She didn’t want to pry, but she wanted to find out everything about Jake. He was like no one else she’d gone on a date with before. He was open, genuine, no nonsense. It was clear that he was just himself. She wanted to know how that little boy, who’d crawled under the stairs as a kid, had grown up to be a wealthy businessman who still did carpentry on the side. What happened in all those years to make him the man who was climbing those stairs with her now? She wanted to know all the things his father had seen as he’d grown up. And she wanted to meet him—the man who’d taught Jake how to be this wonderful, sweet person. “I only ask,” she said, “because it was just me, Casey and my mom. My dad left when we were little.”
“Ah. Well, my mom passed away when I was young.”
“I’m so sorry, Jake.” His loss made her unexpectedly sad.
“It’s okay. I have foggy memories of her—like dreams. I remember her kissing my forehead before bed, and I remember her singing me to sleep. The rest of my memories—very good ones—are of my dad.”
His words echoed in the hollow space of the lighthouse, but they were the only ones there, so no one heard them.
She stopped and turned around, and he almost bumped into her. His hands were on the railing on either side of her. If he let go, they were close enough that he could put his arms around her. “Thank you for telling me that,” she said, seeing him in a new light.
He was eye level, being a step below her, and she could see contemplation on his face. His eyes roamed hers for a moment, as if he, too, had only really seen her for the first time in that moment. The silence was thick around them. She didn’t know how to respond to whatever it was zinging between her and this wonderful stranger. The way he was looking at her, it was as if he were going to do something, say something—she wasn’t sure.
“It was nothing at all to tell you that,” he said quietly, his eyes still intently looking into hers. He pulled in with every word and every look, closer and closer. His face was so near that she could feel his breath, and she swallowed to keep composure. He leaned forward and smiled, just before his lips met hers.
His hands were on her waist, his fingers unstill. She grabbed the railing to keep herself from falling, the feel of his lips making her dizzy. The warmth of his breath as it mixed with hers, the softness of his touch, it was different than anything she’d experienced before. She didn’t want to open her eyes or stop the movement of her lips because that would mean it was over, and she didn’t want it to end. When she was finally forced into the reality of the moment, and he’d pulled back gently, she opened her eyes to find him smiling.
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.” He grinned at her, affection showing on his face.
She smiled back at him as he motioned for her to resume heading up the staircase. She had to work to get her legs to move, her brain completely overloaded by the sensation of that kiss.
“I can’t wait to show you this.”
They’d finally reached the top and the heat from the moment between them and inside the lighthouse had made her feel warm despite her summer clothing. It took all her concentration to keep her mind from reliving that kiss. She needed to get outside into the fresh air.
She walked out onto the circular landing that wrapped around the glass casing for the lantern, and the relentless ocean breeze cooled her skin. She was taken by how large the lantern itself was, but it didn’t hold her attention. What nearly took her breath away was the view. She could see nothing but marsh grass and blue ocean as far as her vision could travel. The lighthouse had seemed so big and grand, but compared to the Atlantic it was a tiny thing. She put her hands on the railing, and she could feel Jake beside her as he looked out at the same view. Sharing it with him made it perfect.
“Sit down here,” he said, dropping down onto the mesh floor of the overlook. He put his legs between the railings. They barely fit, his feet dangling in midair what seemed like miles above the ground below. Faith followed suit, and, as she looked at her own feet as they swung in the air, the sight made her dizzy. They were so small compared to everything around them.
He pulled a penny from his pocket. “Make a wish.”
She had so many wishes: she wished that she and Casey could be closer, she wished that Nan would be around another twenty years, she wished that she could spend every summer here, she wished that she could kiss Jake again.
“Got it?”
“Yes,” she lied, still deciding which one to choose.
Jake flipped the penny off his fingers and she watched it sail down through the air, the sun shimmering off its copper surface. It got smaller and smaller as she tried to keep focus on it, until it disappeared in the marsh grass below.
“It’s a long way down,” he said, and she nodded. “Don’t fall,” he said, his words urgent, as he grabbed her by the shoulders, teasing her. She squealed and then laughed.
“Not funny.” She cut her eyes at him playfully, but before she could straighten her face out, his lips were on hers again, his hand at the back of her neck. Well, it seemed as if one wish was coming through.
Slowly pulling apart, they both looked back out at the sea.
“I used to come up here as a kid. We would drop pennies and make wishes with all our girlfriends,” he said, teasing her. “I’ll be honest. I haven’t been up here since then. It’s kind of fun being back up here.”
Faith wondered what that boy was like—the boy who read Hemingway and caught lightning bugs only to let them go. Would she have liked him? More importantly, would he have liked her? It seemed as if she’d have had lots of competition for his affection.
“So you do this with all the girls, then?” Although she’d said it playfully, there was a part of her that wanted to know.
“No. Only the ones I really like.”
She laughed.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” he asked, standing back up and reaching out his hand. She took it and he helped her stand. She didn’t want to leave.
“Yes.” Faith imagined what it would be like to sit in a rocking chair day after day with the person she loved, listening to the wind and watching the ocean like she was right then. What a surprising thought to have while standing with someone she barely knew, but being with him calmed her, and, after kissing him, she wasn’t concerned anymore with trying to be witty and alluring. She could just stand here and be herself. He made her feel perfectly comfortable.
