Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

***ARCHIE***

A rchie stepped onto the beach just as the first rays of light began to appear on the horizon, looked around for Felicity, then breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't there yet. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her again. He wasn't sure he could survive seeing her frightened again. The last time had been enough to tell him that he already had feelings for her he had no business having. It would probably have been smarter to stay away from her and he'd almost convinced himself not to show up for their run the night before, but then realized how much it would hurt Felicity if he didn't.

She'd clearly been through a very traumatic experience, been hurt by someone, and he wasn't about to add to that pain; it went against all his instincts to do something like that. He'd just keep his distance, treat her like one of his patients, put a professional distance between them, and hope that would kill the attraction he felt for her. Feeling more in control, he began to stretch, keeping an eye on the path, expecting to see Felicity any second.

When ten minutes had passed, he began to think that she wasn't coming, and a wave of sadness washed over him. He'd never considered that she might not show up. Disappointed, and hating himself for it, he turned and started down the beach at a slow walk, suddenly not all that excited for his run that day. Before he got far, he heard someone calling his name and stopped, a rush of happiness blocking out the sadness and disappointment.

When he spun around, Felicity was running toward him, "I'm sorry I'm late, I overslept. Brittany and I stayed up too late last night," she said, slightly out of breath. "I was so sure I was going to miss you."

"You almost did, I thought you changed your mind about coming," he said, then smiled at her. "But you're here now. I'll give you a few minutes to get warmed up."

"Oh, that's okay, my mad dash from the cabin got me warmed up," Felicity said, the rising sun intensifying the blush on her cheeks and making her scar stand out, but he didn't notice. "I'll be fine if we start out slowly."

They began to walk down the beach, "I'll let you set the pace," he said, already slightly breathless thanks to the desire humming through his blood. "My legs are longer than yours."

"That almost sounded sexist, except you're right, so I'm going to let it go," she said, glancing over at him. "But I bet I could keep up with you, at least for a little while."

He laughed, "We might just have to test that," he said. "How was your surfing lesson yesterday?"

"Well, I spent more time in the water than I did on the board, but the instructor said that's pretty normal," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "He talked me into giving it one more try, so we're going back tomorrow."

"I've been taking sailing lessons. That's been a ton of fun," he said. "But I need to try some other stuff. I heard they're giving spearfishing lessons today, that could be interesting."

"I think you can go out with the fishing boats, too," Felicity said, switching into a slow jog. "Fishing isn't exactly my sport, but I think that it would be fun to go out with one of the big boats, you know, like being on one of those television shows."

"We should do it then, I'd be happy to arrange it with Max," he said. "And be sure to invite your sister. I don't think she was very happy with me the other day, but I'd love to meet her."

"She's a bit protective of me. We've been through a lot together," she said, breaking into a slow run. "I'll ask her and see what she says, but even if she doesn't go, it sounds like fun."

"I'll talk to Max tonight when we have dinner. I think he said the boats go out about every three days," he said, starting to get winded. "They leave right before dawn and come back late in the afternoon."

"Then you can count Brittany out, mornings aren't her thing," she said. "Even as worried as she was about me running with you this morning, she didn't get up to chaperone."

"She's worried about me?" he asked, a little surprised. "I'm a good guy, that hurts a little."

"It's more about me, and……what happened," she said. "Don't take it personally, she's just trying to protect me."

Felicity broke into a full jog, moving past him for a second and ending the conversation, leaving him with a bunch of questions floating around in his brain. He never would have asked them anyway, but the more time he spent with Felicity, the more he wanted to know what happened and who had hurt her. It was a dangerous slope he was treading and he knew it, but something inside him kept pushing him toward her, and he seemed to be powerless to stop it.

Reminding himself that he was just trying to be her friend, that he had no intention of making their relationship anything more, he caught up to her. They ran in silence, the sound of their feet hitting the wet sand the only sound breaking the quiet of the morning, not a sign of another soul on the beach as the sun slowly began to climb in the sky.

Felicity took them several miles before she turned around and headed back from where they'd come. By the time they finally reached the familiar stretch of beach, his lungs were burning, and his muscles were on fire. It was a relief when she finally slowed her pace, first to a slow jog and then to a walk, and it was several minutes before he could breathe well enough to speak.

"Next time I set the pace, you just about killed me," he said. "I could barely keep up. You must be an athlete or something."

Felicity didn't say anything at first, but there was a sad, wistful look on her face, "I used to be before……" her words trailed off as she shook her head. "But that was a long time ago. I'm not anymore, now I just run."

"And you do it well," he said, deciding not to push. "Tomorrow I'll be ready for you."

***Felicity***

When Felicity came in from her morning run, Brittany was sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her, "Oh, are you back already?" she asked. "I thought you'd be gone longer."

She studied her sister for a second, "You can stop pretending that you weren't just watching us through the window," she said, walking over to the coffee pot. "I saw you peeking through the blinds."

"Busted," her sister said. "Just doing my job, kiddo."

"He's a nice guy, Brittany," she said. "We had a good run, and I'm going to meet him again tomorrow morning. I wish you'd stop assuming that he's some kind of creep."

"Did he come onto you today?" Brittany asked. "Tell the truth."

"No, he didn't," she said. "We talked a little; he offered to arrange for all of us to go out on one of the fishing boats together, and then we ran. I told you he's not like that. We're just friends, I'm sure he doesn't see me any other way, so let's move on."

"Well, maybe I was wrong," Brittany said. "But I'm still going to keep an eye on him. You've only known him for a couple of days, maybe he's waiting to make his move."

She sat down across the table from her sister, "You know what?" she asked. "I think you're the one who needs a man. Maybe all this worrying about me is just a cover for what you really want."

"Felicity, how could you even suggest such a thing?" her sister asked. "I don't need a man, I just need……"

"To watch over me like a hawk," she said, shaking her head. "This isn't healthy, Brittany. You need your own life, you've put everything on hold for me, but it's time to think about yourself. What's wrong with a vacation romance? You haven't turned into a prude on me, have you?"

"No, I haven't turned into a prude," Brittany said. "I just don't think this is the time or place for me to go off……."

"And have fun," she interjected. "This is exactly the time and place for you to have some fun, so stop worrying about me and get out there, meet some people, do something a little crazy."

Brittany was silent for a second, "I don't know if I can. I'm scared," she finally said. "After what happened to you, well, I'm having a hard time trusting men. I know it doesn't make any sense, but there it is."

"Oh, Brittany, I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said, walking over and giving her sister a hug. "I guess we both have wounds that still need to heal, but sitting around here isn't going to help. Let's go out and meet some people. I'm feeling a lot more confident now. I know they're going to stare at first, but if I don't run away, they'll stop."

Her sister let out a long sigh, "If you're brave enough to go out there, then I guess I have to be too," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

"How about breakfast in the village first? Mary Beth said there are activities going on around here all the time; maybe we'll find something that sparks our interest."

The village was bustling with activity when they got there; the smell of food filled the air, and she was suddenly a bit unsure, but one look at Brittany's anxious face made her square her shoulders. She'd face the inevitable stares without flinching if that's what it took to get Brittany back out into the world. Until that morning, she hadn't realized that her sister was hiding just like she was.

"I'm starving. Let's get something to eat first," she said, heading for the far side of the village where the food was prepared. "Then we should check out the shops. I promised Mom that we'd bring her something back, and you know Dad will be hurt if we don't get him something, too."

She was aware of a few people looking at them as they crossed the seating area, but they all looked away after a few seconds, and she felt herself beginning to relax. After some discussion they decided on breakfast burritos and got in line, "I could use another cup of coffee," Brittany said when she saw that it was going to be a few minutes. "Will you be okay here if I run over to the coffee shop?"

"Only if you bring me something back," she said. "Tell me what you want, just in case I have to order for you."

"Surprise me," Brittany said, grinning at her.

She'd been standing there for a few minutes thinking about Archie when a child's voice caught her attention, "Mommy, what happened to that woman's cheek?" the little boy asked. "Is she a bad person?"

Her heart lurched uncomfortably in her chest, and she looked around for a way to escape, "Oh, sweetheart, of course she's not a bad person," the mother said. "She had an accident, honey, that's all, and we shouldn't stare at her; it's not nice."

"Mommy, do you think it hurts?" the little boy asked. "If I kissed it, would it make it better?"

The mother laughed, "I wish it would," she said. "Sometimes a kiss doesn't make everything better, but you're sweet for offering. Now come on, we have to go. Your father is waiting for us."

She was smiling as the pair walked away, their empathy filling an empty place inside her, but then the little boy slipped away from his mother and ran back to her. "I'm sorry," he said, then hugged her legs. "I hope you feel better."

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she hugged him back, "Thank you," she said. "That hug was just what I needed."

The little boy ran back to his mother, and their eyes met. She smiled at Felicity, and then the pair turned and walked away. "What was that all about?" Brittany asked, holding out a cup of coffee. Did that little boy just hug you?"