beside where Caroline is staying!” Ben shouted to Mason as they ran along the breaking waves rushing up the shore. Small crabs scattered around their feet as they ran. Unease swept through him. Is this somehow connected to John? Is he stalking her?
As they neared the flames a fire-lit board crashed to the sand near Ben and he jumped back in surprise.
“Stay away from the building!” a shout rang out from the area where the firemen were.
With a pivot he headed toward the crowd. “Caroline!” he shouted as he saw her standing with her mom and Suzie away from the main group. The heat of the fire crawled over his face as he neared. Caroline glowed orange from the light of the fire as it raged. Ben embraced her and she shook in his strong arms.
“Thank goodness someone called the fire in just as it started,” Caroline said, her head against his shoulder. “One of the firemen said that the whole house might have burned if it had been much longer before they arrived. They think they can stop the flames before they spread or consume more than the top level.”
“Could it be John?” Ben asked as Mason neared them from the beach. “That house was abandoned. It’s strange that the fire started in the upstairs.”
Caroline stood back from him. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t have done it before. I haven’t heard from him since we saw him though and I have this horrible feeling about those flames. When I first came out of the house, before the fire truck arrived, I thought I saw a shadow watching the fire near that house over there.”
She pointed and Ben could barely make out the house’s silhouette in the starlight.
“Is everyone alright?” Mason asked as he came to their side. Suzie and Eva were coming over to them now.
Suzie held out her hand. “Everyone’s fine and our house is alright. Thank you for coming to see. I’m Suzie and this is Caroline’s mom and my sister, Eva.”
The crackling sound of the fire was about them as specks of ash drifted in the sky, illuminated red.
“Pleased to meet you.” Eva shook Mason’s hand. “I hope you don’t mind me saying that I wish we could have met at our get-together this weekend instead of now.”
“We were worried when we smelled the smoke,” Ben said while watching water from the fire hoses pump against the hissing fire, releasing plumes of smoke as it hit.
There was a sudden shout from the gathered crowd and the cracking sound of wood came over them. Part of the upstairs outer wall fell to the ground and the fire fighters focused their water on its flames to protect the stilt beams at the base of the house from igniting.
“Get back! Get down to the beach!” one of the firemen’s voices rang out to them. Some people watching walked back into the road next to the houses. Ben went with Caroline, Mason, Eva and Suzie down onto the sand near the ocean.
Ben put his arm around Caroline as he watched the men work. He saw Mason give him a smile out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t had the opportunity to tell Mason about their kiss yet and wasn’t sure he was ready to share that information.
Soon the firemen had the blaze under control and there were only sparse flames left on the structure. Only the top of the house was charred and one room nearest The Ocean’s Whisper was a skeleton of burnt wood.
Ben held Caroline’s hand and could feel her palm relax against his as she realized Suzie’s house wouldn’t burn. They were standing a short distance away from Mason, Eva and Suzie now.
“I don’t feel safe there,” she spoke so that no one else could hear. “What if it was him?”
Ben stood watching the dying flames for a moment. The fact that they both felt that way meant it was a good possibility it was John. “You could stay with me for the night.” There was another moment of silence. “You could have my room and of course I’d sleep on the couch.”
“Are you sure?” Caroline looked up at him.
She is so beautiful, he thought while looking at her face in the moonlight. It’s amazing, we barely know each other and yet she would feel safe with me. We’ve just met and yet I feel like we’ve known each other for a long time.
“It would be my pleasure.” He tried not to sound eager. “You would do it for me. Actually, you already brought me inside your aunt’s house when I needed it. This would just make us even.”
Somehow the look of worry on her face changed to a blush. In the dark of night he couldn’t see that, but could tell by the way she smiled while looking at him.
Ben lay on the couch in his living room later that night, staring outside as a shooting star sped across the sky. His mother used to believe in wishing on stars. He preferred to pray. “Watch over her. Keep her safe,” he spoke in an almost whisper. I would love to date her too, he thought. But I won’t pray for that. That is something I will earn, if I can.
In his room Caroline was fast asleep, somehow comforted by having Ben nearby.
6
With a gentle stroke, Ben caressed the side of Caroline’s body on the canvas.
She sat beyond the canvas, morning sunlight streaming through her hair, as she posed for the painting he had promised her. She smiled back at him. It was a gentle smile that held pure emotion and he was determined to capture that with his paint.
Ben dipped his paintbrush into a light-red paint tin. As he brought the brush to canvas he carefully worked the color into her skin. He picked up another brush, dipped it in a deep purple and brushed it into the pattern of her shirt.
She is so beautiful. He realized there was no way to truly capture her beauty. Those eyes… He breathed a small sigh, trying not to be too obvious in his attraction to her. Why should I not show her that though? She kissed me last night, but somehow there is still this feeling of the unknown between us. He felt a polarizing attraction to her as he continued to paint. Her eyes pulled him in as he studied them and tried to mimic them on the canvas. They attracted him mentally and physically, made him want to know the depth of her as a person.
They were inside the house, because painting was near impossible in the ocean’s breeze. Caroline sat near a large window that looked out to the beach. Sunlight draped through the window across her body.
“Can I take a look yet?” she asked. “No-one has ever painted me before. I’m excited to see what it looks like.”
“Almost ready.” Ben smiled. He took a moment to watch how the sun lay across her form and then looked back to the canvas. I have to get this just right, he thought. Am I missing something? I can’t fully capture her beauty, but can I come close? He closed his eyes and pictured her in his mind. He opened his eyes and looked again. The sunlight on her was right. This was his best, maybe the best work he had ever done. That’s because it’s her. Why am I falling for her like this?
He took a breath, set his paintbrush down, and stood up from his stool. “It’s ready, though I’ve got to warn you that there’s no way I could do you justice.”
She got up from her stool and started walking around the canvas. “I’m sure it’s… Wow… That’s amazing. I wish I looked that good.” Caroline held out her hand as if to touch the canvas.
“You can have it once it’s dried. I’ve got a good frame I can put it in, too.”
“Do you know what I’d really like?” Caroline asked with a grin.
“Hmm… a dance with a handsome fella before we meet my friend for lunch?” Ben made his way over to the radio and clicked the play button. He came to her and took her soft hands in his as Sinatra began playing through its speakers.
“Well, I won’t turn that down, good sir,” she joked. “But I’d really love a painting of you.”
Ben held her close, dancing around the room to the sway of Sinatra’s voice. “I warn you, it won’t be nearly as beautiful as your painting.” Taking her by surprise, he dipped her back, pulling her up and holding her close as she smiled and laughed.
-- --
Later that day, after they had gone to Suzie’s so that Caroline could shower and change, Ben and Caroline sat in The Froggy Dog waiting for Excelsis to arri
ve. The Froggy Dog sat between the ocean and the sound, in the center of the island, and was a great place to sit back and enjoy a crab cake or burger. The smell of fresh fries wafted to them from the kitchen. Ben held Caroline’s hand under the table.
They made small talk while waiting, just enjoying each other’s company.
Then, down the aisle from the front of the restaurant, came a man with a scraggly beard and a pronounced limp. His jean shorts were torn and his body was somehow muscular yet frail at the same time. He had the look of an old seaman who had been washed ashore.
He grinned and waved to Ben, then stopped half way down the aisle, as if measuring them. Whatever was on his mind, he went past it and continued walking to them. As he sat down in a chair across the table, the scent of smoke filled Ben’s senses.
Ben shook the man’s hand. “Excelsis, this is my friend Caroline. She’s visiting the beach for a few weeks while she helps fix up her aunt’s house.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Caroline held out her hand and Excelsis shook it. “Ben said you wouldn’t mind if I had lunch with the two of you. We met a few days ago and he’s been a great friend to me while I’ve been here.”
“Any friend of Ben’s is a friend of mine,” Excelsis said gruffly as he picked up the menu. The dirt under his nails showed as he held it. Abruptly, Excelsis put the menu back down on the table. “Do you recognize me?”
It took her a moment to