For whom the dinner bell.., p.15
For Whom the Dinner Bell Tolls,
p.15
We sat on the blanket and watched the boats go by. Apparently, there were a lot of creative boat owners on the island; along with the usual party boats and floating tiki bars, there were boats tricked out to resemble a fire truck, a huge ice chest, and a jelly fish with lots of colored streamers. As I was watching, I noticed a yacht decorated with colored lights and blaring what appeared to be a random selection of 80's hair metal. A large crowd of raucous party goers armed with alcoholic beverages were dancing to the music. One of them waved to me.
“Is that Vera Hayes?” I asked Nick.
“Looks like it.”
“What's she doing on a boat like that?”
“Hard to tell from here, but I think it's the Electric Slide.”
After the boat parade ended, Nick and I were lying on the blanket looking at the stars. It was one of those soft southern nights where the sky was clear and filled with stars, and somehow our arms had ended up around each other.
“You know, you could do me a favor and quit hanging around with murderers for a while,” Nick said.
“I'm not too fond of it myself,” I said, “but Aunt Sam needed my help.”
“Aunt Sam is a good old gal but she's managed to get by for more than 60 years without you and I'd prefer that you stay alive.”
“I'm on board with that, too, but speaking of on board, didn't you ever consider that I worry every time you go out your boat with a bunch of drunks? I have to hold my breath till I know you're back in one piece.”
Nick laughed. “I've been doing the fishing boat thing for years and nothing's ever happened to me. Why would you worry about that?”
“Well, what if you fell overboard? Yes, I know you can swim and that you wear a life jacket but you can't swim faster than a shark, and if anything every happened to you I'd ---” I suddenly realized what I was about to say and I knew it would be a big mistake. I sighed. I had probably just ruined everything. How dumb could I get?
Nick didn't say anything, he just turned on some music and a song started with the words, “Kiss me good morning for a million years, Hold me each evening at your side, Tell me you love me for a million years...” He pulled me close and kissed me. “Got anything scheduled for the next million years?”
Don't make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have, I told myself, so I said, “I'm sorry, I know that you just want to be friends-”
Nick put his finger over my lips and said, “No, I don't want to be just friends, Teri. I've been kind of hoping that you'd want me to be the love of your life, the one you dream about every night, the one you can't live without and right now I'm thinking there's a chance that you feel the same about me.”
Suddenly the moon and the stars seemed to be a lot brighter through the tears in my eyes and all I could say was, “I love you, Nick Delaney, a lot.”
He kissed me and said, “I love you, too, pretty lady, more than you'll ever know.”
At that moment it didn't seem like a million years would be nearly enough, but it might be a pretty good start.
The End
Quinn, Tracey, For Whom the Dinner Bell Tolls
