When they approached Lucinda's door it was as if the breeze had paused and the crickets were taking a break from chirping. It only made her more nervous as she shoved the key in the lock. Her fingers even trembled slightly as she turned it, but Raif didn't seem to noticed as he placed soft kisses on her temple. As she felt the lock give, her face warmed with Raif's sweet affection and she pushed on the door, opening it. Without needing an invitation, Raif followed Lucinda right in and it caused the warmth from her face to shoot down to her heart, relaxing her. She loved that they felt welcome in each other's homes.

"Care for a drink?" Lucinda called over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. Because she would need to drink her courage before telling him the truth...

"Yeah, sure. I'll take whatever you got." Raif replied as he kicked off his shoes and settled onto the couch.

"Beer ok?" Lucinda ask as she held open the fridge.

"Perfect."

She twisted off the bottles caps on the locally brewed ales and plopped down next to Raif with a sigh. Immediately they settled into their normal routine of her legs over his lap and his arm around her shoulders while the other caressed her thigh. Together they sipped their beers while chatting about customers and inventory. They drank two more rounds before Lucinda finally felt ready to spill her guts.

"Hey Raif?" she said while stroking his hair.

"Mm hm," he murmured sleepily.

"This is hard for me to say, but I feel that I need to." Lucinda pulled her legs off of his lap and hugged her knees.

Raif sat up straighter with wrinkles of concern forming on his forehead. "Are... are you having second thoughts about us?"

"No." She shook her head and reached out to touch him. "Not at all. It's just that... I didn't just wake up one morning and decide I wanted to move. This all kind of happened by accident. My friend Merrill, the one who's coming to visit, well... he found me. Actually, he rescued me when he found me floating in the river near his home."

Raif's eyes bulged as he rattled out, "Oh my goodness! What happened?"

"What I'm going to say may change the way you view me..." She hesitated as she studied his facial expressions, but he only sat up straighter to give her his full attention. She continued, "I was just so tired of the way things were going and the day before it happened I saw my ex having lunch with his family at the same restaurant as me. I was so caught off guard that I made an absolute fool of myself as I tried to dodge out of there. It felt like the final straw, so there I was sitting on this bridge near my home and I wondered where the river would lead to? Did it end at a lake? An ocean? I wanted so badly to just be somewhere else, so I jumped off of the bridge... hoping it would take me somewhere else."

Raif visibly swallowed down a gulp. "Were... you trying to kill yourself?"

"Honestly, no." She shook her head, her heart pounding thunderously. "I know that sounds insane, and if I were you I'd probably be rushing out of the door right now, but truthfully I just really wanted to be somewhere else. I guess you can say I had a moment of temporary insanity?" Lucinda said with a nervous laugh, trying to make light of it. "I wasn't thinking straight but I'm glad that Merrill found me and nursed me back to health. I'm glad that I have a second chance in life."

There was silence as Raif absorbed it all, but with the ticking of the clock on the wall, it felt excruciatingly long. So long in fact, that Lucinda began to regret saying anything at all, until finally Raif let out a breath. She was scared to look up at him, but when she did their eyes met. He leaned in and planted a long kiss on her lips and for a moment they remained that way, breathing the same air.

"What was that for?" she whispered as he finally pulled away.

"For being honest with me about something so personal. For trusting me enough to say it." Then he cupped her face and narrowed his eyes at her. "Now, can you please promise me you won't do anything crazy like that again?"

Lucinda's eyes darted away as her brows slightly furrowed while she processed his reaction. She was amazed at how understanding Raif was being. What kind of man would hear something like that and not be scared? Or see red flags popping up?

"How did you become this way?" she asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"What do you mean?"

"So understanding instead of running for the hills?"

"I guess I just like you too much."

Lucinda's heart pounded quickly, but only because it felt alive again. She was finally putting the past to rest and with a mischievous smile, she climbed onto Raif's lap, straddling him.

"The feeling is mutual," she replied and she couldn't help how the corners of her mouth automatically lifted, morphing her lips into a huge ear-to-ear smile.

Raif devoured that smile as he clamped his mouth over hers and it didn't take long for either of them to shift their cuddling into the next gear.

🌊🌊🌊

That weekend, Merrill arrived with two suit cases in his hands. It was late, and the night was foggy yet he still felt incredibly welcomed by the smell of the salt from the ocean. He inhaled a deep breath as he stood on her front steps with the light mist on his skin and the sounds of ocean waves in the distance. He knocked on Lucinda's door twice and started to think that maybe he arrived too late. Then he heard the deadbolt on the door shift and the doorknob twist. Lucinda greeted him with cheerful Caribbean music playing in the background and a glow in her cheeks. She looked far different from the woman he dragged out of the river. This pleased him.

"Ahhh you made it!" Lucinda cheered as she embraced him. "Come on in, you must be tired!"

"I am." He yawned.

"Well, I spent the entire day cleaning and I got your room all ready for you." She explained as she took one of his bags. "I'll show you where it is so you can get some sleep and we can chat in the morning about your drive."

"Sounds good to me. These old bones could use an eight hour nap."

"You'll have the downstairs bedroom," she said over her shoulder as she lead the way down the hallway and past the stairs. "My room is upstairs, but we both have our own bathrooms. You'll have plenty of privacy too since the bedroom is down the hall and the sound from the living room doesn't carry over. Plus, your bedroom has French doors that open out onto the garden."

When they got to the room and she motioned in, Merrill stepped through, letting his eyes wander. The curtains were pulled back on the French doors and he could see a few tree branches swaying with the breeze. The bed was queen sized with a cream colored down comforter and plenty of pillows waiting for him to dive in. On the edge of it was a flannel pattered throw blanket that reminded him of the blanket he kept on his own bed at home. He smiled over to Lucinda and she beemed back at him, knowing that he had made the connection about the blanlet.

In the corner was an over sized chair with an ottoman and a night stand with books on top of it. When Merrill approached the night stand, he stroked his fingers over one of the book covers and felt tears pricking his eyes. Even the books she picked out for him were similar to what he read at home.

"I've been wanting to read this one, but haven't had the time," he said as he picked up the mystery thriller. "Maybe now I'll finally get to."

"I'm so glad you like it!" Lucinda squealed, as if she couldn't contain her joy. She practically skipped over to him in excitement. "It's gotten really good reviews and I remember you saying how that author never disappoints you so when I saw it at the local book store I had to buy it!"

"Thank you, Lucinda. This was really thoughtful of you."

With another squeal, she took his hand and urged him over to the shaggy area rug. "Go ahead, take off your shoes and feel how amazing this rug is! It's so fluffy and I figured after a long drive you'd need something soft to sink your feet into."

"Alright," Merrill chuckled as he removed his shoes. When he finally pressed his toes into the rug, he sighed with a nod of his head. "You're right, this is nice."

"Well." Lucinda motioned her arms out with a huge, satisfied smile. "I'll leave you to settle in and get some rest and I'm so happy you're here. I really am. I can't wait to show you around too and introduce you to some of my new friends and where I work. I'm just so... thrilled, that you're here!"

"I am too." Merrill smiled.

"Good night," Lucinda replied as she exited the room and closed the door behind her.

🌊🌊🌊

By morning, Merrill was recharged and began getting ready for the day. Once he was done, he made his way to the kitchen to get started with breakfast. He figured he would surprise Lucinda by fixing something up for her, the way he used to do on the farm. However, when he he made it to the kitchen, he found Lucinda already there. She had music lightly playing on her iPod and was humming to herself.

"Hey!" she greeted. "I've got waffles in the making, along with eggs and chicken-rosemary sausages I picked up at the farmers market this morning!"

"Chicken rosemary sausages? Oh there was really no need to make me a fancy breakfast Lucinda. You know I'd be fine with oatmeal if that was the only thing in the pantry."

"Please. Only the best for you Merrill."

They sat down and began chatting about Merrill's drive. He explained how he took it slow, took in the sights and even stopped to take some pictures. He showed them to her and she leaned in to look at the digital screen on the camera Duncan lent him for trip. She smiled as he swiped through images of mountains and dry stretches of land. It brought back memories of her own drive through that same terrain. Merrill's shots weren't as impressive as Raif's photo album, in fact many were out of focus but she could see his artistic eye through them nonetheless. Like the photo he captured of a tumbleweed blowing past him on the highway with the sun rising behind it.

"Very lovely, Merrill."

"But what about you?" he asked as he motioned over her appraisingly. "You're beaming. Heck, even your hair seems to have more bounce!"

"It does?" she toyed with a few strands. "I thought for sure the salt from the ocean was making it dry."

"No," Merrill laughed. "It looks lovely and you just seem so much happier than when I last saw you."

"I am. Breeze Bay has been good to me so far."

"I can tell."

Once breakfast was finished, Lucinda gave Merrill a tour of the town and introduced him to people she had become familiar with. They stopped by the farmers market to say hi to venders, and popped into the boutique to greet Annie. Merrill was entranced by Main Street which had cottage-like storefronts painted in white with colored shutters. They were all lined neatly along the street with their bright signs and awnings advertising what they were selling. Strangers nodded to him as they past and others greeted Lucinda by name. He was impressed with the friendliness from everyone and understood completely why it had Lucinda in love with the town.

When they were done with the tour they walked into the Barrel Wave so Merrill could see where Lucinda worked. Straight away he could see a glow of happiness come over her as they made their way to counter towards Raif. However, it wasn't just her who was glowing. Merrill couldn't help but notice how Raif's eyes shifted straight to Lucinda as soon as they walked in, but his feelings for her were even more apparent in the way his enitre face lit up with a smile. Lucinda wasn't innocent in the matter either with the way his smile caused her cheeks to blush. As Lucinda beamed while introducing Raif, Merrill could feel the chemistry between the two of them and he knew right away that there was more to their story.

Raif vigorously shook Merrill's hand, as if he was meeting a girlfriend's father for the first time and was nervous. Nothing but 'yes Sir' and 'no Sir', until Merrill assured Raif that he could call him by his name. Nevertheless, Raif's politeness continued as he pulled out a chair for Merrill and then Lucinda. Then he was quickly off, whisking around cleaning, making coffee, restocking, and tending to customers. Yet, he still made time to chat with Merrill in between his rushing around. Merrill liked Raif. He seemed like a good kid, and was much more respectful than his own.

"I see you haven't forgotten what I taught you about fly-fishing," Merrill said while bumping Lucinda's elbow and looking over to Raif. "He seems like a good catch."

Lucinda blushed and smiled uncontrollably. "You think so? It wasn't my intention to find someone so soon but-"

"Oh hush. Theres never a right time or place to find someone. It's not something that can be planned. It just happens." He patted her leg reassuringly.

Lucinda seemed to sigh with relief and her shoulders relaxed. "I'm so glad you like him. It's still very new with him and the beginning of relationships are always so confusing."

"How so?"

"Well... you know... not knowing how the other person feels about you or if you're on the same page about the way things are progressing."

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about any of that," Merrill replied and turned to face her. "I'd say that any man who looks at you the way he does, is definitely into you as much as you are into him. So don't worry too much. Just enjoy yourself. Enjoy being loved."

Loved? Lucinda's stomach rolled with a tickle as she recalled the foamy heart shape Raif had created in her latte a few days prior. They had gone to his house after a jog and surf and he handed it to her, smiling. When she saw the foamy heart, her eyes shot back up to his and he kissed her forehead tenderly. It was a good memory of sweet gesture.

After drinking some coffee, Merrill and Lucinda walked back to the apartment. Merrill was tired, so he settled in for a nap while Lucinda started to prepare dinner which would consist of balsamic flank steaks with cilantro lime rice and steamed asparagus. When Merrill finally woke up it was to the smell of dinner in the air and a sky that was a lot darker than when he first closed his eyes. He rubbed his face and got up from the bed to help with dinner, but when he entered the kitchen Lucinda was removing the flank stake from the stove top griddle.

"How was the nap," she said over her shoulder.

"Good. Although I feel more tired now than I did before."

"It's ok. We'll drink plenty of wine tonight so we can both drift off into a delicious sleep tonight." She winked at him and nodded towards a bottle of wine. "Mind opening it for me?"

"Not at all," Merrill replied as he got to work.

"So how have things been with your family? The last thing you told me about them was when they left after arguing during dinner."

"It was dreadful," Merrill said while pouring them each a generous amount of wine. "The nerve of them even entertaining the idea of selling my land and shoving me in an old folks home! Their mother would be furious."

"I'm so sorry, Merrill." Lucinda reached for one of the glasses and took a sip. "Why do they feel that they need to sell your home? Is it too expensive to maintain?"

"No. They're just selfish. They say its too far for them to drive over for visits and they can't take care of me from far away... I don't need any one to take care of me. I've been doing fine on my own for years now."

"I can understand their concern," Lucinda replied. She considered how his kids might feel as she held the glass of red wine. "I would probably worry about my parents too, but you're in great health and very strong. You pulled me out of a river and nursed me back to health. I think you're more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Merrill squeezed her hand.

When Raif finally showed up after the Barrel Wave closed, he arrived with a cake in hand. By that point Lucinda and Merrill's cheeks were rosy from drinking and their bellies were full from dinner. Yet, a little dessert was exactly what they both craved. While Merrill cut slices for them, Lucinda heated up a plate of food for Raif. The three of them sat together while Raif ate his dinner, but afterward Lucinda busied herself with washing dishes, giving Merrill a chance to bond with Raif.

"We were really young." Merrill explained as he told Raif about how he met his wife. "I grew up more north of here in a town much similar to this. I use to work as a lifeguard in the summers at the beach and then one day, there she was, this bronze beauty playing volley ball with her friends. She wore a red bathing suit and let me tell you, I can still see her clear as day in that swimming suit. There were other boys hanging around in their group that had tried to flirt with her but she turned them down. I found it interesting that she was more into her game of volley ball than the compliments of those boys. Then their ball landed in the water and I noticed her go after it so I jumped down from my post, ran after her and told her I would fetch it."

"Nice move!" Raif approved with a nod. "I think I'd do the same."

"Well, then the ball started to drift further out so I had to really swim for it but it was worth it. My arms felt like they were burning as I pushed against the current, but I brought that ball back and it was as if I had just saved a child. She was so grateful and kissed me on the cheek. Before the day was over she came up to my post and asked me if I wanted to get ice cream with her. I was so shocked that she asked me. See, women weren't as forward back then as they are now. However, at that moment I knew I was in love. She was unlike any girl I had met before and from that day forward I never stopped learning new things about her."

"If you don't mind my asking, where is your wife now?"

"She passed away three years ago from cancer. I was by her side every step of the way. She really was the life of the family so when she passed, my children stopped visiting as often." Merrill paused and then said with a sly smile, "They don't even know I'm here. I just left a note in case they popped up while I'm gone."

Raif laughed and wagged his finger. "I'm on to you Merrill. You're more daring than Lucinda described!"

They polished off another bottle of wine, but by that point Merrill was starting to fall asleep on the couch. He apologized for not being able to keep up with Lucinda and Raif and excused himself to go to bed. After saying goodnight to him, Lucinda took the opportunity to sit closer to Raif on the couch. He kissed her neck and told her that he missed her at the Barrel Wave and how a few customers had even asked for her. He liked Merrill and understood why Lucinda had grown such an affection for him in a short amount of time. He was good for her and given the losses in her life, she needed a parental figure like Merrill.

Raif wrapped his arms around Lucinda and kissed her head. She sighed blissfully while bringing her knees up and snuggled into him, placing her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, giving her a squeeze and somewhere deep inside of him, he wanted to protect her from any harm. Keep her safe. For a moment he even wanted to tell her that he loved her, but instead he kept it to himself.

He would save it for another day.