up in the moment. I know you can’t leave, and I shouldn’t have put you in that position. We’ll figure this out. It’s just going to take some time and some getting used to.”
“I know. How was your day?”
He filled her in on the things he’d done, and the more he shared about his plans for the week, the more excited she became.
“How are Randi and Ford? I bet they’re on pins and needles, too.”
“They’re pretty stoked. We’re diving as soon as I get back from meeting with my attorney in Boston.”
“I hope you find something amazing! I can’t wait to hear all about it.” Her brows knitted, and she said, “Wait a sec. Are you on the waterfront in Boston? It looks like you’re on the island.”
“I am on the island.”
“I don’t know why, but I thought you’d fly into Boston and stay there for your morning meeting.”
“I’m taking off first thing in the morning. But if I’d stayed in Boston, I couldn’t have shown you this.” He turned the phone, showing her the view of the water, and said, “Welcome to the cliffs at Fortune’s Landing.”
She gasped, beaming at him. “Zevy!”
“Since we ended up horizontal in my van and you never got to see it, I thought I’d give you a private tour.” He walked closer to the edge of the cliff, speaking in his best tour-guide voice. “As you know, Silver Island was founded in 1601 by Bartholomew Silver. Legend has it that good ol’ Bart landed his boat, the Fortune, right down there.” He angled the phone, showing her the long way down to the base of the cliffs, where a slim sandy beach met the crashing waves. “I heard Bart was drunk and actually crashed into the cliffs. Rumor has it that he was found naked with a harem of drunken women, but you know how gossip changes the truth.”
“I believe the gossip,” Carly said. “This is amazing! What else can you see from there? Can you see Bellamy Island? The marina? Where we had dinner?”
He’d never tire of her enthusiasm. She asked a hundred questions and he answered every one of them as he walked along the rocky ridge, showing her everything he saw and describing the things he couldn’t from memory.
As the sun began to set, she said, “I feel like I’m right there with you. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
He turned the phone so he could see her and said, “You didn’t think I’d forget that you wanted to see it, did you?”
“I just thought you would be in Boston preparing for your meeting. But to be honest, when we were apart for all those years, I wondered if you remembered anything about me. But after last week, I think it’s impossible for you to ever forget anything about me.”
“Nothing could be truer.”
“Then you remember how we used to dream about discovering our own island,” she said excitedly.
“Right after we watched The Blue Lagoon with that blond guy you said I looked like—”
“Chris Atkins. I said you were cuter than him. You reminded me of him because he and Brooke Shields were so close, and they fumbled through their firsts like we did. I used to fantasize about us alone on an island like they were, finding ways to make it through each day, watching out for each other.”
“Right there lies the difference between girls and boys, because after watching that movie, I fantasized about you walking around topless on our island. I still fantasize about that.”
They both laughed. But in the moment of silence that followed, sadness rose in Carly’s eyes and disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving a heaviness in his heart.
“Hey, babe, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just wish I was there with you on that bluff. I could go topless and you could wear a loincloth, and we could pretend it was our island and fall asleep under the stars.”
“I wish I could reach through the phone, hold you, and help you take your top off.” He was glad to see her smile again. “We’ve got this, babe. We’ll make all our dreams come true.”
“Are you guys done yet?”
Zev heard Birdie’s voice but couldn’t see her.
“Almost,” Carly said, looking away from the phone.
Birdie’s face popped into the screen, and she said, “She’s not blushing. Do you want me to call my brothers to give you lessons in dirty talk?”
“Birdie!” Carly complained. “Zev could talk your brothers under the table.”