Posted by hummingbird on 9/29/2014, 8:11 am VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Chapter Eight
Nora awoke the next day and stretched. The sun was fairly high in the sky as it was already casting some rays through the skylight. She thought of the night before and a smile spread across her face. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to see Bo...to hold him in her arms again...to feel his kisses. She threw back the covers and threw on her robe.
When she left the bedroom, she saw him by the porch rail looking out over the sea. She snuck up behind him and poked a finger into his back.
“Alright Mister. Do you have a permit for being this handsome? Show me the permit or I’m gonna hafta take you in.”
Bo’s hands shot into the air. “Sorry, officer. I don’t think I have my permit on me; but you can frisk me, if you must, to find out.”
Nora started laughing as Bo turned around and grabbed her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily.
“Mmmm. Why did you let me sleep so late?” she asked him.
“Well...because we were up late last night. I thought you needed your sleep. Although, I must say, you slept so long I was tempted to come in and check your vitals.”
“Hmmm...I wish you had,” she murmured between kisses.
Bo leaned back and looked at her. “Wait a minute. Last night you told me you wanted to ‘ease into’ this relationship...you thought we should ‘take our time’...”
“I know what I said. But then I went to bed and thought about us...and...I don’t know...I just…”
“Well...when you’re sure, let me know.” He kissed her again. “In the meantime...are you hungry?”
“Yes! Did you make me breakfast?” she asked with enthusiasm.
“No.”
At her disappointed look, he defended himself. “We are running low on supplies. All we have left are a few eggs and a few strips of bacon. I wasn’t sure how you wanted your eggs cooked, so I waited,” he said leading her by the hand to the kitchen.
“Scrambled if we have no bread for toast.”
“Scrambled it is then. Coffee’s ready.”
Nora leaned against the counter sipping her coffee as Bo scrambled her eggs. “So...we’re running low on supplies?”
“Mmhm,” Bo murmured.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Nora continued. “Asa will be sending Vince back for us soon.”
“Mmhm.” He looked at her. “You ready to go back?” He handed her a plate and they sat down at the table.
She shook her head ‘no’. “Honestly, Bo. This has been good for me...even better than I anticipated,” she added looking into his eyes. “I miss Matthew, but nothing else. I say we bring Matthew here, sew ourselves some fig-leaf clothes, and live on coconuts and love...what do you think?”
“I think...you need to write a novel.” he said giving her a kiss.
She laughed. “So...we have another day in paradise. What are we going to do?”
“Well,” Bo began. “I have some plans, so I need you to...occupy yourself for awhile…”
She gave him a disappointed look. “Really? We’re not going to spend the time together?”
“Yes, we are. But first I have some things to do...I’m working on something...a surprise…”
Nora’s ears perked up at the word ‘surprise’.
“Ooooo, I love surprises,” she said beaming.
He grinned at her excitement. “I know. I remember.” He stood to clear the dishes from the table knowing what was coming next.
She scooted her chair back and followed him to the sink. “So...what’s the surprise?” she asked raising her eyebrows at him.
“Great...here we go. Some things never change. If I tell you, then it won’t be a surprise.”
“Can I have a hint?”
“Nope.”
“Come on, Bo! Just a little hint?”
“NOo!”
“Will I like it?” she asked.
“You’ll love it.”
“So...it’s a surprise and I’m gonna love it…” she said biting her lip. “Wonder what it is…”
Bo shook his head and started chuckling at her.
"What!?" she asked him.
“You. Come here,” he said pulling her close and kissing her fervently. “I love you,” he whispered.
She drew back enough to look into his eyes. “I love you too,” she murmured, smiling and playing with his earlobe. “So...how long do I have to be gone?” she asked quietly.
“Give me...two hours. I think that will be plenty of time.”
“Two hours!?” she asked incredulously. “I don’t want to be away from you for two hours…” she whispered seductively kissing his neck.
Bo sighed fighting his urge to skip the surprise…
Finally, he pulled back and said, “Go. Go now. But be back in two hours.”
“Okay. I’m going, I’m going…” she said as she went to change clothes. “But this better be good, Buchanan.”
“I promise...you’ll love it,” he called after her.
* * * * * * *
Nora wandered down the beach with her beach towel and a book. She decided to walk a bit and find a new view she hadn’t seen. Finally, after a twenty minute walk, she found the perfect spot to sunbathe and read.
She laid her towel out on the sand and attempted to get into her book, but her mind kept wandering. Forget it, she told herself tossing the book on the sand beside her. I’ve read that last paragraph three times, and I still don’t know what it says.
She rolled onto her stomach and laid her cheek against the towel that had been warmed by the sand beneath. Her mind drifted once again to Bo. She smiled. He said he loved me...she thought to herself. He still loves me...and I love him...always have...finally, I can feel at peace again…
She turned her head the other direction. Her mind went back to Bo. Wonder what he’s up to...what’s the surprise? She smiled remembering his surprises in the past...the flower-filled rooms, the antique tub, the dream house... That house...now that really brings back memories…both good and bad, but mostly good…
She sat up. It was getting hot, so she decided to take a swim.
She waded into the water and was still amazed at how warm it was...like bathwater...and you could go such a distance and the water was still clear. She noticed that the surf was a little higher today and wondered if a change in weather was coming.
Nora swam and floated a bit and jumped the waves until she was cooled off enough to go back to the beach. It was then that she noticed just how far from the shore she had wandered. She began swimming in the direction she had come from, but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere...instead, she seemed to be getting further from land. Her feet had long since touched bottom, and she was starting to worry.
She made another attempt to swim to shore, but felt herself being pulled back by the current. Nora tried not to panic. I've read about this, she told herself, and you're not supposed to fight the current. She stopped trying to swim to shore. Instead she swam with the current until she no longer felt the pull. She was a great distance from shore, but spotted an outcropping of rock and decided to swim toward it. Once there, she would climb out and walk back up the beach. That was the plan.
After much swimming and some floating, Nora finally reached the peninsula of rock she was aiming for. The surf crashed her toward the rocks and she clung to them, exhausted. She held her head out of the water and waited for her breathing to return to normal before she attempted to climb out of the water.
Finally strength returned and she tried to climb, but another strong wave crashed into her again forcing her against the rocks. When the wave subsided, she tried to pull herself out of the water again, but she seemed to be stuck. Looking down through the crystal clear water, she could see that her right foot was wedged between the rocks. No matter how she twisted or pulled, she could not free her foot. “Oh God...what am I going to do?” she said aloud. She pulled herself as high as she could on the rocks, but she was at the mercy of the incoming waves. Some gently sloshed about her shoulders...some struck her mercilessly.
How long can I hold on like this? When will Bo come looking for me? Will he be able to find me? These questions pounded through Nora’s mind as the waves pounded her body...and Nora clung for her life as she waited for Bo.
