He smiled. “Do you want to?”
“Absolutely. I usually watch it every October thirty-first. It’s a treat to enjoy it in the summer too. I never get tired of this movie. Cary Grant is so funny, and it takes place in a great old house.”
“Grandfather-chic style?”
“Not exactly, but it feels as homey as your parlor.”
With the music sounding louder as they came closer, they entered the courtyard. There a giant black inflatable movie screen played the opening credits and animation.
“I never dreamed of seeingArsenic and Old Laceon the big screen.” She stopped and looked into those beautiful brown eyes. Relished the knowledge that yes, Caleb Kennedy saw her. Wanted to give her an evening to remember. “Thank you, Caleb. No one has ever done anything this special for me.”
A light shone in his eyes, similar to the one she’d seen in her aunt lately whenever Mr. Augo looked at her. “I’m glad you think so, because you’re special to me, Ariel.”
A breeze blew in, and she pushed her hair behind her ear, taking in the courtyard. Near the little brick porch off her suite sat an outdoor recliner for two, positioned on a red rug and adjusted to the perfect angle for watching the movie. The attached tables held a covered mug and glass of tea. “The courtyard feels like an outdoor living room.”
“Where we can see the stars.”
Blake brought their desserts as she relaxed in the soft recliner, surprisingly comfortable for outdoor seating, and leaned against the backrest.
Caleb joined her on the other side and took a bite of his pie before setting it on the table next to him. Ariel dove into her crème brûlée, breaking the brittle caramelized sugar and spooning out the custard beneath. She breathed a little sigh at the melding of crunch and creamy vanilla perfection.
“I can’t imagine a better date.” She set her dessert on her little table. “You spent hours putting this together. I’ll always remember it.”
Ariel lifted her face to his and laid her hand on his cheek, meaning to pull away and turn back to the show. Instead, she leaned close, her world smelling of lilacs and the fresh lake breeze and his citrusy-cedar cologne. She rested her hand on the back of his neck, and before she could think it through, she leaned in and kissed him, brushing her fingers along his smooth, fresh-shaven cheek and down his jaw, tasting his chocolate mixing with her sweet custard and sensing, for the first time, what it might feel like to be in love.
To love this man.
The thought shook her enough to make her break the kiss.
Did she love him? Could she someday spend her life with him?
Ariel dropped her gaze, then looked up again, almost afraid to face her own questions.
Caleb, clearly oblivious to her discomfort, simply smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and settled back to watch the movie.
Ariel tried to put the kiss behind her and focus instead on the film, sealing the memory in her heart. The movie’s introduction had concluded, and now, on the screen, Mortimer and Elaine stood in line at the marriage-license office. When their turn came to fill out their paperwork, Mortimer dragged Elaine out, spouting his objections to marriage.
“He wants to marry her, but he can’t because of his job.” Ariel glanced over at Caleb. “Isn’t that a ridiculous reason to miss out on happiness?”
Caleb glanced around the courtyard, surrounded by the inn on all four sides. Cleared his throat. “Yeah. Ridiculous.”
She sat straight up, out from under his arm, and turned to look at him, massaging the back of her suddenly stiff neck. “Do you believe that?”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “It’s just a movie. Let’s sit back and enjoy it.”
Yes, but fiction always mirrored reality. One Caleb clearly didn’t want to discuss.
Which was fine for now. But they’d have to talk about it—soon.
Ariel looked to the sky, where the first stars had begun to shine. A perfect backdrop for a perfect movie.
And for what could have been a perfect evening.
Chapter Fourteen
What had Ariel been thinking, committing herself to turning teenagers into concert singers? Especially with her aunt still out of town? She breathed a prayer for wisdom as Harry and his grandfather drove her to the beach the next morning.
They approached the park at the edge of rocky, rugged Windy Beach, its water as clear and blue as the Caribbean, with its white Adirondack chairs and a steady, always-present wind for kite-flying. At the far end of the beachside lawn, Ariel spotted her teen students—ninety-nine kids at last count, a few from the island, some from northern Michigan, and others from as far away as South Carolina and Texas. Singing, flirting, and showing off, they hung around the risers Ariel had borrowed from the island school.
