The Last Song

He skipped down the last steps toward her, and she turned away. Studying the movement of the water seemed easier than facing him.

He knew her well enough to recognize something was amiss.

“What’s wrong?”

When she didn’t answer right away, he gently brushed aside a strand of her hair. “Talk to me,” he murmured.

She closed her eyes briefly before facing him. “Where are we going with all this? With you and me.”

Will frowned in concern. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Her smile was melancholy. “Yes, you do,” she said, and as soon as he lowered his hand from her hair, she knew he understood. “It’s not going to be the same.”

“That doesn’t mean it has to end…”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not hard to get from Nashville to New York. It’s, what… a two-hour flight? It’s not like I’d have to walk there.”

“And you’ll come see me?” Ro

“I was pla

She laughed despite the ache she felt inside.

He put his arms around her. “I don’t know why all of this is coming up now, but you’re wrong. I mean, I know it’s not going to be the same, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better in some ways, too. My sister lives in New York, remember? And it’s not as though school goes year-round. There are breaks in the fall and spring, another around Christmas, and then it’s summer. And like I said, it’s an easy enough trip if we just wanted to make a weekend out of it.”

Ro

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Don’t you even want to try?”

“Of course I want to try.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make it work, okay?” He paused. “I want to be with you as much as possible, Ro

She knew he was sincere, but a nagging voice inside her asked how many summer romances actually withstood the test of time. Not many, and it had nothing to do with feelings. People changed. Interests changed. All she had to do was glance in the mirror to recognize that.

Yet losing him seemed unbearable. He was the one she loved, the one she would always love, and as he leaned in to kiss her, she gave herself over to him. While he held her close, she ran her hands over his shoulders and back, feeling the strength in his arms. She knew he’d wanted more in their relationship than she’d been willing to offer, but here and now, she suddenly knew she had no other choice. There was only this moment, and it was theirs.

When he spoke, his voice was at once tentative and urgent. “Do you want to come with me to my dad’s boat?”

She could feel herself trembling, uncertain whether she was ready for what was coming next. At the same time, she felt a powerful urge to move forward. “Okay,” she whispered.

Will squeezed her hand, and she had the impression that he was as nervous as she felt as he led her toward the boat. She knew she could still change her mind, but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted her first time to mean something, to happen with someone she cared deeply about. As they drew near the boat, she only vaguely registered her surroundings; the air was cooling, and from the corner of her eye, she could see guests moving on the dance floor. Off to the side, she saw Susan talking to the elderly man who’d been watching her earlier and was again struck by the nagging thought that she knew him from somewhere.

“That was such a sweet speech, I wish I could have recorded it,” she heard someone drawl.

Will flinched. The voice came from the far side of the dock. Though he remained hidden in the darkness, Ro

“I mean it, Richie Rich. You really charmed the pants off her.” He gri

Will took a step forward. “Get the hell out of here.”

Marcus moved the fireball, rotating it between his fingers. “Or what? You’ll call the cops? I know you better than that.”

Will tensed. Marcus had somehow struck a nerve, though she didn’t know why.

“This is private property,” Will said, but he didn’t sound as sure of himself as he should have.

“I love this part of town, don’t you? Everyone down here is so country club chummy, they built this nice walkway that follows the water from one house to the next. I just love coming out here, you know? To enjoy the views, I mean.”

“This is my sister’s wedding,” Will hissed.

“I always thought your sister was beautiful,” Marcus said. “I even asked her out once. But the tramp turned me down. Can you believe that?” He didn’t give Will a chance to respond before he motioned to the crowd. “I saw Scott earlier, up there acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world. You gotta wonder about his conscience, huh? Then again, yours isn’t so clear, either, is it? I’ll bet you haven’t even told your mommy that your little hooker girlfriend here is probably going to jail.”

Will’s body felt as taut as a bowstring.

“I’ll bet the judge is setting her straight, though, huh?”

The judge…

Suddenly, Ro

She felt her own breath catch in her throat.

Oh… God…

The realization came in the same instant that Will let go of her hand. As he charged toward Marcus, Marcus threw the fireball at him and leapt from the dock to the walkway. He scrambled up into the yard, near the corner of the tent, but he was no match for Will. Will easily closed the distance, but when Marcus glanced over his shoulder, Ro

She had barely a split second to wonder why before she saw Marcus diving toward the ropes that supported the tent…

She lunged forward. “Don’t, Will! Stop!” she screamed, but it was already too late.

Will crashed into Marcus, entwining them both in the ropes as the pegs tore loose from the ground. Ro

People began to scream, and she heard a sickening crash as one of the ice sculptures toppled over, the guests scattering and screaming. Will and Marcus were struggling on the ground before Marcus was finally able to extricate himself. Instead of continuing to fight, he burst free from the commotion and leapt back onto the walkway, vanishing from sight behind the neighbor’s house.

In the ensuing pandemonium, Ro

They certainly remembered her. Sitting in the study, she felt as if she were twelve years old. All she wanted to do was get as far away from the house as possible and crawl under her covers at home.

As she heard Susan shouting from the next room, she couldn’t stop replaying the image of the collapsing tent.

“She ruined your sister’s wedding!”

“No, she didn’t!” Will shouted back. “I told you what happened!”

“You expect me to believe that some stranger crashed the party and you tried to stop him?”

“That’s what happened!”

Why Will never mentioned Marcus by name, Ro

“Will, please… even assuming your story is true, why was he here? Everyone knows about all the security we have! Every judge in town was at the wedding. The sheriff was monitoring the road out front, for goodness’ sake. It had to have something to do with that girl! Don’t give me that… I can tell by your face that I’m right… And what were you doing with her at your dad’s boat, anyway?”