Page 223 of Banter & Blushes

Unrolling it they saw written in perfect penmanship the words:

The storms won’t last forever.

The sun is sure to shine again.

Mitch stared at the writing on the paper. “Huh, a weather guy? Or a sailor? “

“Oh, no. Neither. I think it’s about a lost love.”

His nose scrunched, trying to figure out how she got any romance out of a storm. “Really?”

“Sure,” she answered while examining the paper. It was yellowed and torn. Brown on the curled up edges made it like it weathered its own storm.

“OH MY GOODNESS!” She suddenly realized.

Mitch took the bottle from her hands and set it back in the sand before worry covered his face. “What is it?”

Not wanting to concern him, her hand naturally came to rest lightly on his forearm before linking around his bicep. The two started walking as she spoke. “There’s an old story here about a sailor who went out to sea never to return. His love waited for him, eventually living in the lighthouse and spent every hour of the day searching the horizon.

“Is that a true story?”

“As true as it can be. But this feels like evidence. What if this was from the same time?”

He crinkled his nose, making lines appear in his forehead. “I think that’s a terrible story. She was alone and sad and what about him? Shipwrecked? Lost to the sea?”

Taking in a deep breath she considered his viewpoint, “that does sound sad. I always thought of it as romantic. Their love never dies and she keeps looking for him forever until they are eventually reunited on the other side. Meant to be together.”

“I don’t know,” his free hand threw Dozer’s bumper ahead of them, “it’s sad that she lost him but then she just shut down her entire life . Never to love again? Or even try?”

Watching the footprints they made in the wet sand appear and then soak back into the shoreline, she shrugged her shoulders, “maybe it was too late for her? Don’t you think at a certain point in one’s life it’s not worth trying?”

“That doesn’t sound very romantic at all.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d think there’s always another chance. Not necessarily from personal experience,” he added, “but a chance of it, sure. You don’t?” He stopped walking and turned to her. His eyes focused on her. With the roar of the surf behind them he was starting to wonder if this was his chance.

“Maybe.” She barely managed to whisper, wondering if he could hear how hard her heart was beating at that very moment. “I don’t know if I’m swept away by the romantic message or…” she tried to explain it as her cheeks felt more and more blushed, “I just… I’m not sure what to say right now,” she laughed. She was never at a loss for words.

“We don’t have to speak.” His fingers intertwined with hers as they slowly waded through the surf breaking on the sand.

Even though they just held hands for Melanie’s pictures, this felt instantly different. Elva melted into the feeling of his fingers wrapped around hers.

Wasn’t she much too old to feel this way?Or maybe the storms really don’t last forever.Maybe.

CHAPTER 9

“Hey Joe, can you come by later? I have something exciting to tell you about.” Elva barely hit send before three little dots popped up followed by a reply. “YES!”

Enthusiastic as always, she smiled, feeling pretty great about herself, her friends and her life lately. Always the optimist with a smile on her face something about these last few weeks just felt different and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to admit why. It will have to wait, she sighed, thinking about the bottle and her feelings.

She found Brett Marker siting at the counter waiting for his turkey sandwich. “Saturday already,” Elva smiled at her regular customer and friend.

“I drove by North Shores today. It’s really coming together.”

“It really is.”

“Good choice on the contractor. I know he had great references, but you still never know how it will go. “

“I just had a feeling about him, you know?

“I did, too” Jill bounced to a stop at the counter carrying his sandwich. “Here you go, your normal order.”

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