AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Which is exactly what they did after disembarking.
Jenni enjoyed driving along the thin stretch of highway the thirteen miles or so into the picturesque little harbor. The ponies had indeed been out, and she took a number of photos, experimenting with her phone camera to see what she’d get.
As they got closer to the village, she asked Caitlin about breakfast spots, and they opted for a food truck that had become rather famous in recent years. “As long as they have coffee, I’m good,” remarked Jenni as they parked. “But that ferry ride made me pretty hungry.”
“I don’t know what it is about salt air,” said Caitlin. “But when I’m on the Outer Banks, I am constantly hungry.”
They ordered, found a place in the shade, and planned their day.
“We probably should get back on the ferry no later than one-thirty,” calculated Caitlin. “That means getting back to Frisco at about three. We won’t leave for the fireworks in Avon until eight or so, but Mom expects us for her big July Fourth picnic extravaganza at the house and…”
“I know, I know,” laughed Jenni, draining her second cup. “We can’t be late.”
Jenni wondered how they would fill up the time, but she actually found the hours passing quickly with plenty to see and do.
They found a bike rental place on Silver Lake and decided to see the village that way. Walking would have just been unbearably hot, so they at least got a bit of breeze from the bikes. They window-shopped, visited the lighthouse, wandered down a number of twisting and turning back streets, and just enjoyed watching the boats resting in the harbor.
“The sailboats are incredible,” enthused Jenni. “Can you imagine owning one or possibly living on one? That must be amazing.”
Caitlin nodded. “We have a friend who does sunset tours in Charleston. As you might imagine, he stays absolutely booked up in the summer, but sometimes in the early spring or later in the fall we can go out with him and his wife. Andrew and I have often talked about saving up to buy a boat someday.”
Jenni looked at her friend and felt immensely happy for her. To have a shared vision for the future with the person you love, that’s an aspiration Jenni also hoped to have someday. But right now, she felt her future in the area of love was rather bleak.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Hey, I see a shadow on your face,” remarked Caitlin as they turned around in the big parking lot by the ferry docks for the boats that travel to the mainland.
Jenni was often amazed by Caitlin’s ability to read her so well. “We have really used up the time. I suggest we return the bikes and try to grab lunch before the crowds really start waking up and getting hungry. We’ve been lucky so far, but I don’t want to push our luck.”
It was only 11:30, but Jenni saw the wisdom in Caitlin’s suggestion. As they walked up to the one very, very popular harbor side eatery, a small line had already formed. They managed to get seated by noon and ended up eating rather quickly in order to get back on the road a few minutes before 1:00 for the 1:30 ferry departure.
“Once again your planning skills are impeccable,” Jenni admitted as she drove onto the ferry, one of the last cars to get on. “We almost ended up having to wait another hour, and in this heat, I’m sure I’d melt.”
She waited until they began moving and then immediately hopped out of the car. “I have to have air, so I’m going over by the railing.”
Caitlin looked up from her phone. She was obviously texting Andrew. “I’ll be with you in a few. Got to keep up with my man, you know.”
Jenni rearranged her hair off her shoulders and into a ponytail. She stuck her head in her ball cap and pulled her hair out the back. The bit of a breeze on her neck made her feel much cooler, and she immediately was lost in thought.
She was watching the docks recede in the distance when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was Caitlin, she spun around and asked, “Well, how is he?”
It wasn’t Caitlin. It was Caleb Prescott.
“Jenni?” he asked. It seemed an odd question since he had obviously seen her first. “I guess I wasn’t sure it was really you.”
Jenni looked back at Caleb, with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Then they both began to speak, almost in unison, “What are you doing here?”
They both started to answer, so Caleb stopped and said, “You first.”
Jenni’s emotions were a mess.
She finally got the answer to her prayers. She was talking to him. Alone. But she was uncertain about what exactly she wanted to say.
No sense ripping him apart for the gala. He didn’t deserve that.
So, she simply answered his question.
