Romancing the Storm: Second Chances (6 page)

After our little swim, we head back to the cave and dress just as the winds begin to rage through the trees again. As quick as our break happened the darkness filters in along with the constant lightning flashes and low rumbles of the thunder. I look at Judah who sat down for a moment. "Round two," I say as the wind whips around filling our cave with the fine cool mist from the falls.

"Tonight we'll have a fire and tomorrow night too. It won't be so bad. The wood has dried enough," he says as he makes a fire pit and starts a small fire. We have non-perishable food so we don't have anything to cook other than a few marshmallows to roast. We eat the pre-packaged crackers and peanut butter and smoked sausage. Judah requested foods we could take on picnics, so we have plenty of that, thankfully.

"This is the last of the fruit," I say as I hand Judah an apple. We munch our dessert as the storm picks up, the wind howling through the already ravaged trees.

"I suspect we'll lose more trees. We'll be okay, come here," Judah says. I sit beside him on the log he had pulled in a few days earlier.

"Nice comfy sofa," I joke as I lean on him. I'm weary from the day. He reaches his arm around me drawing me closer to him. Everything within me screams to abandon Blaine and turn to Judah.

I glance up, and he's smiling at me sweetly, his eyes lingering on mine. The moment is right. I bite my lower lip and return my head to his shoulder. He sighs. I know he's frustrated. I am too.

After a while, it grows uncomfortable, so we rearrange the towel and blankets and put the log on our backs. The fire mesmerizes us as the dancing flames cast eerie lights throughout the small cave. As the storm intensifies the waterfall wall shields us nicely. The ferocious booms of thunder do not make us jump as it did the first half of the storm.

Judah reaches over and grabs my hand. I let him and my heart thumps hard. I'm scared, not of what he's doing, but of my feelings.

"Gracelyn, why are you here with me?" he asks.

I shift my weight. "You asked me to go on vacation with you." I smile at him.

"No. I know that. Why do you hang around with me? I want to know."

I sit up and look him straight in the eye. "I think you're great. We're besties. We've been besties for years and years."

"Is that all?" he asks while averting his eyes.

"What's this about?" I ask and pull my hand from his and rub his arm.

"This," he says and leans in and kisses me. At first it shocks me. He's never kissed me like this. I grasp his arms, my heart beats wild, I want more, but then I remember Blaine and pull back.

Tears burn my eyes. "Judah, you know I'm involved with Blaine. We plan to talk marriage when he returns. He asked me to wait for him." I pull back and put a little space between us.

"Really Grace? Did he ask you to wait for him?"

"Yes," I say as I make a fist and beat my thigh. I look towards the wall of water, my eyes darting about trying to find something on which to focus.

"I don't think he meant that. I don't. I think he went off with his father on an adventure. You think I'm a wanderlust, your boyfriend is a wanderlust plus, only he doesn't want to include you in on his plans. I hate to see you hurt. But you have fun with me right?"

My eyes swing back to him. He stares straight through me, unrelenting like the storm outside. "I do have fun with you. I enjoy being with you. You are my best friend. I can't imagine life without you," I say and bite my lower lip. Why can't I be honest with him?

"What if Blaine were here right now and what if I asked you to marry me? What decision would you make?" he asks taking me by surprise.

"Blaine, I..." I shake my head blinded by the sudden tears. I'm having trouble saying it.

"Gracelyn, look at me. Tell me. Who would you choose? Think carefully about how you feel about me and how you feel about him. Think about how he leaves you feeling as well. When I go off for my work, do you feel hurt and lonely? Or do you know that I will call, and I will return at a set time?"

I nod my head slowly, the tears fall. "Okay, you're right Judah. I do have feelings for you. But I made a promise to Blaine, and I'm not a promise breaker. I cannot be with you as you want. I love you with all my heart, but I love Blaine too. I can't have both of you in that respect. I can only have one. You are my best friend. I can't imagine life without you. But Blaine and I have made plans, and I'm not turning my back on him. I can't. Can't we continue being friends as we are? If you want to date someone else you can," I say.

"So that's it? We're just buddies, but you'll go off and marry Blaine," Judah says.

"If he asks me. I told him I'd wait. I have to give at least it a try. And until he returns I'm all yours like we've been doing if you want. If you don't, I understand. Please understand my position. I'm not a promise breaker. If I were, I wouldn't be worth keeping," I say.

Judah smiles, his eyes sad and looks down. "Okay, I don't want to lose you as a friend. But a kiss once in a while is good, right?"

We manage to make it through the next day as the hurricane continues outside the cave. We hunker down as we patiently wait for a break in the rain. Finally the afternoon of the fourth day of the storm the sun peeks out from behind the clouds giving us much-needed relief from the constant rain.

We pack the cave and make the trek to the tattered beach in hopes of a rescue. Judah stands at the water's edge looking out over the still choppy waves for any sign of a boat.

"Judah, what if they don't come for us? What if the mainland was devastated and they aren't able to come?" I ask. No sooner had the words left my mouth when Judah began jumping up and down and frantically waving his hands. I stand up and see the boat in the distance and do the same.

The boat comes to the area where the end of the dock once sat. A lifeboat flips over the edge, and someone boards it and heads to the shore. The owner of the island steps out of the little raft and wades ashore with a scowl on his face.

"I knew it would be bad," he says looking around. "The island took a direct hit. It took out everything. How in the world did you two survive?"

"We rushed what we could to the cave behind the falls. We hunkered down there for four days. We had gone exploring when you came by before the storm hit, we saw the bag, but the pelting rain ruined the note," Judah says.

"Yeah, I came by to bring you to shore. I sat there for an hour, but the storm was rolling in. I hated leaving you but had no choice. The Coast Guard said we had to abandon the area." He shakes his head as he walks to where the hut had sat.

"I'm thankful for insurance. This is a total loss," the owner says as he scratches his head. "Even the dock didn't make it."

"I suggest if you rebuild to make it a bunker. Now that would bring people here for the storms," Judah says with a chuckle.

"Yeah well, the mainland did sustain some damage, though not as much as the outer islands. Well, I need to get back. I wanted to come here and assess the damage and hoped to find you. Let's load your things to the lifeboat. No one's manning the other. Dropped anchor so I need to get back to it."

We follow the owner with armloads of our luggage and load the lifeboat. I look at the island and sigh. Honestly, the past week has been an incredible adventure with my best friend and I am not sorry for coming here. We load onto the big boat, and once the lifeboat is secure, we head back to the mainland. Judah stands at the side watching the island disappear. I grab his hand and smile.

"In spite of it all, I had a great time," I say. He smiles down at me and puts his arm around my shoulders.

"Me too kiddo, me too," he says. I forget he’s younger than me. I lay my head on his shoulders, a most comfortable spot.

The Jeep weathered the storm, miraculously. We load our luggage and head north. I'm a little depressed for our adventure to be over and to have to go back to Cullfield. Judah pats my hand. "Little sad?" he asks as he steers the Jeep onto the freeway.

"Ah, I am I guess. I don't want to go back home and face everything there," I say.

He smiles and nods slightly to himself as if confirming and unspoken thought. I don't ask. "Hey, we'll still have adventures. After jumping from the top of the falls, maybe you'll edge around the lake back home and jump?"

"Heck yeah," I say with a big grin. "I do feel more daring."

"Well good, then don't be sad about going home. The summer isn't over. I have to work the next couple of weeks, but I'll have another two weeks off. We'll plan some fun," he says as he squeezes my hand.

After staying the night in a double bedroom in a small hotel in Savannah, we travel the last half to Kentucky. I welcome the beautiful mountains and the comforts of home after sleeping in strange places. I grab my mail at the post office and frown. No letter from Blaine. No calls from him either. I sigh as I unpack and do laundry.

I make my way to Cara Johnson's home the next morning to see if she's heard any word.

"Uncle Dan called my mom the other night. He didn't talk long just to say they are busy and finally able to do what they came to do. Blaine's fine," Cara says as she averts her eyes.

She's hiding something. "What?"

"Just that, well, I think you should move on with your life and not hang around here waiting for him to return. I don't want to see you hurt," she says.

My heart aches. I need encouragement to keep the faith for my boyfriend and not hearing this. "Well, a promise is a promise," I say resolutely.

"A promise for what, to sit here indefinitely? He's not worth it Gracelyn. You deserve better. What about Judah?" she asks as she narrows her eyes at me.

This is a test, it has to be. I smile and slowly shake my head. "We're just friends," I say and thank her as I leave.

I spend the next two weeks deep in thought about my current relationship situation and realize I don't have a relationship. I think if Blaine loved me he would find a way to call me or write. His father certainly finds ways to call his sister once a week. Blaine never has a word to relay to me nor does he ask. I decide to stop inquiring about the phone calls. Besides, I'm tired of the sympathetic look Cara gives me each time I ask.

Judah calls or texts every single day while he's away. We joke back and forth. But he makes certain to tell me what he thinks about my situation all the time too. He says I deserve better than the likes of Blaine. He wants me for himself, so he's being biased about it. Of course, he's going to say these things.

I have a final job interview at the school. Mr. Phelps shakes my hand and congratulates me on the job offer. I smile as I accept. I start teaching the day after Labor Day. It's a part time job only half a day each day, but that's okay. I'm very frugal and since I own my home all I have to pay is the food and utilities. I don't even need a car because I can walk everywhere.

The knock on the door startles me as I'm deep in thought about what to do about Blaine."Judah! What?" I say as I happily step aside, and he enters the house. He thrusts a bouquet of colorful flowers into my arms.

"Congratulations," he says as he bends over and kisses my cheek. I blush and blink.

"Thank you," I say. "I wasn't expecting this."

He grins big. "Yeah, I know. And I suppose Blaine doesn't even know you have the job yet?"

I frown and shake my head. Heat rises my neck. Now I'm mad because my boyfriend should be doing this.

"Let's go out to eat," Judah says. "My treat. I got paid today."

"I'll grab my purse," I say and we hop in the Jeep and head out of town.

"Mexican sound good?"

He knows me so well. It's my favorite. I smile and nod. Tears threaten to spill forth, again. As much as I miss Blaine I see the striking differences between him and Judah and it's starting to blind me.

Judah orders steak fajitas for two. The steaming pan arrives making my mouth water. We eat like we're starved and then Judah orders a fried ice cream for two. I don't blink an eye at sharing with him like this. He's my solid rock.

"This is delicious," I say as I dab the napkin over my face.

"Come on," Judah says and grabs my hand. We leave and head to his house. "Let's have a movie marathon."

"Oh, sounds fun. Can I pick?"

"Let's take turns choosing. You can start," he says as he hands the remote to me.

I browse through the movies. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I pick sappy
Sleepless in Seattle
and we start watching. The night is relatively young and after the movie Judah pops popcorn and chooses
Letters to Juliet
. I snort at him as the film begins. What is he doing to me?

I grow sleepy and lay my head over on the shoulder that is always there, always firm. He adjusts his arm around me.

"It's just right, isn't it?" he whispers to me. I look up and smile sleepily. That's all it took.

He draws me closer and with his other hand tilts my chin, so his mouth comes down to mine in a soft lingering kiss. My body awakens. It had been a couple of months since I had been with Blaine, two nights before he left. That night had left me cold. It started the downward spiral of my moods. His leaving left a sour feeling in the pit of my gut. Judah warms me, drawing me closer until he's on top of me. I don't resist. I want him. I need him.

I kiss back with vigor. My heart stirs for this man. He makes me breathless. The movie drones on, but I have no idea what's happening. I just want Judah. We stay embraced, kissing, making out for some time. He pulls back finally and takes a look at me. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows.

"What are we doing?" he says sitting up and shaking his head. I sit up feeling sick suddenly. I'm cheating on Blaine, that’s what I'm doing.

I focus on breathing as I try to make sense of it. Part of me wants to say goodbye to Blaine and turn entirely to Judah. Part of me wants to stick to my plans and wait the return of Blaine. I slowly shake my head. "I..."

"Hey, it's okay. I know. Just got caught up at the moment. Love mushy movies, beautiful girl on my sofa, you know I'm only a man and can take so much," Judah says as he grins and stretches.

I sit back and marvel at his restraint and at the fact that he's so light-hearted about it now. Part of me wants to tell him I choose him and not Blaine. Part of me wants just to be quiet and accept what is. Judah makes it easy.

I grab his hand and smile. "I have a lot of fun with you. Thank you for being who you are," I say and give his hand a squeeze.

"You're welcome. And there's an old saying that I like.
Everything comes clean in the wash
. I'm counting on that," he says mysteriously.

Once I'm home and in my bed I realize I came close to leaving Blaine and choosing Judah tonight. Part of me wishes I had gone ahead and done that.