Bondi Beach (12 page)

Florence said,
“But if Martin’s dream
was
prophetic, that means that you two were destined to be together.”

“
Yes,” I smiled, feeling strangely calm about my destiny with a man I’d only met the previous month. “It does, doesn’t it?”

*****

That night, as Martin and I lay in bed, he told me how much it meant to him that his mother and I had met. “You know, I’ve always loved and admired my mother. She lost her husband when she had two young children. By and large, she raised Janine and me alone. It was probably for the best, anyway,” he said, looking over at me. “The three of us have always been close. Melanie felt threatened by it. I think when things with Melanie didn’t go well, Mom felt that she had failed somehow.”

“
Why?” I asked.

“I think she felt like
she should have been more forceful in telling me that Melanie and I weren’t right together.”

“Would you have listened if she had?”

He smiled and shrugged. “I doubt it.”

“
Martin, if you and I were destined to be together on that day at that time, then maybe you and Melanie were meant to be married just like I was meant to have married Jack. Maybe those relationships helped us to grow and also prepared us for one another.”

“I like the way you think,” he said, turning toward me and
running his finger along my cheek.

“And I like the way you make me feel,” I said
. He cradled my face in his hand and kissed me. We undressed, and I quietly pulled him toward me. When he entered me, I let out a small cry too quiet for anyone else to hear. We came together a little while later and lay in silence, Martin’s arms folded around me. I kissed his chest as he held me close.

A thought drifted into my mind, and my emotions froze as I lay in his arms.

Feeling a shift in me, he asked, “What’s wrong?” He searched my face for some clarity, but I couldn’t look at him. “Eva, what’s the matter?”

I finally looked into his concerned eyes
. “I leave in two days,” I said sadly. “I just realized that this is one of our last nights together.”

His eyes held a quiet intensity as h
e looked at me lovingly and shook his head. “No, Eva,” he said quietly. “This is still just the beginning. We have plenty of time.” And with that, he kissed my forehead and pulled me close, holding me until I fell asleep.

*****

It was morning when I awoke nestled against Martin’s chest. He was still asleep so I went to the bathroom and came back to bed. When I heard Flo’s door open, I decided get dressed and see if she wanted some company. I put on some brown slacks and a pink knit top with short sleeves and a v-neck with a simple brown jasper beaded necklace.

I stepped outside
of the bedroom door, closing it gently behind me. Dressed in pajamas and wearing a pink terry cloth robe, Flo was in the kitchen putting on a pot of water on the stove. “Good morning,” I said.

“Good morning,
Eva.” I took a seat at the kitchen island, and she took a second cup out of the cupboard for me.

“Thank you.
”

She glanced over at me, a little chagrined. “
You know, I think that I should apologize for last night.”

“
Whatever for?”

“Because you probably thought
that I was being nosy bringing up Martin’s dream. You and Martin are two grown adults. You can handle your own relationship.”

I watched her for a moment as she settled into
the chair beside me. We spoke quietly so as to not awaken Janine and Martin. “Flo, if I had a son like Martin – someone as tenderhearted as he is – I would worry that he might fall for the wrong woman. Someone who doesn’t love him as much as he loves her.”

She smiled
.

“I
’d also be concerned if my son was in a serious relationship with someone he’d only met six weeks ago.”

She looked down at her folded hands without saying anything
.

“
Honestly, I can’t say that I expected any of this when I came to Australia.”

She
looked up at me and covered my hands with her own. “No one expects love where they find it, Dear.”

“That’s
well said. I certainly didn’t.” I felt comfortable with Flo and knew that her main concern was Martin’s well-being. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I was married for a number of years. My husband died a few years ago. He was a good man, and we had a wonderful relationship that I’ll always cherish. Honestly, I thought that a part of me had died with him and that I would always be alone.” Given that Flo had been widowed early by her first husband, I believed that she might appreciate the connection. “Then, I came here and met Martin. He’s an easy man to fall in love with. I only hope that I can make him as happy as he’s made me.”

“
Eva, you don’t need my approval – although you have it.”

“Thank you,”
I nodded. “That means a lot to me.” A question had been tumbling slowly through my mind so I decided to ask it. “What were you expecting to find when you came here?”

She
smiled and chuckled a little. “Honestly, Dear, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping it wouldn’t be another Melanie, someone who took more than she ever intended to give back. I must admit that I was a little concerned when Martin told me that he’d taken you home from the hospital to nurse you back to health.”

“I wouldn’t blame you,” I smiled, getting up from the chair and turning off the stove
. I made the tea and poured two cups, handing one to Flo.

“Thank you.
” She sipped from her cup and, then, put it down to cool off a bit. “From what Martin told me about you, you sounded, well, different. I’ve always felt that Martin needed an equal but never found one. He was attracted to women whom he could help. Maybe that came from years of having to be the man of the house at such a young age. I’ll always regret that, but it was what it was. Some of the women who need the most help are the ones with a lot of problems.
Lots
of drama.”

“I see
. He did mention a few girlfriends to me. Women he’d dated before he married Melanie.”

Flo smiled and nodded
, catching my eyes with her warmth. “The earliest I can remember was when he was in grade school. Bethany was the Millers’ daughter. They were neighbors of ours. She was a year older than Martin but much smaller. Some of the other children would pick on her, and he’d always stand up for her.”

Just then,
Martin emerged from the bedroom wearing jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. “Good morning,” he said quietly.

“Good morning.
” I got an extra cup and filled it with tea, handing it to him when he joined us in the kitchen. He kissed me on the forehead and his mother on the cheek and sat down.

“T
hanks,” he said, taking a sip. “I thought I’d better come out so I don’t miss anything,” he grinned.

I smiled at him
. “Your mom was just telling me about how you’ve always tried to help people.”

Grinning
, he rolled his eyes. “I think I should just go back to bed.” He began to stand up, but I grabbed a belt loop and looked up at him.

“You know you can’t get away that easily
,” I laughed, and he slid his arm around me.

I glanced at Flo
then back at Martin. “I think your mom’s been worried that I might be the kind of woman who would take advantage of your good nature.”

He reached for a piece of leftover bread from the evening before and took a bite
. “You don’t need to worry about that, Mom. I’ve become a much better judge of character than I used to be.”

“Indeed,
you have.” She looked down at her watch. “Let me go and wake up Janine. We were going to get an early start today to do some shopping.”

Not long after, we heard Janine in the shower. Flo packed their bags, which
Martin carried to the car. It was a shame that their visit was so brief. I really liked them and could tell that Martin was glad to have them near. However, we still had a few hours left with them.

Martin and I took Flo and Janine shopping in Sydney
at Rocks Market. Given that I’d been there when I first arrived in Australia, I was excited to go to a place that I liked and found familiar. We spent the morning shopping for clothes for Janine and a particular pair of boots to match one of her favorite outfits – a long straight black skirt with a white chiffon blouse with Juliet sleeves. Flo was along for the ride, more or less, although she did pick up a trinket for a friend who was watching her house while she was away.

Our time together sped by quickly, and Martin and I took
them out for an early dinner before returning them to the airport that evening. Janine gave me a big hug. “It’s been really nice to meet you, Eva. Please come and see Mom and me in Brisbane.”

“I’d love to, Janine
. Have a safe flight home!” I hugged her before she turned to hug Martin.

Flo and I turned to one another
. “Flo, it’s been such a pleasure,” I told her.

“Likewise.”
She took both of my hands in hers. “Now, Eva, you look after my son.”

I squeezed her hands
. “I will.” We hugged and kissed one another on the cheek before saying goodbye.

Martin said goodbye to his mother, and we watched them move through the security line
. “They love you so much,” I told him.

I could
sense that he felt a familiar pang of sadness. They put their bags on the conveyor and walked through the x-ray machines. Once on the other side, we waved to one another, and they were soon out of view.

“I really enjoyed meeting your family, Martin
. I appreciate how protective your mom is of you. She really wants you to be happy.”

Martin put his arm around me.
“I am. And they both love you.”

“I hope so.”

“There’s no question,” he smiled. “When you were heating dinner last night and I was getting Mom and Janine settled into their rooms, Janine asked me when we’re getting married. All Mom said was, ‘Thank God. She’s lovely, Dear.’”

I laughed as we
strode out of the airport and walked toward the parking lot when it dawned on me. “It’s hard to believe that we’ll be back here day after tomorrow and that I’ll be leaving.” Martin reached over and squeezed my hand but didn’t say a word all the way home.

*****

It was late by the time we returned to the house. We were both exhausted from the day, and I felt emotionally raw and on the verge of tears knowing that I would be going home so soon. He must have sensed it. We walked into the house, and Martin locked the doors behind us and took my hand. He led me to the bedroom where he proceeded to remove all of my clothes in the most tender and loving way. Tears ran down my face, but I didn’t say a word. He lifted me up and laid me on the bed before taking off his clothes and making love to me. Afterward, we lay together, his arms wrapped around my body and my head against his chest.

“
Eva?”

“Hmm?”
I asked wearily.

“What are you doing in April?”

“Not much. An old client has asked me to make some new jewelry for her. Why?” I looked up at him questioningly.

He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand
. “I thought I might come and see you around the middle of April. I could stay for about a month. What do you think?”

A broad smile crossed my lips, and I kissed him
. “I would love that.”

“Then, I’ll book it in the morning.
” He glanced at the bedside clock. “Eva?”

“Yes,” I said, feeling much more awake now.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

I turned over to look at the clock
. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” I took his face in my hands and kissed him. “I love you so much.”

Chapter 24

FEBRUARY 14

We slept in, getting out of bed around 10:30 a.m. Martin got up and showered, and I dressed in white shorts and a yellow knit top and went out to the kitchen to get something for us to eat. I put two cups of tea and some sweet bread on the kitchen table and looked for Martin. He was in his office working at the computer.

I walked in and stood behind his chair
. Looking up at me, he asked, “Does it matter what time I arrive in Charlotte?”

As he reached up for me,
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on top of the head, inhaling the fresh scent of shampoo. “I don’t care what time you come in. Actually, the sooner, the better.”

“Okay, I’ll book the morning arrival
. I’ll come in directly through LA.”

“That’s great
. Knowing that I’ll only have to wait eight weeks to see you, again, will make leaving more bearable.”

He booked the flight and printed out the itinerary, handing a copy to me
. Then, he joined me for breakfast, and we made plans for the day.

I packed after breakfast just to get it out of the way so that
we could enjoy our final day together. We walked on the beach, talking for hours about how we wanted to spend our time together in the spring. Of course, I would introduce him to some of my friends. We could also go hiking and camping, and I could take him rafting and bouldering. I told him that, if he wanted to, we could visit a few places in the U.S. that he’d never been before. He said that he’d already seen the Grand Canyon since his family had visited the States when he was a child. Of course, there was also an annual conference that he attended in Los Angeles. His main intention, he told me, was to spend time together. He really didn’t care about where we were or how we spent it.

We
had an incredible day together, and it ended at a fabulous Palm Springs restaurant called Tinto, which specializes in Basque cuisine. As the sun began to set, the waiter placed a candle at our table. Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” began to play.

A young man went from table to table selling red roses, and Martin bought a dozen
. Our waiter offered to trim them and place them in water until we were ready to leave. We reached across the table and held hands throughout dinner, talking and laughing and ignoring the fact that I would leave the next morning. It was easy to get lost in Martin’s intense green eyes, and, knowing that I would see him in two months made our last evening together much easier.

After dinner, we
drank tea and sat together, relaxed and happy. “I love you,” he said.

“And I love you.
” I smiled and shook my head. “When I came here, I had no idea what was about to happen. I just knew that I was coming here to get away and, somehow, to start over. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything that you’ve done for me.”

He squeezed my hand
. “You’re not the only one who’s benefitted.” He looked out across the sea. “I’d hoped that you would come along, but a small part of me was starting to wonder if you ever would. “ He looked at me with a serious expression in his eyes. “Now, when I look back over the course of my life, I see how well choreographed some things have been. My accident when I was 15 and my dream and, maybe, even my marriage with Melanie. I don’t think that I was ready for you then. You were married, and I still had things to learn about relationships. I learned a lot about myself and what was important to me. You came here when you were supposed to.”

“It seems that all of this is meant to be.
” I hesitated. “I just don’t want to do anything to mess it up.”

“Neither do I,” he said
before asking for the check and my flowers and taking me home.

*****

We put the flowers in a vase on the kitchen table and got ready for bed. Martin was still showering when I walked into the bedroom and found an envelope on my pillow. It simply read, “Eva” across the front and was in Martin’s handwriting. Opening the envelope, I pulled out a beautiful card with handpainted roses on the front. On the inside, it read:

To my beautiful
Eva on our first Valentine’s Day.

Thank you for l
oving me and for giving me hope again.

Love, Martin

P.S. Sorry about the surfboar
d


Inside the card was a photo of the two of us that Janine had taken
with her phone. He must have downloaded it when she was here and printed it out. We were standing together by the water in Sydney, big smiles on our faces and Martin’s arms wrapped around me. We both looked so happy.

Martin walked
up behind me and put his arms around me. “I hope you like it,” he said, kissing my neck tenderly.

I turned to face him
. “I love it, Martin. Thank you. I couldn’t have asked for a better Valentine’s Day.”

W
e kissed, and he led me to the bed where we made love before falling asleep snuggled against one another.