Where would he go? I don’t know his favorite places. I don’t know where he goes when he wants to be alone. I don’t know where he goes when he’s blowing off work. But I have an idea. I do a quick internet search for our caretaker company and give them a call. It’s not hard to get them to give me Mike’s phone number when I tell them who I am, and in just a few minutes his line is ringing.
“Mike Willis,” he answers.
“Hey, Mike. This is Vera Caldwell.”
There’s clear surprise in his voice. “Hi, Ms. Caldwell.”
“Please call me Vera,” I say.
“Sure.”
“I was actually wondering if you had heard from James today?”
“Yeah, earlier this morning,” he says. “He told me not to bother going to the Masterson house today, said he was taking the day off. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I say, far too enthusiastically. “We just never exchanged phone numbers. You know how we met—well. I’d like to give him a call. We…had a little disagreement this morning and I want to apologize.” That’s minimizing it, but I don’t really feel like baring my soul to Mike.
“Sure thing,” he says, giving me James’s number.
“Did he say where he was going by any chance?”
“No, sorry,” Mike says. “Sometimes he goes to the beach. Surfing. Walking. Other than that though…”
“Thanks, Mike,” I say. “I hope I see you and your father soon.”
He laughs. “You too. Let me know if you need anything else.”
I can’t dial James’s number fast enough, and my heart plummets as it goes directly to voicemail. Shit. I can’t even ask him where he is. I call another cab. I search James’s address on the internet, pulling up a map to look for the beachfront closest to his house.
I walk up and down that stretch of shore for a long time, hoping to see him. But he’s not there. I try to let the ocean soothe me, the waves tickling my bare feet. Even that doesn’t calm the anxiety in my heart. I need to fix this. I need to tell him what I chose. The sun is beginning to sink in the sky when I make my way back to his house.
He’s not there, but I’m not leaving. This time, I will stay until he comes back. It’s his house, he can’t stay away forever.
I take off my shoes and curl my knees up to my chest. I keep my phone in my hand, hoping that maybe he’ll see a missed call on his phone and return it. It’s a long shot, but hope loves long shots. The time while I wait feels like an eternity. I know I should get up, maybe go someplace and eat something, but I’m too upset to feel hungry and I’m not going anywhere without talking to James.
It’s just getting dark when he pulls into the driveway. He sees me and stares. I see relief on his face, and worry. He gets out of the car and comes up the drive, but stops a few feet away from me, seeming unsure. He’s here. Finally. I can’t even describe the feeling that sinks into me, and what exactly it means. “Hi,” I say.
“Hi.”
I don’t get up yet. “I’m really sorry about this morning.”
“I’ve been driving around all day, kicking myself for the things I said. I’m sorry too.”
He comes to me and pulls me to my feet, pulls me into his arms and holds me.
“I told my dad off,” I say, and it is so freeing.
“What?”
I tell him what happened, and his smile gets bigger and bigger. By the time I finish, I’m trying to tell him through all of his kisses. “I’m so proud of you,” he says.
I laugh. “Thanks. Do you think…would it be crazy to ask if I can stay with you until I get things sorted out?”
“Vera, you can stay with me as long as you want. Forever, even.” He takes my face in his hands, and there’s no hint of a smirk or a joke. “I’m in love with you. Please stay. Stay with me.”
My breath catches and I know what I’m going to say next with the same certainty I knew how to choose today.
“I love you too.”
Epilogue
Vera
Six Months Later
Peru is beautiful in the morning. I look out my window at the mountain view and stretch. James is still asleep behind me, and I’m going to let him. He worked hard yesterday, and he worked me hard last night. He deserves his rest.
It’s our last day here, and I’m going to miss it. Hopefully we’ve done some good. With our crew we’ve built ten new homes for people in this rural area, and now we’re completely finished. Today we’ll meet with the local government to evaluate what we’ve done and make arrangements with them for future trips. I’m excited at the prospect of getting to talk to them about exactly what they want and need in terms of housing and infrastructure.