“I just saw you when I was crossing the street as you came out of the farmer’smarket.”
“You just saw me,” he relatedblankly.
“And why are you here? It’s a long way from yourbar.”
He cleared his throat and stood up so he could move around the room. I watched him with a strange pressure in my chest. “I sold thebar.”
If he smacked me across the face, he wouldn’t have surpassed me more. “You…what?” The Murphy I knew would never sell his bar. Notever.
I must have said the words out loud as he dropped to his knees in front of me and hung his head. “I need to ask you to forgiveme.”
This particular man on his knees in front of me should not be rearranging my insides. “Um…forwhat?”
“For how I acted, how I treated you. I’ve gone over it in my head a million times. All I can come up with is maybe I wasn’t the paragon of mental health to be casting around blame. We were both vulnerable, you more so, and I betrayed yourtrust.”
He looked up, his chin pitched high, his neck long as if he only held his face up out of sheer force of will. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You don’t owe me an apology. We were both pretty screwed up. Neither of us had any right to be anything for oneanother.”
The warmth of his skin, now tanner than I remember, reached my fingertips as I grazed his cheeks. Still so beautiful. MurphyWilcox.
“If you don’t want an apology why did you come here?” he asked climbing to hisfeet.
I shrugged. “Once I saw you, I couldn’t keep myselfaway.”
An arrogant smile spread across his beautiful mouth. “Is that so? Can I take you todinner?”
I shook my head. “No,sorry.”
His shoulders drooped a little, his smile dimming as well. He didn’t see my ownsmile.
“I thought I could order dinner out. I know all the best places around here.” I said it, but didn’t look him in the eye. I hoped it still counted as coquettish thatway.
He stepped forward to close some of the distance between us and reached out a hand. I gently slid mine across his fingers first. With his other hand, he enclosed my one between his two and squeezed gently. “I’ve missed touchingyou.”
“Is that all you missed?” This time I did meet his gaze, and the spark that lit there as my words filtered in was worthwitnessing.
He let go of my hand, snaked an arm out, and dragged me into him. Our bodies aligning elicited a noise from me I hardly recognized. I clamped my hand over my mouth, and Murphy broke out into laughter. “So you wear dressesnow?”
I shrugged. “They are comfy and a lot cooler than jeans especially with myjob.”
“What do youdo?”
“I deliver care packages to the local elderly and mentally ill. I can’t do a lot of them as I am governmentally stamped as disabled, but it gives me exercise, fresh air, and the chance to feel helpful. I really likeit.”
He nodded. “You lookhappy.”
“And what about you. If you sold the bar, what do youdo?”
“Travel the country, explore, wander. I haven’t done much of anything besides read all year. I’m thinking about checking out other countriesnext.”
“That sounds like an adventure. You take to itwell.”
“Well, Ms. Williams. I suspect by your very forward dinner invitation, you missed me for more than my bar sidebanter.”
I mocked at being affronted. “Why, Mr. Wilcox, I am shocked. Shocked Isay.”
He laughed, drew me in tighter, and found my mouth with his own. I went home all over again. In Murphy’s arms, a puzzle piece inside me slipped into place completing a picture I’d been working very hard on for a longtime.
I savored the taste of peaches on his lips before he drew back. “You smell like thebeach.”
