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He raised his eyes, meeting hers.
“What’s up?” Je
“They didn’t have the charm I wanted. Looks like I’ll have to get it online.”
Steve glanced at the bag in Je
Je
“What?” he said, backing the car out of the parking spot.
Je
“What?” He smiled over at her. Oh shit, she knows.
“You really don’t have a clue what that smile does to women, do you?”
A measure of relief struck him and Steve rolled his eyes. “I could care less what it does to others. I’m just interested in what it does to you.” He gri
“It makes me want to rip your clothes off and do naughty things to you.”
Steve chuckled. “That’s an interesting reaction,” he said and sent a sideways glance in her direction. “I’ll have to take you up on that when we get to the beach.”
Je
Steve reached behind her seat, pulling out a case of CDs and handing them to her.
Je
“You can hold a tune pretty well,” she commented between choruses.
He shrugged. “Maybe a little, but it’s nothing compared to your voice,” he said. Her voice was pure and sultry at the same time. “Good choice of song.” He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it before he returned his attention to the road.
With his surprise tabled for another week, his mind drifted back to the case and her most recent vision. He glanced in her direction, relishing the melody of her voice filling the car and decided to wait until they were closer to their destination before he would broach the subject. She deserved some relaxation, especially after the asthma attack.
They continued the drive in silence, listening to the music. When the signs for Portsmouth appeared, he turned the volume down. “Tell me about the vision.”
Her hand clenched in his grasp and she said, “Were there two teenagers on the missing persons list?”
“No,” Steve answered as they pulled onto the short stretch of highway leading to the Piscataqua River Bridge that would take them into Maine.
Je
Steve sighed and nodded. “For now,” he said and squeezed her hand. He pulled off before the tolls and took Route 1A toward York Beach.
Je
Steve parked and shifted to neutral, cutting the engine. He slipped off his sneakers and socks and opened the ashtray, counting out quarters to feed the parking meter. Je
“You’ve never been here?”
“No.” Je
“It’s one of my favorite places. I love sitting on the rocks at high tide, listening to the waves sift through the pebbles when they pull back into the ocean. It’s soothing.” He walked down to the water line, holding her hand.
The quiet intimacy they shared cast a peaceful serene glow on Je
Steve smiled and squeezed her hand gently, letting silence fall between them. “I loved Peg but it was nothing like this.” He let out a light laugh. “We certainly have chemistry.” He glanced over at her. “But it is much more than that.” He kissed her hand as they passed in front of a beachside restaurant. “Being with you always felt right, even ten years ago when we were just kids.” He stopped and turned so he stood in front of her, bringing his hand to her cheek. “I loved waking with you in my arms and I can’t imagine a future without you in it,” he finished and kissed her. He took her hand and began to walk again without waiting for a response.
She just walked alongside him, silent, her hand clasped in his. “I can’t either,” she said.
Steve gri
“Are you hungry yet?” he asked when they changed directions, heading back toward the car.
“Getting there.”
“You like lobster?”
“Who doesn’t?”
“I’ll take you to the place that serves the best lobster rolls in town,” he said and once they settled into the car, he drove farther down 1A to the center of York Beach, parking in front of a small street-side seafood place. He smiled and brought her inside. The place was small with old plastic booths and a few random tables with chairs, the smell of cooked lobsters hung in the air.
With two cups of lobster bisque and two lobster rolls in hand, he grabbed napkins and spoons and led her back to the car. Navigating the one-way roads, he looped through the center of town and crossed to the peninsula that led to the Nubble Light House. Luck worked in their favor and he caught a front parking spot. He hopped out of the car with the meal and climbed down the massive rocks, finding a sheltered dry spot to sit.
Je
Steve handed her a cup, spoon and lobster roll and took his out, sliding the bag and napkins under his thigh so they wouldn’t blow away.
“This is so peaceful.” Je
“I told you they had the best seafood.”
“But the place is a dive.”
“No, it’s not. It’s a seafood market. They recently expanded to include a little cooking besides just boiling lobster for their clients.” He smiled and took a bite of the lobster roll.
Je
Steve finished his in three bites. He cracked open his soup and took a spoonful as they watched the waves crash into the rocks.
When they finished eating, Steve threw the trash away and cuddled next to her, watching the endless ebb of the tide.
“Tell me about the vision,” he said softly in her ear, bringing her back to the reality of what was going on in a little town less than a hundred miles away. She tensed up and he tightened his grip around her, kissing her neck.
“A couple of teenagers. Girl and boy, and they were, um, preoccupied with each other. They never saw it come out of the water. I did.”
“What is it?”
Je
Steve kissed her shoulder and put his forehead against it. “Do you think this thing in your vision is a manifestation of your imagination because you can’t come to terms with a person doing the things you’re seeing?”
The question surprised Je
“If it isn’t human, how do I stop it?”
“I don’t think anything can stop it.”
“If it can be hurt, it can be killed.”