Until the Stars Fall From the Sky (3 page)

I take some breaths as I try to steady my nerves. I’m not entirely sure how to process the last few minutes. I can’t believe I let him carry me. How humiliating. I bet he thinks I’m some helpless little baby. That is so not the image I want to project to the hottest guy I have ever seen. I’d like to be buried under the sand right now. On the other hand, it was a very, very sexy ride. I hear Jeff’s emergency radio crackle as he answers, “10-4. Tower out.”

He turns to me and hands me a clipboard and the bottle of Half-and-Half.
“Can you please fill out these forms?” he asks as he explains, “I will need to file an incident report. Sorry about the noise from the radio, but I thought you might appreciate an update. I’ve heard from the ambulance driver. Thanks to your actions, they were able to revive him. He seems to be doing fine. They are pulling into the hospital now as a precaution. They don’t want to risk pneumonia.”

As the gravity of the situation sinks in, my trembling increases. “What if I hadn’t reached him?” I ask in a horrified whisper. “Did you see me almost drop him? It was so close!”

Jeff reaches over my head to grab his leather bomber jacket from a hook on an old I.V. pole. He patiently helps me put it on. He smiles at the result. I realize I probably look like a five-year-old playing dress-up. After he did his best to fold up the sleeves, he reaches out and grabs my hands. He stuns me when he gently brushes a kiss across my knuckles. He lets go as he sees the look of confusion on my face. He runs his finger down the side of my face and uses it to gently tilt my chin up. As I bring my gaze up to his face, he gazes into my eyes with a serious expression, “Because of your grace under pressure. I didn’t have to make a very different call to authorities. You couldn’t have done it better,” Jeff states with conviction.

“Anyone else would have done the same thing!” I argue, biting my bottom lip in an attempt to stop shivering. I watch in fascination as the pulse at the base of his neck suddenly beats faster.

“You are wrong, my Pip. No one except you knew what to do and you reacted on those instincts. You don’t even have a clue as to how extraordinary you really are,” he murmurs softly.

I give him an odd look, but before I can question him
, the emergency radio crackles again and Jeff answers, “Blue Lake Life Guard Tower, Copy. Yes, sir, she is right here. Just a minute — ”

Jeff holds the radio out to me and says. “There is somebody that wants to talk to you. You don’t have to take this if you don’t want to.
Still, it may help put this day in perspective for you.” Just push the button on the mouthpiece to talk and don’t hold it too close to your mouth or all they will hear on the other end is static.”

I take the radio with a great deal of trepidat
ion because I have no idea who I’ll encounter on the other end. Yet, for some reason I trust Jeff’s instincts, if he says it’s safe. I’m going to give it a shot. With trembling hands, I push the button. “This is Kiera Ashley speaking. “Come Back.”

Jeff’s eyebrows shoot up quizzically when he hears my CB lingo
. I just shrug. Once a trucker’s daughter, always a trucker’s daughter I guess. He pulls his jacket a little tighter around my shoulders and gives my hand a squeeze for reassurance.

A tearful voice comes over the radio, “Are you the angel that rescued my Sam today?”

My heart clenches and tears come to my eyes as I answer, “Well, yes, ma’am… I guess I am. But, it was really a team effort. The lifeguard did CPR.”

“Oh honey, call me Hazel. Alistair and I saw you pull him out of the water all by yourself and swim to shore. They told us if he had been under any longer
, we would have lost him and the other stuff would not have worked.”

I choke up and can barely force an answer around the lump in my throat, “Hazel, I am so glad I saw him fall and had the skills to help. I hope he has a speedy recovery.”

“You don’t understand Kiera,” she replies. Sam is our world. “If we were to lose him, our family would cease to exist. You didn’t just save Sam. You saved all of us. We don’t even know how to thank you.”

“No thanks are really necessary, Hazel. Just get Sammy some swimming lessons when you can. It will give him some tools if he
finds himself in trouble again,” I answer, my voice shaking with emotion.

“Of course!” Hazel exclaims.
“That’s a good idea. He can be a handful. I better run and see how he is doing. Thank you again.”

I start to shake and tears stream down my face. I vaguely register Jeff signing off the radio after he gingerly removes it from my grip. Jeff returns with a wet paper towel and he gently washes my tears away and hands me some Kleenex. He politely pretends not to notice, as I have to noisily blow my plugged nose.

Jeff tilts his head to the side and examines me critically as he mutters, “I’m probably going to get fired for this, but I don’t care. You look like you could really use a hug.”

He scoops me up and puts me on his lap as he sits down in the chair I just vacated. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. I am instantly struck by three things. First, this should be uncomfortable, but it really isn’t. Second, we fit amazingly well together, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Lastly, even after fishing Sam out of the lake, he smells amazing. Some fragrance company could make a mint if they bottled his scent. I couldn’t help myself,
I settle deeper into his arms and take a deep breath and close my eyes.

Suddenly, Tara and Heather burst into the tent. When they survey the scene in front of them, they come to an abrupt halt. Their eyes widen, and their jaws are slack with disbelief. It is as if a roadrunner cartoon has come to life. I can’t fully contain my chuckle.

“What are you laughing at?” Heather demands, clearly irritated with me, “I thought you were going to die! I looked over and you were gone. I didn’t know you went after the little guy until he was on your chest.”

I start to respond, but Tara beats me to it. “I told her you probably have had more training than the lifeguard.”

“Training? What does she mean?” Jeff interjects.

Tara arches her eyebrow at me. She is obviously expecting an introduction. I flash her a small smile. “Jeff,
these are my friends, Tara and Heather, otherwise known as the ‘Girlfriend Posse.'

Girls, this is Jeff. He generously volunteered to serve as my temporary transportation.” I explain. “As a teenager, I was a swimmer for the Paralympic team until I tore my rotator cuff. One of my former teammates has a brother who is a Navy Seal. He held some informal training sessions on water rescue for us in case we needed to help a
teammate”

“
I was wondering how you got there faster than the lifeguards,” he comments, nodding
.
It also explains why you were so level headed during the incident. I have been after the city to add another position so we can remain fully staffed even if we have to help someone who needs first aid. Are you interested in the job? It sounds like you would be a shoe-in.”

“
I’d love to, but my shoulder is just too messed up.” I reply with a dismissive shrug. The sad thing is that the offer really does sound very tempting. I would love to hang out with Jeff on a daily basis.

As I watch the friends cheerfully reunite amidst tears and hugs, I find myself wishing I could have that kind of closeness too.
You are such a dweeb!
I begin the mental flogging.
What were you thinking, kissing her hand? This is not
Gone With the Wind
. You probably creeped her out.

“Jeff, can I borrow you for a second?” asks Heather, gesturing toward the exit of the tent
where the beach Polaris quad is parked. “Kiera, we’ll be right back with your ‘legs’.”

For a moment, I’m confused. I h
ad forgotten that she uses a wheelchair. I know it seems like an odd thing to forget. She is so vibrant and funny that it is easy to overlook the wheelchair. Heather escorts me out to the quad and points toward the back. Sure enough, folded behind the backbench of the quad is Kiera’s wheelchair. It is unlike any wheelchair I have ever seen. It is both sleek and artsy. This thing has rims that would rival anything I’ve ever seen at an auto show. I lift the chair out of the back and watch intently as Heather unfolds it and places the cushion in the seat.

“How did Kiera get up here if we had the quad?” Heather questions, looking around for another vehicle.

“I carried her,” I reply as I shrug. I’m not sure what Heather is getting at.

“Little Ms. Independent let you carry her? Wow! What an interesting development. Grasshopper, I have much to teach you,” she teases. “This is a very good sign, it means she trusts you. It’s a great start.” With her enigmatic pronouncement, she winks and hands me Kiera’s phone number. “Don’t wait too long to call. I don’t want Kiera to have a chance to second guess her instincts.”

My phone rings as I watch Kiera drive away with Heather and Tara. It is hard to be jerked back to reality and I fight the urge to ignore it. I glance down to see if I need to answer it and frown when I see that it’s my sister, Donda. She knows that I’m working today and that I’m not supposed to take calls during my shift, so this must be critical. My stomach knots. I hope that it’s not an issue with Gabriel. Some kids have been bullying him at school and calling him a “mama’s boy” because his dad isn’t around. It’s not his fault that his dad was too stupid to hang around when he was a kid and then got killed. I pause to take a drink as I answer the phone. As I peel the label from my iced tea bottle, I wonder if this thing with Kiera was just an odd fluke or if there is more to it. Wouldn’t it be wild if she felt the weird energy between us too?

“Hello, this is Jeff
.” I answer, trying not to get sand on my phone.

“I kind of figured that, since I’m the one that called
, Little Brother,” Donda teases. I can practically see her smirk through the phone

“You’re hilarious,
Sis, what can I do for you?” I respond, suddenly exhausted. “I’m at work and it’s been a crazy day. We just had a rescue and I have a mountain of paperwork to do.”

“You rescued someone, Squirt? I’m way impressed! Way to be all
Baywatch
,” she retorts, sounding surprised, yet proud.

“Actually,
I didn’t even do the real rescuing; a civilian did. She was a good Samaritan.” I explain.

“You sound impressed,” Donda observes.

“You don’t know the half of it. Anyway, I know you didn’t call me at work to talk about my day. What’s up?” I ask, changing the subject.

“I am worried about Mom. She won’t let me go over to see her. She gave me some bogus line about being afraid Gabriel might get sick. She hasn’t left her house in a week. I don’t even think she’s hanging out with her country club friends,” Donda explains, her voice trailing off until I could barely hear it.

My heart sinks; I wonder how callous and malicious my step dad is being now to cause my mom to retreat from the world. “Sis, I’ll try to talk to her when I get home in a couple of weeks. But, you know how she is. For some reason she protects him even after all the crap he throws at her,” I say, as I sigh.

“Hurry home please
, Jeff. I don’t know how much longer she can hang on,” Donda pleads.

“I’
ll get out of here the minute my contract is up, I promise. Thanks for taking care of Mom while I’ve been gone. I love you,” I reply, emotion choking my voice.

“Sure thing, Little Bro. You have to go make the big bucks so that you can become a big-shot lawyer and save us all. I love you too,” Donda says as she hangs up the phone.

I feel so helpless. I need to be two places at once. I have a lot of seniority here since I’ve worked here almost every summer since I turned 18. I make a pretty good wage and I’ll need every penny of this money for law school. The downside is that it puts me half a state away from my mom and sister. I know I can’t adequately protect them from this distance. It’s very frustrating to try to balance everyone’s needs.

I look at the bottle of Half-and-Half in my hand. Something tells me that my life isn’t about to get any less complicated. Yet, for once
, I think I’m okay with that prospect. In fact, I’m actually looking forward to it. I start humming the ‘80s anthem
Eye of the Tiger
as I fill out forms in triplicate.

I am exhausted. My shoulder is throbbing in pain from my unexpected swim in the lake. It is a sad reminder of why I can no longer swim competitively. All I want to do is crawl in bed and sleep for a week. Unfortunately, I can’t do that just yet because I smell like lake water.

Heather and Tara are at Panera’s getting some warm soup and sandwiches. I need to hurry up and take a shower before they get back with dinner. As exhausted as I am, I’m even more ravenously hungry.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror as I wheel past it on the way to the shower. It is impossible not to laugh at the incongruous sight. In all of the confusion and stress of the rescue, I forgot to return Jeff’s bomber jacket. It is so large that it seems to swallow half of my body. I reach up and run my fingertips down the sleeve. The leather is amazingly supple and luxurious, but rough and imperfect. I can see that the jacket is cared for, yet well worn.

I tilt my head toward my shoulder and inhale the glorious scent. It smells like a man in the best sense of the word. I smell the deep earthy scent of leather, yet the woodsy evergreen scent is deeply erotic. Unbidden, memories of Jeff effortlessly carrying me float into my mind. Jeff smelled as phenomenal as his jacket and my lips had been mere inches from the hollow at the base of his neck. I am regretting my choice to play it safe and not kiss him while I was safely cocooned in his arms. Silly me! I had an incredibly handsome guy who smelled beyond yummy, and I couldn’t figure out what to do or say. I need serious help in the romance department.

I sigh and reluctantly remove the jacket. I carefully hang it in my closet and wonder how I’ll return it to its rightful owner.

I
go to the mirror and start try to untangle my dishevelled mop. Oh yuck! My hair is slightly stiff from the lake water. A shower is an absolute must, no matter how tired I am. Therefore, I drag my weary body into the shower with the water as hot as I can stand it. I scrub my skin with a shower puff until it is rosy red and wash my hair three times. I wish that I could wash away my tumultuous thoughts as easily as the lake silt.

I dress in flannel shorts and a tank top. I head back into the kitchen to see if my friends have returned. As my stomach audibly growls, Heather and Tara come bursting through the back door.
“Soup’s on!” yells Tara, not realizing that I’m sitting three feet in front of her.

I look in the refrigerator and ask over my shoulder, “What do you want to drink? I have water, Vitamin Water and Half-and Half.”

Heather visibly shudders as she answers, “I’ll take some Vitamin water, please. Half-and-Half is so gross! You do realize that you are the only person on the planet who drinks that stuff?”

“Actually, I’m not,” I respond with a secret gri
n. “Jeff likes it too.” I know that it’s ridiculous for me to be so happy about such a small thing, but I’d like to think it’s kismet that we have such an obscure thing in common.

Tara gives me a contemplative look
as she asks, “I wonder what it means that you’re both a little strange? What else did you find out about him?”

My immediate thought is
not enough.
I keep that thought to myself because if they had any idea how attracted I am to Jeff; the teasing would go on for years. “We didn’t really have very much time to talk,” I answer. “He seemed impressed that I was able to reach the kid faster than the lifeguards were. I hope I didn’t step on anyone’s toes.” I am quiet for a moment as I try to recollect the conversation. “Unfortunately, I think he sees me as a child because he called me ‘Pip’." I reply, anxious to hear their take on it. My dad used to call me ‘Pip’ or ‘Pipsqueak.' I hope Jeff doesn’t see me that way, but I don’t understand why he would call me ‘Pip'.

“I don’t know if your perception of the situation is entirely correct,” Heather counters, shaking her head. “We saw the chemistry between you and it was off the charts. I don’t think Jeff sees you as a child at all. If a man looks at any child the way he looks at you, he has bigger problems than you can deal with.
”

“I agree,” Tara nods her head in confirmation. “His body language was screaming ‘interested’. So, what are you going to do about it?” she asks.

I desperately hope that they are right. I don’t know what to think about everything because it was a surreal experience. “I don’t know that there’s anything for me to do. This is probably one of those chance meetings that will never happen again. I don’t even have his phone number,” I mumble as I play with my hair.

Heather looks over at me with shock on her face and asks incredulously, “Are you seriously going to give up that easily?” I can’t believe that a decade of watching chick flicks hasn’t taught you better than that. Did you forget that you still have his jacket?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t know what to do about it
.
” I answer with exasperation.

“Do you really believe he left it behind accidentally?” Tara added with a smirk. “Get real! I would wager that he has an ulterior motive. Have
n’t you ever heard of Google?”

Suddenly, my hunger decides to reassert itself, and my stomach gives a long plaintive growl. I am happy for the interruption, “Come on guys let’s not waste this food. Summer Corn Chowder is one of my all-time favorites.” As I
eat my soup and sourdough bread, I think about what I could do next.
Would I be a stalker if I went to the lake to return his jacket? Maybe not. He did leave it behind. What if the ball is in my court and he wants me to return it?
After we finish eating, exhaustion sets in with a vengeance, and I start to yawn uncontrollably.

Heather starts to gather the garbage from the table and
comments, “Tara, it’s time for us to go and let this heroine get some sleep. Who knows what might happen tomorrow. Kiera could have a very big day.”

I should be
very afraid of Heather’s mysterious smile and wink. Unfortunately, I am just too tired to care.
Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday!

~*~

I am in the midst of a spectacular dream about Jeff. We are on a sunny beach, and I am cuddled on his lap, running my fingers through his dark curly hair. He looks at me, his eyes the color of dark chocolate and full of passion as he announces in a low, rumbly voice. “I’m going to kiss you now. I have wanted to do this since I saw you on the boat.” He gently strokes the side of my face and leans down to kiss me…

Chimes? Why are there chiming sounds in my dream? Oh wait! I’m not dreaming. It’s just my iPhone reporting a text message. I struggle to bring myself to full consciousness, reluctant to let my amazing dream go. Why is the Girlfriend Posse texting me so early? Usually, they just come over and barge in because they spend as much time here as they do in their own hotel rooms. Groggily, I grab my phone off the nightstand and check the messages. I am shocked when I do not recognize the number. A grey speech bubble appears on the screen.

Hello? Is this Kiera?

Yes.

Good morning. This is Jeff.

I immediately save his phone number and add it to my contact list. I am surprised to hear from him because I didn’t even know that he had my cell phone number.
I’m thrilled to hear from him, but it is a bit unnerving.

Hi
:-), how did you get my #?

I’m sorry to bother you. You’re probably tired.

I’m not bothered, just surprised. I’m hippo to hear from you.

Ugh! Stupid AutoCorrect :( *happy

LOL I’m hippo to talk to you too.

LOL! Cute! How can I help you?

I would like to take you to Starbucks this morning. Please say you’ll go.

I don’t really drink coffee…

OK, I don’t mind if you have some juice. :-)

I laugh out loud at the absurdity of this conversation. Yet, my heart is beating like a hummingbird.
Am I brave enough to do this?
I decide that I have nothing to lose. Besides, I have a jacket to return.

Sure. What time?

10:30 work for you?

I look at the clock and realize that it would give me slightly less than an hour to get ready. I swallow my mini panic attack and with shaking fingers, type my reply. He responds immediately.

OK, see you then.

Can I get your address?

I slap my hand against my forehead. Duh! Of course he doesn’t know where you live, you dork. I quickly text him my address.

Thank you. I can’t wait to see you.

Me too :-)

I look at the clock. Holy cow! I have 48 minutes to get ready, and I haven’t even showered. I rush to get into the shower. In my haste, I come precariously close to falling off the bath bench. I am housesitting in a vacation rental for a friend from college. At home, I have a roll in shower, which is much easier to navigate. I force myself to slow down because if I fall, it would be much more embarrassing than being late.

I choose to wear my cream-colored sundress with a tan belt because I do not have time for the hassle of putting on pants. I do take the time to put on some light pink lace underwear because going commando on a coffee date is just tacky. I don’t have time to blow dry my hair and tame it with a flat iron. So, I rapidly scoop my hair up into a sloppy bun. I glance at the clock again. If Jeff’s not early, I have 12 minutes to put on some makeup and earrings. At the last minute, I decide to wear his bomber jacket.
Well, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be
. I wheel to the front door to wait.