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“I’m really sorry about your Jeep,” Elisabeth apologized again as she pulled out of the service station. The damage to Nick’s Jeep had been pretty bad, even though she hadn’t been moving fast. She felt terrible about causing so much trouble and offered to give him a lift back to Sunset Beach. After all, they were going to the same place.

“It’s okay,” he gave her a half smile. “Truth be told, I was actually looking for a reason to get a new car. My Jeep was getting up there in miles, so yeah. Too bad it was my fault.”

Smiling at his boyish grin, Elisabeth gave him a sideways glance. He was handsome; the kind of guy she would have dated in high school. A tall, blond haired, blue eyed surfer looking guy. He was tan and had a very nice build. She decided that his smile was definitely his best feature. Sizing him up once more, she decided that he was in his early twenties; twenty-four at the oldest.

“So…” Nick started, sounding a little uncomfortable. He was a little intimidated by Elisabeth and didn’t know what to talk about around her.

Sensing that he was uneasy, Elisabeth decided to pick up conversation. “So, are you originally from Sunset Beach?”

“Born and raised,” Nick smiled. “My Grandmother and her husband raised me. What about you? You don’t strike me as a small town, North Carolina girl. What’s your story?”

Now it was Elisabeth’s turn to feel discomfort. “Well, I was born in Wilmington and I lived at the beach during the summer. I wouldn’t say that I have a story though.”

Getting the feeling that she didn’t want to talk about it further, Nick nodded and watched the passing trees and cars. “How long are you going to be visiting?”

“Most of the summer. It’s the first summer I’ve been back in years,” Elisabeth tried not to sound desperate, but she was trying hard to get Nick to change the subject. She was anxious to talk about anything but herself. “You can turn on the radio if you want.”

***
“Gram…David…I’m home,” Nick called as he entered his home. It was nearly 4pm and he felt terrible about not being home on time for them to go out and enjoy themselves. “Anyone home?” he called and got no answer. Walking into the bright kitchen, he found a note on the table. Picking it up, he had to smile.

Nicky,
Sorry you had an accident today, honey. David and I were able to get Gabe to come work at the shop today and we still made our dinner date. If you need anything, call David’s phone and let us know. If you decide to go anywhere, be careful and we’ll see you tonight. We love you.

Gram

She had to be the absolute sweetest woman on the planet. Folding the piece of paper, Nick pulled his wallet from his back pocket and tucked it safely away as he did with any note his grandmother left him. Walking into the den, he saw that the answering machine was flashing so he played back the messages. There was one from Graham telling him about a huge party that night, one from Chase telling him about the same party and what to bring, one for David which he saved, and one from Dee-Dee which caused him to groan and roll his eyes. When will she get over it? Deciding that he might just head over to that “kick ass party” Nick headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After ten minutes or so, he was out of the shower and dressed. The only problem was that the party didn’t start until 7. That’s when the answering machine caught his eye again. Someone had called while he was in the shower. “It’s probably Dee-Dee again,” he mumbled and pressed ‘play’ and headed for the refrigerator.

Nick, hey, it’s Elisabeth. I forgot to give you my insurance information. If you could just give me a call on my cell phone, the number is 555-0850. Thanks.

Looking at the phone, Nick smiled. At least he finally had her number.

***

“Katy, stop being so hateful to your mother,” Abigail told her granddaughter in a stern voice. “She’s only looking out for you.”

“Oh, yeah, right. Everyone is only looking out for me. Psh, whatever. I’m sick of everyone just looking out for me…I can take care of myself,” Kaitlyn said and stormed out of the room.

Sitting back in her chair, Elisabeth gave her mother a helpless look. “I really don’t know what to do anymore, Mom. She’s out of hand. If she wants to go back and stay with Joshua, maybe I should buy her a plane ticket and let her go. What would be the harm in that?”

“You would be letting her run all over you, that’s the harm,” Abigail said flatly. “Katy thinks she can do whatever she wants; everything is going to be handed to her. If you keep trying to find a way to please her, she will never respect you.”

“I just don’t want her to make the same mistakes I made. I want her to have a normal childhood.”

“She can still have a normal childhood if you stand your ground. Put your foot down Elisabeth. Don’t let her get the best of you and that will get the best of her. You’re her mother, and you have to accept the fact that she’s going to make mistakes, but you can help her. Just don’t try to shelter her too much. I’m afraid that’s what I did to you.”

Reaching across the table top, Elisabeth placed her hand over her mother’s. “No, that’s not what happened. Everything that’s gone wrong with me has been my fault. I guess I was born to screw up.” Before Abigail had a chance to comfort her daughter, Elisabeth’s cell phone began to ring. “Sorry Mom. Hang on. Hello?”

“Elisabeth, hey, it’s Nick. Is this a bad time?”

“Oh, hi Nick. No, it’s not a bad time,” she greeted pleasantly. Sweeping a strand of dark hair from her eyes, she avoided her mother’s curious stare. “I forgot that I needed to leave you my insurance information.”

“Yeah, if you want, we can meet for dinner tonight and discuss it then,” he said hopefully.

“Well, I dunno,” she said hesitantly, still avoiding her mother’s eyes.

“Oh, okay, that’s cool. I understand, a lady like you must stay pretty busy,” he laughed and tried to hide his embarrassment and disappointment. “I-”

“You know, I really don’t have anything to do tonight. Dinner would be nice,” she said quickly. “What time?”

“Well, whatever time is good for you,” he laughed. “I would say I would pick you up, but since I’m without transportation...”

“Yeah, I can pick you up since I did ruin your Jeep. I remember the best seafood place down by the marina. How’s 7?”

“That’s perfect. You know my address. I’ll be here,” he tried not to sound too eager.

“See you then,” Elisabeth smiled and ended the call. “What?” she asked her mother who was still staring intently. She also looked slightly amused.

“Nothing, darling. I think I’ll go and check on your father and Jake. They seem too quiet…they’re probably up to no good. Have fun on your date.”

Before Elisabeth had a chance to protest, her mother had left the room. “It’s not a date,” she muttered to herself. So, if that was true, why did she have first date butterflies fluttering around in her stomach?

***

“Hey,” Nick greeted as he climbed into the large Denali.

“Hi,” Elisabeth smiled. As soon as Nick was completely inside the vehicle, she made sure to look before pulling away from his house.

“I’m glad you decided to come to dinner with me,” Nick said trying to fill the silence. He wished he knew what to talk about around Elisabeth because he really felt like he wanted to get to know more about her; the only problem was actually knowing how to get to know her. “And I know the place you’re talking about. It’s great.”

“Yeah,” a wistful smile crossed her face. It had been years since she’d been back, but she would never forget Capt’n Jack’s Seafood Shack. It was a fond memory of hers that she knew would be with her where ever she was. Living in the Midwest made it hard to get quality fresh seafood and she missed that terribly. “I love this place. I come here every time I’m down.”

“Really? This place is my favorite,” Nick grinned, thankful that they had at least one common interest. He could only hope that there was more to Elisabeth like he suspected.

After a short drive, they arrived at the marina and quickly spotted a small restaurant with a long line outside the door. It wasn’t a large building at all. It was so small, that all you could do was place an order and take it somewhere else; there was no inside seating. That’s part of the reason Elisabeth loved it. Walking over to the line that had already grown longer, she turned to Nick and smiled. “It’s just like it used to be.”

Stopping behind the petite beauty, Nick took a deep breath and enjoyed the salty breeze. “I’d say we have a half hour wait.”

“45 minutes,” she countered with a captivating smile. “Trust me, Nick, this is something I’ve never forgotten about. I could be in Chicago and when I thought about this place, I could smell it; almost taste it. God, I’ve missed this place.” After Elisabeth’s predicted 45 minutes, she and Nick had their food. They didn’t have anywhere to eat because all of the picnic tables surrounding the little hut and overlooking the water were taken.

“Where are we going to go?” Elisabeth questioned, biting her full lips. “I’m starved.”

“I have an idea,” Nick gave her a secretive smile and started toward the dock.

“Where are you going, Nick? You can’t just get on a boat that’s not yours,” she called nervously. “That’s breaking and entering.”

“Chill out, Lizzie. Oh, it is okay if I call you Lizzie, isn’t it?” he called over his shoulder without slowing his pace.

Elisabeth watched helplessly as Nick continued down the pier before she decided she’d better stop him. She couldn’t let him get into any trouble and she definitely couldn’t do anything against the law. “Nick! Wait!” She took off behind him and nearly knocked him down.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Nick gave Elisabeth a worried glance before stepping aboard a large schooner. He set down his plate of food then turned and took Elisabeth’s plate and placed it on top of his. Extending his hand, Nick smiled. “Well? Are you coming?”

“I don’t think we should do this, Nick,” she glanced around uncertainly.

“It’s only breaking and entering if it’s not your property. I know I don’t look all that bright, but I do know the law,” he gave her a silly half smile and pulled her onto the boat. “Did you think I would actually get on a boat that wasn’t mine? Are you crazy?”

***

“Oh, man, I’m stuffed,” Nick said rubbing his full belly. “I can’t believe I ate that much.”

“Me either,” Elisabeth smiled and looked around at her setting. It was a beautiful June night. There were no clouds in sight and the sky looked like diamonds had been scattered across it.

“Hey,” Nick’s voice snapped her out of her trance. “You feel like takin’ good ole Lizzie out for a sail?”

“Excuse me?” she gave him a confused glance.

“Uh,” he smiled, his cheeks reddened slightly. “Lizzie is the name of my boat. Sorry.”

“Oh,” she smiled and felt her own cheeks flush. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged. “So, what do you think? You up to sailing?”

Thinking about it for a second, Elisabeth decided that there was nothing to lose. She should have a little fun, shouldn’t she? “Sure.”

“Great,” Nick grinned like a little boy.

After a few minutes, Nick had gotten the schooner freed from the restrictions of the ropes and they were leaving the company of the other boats that lined the marina. It was nearly 9:30 so there would be very little traffic to worry about. They had a smooth exit from the dock and were soon heading into the open stretch of ocean. If it was one thing Nick loved, it was sailing at night. He used to go frequently with David when he was a little boy and he’d loved it so much, he started saving to get himself a boat of his own. He had worked like a slave every summer until he was 15 and finally saved up the money to buy Lizzie. She was his prize; he would spend hours at a time just sitting on the deck watching the sun set. It was his thinking spot and he had never brought anyone on board with him until tonight.

“This is beautiful,” Elisabeth whispered from her spot at the front of the boat. She was stretched out on her back looking up at the diamond-speckled sky. “You can’t see the stars in Chicago.”

Nick could hear a hint of sadness in her soft voice. “I couldn’t live somewhere I couldn’t see the stars. It would feel like part of my soul was gone.”

“Yeah,” she said absently. “That’s how I feel sometimes. But,” she quickly put her shield back up. “doesn’t everyone at some point?”

Nick gazed at her with concern. Why was she trying so hard to put up a wall? What did she have to hide?

“So, how did Lizzie get her name?” she smiled, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Well,” Nick hesitated. “I had a friend when I was younger, her name was Elizabeth, but everyone called her Lizzie.”

“That’s sweet,” Elisabeth smiled and craned her neck to feel the cool, salty breeze glide across her cheeks. “So, where’s Lizzie now?”

“She, uh, she died when we were 11,” Nick averted his stare to the deck of the boat. “We were racing home from the beach one day and, uh, she didn’t look before she ran into the road. There was a car coming and it just couldn’t stop in time…”

“Oh, Nick, I’m so sorry,” she said and went over to sit by him. “I had no idea.”

“No, you didn’t know, it’s not your fault,” he shook his head and dabbed tried to discreetly dry his eyes. “It’s hard to deal with sometimes, but I know she’s better off now.”

Feeling terrible for bringing up such harsh memories, Elisabeth was desperate to change the subject. “Do you come out here a lot?”

“Yeah,” he whispered looking at the moon. “I love it. It’s like everything just goes away when I come out here. No one knows where I am, so they can’t bug me. There’s nothing I have to deal with when I’m here and I love that feeling.”

Looking up at Nick, Elisabeth felt something click inside of her and before she knew what she was doing, she had turned his face toward her own and captured his lips in a fiery kiss. Her head kept telling her how wrong it was. “Elisabeth, this isn’t something a faithful wife would do to her husband,” her head screamed. Somehow, though, all she could hear was her heart. “This is what you’ve needed all your life. Take hold of it, Lizzie. Take it and don’t you dare let go.”