Wait for the Rain (28 page)

He laughed. “Did you just say
coyote arm
?”

She swallowed. “You know, when a guy wakes up after a night out and realizes a girl is sleeping on top of his arm? He feels like a trapped coyote and would rather chew off his own limb than—”

He held up his hand. “I’m familiar with the term. But how do
you
know it?”

She shrugged. “I was in college once. I heard stuff.”

He took a step closer and put a hand on her shoulder. “Daphne, I did
not
have coyote arm. I had an incredible time with you, for real.”

She stared at the sand without replying.

He chuckled. “And I thought you did too, until you started acting like I have the plague. You should have seen the look of terror in your eyes when you came out of the bathroom.”

She gave him a sheepish look. “That bad?”

“Worse, like you’d never been afraid of anything more than the idea of being anywhere near me again. You should have heard the heckling I got from the guys on the catamaran. It was pretty clear where I’d just spent the night, but it was also pretty clear you were no longer interested.”

She looked down again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. When I saw you in my bed, I wa
s . . .
pensive.”

“I assume that’s a fancy word fo
r . . .
”

“I’m sorry. I mean I was kind of thinking.”

“About what?”

“To be honest, I was thinking how you weren’t my ex-husband.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“I mean I was thinking that I was
glad
it was you there and not him. I mean that it was good for me to have gotten over that hump, so to speak.”

“Hmm. Interesting word choice.”

She smiled. “You know what I mean. Plus, I guess I wa
s . . .
nervous.”

He reached for her chin and lifted her head. “I make you nervous?”

She nodded. “A little. I know I’m older than you, but I’m kind of a late bloomer in a lot of ways.”

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You’re sexy when you’re nervous. Has anyone ever told you that?”

She gave him a tiny smile. “I’m learning a lot about myself on this trip.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

She sighed. “You’ll think I’m silly.”

He cocked his head toward the Castaway. “The scene in
there
is silly. Having a conversation with you on this beautiful beach? Not silly.”

She took a deep breath before speaking. “Before I came here, I thought I’d screwed up my chance to be happy in life, but now I’m learning that you don’t get just one chance, that in a way life is
always
just beginning, that no matter how old we are it’s still in
front
of us, every day until the end, so it’s important to look forward and not backward all the time.”

“That sounds like a lesson everyone could learn.”

“I’m also realizing that regardless of where I am, or how I got here, if I don’t do what I can to enjoy my life
now
, one day I may wake up and wonder where it all went.”

Clay didn’t respond right away, and she looked up at the sky, which was quickly becoming covered in dark clouds.
It’s so magical here. I’m so glad I came.

A cracking sound broke the silence. Then the rain came pouring down. Hard.

Clay laughed and glanced around. “How’s that for dramatic timing? Think a director’s going to appear out of nowhere and yell
cut
?”

Daphne smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised. I love the rain here. It makes everything feel brand-new. Sometimes we all need a fresh start, right?”

“Indeed.” He glanced up into the downpour, then back at her. “S
o . . .
speaking of fresh starts, I feel like I got off on the wrong foot with Fred. Would you mind if I came over and tried again? I’d hate to leave St. Mirika knowing I didn’t do everything in my power to make a good impression.”

She wiped a few raindrops from her eyes, then smiled up at him. “I thin
k . . .
I think that could be arranged.”

He slipped his hands around her lower back and pulled her close. “Good.”

Chapter Thirteen

Daphne strolled into the kitchen the next morning, her step a bit lighter from her encounter with Clay. Again she’d been the one to wake up first, but this time around she didn’t fret about how to act once they were both awake or about how the elusive hookup guide said she should behave. She’d simply leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then snuggled up next to him and promptly fallen back asleep for another hour until they’d both woken up for good. Now he was probably on his way to the airport, and tomorrow she would be on her way back to Ohio. Back to a future that didn’t look so bleak anymore. One that looked quite sunny, in fact. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself.
Thank you, Clay Handsome. Thank you, St. Mirika.

She didn’t see KC or Skylar and wondered if they were still asleep. She knew she’d agreed to another beach workout before they left the island, but she secretly hoped KC was already out on a long run so that she’d be off the hook this morning. Her body had finally stopped hurting from the first boot camp, and she wasn’t looking forward to the soreness returning anytime soon. Then again, she
was
looking forward to getting in better shape.

She set an empty mug under the coffeemaker, pressed the button, and watched the black liquid drip into the cup. Soon she’d be standing in her own kitchen, back to sipping coffee from her favorite pink mug. Chipped or not, she was never letting that precious cup go. She smiled at the thought of seeing her daughter.

“Morning, sweets.” Skylar walked down the hall wearing her silk bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel. “Are you the only one up?”

Daphne turned around. “I’m not sure. Maybe KC’s already out on a run?” She looked at the French doors, which were ajar.

Skylar tilted her head toward Daphne’s bedroom, then lowered her voice. “I wasn’t talking about KC.”

Daphne blushed as she doctored her coffee with cream and sugar. “Oh.”

Skylar reached for a mug. “Is he still here?”

Daphne gave her a teasing smile. “What makes you think he was here at all?”

Skylar laughed as she set her mug under the coffeemaker. “That would be the writing on your face, babe. It says
I hooked up with a hot guy last night
.”

Daphne giggled too. “He left a little while ago. Had to go home and pack.”

“Look at you, all grown up with your first vacation fling under your belt. Welcome to the fun side of being single, my friend.”

“Good morning.” Skylar and Daphne turned around as KC appeared from the hall, dressed in workout gear, but lacking her typical morning cheer.

Skylar narrowed her eyes. “Who are you, and what have you done with KC?”

KC frowned. “I spoke to Max before I went to bed last nigh
t . . .
”

They stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, a pained look on her face. “Josh’s girlfriend is pregnant.”

“Oh sugar.” Skylar covered her mouth with her hand.

KC sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I can’t believe it.”

Daphne walked over to her. “That’s not a terrible thing, right? Didn’t you say they’re already living together?”

KC shook her head. “That’s Jared. Josh is still in college.”

Daphne caught her breath. “Oh.”

“He’s only nineteen. Oh man, what a mess.” KC pressed her hands against her cheeks and walked over to the couch.

“Is she going to keep it?” Skylar asked.

KC nodded and plopped onto the couch. “Looks like I’m going to be a forty-year-old grandmother.”

“You’ll be the hottest grandma in town, that’s for sure,” Skylar said.

“Are they going to drop out of school?” Daphne asked.

KC sighed. “Max said they’re not, but to make that possible, I think there’s a good chance they’ll end up moving in with us.”

“That’s crazy,” Daphne whispered.

KC nodded. “Now
that
, my articulate friend, is a major understatement.”

“So you may be raising a real baby soon?” Daphne said, remembering how at the airport KC had referred to her cats as babies.
Was that really just a few days ago?

KC sat there for a moment, then pressed her hands against her thighs and stood up, now wearing a weary smile. “I think that’s a definite possibility. Either of you want to join me in a beach run to kick off our last full day here? There’s nothing I can do about this disaster right now, so I might as well try to enjoy the time we have left in paradise.”

Skylar pointed to the towel on her head. “Sorry, I just showered. I will watch you from the deck, however. Now that you’re nearly a
grandmother
, I want to make sure you don’t overexert yourself and get injured.”

“Don’t think you’re not coming to the baby shower.” KC stuck out her tongue at Skylar, then looked at Daphne. “What about you?”

“You really feel like exercising?” Daphne said. “If I got news like that, I think I’d head straight to bed with a bag of Oreos.”

“Now you’re talking,” Skylar said. “That’s a workout I can get on board with.”

“God knows I could use a good sweat right now,” KC said. “I was also thinking that since it’s our last da
y . . .
maybe we could finally check out those cliffs we keep hearing about? Seems more fitting than ever right now, don’t you think?”

Daphne paused for a moment, then picked up her coffee and smiled. “I do. Count me in for both the workout and the cliffs.”

“Oh my gosh, they’re gorgeous.” Skylar gazed up at the cliffs as she shut the car door.

Daphne’s eyes followed to the soaring rock structures, which were covered in bright green moss and even higher than she’d feared. A wide staircase snaked up the biggest one, which was then linked to an adjacent and equally tall yet narrower rock by a small suspension bridge.

“Are we supposed to
climb
that?” she asked, her voice a bit unsteady.

“Looks like it,” Skylar said

Daphne cleared her throat. “I was under the impression that we’d be looking over cliffs, not climbing to the top of them.”

KC pointed to the bridge. “Now
that
looks fun.”

Daphne was of a different opinion. As if climbing to the top of the main rock wasn’t going to be terrifying enough, to her the thought of also crossing a shaky wooden bridge was quite the opposite of
fun
.

“This doesn’t scare you two
at al
l
?” she asked her friends.

“I’m more scared by the idea of a bad haircut than climbing some rock,” Skylar said with a shrug.

KC pointed to the parking lot, then to Skylar. “I’m more scared by the thought of getting back inside
that
car with
her
behind the wheel.”

“You’re more than welcome to walk home, Grandma,” Skylar said.

Daphne swallowed and felt a few beads of sweat forming on her brow. She reached into her tote bag for a pack of tissues, then pressed one against her forehead.
You can do this. Just don’t look down.

KC pointed to a small thatched hut at the edge of the dusty parking lot. “I think that’s where we buy the tickets.”

The three of them walked over to the booth and got in line behind a white-haired couple who made Daphne think of Harry and Eleanor. She wondered what they were doing right now, and how Harry was feeling. Skylar and KC kept chatting, but Daphne’s mind began to wander, so she didn’t partake in their conversation. As she stood a couple feet behind her friends, lost in her own thoughts, two men got in line.

“Damn that’s steep,” Daphne heard one of them say. KC and Skylar were still engrossed in conversation, so Daphne inadvertently began to eavesdrop on the men.

“I jumped off a rock formation like that once, in Greece, right after college,” the other man said. “Seems like a lifetime ago.”

“College
was
a lifetime ago,” the first man said. “We’re getting up there, man.”

Daphne casually turned around and gave them each a discreet once-over. Both men were tall and appeared to be in their midforties, or perhaps a bit older. One was wearing a dark red baseball hat that said “Texas A&M” on the front. He was also sporting a platinum band on the ring finger of his left hand. The second man wasn’t wearing a hat or a wedding band. Both men were reasonably handsome, yet there was an aura around the one with the bare ring finger that suggested he was feeling a bit uncomfortable in his own skin. Maybe he was afraid of heights too? The thought, however projected, helped soothe her jittery nerves.
At least I’m not the only one less than thrilled right now.

“Scary how fast the years go by, isn’t it?” she said to them with a smile—and an easiness that surprised her. “I’ve decided to embrace the life-begins-at-forty mentality.”
I don’t care if you know how old I am. Age doesn’t mean squat.

The man in the baseball hat nudged his friend. “He’s recently divorced. If that isn’t beginning a new life, I don’t know what is.”

Daphne looked at the man’s friend. “I’m sorry to hear that. How long has it been?”

“It was official the first of the month. This trip is sort of our celebration, sad as that sounds,” he said.

His friend patted him on the back. “You’re better off without her. You know that.”

Daphne held up her bare left hand. “Welcome to the club.”

The divorced man gave her a weary smile. “Thanks, if that’s even the right word. It’s definitely not a club I ever thought I’d join, that’s for sure.”

She smiled. “Trust me, neither did I. Do you have kids?”

He nodded. “Two teenage boys.”

“How are they taking it?”

“I think they’re okay with the divorce, but they’re not big fans of having to go back and forth between two houses all the time. It makes me feel kind of guilty for causing such upheaval in their lives when they didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

Daphne adjusted the strap of her tote bag over her shoulder. “You know what? You can’t beat yourself up about it. I have a teenage daughter, and for a long time I felt guilty, like I’d failed for not being the picture-perfect mother.” She pointed her thumb behind her. “My wise girlfriends here have helped me begin to let go of that destructive mentality—finally—and realize that being divorced and being a good parent aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. Emma knows her dad and I both love her, and that’s what really matters.”

“See? Kids are resilient,” his friend said, then looked at Daphne. “They’ll come around, right?”

“Your boys will get used to it,” she said to the divorced man with a nod. “And eventually, you will too.”

“You willing to put money on that?” He laughed a bit awkwardly. He was clearly doing his best to put on a good face, but the tired look in his eyes showed how much was going on beneath the surface. Daphne knew that look all too well. She’d seen it countless times in the mirror.

Surprising herself yet again, she put a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It gets better. I promise.” Then she lowered her voice and leaned toward both men. “There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, and that is a sad thing when you’re the only one in it.”

The divorced man laughed. “I wish I had your attitude,” he said. “You’re so confident. And insightful too.”

Daphne laughed too. “Confident and insightful? Those are two adjectives I don’t often hear to describe myself, but thank you for the compliment.”

Just then KC turned around and put her hands on her hips. “I feel like I’m missing a good conversation here. Am I missing a good conversation here?” Skylar was now at the ticket window.

“Depends on whom you ask,” Daphne said. “I think it’s pretty interesting, but my new friends here might beg to differ.”

The guy in the hat gave the thumbs-up sign. “We were just talking about being in bed, which in my opinion is always a topic worthy of discussion.”

“I concur with your opinion,” Daphne said with a firm nod.

“So you’re one of the wise friends?” the divorced man asked KC.

“I’m KC.” She grinned and held out her hand. “I’m not sure how
wise
I am, but I just found out that I’m going to be a grandmother in a few months. Does that count for anything?” She pointed to the guy in the baseball cap. “I dig your hat, by the way. Go, Aggies!”

He chuckled. “I’m Phil. And I find it hard to believe you’re going to be a grandmother.”

“
Step
grandmother,” Daphne said. “She wasn’t having babies in high school or anything.”

“True, true,” KC said, then turned to the divorced man. “And you ar
e . . . 
?”

“I’m Derek,” he said.

“He’s recently divorced too,” Daphne said to KC. “I was telling him that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

KC nodded and slipped her arm around Daphne’s waist. “There definitely is. My pal Daphne here is living proof of that.”

“Your name’s Daphne?” Derek said to her. “That’s unusual. And very pretty.”

She smiled brightly. “Thank you.”
I think so too.

“Suits her, doesn’t it?” KC said to the men. “Makes me think of a bright bouquet of daffodils.”