Page 75 of The Fool

“Of course, what made you think otherwise?”

“Besides Cam’s teasing remarks? I guess you,” he says, keeping his eyes firmly on the road, avoiding my staring at him. “When we first met, you gave off this vibe that I was nothing more than a party boy with a scandalous reputation.”

“Well, I hope you know I don’t think that way about you,” I tell him as I put my hand over his on top of his thigh. He immediately squeezes it before lifting it to his lips to kiss.

“I know that now, Bea, and I also know why you were standoffish,” he says. “I cannot apologize enough for getting it all wrong and for being such an ass afterward. I will forever kick myself for behaving the way I did.”

“We all make mistakes, at least you’ve acknowledged yours,” I tell him before kissing him on the cheek. “Some things can be forgiven…others not so much.”

_____

Bea

As lunchtime approaches, we pull into a beach bar parking lot, and I swear I see James moving about through the entrance. The sign overhead reads, ‘El Cid, est. 1978’ and I smile, feeling like I’m on holiday. It’s warm but with a welcome light breeze. The sound of waves crashing in the background makes me want to strip down to a bikini and lie on the beach all afternoon.

Nate grabs hold of my hand so we can walk in together, probably looking like a couple of love-struck teenagers. Today, however, I find myself not caring what other people think. In fact, the only things I’m caring about right now, is feeling happy, and the man I’m currently walking next to. James appears in front of us, confirming my earlier suspicion, with a beautiful smile and a friendly handshake for both of us.

“I see you finally pulled your head out of your ass,” he says with laughter in his voice. “Hey, gorgeous, how are you?” I’m gifted with a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug.

“James, you get to workandlive here? You’re so lucky!” I grin at him, all the while looking around the place in awe.

A rustic bar stands to my right and a dancefloor is positioned beyond the tables and chairs to the left of us. However, it’s the view that truly takes my breath away. A sandy beach with various sunbeds leads the way to the beautiful blue ocean that is virtually flat calm today. There aren’t many tourists as we’re out of season. Most of the people strolling along the sand are dog owners, throwing stones and sticks in for their furry pets to retrieve just past the break.

“Correction, babe,” James says, bringing me back to the conversation, “Iownthe place. Come and sit over here; I’ll get you some drinks. Are you eating?”

Nate nods before leading me toward the perfect table that overlooks the water.

“I’m glad you asked me to your sister’s wedding,” Nate says when we’ve sat down. He then covers my hands with his over the table. “I hope it means that you’re beginning to trust me, if only a little bit.”

“You say that now,” I reply with a smile, “but I should warn you, they only know Ben’s rather damning description of you.”

“I can win people over; I won you over, didn’t I?” he says, to which I giggle. “No, seriously, I’m asking, have I won you over yet?”

“I think so,” I reply before frowning while I think about it. “It will take time for me to trust, but I’d be the same with anyone. I need to protect myself, so I never run the risk of going back to thatplaceagain. But I want to trust you, and that’s a pretty big step for me.”

“I can give you time,” he says before kissing my hand, something I’ve noticed he likes to do when he’s feeling reassured. “So, what was Dean like when he saw you? Was he still a smug asshole?”

“To be honest, I couldn’t really tell you. He barely said a word to me, and he avoided eye contact as much as possible.”

“Do you think he regrets what happened?” he asks with a thoughtful expression.

“I have no idea, but…”

“What?” he says, leaning in to rub my arm with soothing strokes.

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. There’s not a day that hasn’t gone by when I haven’t thought about what they did or how things would be if I ever had to face them again. I never once thought it would be so…”

“Underwhelming?”

“Does that make me sound crazy?” I ask shyly.

“Not at all,” he replies, leaning back when a waitress brings our drinks and some nibbles. “Anyone would want some sort of closure after what happened to you, Bea. It’s only natural.”

“Perhaps,” I reply, thinking about it all, as if in a daze. “Do you think closure is possible after everything?”

“Bea, when you finally move forward and are truly happy, you will find your closure.”

“I hope so,” I tell him, giving him a knowing smile. Perhapsheis my chance for closure.

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