”, he said as they
continued to climb.

“
I can’t!”

Without warning the ride came to an
abrupt halt, forcing the bucket into another terrifying shift. Another soft
squeal escaped her lips, her eyes still closed, her arms clamped around his
like a vice. “Why are we stoppin’? Are we done yet?” she asked, her voice
shuddering with fear.

“No, we’re at the top—”

“Are you kidding me? Why on God’s
green earth would he stop us at the top?”

“Relax. He’s probably letting someone
on or off the ride. We’ll start moving again in a minute”, he explained.

All the king’s horses and all the
king’s men

Couldn’t put
humpty dumpty back together again.

Olivia waited a few moments. “Geez,
how long does it take to exit the ride? Why aren’t we movin’?”

“Open your eyes—you can see the
entire island from up here”, he suggested, doing his best to distract her and
avoid the question.

“No, that’s alright. I’m quite fine
with my eyes
shut, thank you very much. And
why are you
avoiding my question?”

Busted. Scratching the stubble along
his chin he asked, “I’m sorry—what was the question again?”

“Why aren’t we moving? Are we stuck?”
she asked again.

Grant chuckled under his breath and
smiled. She looked so adorable with her eyes clenched, latching onto his arm
with a strong, desperate grip. He leaned his head toward hers and positioned
his mouth inches away from her ear when he finally spoke. “Open your eyes and
then I’ll answer the question”, he whispered.

“Are you trying to torture me?
Because if so, you’re doing one hell of a job!”

“Just humor me, okay? Open your
eyes…”

Olivia took a deep breath and opened
one of her eyes, aware that Grant was staring back at her, obviously amused by
her reluctance. “Okay, there.”

“Huh-uh”, he uttered. “Both of them…”

She blew out a puff of air in
frustration and finally gathered the courage to open it. No longer afraid to
show the level of anxiety she was experiencing, she asked again. “Why aren’t we
moving? Are we stuck?”

The sincerity in her voice twisted
his insides. He really hadn’t meant to cause her any unnecessary anguish; he’d
only wanted to steal a few private, unforgettable moments away with her. Her
emerald
eyes were ironically transparent,
revealing how
cumbersome the situation was to her. She was frightened
and maybe even a little embarrassed at her loss of control—obviously something
she didn’t experience often.

Alright, Womack, time to come clean…

“Not exactly”, he explained.

“What is
that
supposed to
mean?” Feeling a wave of hysteria crash over her, she buried her distraught
face in her hands. “Oh, this is no good! We’re gonna have to climb down, aren’t
we? Darn it, I knew I should’ve kept my feet on solid ground—what the hell was
I thinkin’?—”