Page 34 of Paradise West
He nodded and set the box at their feet, then moved to stand behind her, his chest to her back as he reached his arms around her to place his hands on hers.
“Ready?” he whispered in her ear.
She gave him a nod and together they upended the bag, sending ashes floating out on the wind across the moat and into the sea.
Charli released another ragged sob, turned in his arms, and buried her face in his chest again. He pulled her close, murmuring soft words of encouragement as grief wracked her body and her shoulders shook underthe force of emotion. His hands lightly stroked her hair as he rocked back and forth. Tears streamed down his own cheeks as he held her and together they mourned Dottie.
After a while, the sobs began to fade and Charli peered up at him, her face red and streaked with tears, her nose running. His mouth twitched at the corners into a small smile despite the tears on his own cheeks—she’d probably be horrified if she saw her reflection, but she’d never been more beautiful to him with her brilliant purple eyes, wind-tussled honey blonde hair, and swollen pink lips.
She continued to stare up at him, not saying a word, and then slowly lifted on her toes and pressed her lips hesitantly to his. He groaned softly as his hand snaked up to tangle in her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her back gently. His mouth rubbed over hers and she moaned as her arms tightened around him.
It took everything he had to pull back and not push for more. But this—right after releasing her aunt’s ashes and standing on a very-exposed wall—was certainly not the right time for taking things further.
Breathing heavy and more than a little regret, he stepped back and held her at arm’s length. “You ready to have some fun now?”
Charli smiled with relief and sniffed. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
“Good!” He grinned. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m famished,” she said, with some surprise. Suddenly her face fell. “But I didn’t bring anything with me,” she lamented, her voice full of disappointment.
Jack chuckled. “Well, that’s where Janie came in. You can thank her later.” He reached down and grabbed her hand, leading her down the curved staircase and through the fort to the main entrance. “Come on.”
“Jack, slow down,” Charli gasped with a light laugh. “Your legs are like twice as long as mine. I’m practically running here.”
He slowed down a bit and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I forget that sometimes.”
As they walked through the fort’s front gate, he peered out on the horizon back to the east and grunted. So far, there was nothing there.
“What are you looking for?” Charli asked.
Jack grunted again. “Just making sure the ferries weren’t arriving yet. I think we’ll have another hour or so of peace and quiet before the tourists arrive.” As they walked to the plane, he took the now-empty white box from her and placed it on the copilot seat. Then he opened the side hatch and stepped in.Opening the large cooler strapped down in the back, he peered in and grinned. His sister hadn’t let him down.
As he grabbed the large cooler from the plane, Charli gasped. “Where did you get that?”
“Janie put this together for us.” He smiled as he walked past her toward the shaded beach on the south side of the island.
He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was following and found her slowly trailing him, staring out over the water. “We’ll set up over here.” When she met his eyes, he gestured with his chin toward a lovely, shaded section of the white sand beach.
She grinned and raced up to help him with the cooler. He set it down and opened the lid, sighing with satisfaction...oh yes, Janie had gone all out on this one.
The red and white checkered blanket was perfect as he spread it across the sand, and Charli began unpacking the contents of the cooler. She ooohed and aaahed over each new item as she pulled them out. Janie had packed deli sandwiches, fresh ceviche, chips, guacamole, fruit salad, and his favorite cookies.
Charli held up the wine bottle and grinned. “Wow—a chilled Moscato! How in the world did she keep this cold?”
Jack pointed to the section of the cooler. “Dry ice.” He patted a brown pastry box next to it. “And if we’re still hungry after all this, we have some fresh key lime pie to finish it off.” He took out the glasses, expertly opened the bottle and poured for both of them.
Charli sat back and stared down at the bounty spread before them. “Jack, this is amazing.” She glanced up at him and grinned. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “It’s my pleasure.” He held his wine glass up for a toast. When Charli reciprocated, he said, “To Dottie. May her spirit be at peace and may we fulfill all of her wishes...together.”
Charli smiled and clinked her glass with his. “Cheers!” They both took a sip of wine and the tension and sadness that had been hovering over her all morning dissipated like mist in the sunshine. Releasing the ashes had been therapeutic for both of them, and he was glad to see her spirit shining through.
“Let me fill our plates,” she offered. “It’s the least I can do after you planned all this.”
Jack grinned as he watched her—so far, so good despite his missteps earlier. They’d both been able to say goodbye to Dottie, and they’d shared their first kiss on the wall.
Nice and slow, Jack...nice and slow...
