“Todd Abbott. He’s aged well, the little charmer. I borrowed his Miata—you can drive it into the city and leave it there. He probably won’t appreciate losing another car, but I imagine he’ll get over it.”
“He didn’t die? But I thought you couldn’t change the past?”
Lou’s smile was enigmatic. “Sometimes we’re given blessings.” She crossed the room and took one of Susan’s hands in her strong, gnarled grip. She pulled her up with surprising force for someone so thin, and for a moment, in the shadowy room, she looked exactly like the reflection Susan had seen in the mirror. Young and strong and beautiful. “Get a move on, girl. It’s a family tradition.”
“But what if he doesn’t want me?”
Aunt Lou snorted. “He’s not that stupid. You need to make a leap of faith, or you’ll deserve to live your life with a broken heart.”
She looked at her aging aunt. “Didn’t I just do this a couple of days ago?” she asked plaintively.
Lou laughed. “You had a dream, Susan. Time to wake up and live.”
The traffic on the Merritt Parkway was horrendous on a Saturday afternoon, but at least the Miata came equipped with powerful air-conditioning. She drove like a race car driver, fast and dedicated, but it was still close to eight o’clock by the time she crossed the George Washington Bridge.
She’d never been in the docks of Manhattan except in her dream, but they didn’t look as if they’d changed much in the past fifty years. There was no place to park, but she didn’t care. She simply left the car, keys inside, and grabbed her suitcase in one hand, her satin train in the other, and headed toward Pier 18.
The Barbara K. didn’t look much newer than the Lizzie B. The night was dark around her, and this was hardly the safest section of Manhattan, and if she had any sense at all she’d run back to the car and get the hell out of there.
But she had no sense. The time for smart choices was over. It was time to lead with her heart.
A leap of faith, Aunt Lou had said. And surely Jake Wyczynski was worth it.
The sense of deja vu was so powerful she almost felt dizzy with it She found her way to Jake’s cabin with no arguments from the busy crewmen, and she found it empty, with a wide bunk, not too dissimilar from the room where Tallulah had spent her honeymoon.
She sat down to wait.
She wondered what she’d do if the boat left before she had a chance to see him. To make sure he really wanted her. But she already knew the answer to that. She’d wait.
He came back to the room just as the Barbara K. started but into the harbor. His shirt was unbuttoned and pulled loose from his jeans, his expression was bleak, and he didn’t even see her when he first walked in.
“Surprise,” she said in a soft voice.
All expression left his face as he stared at her. He kicked the door shut and leaned against it, not moving. “I can’t give you what you want,” he said finally.
She rose to her knees, the wedding gown pooling around her in the wide bunk. “What do you think I want?”
“Safety. A fancy house in the suburbs, a husband who wears three-piece suits. Two imported cars in the garage, a stock portfolio and an HMO.”
“What makes you think I want that?”
“Why else would you marry someone like Edward?”
“I didn’t marry him.”
“No, I guess you didn’t When did you decide that?”
“Last night.”
“But you told me?—”
“I know what I told you. You annoyed me.”
He had a beautiful mouth, and it curved in a wry smile. “A young woman of my acquaintance told me I can be very annoying. Of course, two hours later she was in bed with me, so maybe I should take that with a grain of salt.”
“Maybe some women find annoyance to be an aphrodisiac.”
“I don’t stay put you know. I wander from one place to the next I’m like Loa and Jack—I don’t like settling down for too long.”
