“We did it. We’re here.” He let go of her hand, wrapped his arms around her again, tighter this time, and nuzzled the top of her head. “Pinch me.”
Anna inhaled the scent of his shirt, with its faint hint of cologne and professional pressing. Underneath all that, she smelled him, the Daniel of memory.
“It’s a big deal, for both of us.” Her arms circled his waist, the rapid beating of his heart reaching out to hers. “I think I went into shock when you first wrote to me,” she admitted. “I have all these incredibly strong memories from when we were dating…” She tilted her face so she could see him. “Were we dating? Or were we just friends with benefits before that was even a thing?”
“We were more than that, Annalissa.” Daniel smiled and pressed her to his chest. He reached into the side pocket of his pants and closed his hand around something he was carrying.
“I put most of the memories of whatever we were into deep storage before I got married. It was exciting and painful to hear from you.”
He used one finger to brush some of the hair away from her eyes. His other fingers stayed curled around his palm. “I didn’t ever mean to cause you pain, but after we started to email, I realized I had a lot invested in finding you. Look.”
Daniel unfurled his fingers and showed her what he’d extricated from his pocket. She sucked in a sharp breath and reached to touch a small carving, one of a set she’d given him before he graduated. She’d made at least six similarly-shaped carvings from leftover pieces of stone. The swish of the water breaking over her feet mimicked the sound of the special sandpaper she’d use to rub out the ridges left by the carving tools.
Anna stroked the smooth soapstone, its surface warmed by his body heat. Recalled the feel of the hardened metal tools in her hands as they bit at the stone as she tapped and filed, the rising sensation of wonder at the varied veins of color in each block, and how her persistence found hidden curves and planes.
She could do this again. She could find the inspiration rooted in her island. And she could certainly find the time. Time was one thing she had in abundance.
“I can’t believe you kept this,” she said. “Did you keep the others?”
He nodded. “They’ve been sitting in a bowl on my desk ever since…ever since I first set up my business.”
Her gaze darted up to meet his. “Are you ready to talk about why you kept these?”
Daniel pocketed the carving and turned to look out over the water before fixing his gaze to her face. “I’m ready for some real Mexican food.”
She could eat. But what she really wanted was to feast on words. To pass words and sentences back and forth, to feed each other memories seasoned by time, tears, and laughter. She tightened her grip on his waist. They had a couple of days. She couldn’t expect everything to come undone, to be revealed, in their first twenty minutes together.
They took their time walking back to the resort. The top coating of sand cooled after the sunset, but layers underneath held remnants of the day’s heat. Anna luxuriated in the sensation of cool and warm slipping between her toes and along the bottoms of her feet. Having Daniel’s body next to hers blocked the chilly air coming off the water.
“Do you want to change before we eat?” Touching her elbow, he guided her onto the curving walkway in front of the restaurant’s outdoor seating area.
“No, but I could use another layer.”
Daniel signaled the maitre’d they were ready to be seated and asked the man to bring over two shawls from the stack behind the man’s station. “Would you like to share a bottle of wine? They have a decent selection from vineyards in the area.”
“I had no idea Mexico produced wines. I’d love to try one.”
He held a hushed discussion over the wine list with the sommelier before glancing across the table at her. “I imagine we’re going with seafood?”
Anna nodded. The wine steward glided away from their table to retrieve the agreed upon bottle.
“The man who’s been seeing to my every need since I arrived recommended the ceviche,” she offered. “Jorge’s been right about everything else, so far.”
“Should I be jealous of this Jorge?” Daniel asked, grinning as he leaned across the table and brushed a thumb over her cheek. “I hope you’ll allow me to see to your needs as well.”
“Flying me here was a very good start.”
The wine arrived with a flourish. Daniel paid proper attention to the ritual of opening and tasting the wine, and Anna allowed herself to be swept up in the elegant interplay between server and client. Candlelight played over their wine glasses as he filled both before stepping away from the table. Daniel lifted his glass to her and waited. One more veil slid away from his gaze. She could see more, but for now, she sensed he was more comfortable choreographing their wine and food choices.
When she took her first sip of the light gold-colored wine, her taste buds registered their pleasure. “This is lovely. I swear I can taste the Mexican sun.”
Daniel nodded in agreement as he swished his first sip through his mouth. “Shall we order?”
Their conversation stayed light throughout the appetizer and main course. Anna begged off dessert but succumbed to sweet temptation when Daniel held up a spoonful of flan and slid the cool surface over her lower lip. “You
