Love Letters (6 page)

When he kissed her, they both knew they belonged together. That’s when he had seen her beautiful smile – a smile of joy and confidence. He promised himself that he was going to marry her and take good care of her. Now here she was
again, the Chloe he knew and loved, smiling like the first time they’d kissed. He wished he could tell her now how much he loved her.

Her face was pale as she regarded the upcoming wave. “Are you ok?” he asked.

“
I’m just nervous about the waves.”

“
Don’t worry. Watch how I go first. The trick is to ride with the wave, not against it,” Josh said. Chloe walked back to the beach, surfboard at her side.

“
Okay.” She watched closely as Josh rode on his board to catch the wave.

He couldn’t believe how eager Chloe was to go surfing when Trish would never even try it. He spent the next ten minutes showing Chloe how to ride the waves.

“
Did you see that?” Josh asked, when he returned.

“
Your approach was smooth, but I think I’ll need more than one lesson,” Chloe joked, still clinging to her board.

“
We offer surfing lessons if you’re interested.”

“
Really? That would be great.”

Josh licked the tangy saltwater from his lips. “I love what I do. I can’t imagine having a desk job and wearing some fancy suit. That’s so not me.”

Chloe laughed. “I can’t imagine you at a desk job, either.”

Josh smiled with relief. Trish had pushed for him to go to work with her father in advertising. The thought nearly gave him panic attacks, whereas Chloe was so easy to talk to, just as he remembered. When they were dating, he had ridden her around Half Moon Bay on his bike and she had reveled in the experience. Chloe was so easy-going which was why they got along in the first place.

“
Besides,” she added, “if you were behind a desk, we wouldn’t be riding this beautiful board. It’s so shiny,” she said, fingering its smooth surface.

“
Thanks, I always make sure we wax our boards before we use them.”

“
Okay, teacher, I’m ready for my first lesson.”

“
I’ll race you to the shore,” Josh said, sprinting ahead.

Moments later Chloe arrived at the shore gasping for breath. “Cheater.”

Josh grinned.

“
What do I need to do?” Chloe asked, dipping her feet in the water.

He couldn’t believe it. He was with his childhood sweetheart, teaching her how to surf. “First, before we go in the water, put your board on the sand, and then lay on your stomach.”

“
Okay, I can do that.” She followed his example.

“
You need to move a little back so your feet touch the end of the board.” Josh showed her how to do it. “There you go. Now, keep the board the same level as the sand.”

“
All right.”

“
Next, put your hands on the rails of the board and pretend that you’re doing pushups.”

“
I can do that,” Chloe said, repeating the task five times.

“
That’s great.” Josh nodded. “Now
swing your feet underneath
you and plant your lead foot on the center of the board so that you're in a crouched position. Let me show you how.” He planted his feet on his surfboard.

“
I’m not sure I can,” Chloe said, trying to balance herself on the board.

“
Sure you can. You see, there you go. You’re a natural, Chloe. Now try that five more times until you think you’ve mastered it.”

Chloe’s movements were awkward in the beginning, but she soon had it down.

“
Great, now you’re ready to paddle on the water. This is how you paddle,” Josh said, showing her how.

Chloe once again followed Josh’s example. “I’m a little nervous.”

“
You’ll be fine. You just need to focus on your balance and remember the basics I taught you.”

Chloe took a deep breath and picked up her board. “All right, I’m ready.”

“
Great, now let’s catch our first wave together,” Josh said, giving her the surf sign.

Chloe closed her eyes, her feet touching the end of the board, her hands on the rail. As the wave approached, she pushed her body up into a crouch position, carefully balancing herself. Her body danced with the wave that washed over her.

“
This is euphoric,” she said, after conquering her first wave.

“
I knew you’d enjoy it,” Josh said, jumping out of the water.

“
I want to try again.”

“
Okay, but we need to wait.”

“
What do we do while we’re waiting for another wave?”

“
We sit on our boards and wait for sets.”

“
What are sets?” Chloe asked, pulling herself up to sit on the board.

“
Sets are a series of waves.”

She pushed her hair away from her face. “I’m so excited.”

There it was again – that smile that he had worked so hard to win the first time he had kissed her. “I’m glad you like it.”

“
I love it, but I can’t just sit here and wait.”

“
There’s more to surfing than the waves. It also teaches patience.”

Chloe sighed. “Is that why surfers spend hours catching a wave?”

Josh nodded. “It’s between you and the wave. What more can you ask?”

They surfed the whole afternoon. Chloe fell down numerous times, but bounced back on her feet laughing boisterously. The day was almost over and Josh didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t believe how much fun he was having, and what better way to spend it than with Chloe?

“
This is one of the best days ever,” Chloe said pushing her board to the shore. “I swear, I’ve never felt like this before.”

Josh smiled. “You’re great for a beginner. We normally teach classes before taking our students to the water. You’re one of my best students.”

“
That’s because you’re a great teacher. I’m sure your students learn a lot from you. You’re very patient and calm.”

Josh smiled sheepishly. “That’s what they all say.”

“
Is Phil as calm as you are?” Chloe asked, as they sat down in the sand.

Josh handed her an extra towel then dried himself. His cheeks felt burnt and his lips were dry, but that didn’t bother him because he was having the time of his life with Chloe. “Phil is more competitive. At times he pushes his students too hard, but most of his students end up joining competitions, so they need that type of training. I’m more of the ‘enjoy your surf’ type of guy.”

“
You’re still the same Josh I always knew,” she said, giving him that dreamy look she had given him when they were young.

He gazed at her and smiled. A part of him wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but another part of him encouraged patience. Instead he scribbled in the sand, “Josh and Chloe were here.”

She smiled at him, and then excused herself to go to the portable bathroom to change.
She came back moments later and handed Josh the towel and wetsuit as he walked her to her car to say goodbye.

“
Thanks again, Josh. I really had fun today.”

He was about to ask her out when he caught sight of a ring on her finger, which seemed like an engagement ring to him.
His spirits sagged like a deflated balloon. “I’m glad you had fun, Chloe. See you around.”

After she left he sat down on his car thinking.
Am I too late?

***

That evening over dinner at her house, Chloe showed Richard the letters she and Nicole read earlier, but Richard handed them back to her without looking at them. Her face was still red from surfing with Josh. For once she was relieved that Richard appeared too busy to have noticed. Like always, he was wearing his blue tooth earpiece, and between courses had been trying to close a deal with Steven Yates who was opening the biggest mall in Sacramento.

“
I don’t know why it should bother you. That was forty years ago. Why don’t you call your mom and ask her about the letters?”

“
I’m curious to know, that’s all. What if Dad wasn’t “the one”? What if Ignacio was her true love and she let him slip away?” Chloe said, drinking her red wine.

“
Does it really matter? Your dad is gone and she married him, didn’t she?” Richard yawned.

“
What if she married my dad for the wrong reasons? Could it be possible that she never loved my dad, and that she still pines for Ignacio?” Chloe set her glass down.

Richard just shook his head. “Would you get a grip on yourself. What are you up to, anyway? Are you planning to reunite them?”

Chloe froze, and then snapped her fingers. “You just gave me a brilliant idea.”

“
Chloe, why does it always have to be this way with you? You live in Fairytale Land, always believing in happily ever after,” Richard said, spearing his last bite of steak.

Chloe scowled. She took the dishes to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher while he sat on the couch and watched the news. Her thoughts once again turned to Josh. He was always a good listener and he treated her like she was the most important person in his life. Seeing him today only confirmed that he hadn’t changed.

She longed for that same feeling with Richard. Surely, in years past, he had felt the way Josh had for her; he just hadn’t had an opportunity to show it lately. With that, she walked barefoot to him and leaned her head against his chest, stroking his arm. To her frustration, he ignored her and continued to watch the news. Angry, she stood.

Mom deserves a second chance. And so do I.

Where had that last thought come from? Is that what she wanted with Josh – a second chance? Chloe knew that crazy things were happening after her fateful meeting with Josh and surfing with him today, but where that would lead she had no idea. She sighed and got busy picking up the remainder of the house.

An hour later, Richard announced that he had to leave. He stood up and tripped over her giant teddy bear. “Chloe, promise me that you’re going to get rid of this stuffed toy when we get married.”

Chloe almost choked on his words. First her house, then the dog, and now her teddy, the very teddy that Josh had given her.
After spending time with Josh today, she knew now that she had to see him again before she married. If she wasn’t ready to part with her teddy bear, perhaps she wasn’t ready to part with Josh either.

Richard went to the bathroom as she rushed upstairs to get her laptop.

“
Goodnight, Chloe,” he yelled from downstairs.

By the time she came down, Richard was gone and Greta was barking loudly.

She shook her head.
How can he leave without even a kiss? Mom and I seem to have something in common.
Maybe seeing Josh again was a sign that history shouldn’t repeat itself.
“Or maybe I’m just getting cold feet.”

She growled in frustration, and then decided to focus on finding out more about Ignacio. She Googled the name Ignacio Rodriguez into her laptop. Perhaps she could locate him on the web. She soon found one, a University Professor at Princeton, and another one, a guitarist from Uruguay. She found a third person – an architect in Argentina, but he was quite young. She let out a sigh realizing how difficult this could be.
This guy has to be close to Mom’s age – around sixty or older.
She stayed up all night, searching and asking herself
what would it take to be given a second chance?

She was so engrossed that it took a minute before she realized her phone was ringing.
Josh.

Chapter Four

Chloe woke up that morning with a loud knock on her front door. She had fallen asleep in front of her computer after talking to Josh into the wee hours of the morning. Greta was barking loudly, and running up and down the stairs.
Who could that be?

She had never expected Josh to call her, yet one phone call had proved how great a listener he was. They had talked about everything—from when he left for Oregon and what he’d been up to ever since. She even told him about the letters and, unlike Richard, Josh was eager to know more. She was convinced that he was the same Josh she had fallen in love with thirteen years ago. Now, more than ever, she was determined to see him again, to see if her feelings were still there.

She put on her robe, tied her hair and hurriedly brushed her teeth. She couldn’t get over what Josh told her on the phone.

“
Chloe, I was so amped to see you again,” he told her.

She felt the same. Then he told her he would stop by her shop. She hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

But it wasn’t just about seeing him again; it was what he said that left her breathless.

In his very sexy voice, the one that had sent shivers down her spine as a young teen, Josh said, “At the airport, when I was twelve and we were getting ready to leave Half Moon Bay for Oregon, I told my mom that I needed to go to the bathroom. I stayed there forever with my feet up so she couldn’t find me. We almost missed our flight because of me.”