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Authors: Julie Cannon
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on fire where Colby had touched her.
She continued to watch as Colby turned and seemed to look directly at her. She couldn’t be seen from here, but her head still buzzed and her pulse ran faster. Colby seemed to stare for several more moments before she turned away and walked down the beach. Elizabeth suddenly felt cool, as if Colby’s body heat had been stripped away from her.
She didn’t know what to do about this intense craving. She was here to work and relax, and only for a couple of months at that. Would she have a summer fling, then return to her routine as if nothing happened? A summer with Colby would not be nearly enough. She wanted her, no doubt about it, but having her was not an option. Now if she could only convince her body. “It’s going to be a long, hot summer,” Elizabeth murmured as she returned inside.
Chapter Seven
Colby had hardly slept. The nightmare was back, but this time Elizabeth’s face had replaced the one that had haunted her dreams for three years. Wide-awake, she glanced at the clock. Four thirty. In an hour it would be light and another day would begin. She tossed back the sheets, damp from her tortured dreams. She might as well get up. She couldn’t possibly go back to sleep and didn’t even want to try. The dream usually came just before dawn. Exactly like the reality of what had happened.
At one time she had almost killed herself from lack of sleep. When the nightmares began, she hadn’t slept more than an hour or two at a time. She set her alarm to prevent herself from falling into a deep sleep, which is when the dreams appeared. One night on the way home she drove off the road. Luckily, she skidded into a ditch instead of a redwood.
Time heals all wounds, and in her case that was mostly true. The nightmares no longer occurred nightly, only when she was stressed or the calendar reminded her what day it was. She was finally beginning to feel human again.
After she put the coffee on, she showered and was dressed in a few minutes in what little she wore every day. In her previous life she could wake from a deep sleep, shower, and be out the door in ten minutes, sometimes less. Since then, she had tried to consciously take more time and enjoy the warm water cascading over her, the luxurious scented soap, but it was hard to change habits that years of necessity had imposed.
Her hands were still shaking when she poured her first cup of coffee. It always took a while for her nerves to settle; however, this morning her hands shook more noticeably than usual after the nightmare. She had made the mistake of glancing at the calendar as she entered the kitchen and noticed the date. June 5. Three years, three months, and twelve days ago her selfishness had changed her life. One thousand, one hundred seventy-six days since that awful night when her lover jumped off the I-90 bridge right before her eyes.
No one knew the complete story except the Seattle police. She had explained everything, every moment in the days and weeks leading up to that night in excruciating detail until they were satisfied that she was not to blame. If it were only that simple.
Too jittery to sit in her kitchen, she went downstairs to her store. When she returned to the island she had bought it from an old man for much less than it was worth now and rebuilt both the shop and her life. It was her refuge.
The Top Side Surf Shop did a brisk business, and she employed several other locals to staff and manage it. She preferred to be in the water rather than behind the counter. Only Simi, the manager, knew she was the boss. Everyone else thought she was simply another hired hand. She signed the checks but Simi ran the place. She didn’t want any responsibility other than the lessons that gave her spirit the freedom it needed. And she liked it that way.
As she looked around the shop, familiar names and logos jumped out at her. Bing, Surftech, and Hobe surfboards; Body Glove and Rip Curl wet suits; Billabong board
She continued to watch as Colby turned and seemed to look directly at her. She couldn’t be seen from here, but her head still buzzed and her pulse ran faster. Colby seemed to stare for several more moments before she turned away and walked down the beach. Elizabeth suddenly felt cool, as if Colby’s body heat had been stripped away from her.
She didn’t know what to do about this intense craving. She was here to work and relax, and only for a couple of months at that. Would she have a summer fling, then return to her routine as if nothing happened? A summer with Colby would not be nearly enough. She wanted her, no doubt about it, but having her was not an option. Now if she could only convince her body. “It’s going to be a long, hot summer,” Elizabeth murmured as she returned inside.
Chapter Seven
Colby had hardly slept. The nightmare was back, but this time Elizabeth’s face had replaced the one that had haunted her dreams for three years. Wide-awake, she glanced at the clock. Four thirty. In an hour it would be light and another day would begin. She tossed back the sheets, damp from her tortured dreams. She might as well get up. She couldn’t possibly go back to sleep and didn’t even want to try. The dream usually came just before dawn. Exactly like the reality of what had happened.
At one time she had almost killed herself from lack of sleep. When the nightmares began, she hadn’t slept more than an hour or two at a time. She set her alarm to prevent herself from falling into a deep sleep, which is when the dreams appeared. One night on the way home she drove off the road. Luckily, she skidded into a ditch instead of a redwood.
Time heals all wounds, and in her case that was mostly true. The nightmares no longer occurred nightly, only when she was stressed or the calendar reminded her what day it was. She was finally beginning to feel human again.
After she put the coffee on, she showered and was dressed in a few minutes in what little she wore every day. In her previous life she could wake from a deep sleep, shower, and be out the door in ten minutes, sometimes less. Since then, she had tried to consciously take more time and enjoy the warm water cascading over her, the luxurious scented soap, but it was hard to change habits that years of necessity had imposed.
Her hands were still shaking when she poured her first cup of coffee. It always took a while for her nerves to settle; however, this morning her hands shook more noticeably than usual after the nightmare. She had made the mistake of glancing at the calendar as she entered the kitchen and noticed the date. June 5. Three years, three months, and twelve days ago her selfishness had changed her life. One thousand, one hundred seventy-six days since that awful night when her lover jumped off the I-90 bridge right before her eyes.
No one knew the complete story except the Seattle police. She had explained everything, every moment in the days and weeks leading up to that night in excruciating detail until they were satisfied that she was not to blame. If it were only that simple.
Too jittery to sit in her kitchen, she went downstairs to her store. When she returned to the island she had bought it from an old man for much less than it was worth now and rebuilt both the shop and her life. It was her refuge.
The Top Side Surf Shop did a brisk business, and she employed several other locals to staff and manage it. She preferred to be in the water rather than behind the counter. Only Simi, the manager, knew she was the boss. Everyone else thought she was simply another hired hand. She signed the checks but Simi ran the place. She didn’t want any responsibility other than the lessons that gave her spirit the freedom it needed. And she liked it that way.
As she looked around the shop, familiar names and logos jumped out at her. Bing, Surftech, and Hobe surfboards; Body Glove and Rip Curl wet suits; Billabong board
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