“A ranch?” she asked as we pulled up the dirt road.
“I hope you like horses.”
“I love horses, but I’ve never been on one.”
I looked over at her when she said that. “You’ve never been horseback riding?”
“No. I spent my life in and on the water.”
“Well, today’s your lucky day because you’re going horseback riding.”
“Can I ask you one favor?” she asked.
“Sure. What is it?”
“Would it be okay if I rode with you instead of my own horse? I’m a little nervous.”
“Of course. I was going to suggest that.”
She smiled as she opened the door and got out. I watched her as she took in a deep breath of fresh air. I looked straight ahead as Murray walked towards us.
“Well, well, well. Collin Black. I haven’t seen you in years, buddy,” he said as we lightly hugged.
“Murray. Good to see you, friend. This is Amelia.” I smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Amelia,” he said.
“You riding the horses today?”
“We sure are. But only one horse. Amelia’s never been horseback riding, so she’s going to ride with me first.”
“Follow me to the stable. I’ll set you up with Majestic. She’ll be perfect for you.”
We followed him to the stable and he took Majestic from her stall. Murray saddled her up and I climbed on first. Amelia looked a little nervous as she stared at the horse.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Murray said. “Make friends with her first if it’ll make you feel better. Talk to her and pet her. You’ll feel more comfortable.”
Amelia walked to the front of Majestic and started petting her. She ran her hand down her mane and said hi to her. I looked down at her and smiled as she looked up at me.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yeah. I think so.”
She put her foot in the stirrup as I helped her onto the horse. She sat behind me and I told her to hold on. The minute she wrapped her arms around me, a feeling overtook me that I’d never felt before. I couldn’t describe it.
We rode along the shoreline of the white sanded beach. It was breathtaking and I missed this. I was happy to be able to share this with Amelia.
“Collin, this is beautiful,” she said.
“Isn’t it? I’ve really missed this.”
“Why did you stop coming here?” she asked.
“My ex-girlfriend hated horseback riding and she would never come.”
“She really missed out.”
The smile never left my face as the light wind swept across us as we rode down the beach. I took it slow and easy with Majestic because I didn’t want to frighten Amelia. After about an hour, I thought Amelia would like to take over.
“How about we switch spots and you take over?” I said as I stopped the horse.
“Really?” she asked with excitement.
I got off the horse and told Amelia to scoot up. She had a smile on her face that I’d never forget. Her blue eyes were full of light and happiness. It was the first time since we met that I saw her like this. I climbed back on behind her and told her to grab hold of the reins. I told her what to do and then I placed my hands on her hips. She looked back at me and smiled as Majestic started walking.
“Oh my God.” She laughed. “This is amazing. I love horseback riding. Thank you, Collin. Thank you for this.”
“I’m happy you’re enjoying it and you’re welcome.”
We rode for about another hour. I grabbed the reins and I told her to hold on.
“Let’s go, Majestic!” I yelled.
The horse began to gallop and I yelled, “Woohoo!” Amelia held onto my arms tightly.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m great. This is great.” She smiled as she turned her head and looked at me.
We rode back to the ranch. As I climbed off, I grabbed Amelia’s hand and helped her down.
“Well, what did you think?” Murray asked as he walked up to us.
“I loved it!” Amelia replied.
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
I shook Murray’s hand and he told me not to be a stranger. He also told me to send my mom and dad over to the ranch for a visit. We walked back to the car and the clouds started to roll in.
“It looks like it’s going to rain,” I said. “Let’s get to the restaurant before it starts.”
“Restaurant?” she said.
“Don’t tell me you’re not hungry.”
“Actually, I am.” She smiled.
“Good. Me too. I’m taking you to my favorite place.”
We were seated at a quiet little corner table at Nick and Toni’s. As Amelia looked over the menu, she asked me what was good.
“They have the best chicken here with the best roasted garlic potatoes I’ve ever eaten.”
She laughed. “I love chicken, so I think that’s what I’ll have.”
The waitress brought us each a glass of wine and took our order. I looked at Amelia as I held my glass up to her.
“Here’s to an amazing and fun day.”
“Amazing is right.” She smiled as she brought her glass up to mine.
“Can I have your phone number?” I blurted out.
She looked at me while she bit down on her bottom lip. “Are you going to call me sometime?”
“I was planning on it, but only if you want me to.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment and she just looked at me from across the table. “Yeah, I would like you to.”
Hearing her say that made me the happiest person in the world. I took out my phone and programmed her number as she rattled it off to me. I pushed dial and her phone rang. She pulled it from her small purse and looked at me with a smile.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hi. Now you have my number in case you ever want to call me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Our food was brought to the table and we both hung up our phones. Amelia enjoyed the chicken and the white chocolate panna cotta that I ordered us for dessert. We finished, and the minute we stepped outside, it started to pour. We ran to the car and I stood there, feeling my pockets for my keys. They weren’t in there.
“Collin, we’re getting soaked,” she laughed.
“I left my keys on the table.”
I ran around to the other side of the Range Rover, grabbed her hand, and told her to stand under the overhang while I ran inside. The hostess was kind enough to have my keys waiting for me the second I walked in. I walked back out and smiled at Amelia as I took her hand.
“Are you ready to try this again?”
“I sure am.”
We ran to the Range Rover and the rain was coming down harder than before. I quickly opened the door for her and she climbed in. I got in on my side, shut the door, and we both started laughing at each other. We were soaked. My hair was dripping and my jeans were sticking to me. I didn’t have a towel in the car, but I grabbed a sweatshirt from the back seat and handed it to her.
“Here, dry yourself with this.”
“I don’t want to ruin your sweatshirt,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s only water.”
“Here,” she said as she took the sweatshirt from my hand and wiped my face with it and then set it down.
Her bare hand touched the side of my face as she looked into my eyes. I softly smiled as I placed my hand on hers and leaned in closer, our lips almost touching. My damn phone rang. I sighed as I apologized to her and pulled it from my pocket. It was Hailey. Why the fuck was she calling me? I hit ignore and looked at Amelia.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Wrong number,” I said as I started the Range Rover and pulled out of Nick and Toni’s.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Hailey’s phone call as I drove Amelia back to her place.
“Thank you, Collin, for a wonderful day. I appre
ciate it.”
“I’m just going to run home and change out of these wet clothes and then I’m coming back to help you like I promised.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes. Did you think I was lying?”
“No. But you just seemed really distracted after your phone rang.”
“Nah. Everything’s good and I’ll be back real soon.” I smiled.
“Okay. I’ll see you in a while.”
I watched her run to the door as the rain continued to fall. I pulled out of her driveway and drove down the street to my house.
“You’re soaked!” my mom said as I walked in.
“I know. That’s why I’m home to change clothes.”
“Well, hurry up and go change. I don’t want you catching a cold,” my mom said. “Then come back down. I want to hear all about Amelia.”
“Sorry, Mom. I don’t have time. I’m helping her with her things. I’ll tell you both about it later. Dad, are you and Mom going back to the city tonight?”
“Yes, and you better be as well. You have to be in the office in the morning.”
“I will be. Don’t worry,” I said as I ran up the stairs and changed out of my wet clothes.
Once I was dry, I ran back down the stairs and told my mom and dad what Murray from the ranch had said. They both smiled and said they might head up there later. I kissed my mom on the cheek and drove back to Amelia’s house. When I opened the door, she was walking down the stairs, carrying a large box.
“Why didn’t you wait for me?” I asked as I took the box from her.
“It was the only one left upstairs, so I figured I’d just bring it down.”
I set the box on the floor in the hallway against all the others. “What are you doing with all these boxes?”
“The realtor is calling Goodwill to come and take them.”
“There’s nothing in any of them that you want?” I asked.
“No. I went through everything before I packed it all up. I really need this house to sell. I’m running out of money quickly. When my parents died, there wasn’t a will or trust or anything, so all of this, and all of their accounts went into probate. By time my father’s debt was paid off, this house was all that was left. Apparently, my parents were in some financial trouble. Anyway, this house is going up for sale tomorrow morning and now I just have to wait for someone to buy it,” she said.
“Real estate can be tricky. If you get an offer, have either me or my dad look it over. I don’t want you getting screwed,” I said.
“Thanks. But I won’t get screwed. I have a very good agent.”
I walked over and clasped her shoulders. “Just be smart.”
She looked at me and cocked her head, narrowing her eyebrows. “Are you saying that I’m not smart?”
Oh shit. “No, that’s not what I meant. I think you’re very smart, but there are a lot of people out in the world that like to take advantage of others. Now, tell me what needs to be done still.”
“Umm. Nothing,” she said as she turned away from me.
“What do you mean ‘nothing’? You said earlier that you had way too much to do and that’s why you didn’t want to go out.”
“Yeah, well, I was just saying that because I was trying to get out of going out with you.”
“Oh,” I said as I frowned.
“I’m sorry, Collin. But I’m glad I chose to go because I had a really good time.”
My frown turned into a smile when Amelia said she’d had a good time. I looked out the window and noticed the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.
“Hey, would you like to go and grab some coffee? We can walk to the Starbucks that’s around the corner. The rain stopped and the sun is out.”
“Sure,” she said as she put on her shoes and we walked out the door.
Chapter 15
We took our coffees from the counter and sat down at a table in the corner. The past couple of days had been the happiest I’d had in a long time. I really liked Amelia and I wished we had more time to spend.
“You never told me what you’re studying at NYU,” I said.
“I’m studying to be a nurse. I start my clinicals one week from tomorrow at Mount Sanai Hospital.”
“That’s great, Amelia. Nursing is a good field to get into.”
“My dad always said that I’d make a great nurse. I remember when I was a little girl, I’d ask him if he could pretend that he broke his arm or cut himself just so I could bandage him up. I’ve always been interested in taking care of and helping people.”
She was starting to open up to me and I really enjoyed it. The softness in her voice was sweet and she had a gentle way about her. The feelings that I had fought for so long were starting to emerge and that only meant one thing: heartache. I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss we almost shared in the car earlier in the day. I kept replaying that moment in my head and if Hailey wouldn’t have called, it would’ve happened. Damn her.
“So you go back to New York tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yeah. I start classes the day after tomorrow. How about you?”
“Yep. I have to be at the office tomorrow morning.”
Suddenly, something hit me. “I didn’t see your car. How did you get here?”
“I took the bus,” she said.
“You can drive with me back to the city tomorrow morning.” I smiled.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. There’s no need for you to waste your money on bus fare.”
“Thank you, Collin. I owe you one.” She smiled gently at me.
We finished our coffee and took a walk back to her house. I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t want to overstay my welcome. “Well, I guess I better get back to my house. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning around seven.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be ready.” She smiled.
I turned around and walked out the door. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Thanks. You too,” she said.
I climbed into the Range Rover and drove back to my house. My mom and dad weren’t home, so I assumed they probably headed to the ranch to visit Murray. I pulled out my phone and noticed there was a text message from Hailey.
“Hey. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. I was just wondering how you’re doing.”
Why all of a sudden did she care? Every time I had called her, she blew me off or told me to move on. I set my phone down on the counter without responding to her. The last thing I needed was her stirring things up inside me. I was moving on with my life. A life without her in it and that was exactly how I wanted it. I lay down on my bed and scrolled through my pictures. When Amelia and I went horseback riding, I took a picture of us on Majestic. I smiled when I saw her smile. She had a pretty smile. It sort of reminded me of my mom’s. I decided to call Julia.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hey, sis. How are you?”
“I’m good, Collin. The question is how are you?”
“I think I’m in trouble,” I said.
“What now? What did you do?”
“I went and met a girl and I think I’m seriously falling for her.”
I heard her laugh. “How is that being in trouble? I think it’s great.”
“No, you don’t understand. I don’t want to go through that again, Julia.”
“Listen to me, Collin. It’s time for you to move on and apparently, you have. This girl obviously has something special if you like her. Just go with it. If it was meant to be, it will be. Love will find its way to you. It can’t be helped and it can’t be stopped. Now stop being a baby and let things happen naturally.”
I rolled my eyes at her last comment. “I have to go. I think I hear Mom and Dad.”
“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, little brother.”
“Bye, Julia.”
The truth was that I didn’t want to think about Amelia anymore. I closed my eyes and decided to take a nap.
****
I awoke to the sound of my phone beeping. I looked at the clock and realized that I’d been asleep for over two hours. I picked up my phone and there was a text message from Amelia.
“Hi, it’s Amelia. I’m going to take a walk on the beach and thought maybe if you weren’t doing anything, you’d like to join me. I’ll walk past your house. If you want to join me, be on the beach. Just not where I can trip over you. Don’t reply back.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her message. I wondered why she didn’t want me to reply back. I thought that was strange. I got up, fixed my hair, and went down to the beach. I couldn’t believe she actually asked me to join her on her walk. It didn’t matter. I was happy that she did. I sat in the sand and watched the waves lap against the shore as I waited for Amelia. I turned my head and smiled when I saw her in the distance. My heart picked up its pace and, for some reason, nerves started to set in. As she walked closer to me, I got up and met her. She had a beautiful smile on her face.
“I wasn’t sure if you got my text,” she said.
“You told me not to reply.”
She laughed lightly and we both walked along the shoreline. “Thanks for joining me.”
“Thanks for asking.” I smiled.
As we were walking, she looked down at the sand. I so badly wanted to hold her hand, but I didn’t want to cross any lines. The sun had already set and darkness was starting to settle upon the water. She talked to me a little bit about NYU and I told her about my experiences at Columbia.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go back to my house and build a bonfire. We can roast marshmallows.”
“Can we make s’mores?” she asked with a grin.
“You bet. I’ll have to see if we have the stuff, but I’m pretty sure we do.”
“If not, we can run to the store and buy them,” she said.
We walked back to the house and into the kitchen to look for the chocolate bars, graham crackers, and marshmallows. We didn’t have any graham crackers. Shit.
“Hold on,” I said as I pulled out my phone.
“Are you on your way home to the beach house or the city?” I texted my mom.
“The beach house. We’ll be home in about five minutes. Why?”
“Could you and Dad stop at the store and pick up a box of graham crackers? Amelia and I want to make s’mores, but we don’t have any crackers.”