Page 44 of Love Story
“Yes.” Ashley sighed. More relief. Landon agreed with her on the timing. She searched his eyes. “You’re so good for me.”
“That’s funny.” Landon held her face in his hands and kissed her again, longer this time. His eyes were smoky when he drew back and smiled at her. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
•••
COLE HAD Afew questions for his mom—not about her love story, but about his papa’s. He was in his room, sitting at his desk going through his notes. The story was sad. But Cole knew that tomorrow it would get sadder.
His eyes drifted down the pages from their last visit. The thing was, he didn’t need notes to remember what his papa had told him during the first two interviews.
He’d remember the story forever.
On the first page he had written that Grandma Elizabeth was pretty. Very pretty. It was weird thinking of her that way. Trying to imagine his grandma and papa young and beautiful. But of course, they were. They hadn’t always been this age.
Cole read his way down the page, and found a note that caught his attention.Too much beer.Papa had drunk too much beer the night everything changed. Cole wondered if that was why there was never alcohol at their family get-togethers.
Not only that, but his parents never drank and neither did the families of his aunts and uncles. Was it all because of his papa’s experience that night? Cole added that to the list of questions.
Then his eyes fell on another note.Vietnam vet.He had the man’s name now. Wilson Gage from Indiana. His papa had told him when Cole called last week. Cole grabbed his laptop from his backpack. Might as well make the search now. So there’d be enough time to hear back from the man. That way he’d have his second source.
Cole thought it might take awhile to find him. Lots of grown-up men didn’t use Facebook, for one thing. He typed “Wilson Gage” in the Facebook search bar and four possibilities came up. Cole clicked the first one. The man was in his twenties. Wrong Wilson Gage. The next one was even younger. But the third one lived in Michigan. A quick look and it was obvious the man was a vet.
Maybe,Cole thought. The man’s last post was from three months ago. Odds were low he’d respond before Cole’s report was due. But it was worth a try. He opened a new message and kept his letter brief.
Dear Mr. Gage,
My name is Cole Blake and I’m working on a heritage project for my school. I’m doing my report on my grandfather’s story. It happened a long time ago and I’m learning all about it. He said a Vietnam vet from Indiana was an important part of the story.
Are you the Wilson Gage who lived in Indiana and helped a man named John Baxter in the 1970s? If so I’d like to interview you.
I’m not completely sure what happened, my grandfather hasn’t gotten to that part yet. But I wanted to write now, so we could make a connection. I get extra credit if I interview another person who was part of the story.
So please could you write back and let me know if it is you? And if you want to do an interview, I can get some questions to you. Thank you, and God bless you.
Sincerely, Cole Blake
Cole hit the send button and closed his laptop.
He yawned and returned the notes to his backpack. His parents weren’t home yet, but he was tired. School would come early. It always did. As he was falling asleep that night he thought again of the former soldier. Maybe the letter would encourage the man. He had to be pretty old now, and Vietnam vets weren’t treated very good when they came home from the war.Lord, if it would make that man feel important, could You please help him to look at his messages? Also, I could use the extra credit. Thanks, God. I really love You.The details of how the man had helped Cole’s papa were bound to come the next time they talked. Same with the part about what happened next with his papa, and how in the world his grandparents had managed to stay together through it all.
Cole could hardly wait for tomorrow.
14
Cody Coleman left early for the airport, for one reason. He wanted to spend an hour on the beach. Long enough to consider the trip he was about to take. Long enough to wonder exactly how he was supposed to go about convincing Andi to return to him. This was his last chance to gather his thoughts and pray, and the beach was one of his favorite places for that.
It had been a week since he’d seen her onTV. The waiting had just about killed him.
The sun was up over the Santa Monica Mountains, splashing morning light on the ocean. He pulled off at Will Rogers Beach and took a spot facing the Pacific. At first he was alone, but then a car pulled in and parked on the other side of the lot. That’s when Cody noticed the pale blue lifeguard station.
Plastered on the side was a ten-foot piece of paper. Written across it was a beautiful, simple message.
kaylee, will you marry me? Love, Trey
Then Cody saw something else. There had to be a dozen bouquets of red roses sitting along the short block wall that separated the parking lot from the sandy beach. And one more message on an easel set up between the block wall and the lifeguard station. The sign read:
This will be the view... each brand-new day with you.
Someone was getting engaged here. Right now. Cody slid down in his seat. Should he leave? Twenty yards away a couple was getting out of the car. She had long blond hair like Andi and he was tall with dark hair. Cody could see that she had a blindfold over her eyes. Obviously she didn’t know what was coming.
