Page 50 of Sweet Summertide

The one person she said always had her back was now holding her hands and kissing her cheeks. His presence there had an immediate effect on her demeanor. She bounced on her toes and pointed to her repainted shop sign.

Perhaps the visit was the first time her father had seen all her hard work, and just in time to observe everything coming back together. Theodor couldn’t help but wish for his own father or mother to visit his shop too. His father made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Theodor or his little hobby. His mother, on the other hand, was a quiet supporter when it suited her.

As a child she would pack his little Spiderman wallet with extra spending money when she thought his father didn’t think he deserved anything for nothing. His father was a lost hope, but maybe if he asked, his mother would come to his opening in a few days. And if she came, maybe she could see him win the grant money when they made the announcement at the Independence Day festival.

There was no reason Holly should have all the parental support around here, and Theodor had a phone call make.

CHAPTER 25

Holly saton the warm wood of the dock with her legs hanging over the side, rocking the little boat with her bare toes resting on the bow. Up the path from the shore, a light was on inside Teddy’s cabin. His shadow would cross in front of his windows every once in a while, like he was pacing back and forth. Anticipation grew for him to come out and meet up with her at any moment, but now it was eight-fifty-nine and Holly was done waiting for life to unfold in its own time.

She stood, slipped her feet into a pair of orange Crocs she had borrowed from Millie, and marched straight down the path to Teddy’s. Unsure of what she would say exactly, she slowed her pace and thought it through. The last thing she needed to do was yell at him or scare him off for yet another reason, though her initial idea was to let him have it.

“Hi, Teddy, You’re late for our date. Are you getting back at me for being late the other day or because you’re avoiding me?” She kicked some of the gravel and paced the other direction. “Hi, Teddy. It’s me. No, that’s stupid. He’ll know it’s me when he opens the door. But will he open the door? I don’t know.”

A light flicked off inside his place and the windows went dark. It was early for him to go to bed, although they did have abig day tomorrow with the Chamber members evaluations and soft opening. As it was, she still had to go back to her shop and check on the ice cream she had started earlier, so maybe he was turning in early or had forgotten about meeting her at all. She considered that it was selfish for her to have added something more to his plate that night by asking him on a date in the first place. But then why would he just not tell her?

She still didn’t have her phone, and supposed it was in her car at the repair shop or flung into a field somewhere. And even though she had been without it for several days, she didn’t mind being disconnected. That’s what small towns are for. Despite not having a phone, he could have just met with her, a hundred yards from his cabin, and said he was tired and going to sleep. He was avoiding her, just like she suspected.

She practiced what she really wanted to say and what she wanted him to know as she walked the pathway. “Hi, Teddy. I changed my mind about puffins.”

“Why’s that?” Teddy said from a rocking chair on his front porch and nearly caused her skin to jump off her body.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she covered the most violent spot with her palm. “You scared me half to death. Where did you come from?”

“I heard someone outside my room talking and came out to see what was going on. I was surprised to see you out here pacing and chatting to yourself,” Teddy said and rocked his seat.

She approached with caution. “How much did you hear?”

“What about puffins, Blake Holly Hollis?”

Now that she was on the spot, and clearly not in control of this interaction, she didn’t want to tell him. She hesitated to answer until she stood at the bottom of his steps. “Well, everyone knows how cute they are, that’s obvious.” She stepped up one stair. “They’re docile, which some people might think is a drawback, but you see …” she stepped up one more tread and hestood from his seat. She was three feet away and could already smell the thick scent of cocoa emanating from him. It was an aroma she wanted to wrap herself with.

“What do you want me to see, Blake Holly Hollis?” he closed the distance between them. Towering above her, he planted his feet on the edge of the landing just in front of her on the first step. The low light didn’t stop him from exploring her eyes.

Weakness struck her legs, and she wanted to crumple into his arms. Instead, he gave her a hand and she took it. He pulled her up. They stood toe-to-toe. “You see, puffins are docile, but they will fight viciously to protect what’s theirs.”

“How do you know that?” Teddy asked.

“It’s important to study the enemy so you know their weaknesses.”

“And I’m the enemy?”

She shook her head. “How can you be the enemy when I would do anything to keep you?”

“You mean, you would fight to have me to yourself?” He brushed her hair away from her cheek the way she knew he liked to do.

She leaned her face into his warm palm. “What do you think I’m doing here? I want you … to come with me?” She tugged on his hand and headed down the steps. He pulled back and stopped her half-way down. “You really don’t want to do this, do you?”

“I don’t know, Holly. One minute I feel like our hearts are speaking the same language, like we’re two magnets drawn close. And the next, I don’t know what to think. My mind can’t reconcile with my heart.”

“That’s fair,” she said because she felt the same way. “If I could go back and undo what I did, I would … Or maybe I wouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Without all this strife, would I be as clear as I am now about what I want? And I’m not just talking about you. I’m talking about being the kind of person that I can be proud of, not worrying about what my parents think. It’s not important how I got to this point, but it is important that I got here. And here I am, standing in front of the man that I’ve gotten here with.”

He was quiet and unmoving. She had no choice but to wait for him to say something. Was her confession enough? She could feel tension increase in his fingers against her hand squeezing her like a vice. If he applied any more pressure, they would risk being fused together. Forever. “Say something.”

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