Page 23 of Kissing the Beach Town Fire Chief
“Just coz!” He shrugs. Shaking my head, I decide to give him the paper.
When he sees me giving the paper to him willingly, his eyes go wide with surprise. Just a moment ago, I was refusing to let him read it. Now, I am giving it to him myself. Deep down, I don’t want him to think that I have written a love letter to someone. To be honest, I have grown a bit of a grown-up crush on him.
He grins as he takes the paper from my hand and starts reading.
I wait with a racing heart for him to finish so I can hear his feedback. I don’t know why, but I am fearing how my writing will be taken by the people, if ever I decide to publish it. One reason I decided to show him the paper is that I trust that he will give his honest opinion on it. Besides, he is also super enthusiastic about reviving the town’s historical significance. I thought there was no need to hide it from him.
He looks at me with a surprised expression, “Did you write this?”
What kind of question is that? Of course, I wrote it. Why would I have hidden it otherwise?
“Yes,” I answer as I avoid eye contact. I don’t know why I’m feeling this nervous.
“You're a genius, Ami. This is wonderful. Are you thinking of publishing it somewhere?” He asks with genuine curiosity this time. I shake my head.
“No. I just wrote whatever came to my mind. It’s just a piece of writing. It’s not complete yet. I just want to show Aunt Maggiemy writing,” I tell him. Yes, I am planning to write the story further. There are a lot of things to explore. Seabrook has a rich history and culture along with its natural significance. I plan to create a story about how significant the town is, and how important it is for the people to realize that.
“That’s great. I’m sure you will do a great job with the story, Ami. I also know your aunt will like it,” he smiles as he gives me the paper and a pat on the back. I grin seeing him react that way.
“Thank you.”
“So, Ami, let’s get back to the problem at hand. Please help me with the speech. Now that I have seen a glimpse of your writing, you can’t convince me you cannot help,” he gives puppy eyes making me crack up. He’s running in the town elections, yet he is making puppy eyes at me.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I say, grabbing the pen and a piece of paper.
In the next hour, we brainstorm the points that he wants to include. I help him craft a speech that reflects his new campaign and direction. He is quite determined to win his supporters over. I enjoy working with him.
I never knew that a day would come when we would happily and willingly help and lift one another. It makes me laugh to think how we would butt heads whenever we met before. Now, we are sitting together on the couch writing a speech.
No doubt! I have a good time lately whenever I am with him.
Chapter eleven
Ethan
Ami has been a great help to me. After witnessing her stance during her argument with Maggie and her passion for writing the campaign speech, I can say that she is a wonderful person. I never thought she could go against her aunt’s beliefs and be so persistent about conserving the town’s history. She is just here for the summer vacations, yet the way she cares about her ancestral town and the people warms my heart. In fact, my heart has been blazing after seeing this new side of her. The campaign speech she wrote for me was quite a powerful one. I am sure that I can run the new campaign in a great way.
This morning, the weather is quite pleasant. I throw on a shirt and shorts to enjoy the cooling breeze by the waves. Instantly, the salty fresh breeze calms my nerves. I am by the beach, taking a stroll, when I spot Ami with a cute frown on her face.
She looks pretty in her yellow sundress that reaches her knees. Her beautiful dark hair is tied in a braid. She is wearing cute flip-flops.
“Hey, Ami,” I yell out her name as she is at quite a distance from me. She turns toward my voice and waves at me. My heart skips a beat when she smiles while approaching me. The scent of the sea with the fresh breeze is something, but it’s her sweet scent that enters my senses. “Hey, Ethan. What’s up?” she asks cheerfully. She was just frowning earlier. I’m sure she’s quite stressed about the whole situation, yet she’s now smiling at me. I love this about her. She cannot delve too much into her sorrows for much longer.
“Just thought of taking a walk to clear my mind. What about you?” I ask folding my arms. “Same! The beach is a wonderful place to clear our minds,” she smiles.
“I cannot believe we are agreeing on something right now. We were childhood foes, remember?” I tell her jokingly, making her crack up. We are indeed the opposites. From childhood till now, she did everything that would annoy me and vice versa. There was only one competitor for me and that was Amelia. The same went for her. It was probably the same reason why she decided to support her aunt’s campaign against me.
“We have been seeing eye to eye a lot lately. I also find it shocking that we both want the same thing regarding Seabrook’s present and future,” she sighs as we take a stroll by the sea.
I nod with a smile because I know what she is talking about. The town’s hidden secret has united us. She wants the same future as I do. I’m glad that someone is as determined about the revival of the town’s glory as I am. There are not as many differences between us as I originally thought.
I tell her that I saw her frowning earlier, and ask is she’s still stressed about how everything will turn out.” I hope that she will tell me because, for some reason, I cannot seem to ignore that she’s tense.
She answers. “I still haven’t talked to Aunt Maggie about my intentions. I also haven’t shown her the story I wrote the otherday. She clearly doesn’t want me to pursue this matter any further as you have seen. How can I go ahead without consulting her? It would affect her the most,” she takes a deep breath and stops walking. I follow suit wondering what’s wrong. She looks around her for some time and finds the shade of a tree nearby. Sitting under the huge tree, she signals for me to follow. I laugh at her as I sit beside her on the sand.
She can be unpredictable when she wants to.
“I can understand. I would suggest that you show her the piece of writing. I am sure she will love it considering her love for stories. It might soften her heart a little regarding her stance on the town’s history,” I lean back as I give her my suggestion. Maggie is at a crucial point in her political career. No wonder she doesn’t seem to support Ami’s ideas.
