Under the Boardwalk (26 page)

"Four million, Mr. Smythe tells us."

She choked. "You think I—with these hands—can be trusted with something worth four million dollars? What were you thinking? Are you nuts?"

He considered it. "Maybe. You'd have to work your rear end off for very low pay. But these horses are part of our family's history, like the kids say, and I think that's worth saving."

"But what makes you think I'm qualified to do this? This is too much. I don't have the credentials...." She looked around helplessly. "There must be a hundred people better qualified...." She shook her head. "No. This is ridiculous. I have a bus to catch." She crossed her arms, hugging the sketchbook to her chest. "Are you going to drive me or do I have to walk?"

He smiled. "I'll make you a deal."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What kind of a deal?"

"Ask Mr. Smythe what Marcus Charles Illions did on his days off."

She stared at him. "What's that got to do with anything?"

He just smiled at her. "I'll drive you to the bus after you ask him." He walked away again.

Hallie stared after him. What was he up to?

She walked over to Mr. Smythe, who stood in front of another of the horses. He smiled at her. "I wish I had your talent," he said. "I'm just a museum curator, not an artist." He touched the carving reverently. Hallie noticed how the muscles in the horse's neck were bunched as if he were energetically tossing his head before a race; she'd seen that look herself on two-year-olds excitedly waiting their turn at the track on a summer afternoon.

She cleared her throat. "Um, Mr. Smythe?"

"Yes?"

"Kyle said I should ask you about the carousel carver—what was his name?"

"Marcus Charles Illions."

"Right."

"What about him?"

"Well, this sounds dumb, but, what did he do on his days off?"

Mr. Smythe chuckled. "I'm sorry. I was supposed to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I was talking to your Mr. Madrigal earlier today, before he went to pick you up, and he reminded me to tell you about that."

Hallie crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell me what, Mr. Smythe?"

"This is just a story I read somewhere—I forget which reference book it was in."

"What story?"

"About M.C. Illions. He ran his shop with his family back in Coney Island at the turn of the century. Oh, it must have been magnificent in those days to see him and his sons turning out carousels like this one."

"But—"

"—What did he do on his days off?" He laughed. "I don't know why Mr. Madrigal got such a kick out of it when I told him. He laughed and laughed. Well, the story I heard was that, after carving horses day in and day out, Marcus Illions would go down to the racetracks when he wasn't working just to watch the young thoroughbreds run."

She must have looked startled.

"Yes, it's funny, isn't it? He apparently never grew tired of watching them. And of course you can see the effect that dedication had on his work. His horses have an energy and fire that many feel has never been equalled. Mr. Madrigal seemed to think it was a funny story. He said that it made sense, that everybody has something they were born to do." He stopped. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. She could feel the tears on her cheeks, but couldn't seem to do anything to stop them.

Mr. Smythe looked worried. "I'm sorry, Ms. Reed. But I don't understand. What's the matter?"

"I'm fine," she managed to say, and turned away, trying to compose herself. She saw that Kyle was watching her.

She made her way over to him. "I won't be manipulated, Kyle Madrigal."

"I'm not telling you what to do," he said. "I'm showing you a possibility. It's your choice. You can do whatever you want."

"But—"

The twins called out to her from across the room. "Hallie! Come here!" Windy gestured to her. "Come on and talk to us!"

She waved back. "In a minute." She shook her head. "What if I fail, Kyle?"

He kissed her on the forehead. "What if you don't?"

She looked up at him. "I don't even know if I can do this—I mean physically do the work."

"I've heard there's a good physical therapy retreat up by San Francisco."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "So Dr. Lil's in on this, too? Did she tell you how much the program costs?"

"You'll have to discuss employee benefits with Tom."

"But I'm not an employee here anymore."

"Didn't you hear? We have an opening for a full-time carousel restorer. Comes with a medical benefits package, I believe."

Hallie realized her heart was pounding. This was impossible. It couldn't be true. "I'd have to find my own place to live in town," she stammered, realizing she was actually considering it. "I couldn't stay out at the ranch anymore."

He nodded. "That's a good idea. You need your space." He winked. "I wouldn't want you taking advantage of me, after all."

She sighed. "I may need a lot of space—and a lot of time to get used to this." She looked around the room. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Look," he said. "Just think about it for a while. There's a bus out of town every day but Sunday. You can give yourself a day or two to think it over."

The boys called her again. "I have to go talk to them," she said. "Will you wait?"

He nodded. "I'll wait for you."

She heard him add under his breath, "as long as it takes."

~*~

Windy gave her a big hug. "Gee, I missed you, roomie."

Hallie smiled at her. "I missed you too, kid." She turned to the boys. "So what's so exciting you had to drag me over here?"

"You're not really leaving town, are you?" Chris asked.

Zac poked him in the ribs. "Kyle said don't bug her. Knock it off."

"Sorry," Chris said.

"No problem." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Look what we found," Zac said.

"What is it?" It was a box with a metal arm sticking out of it.

"A ring machine. Look," he pulled a gray metal ring off the end of the arm, and another popped up in its place.

"Your turn, Chris," Zac said. "We should hook this thing back up again, don't you think, Hallie?"

She nodded absently. What was she going to do? What if she got hurt again? What if she failed? What if she tried—really tried this time—and she still only got partial use of her hands?

What if she could get ninety percent? What if she could get ninety-five? Would it be enough?

She thought of the vow she'd made to herself, to never again depend on a man for security and protection. It would be so easy accept this, to take this chance Kyle was offering her. Did she have the courage to do it? But to walk away—no admit it, to run away—from everything she wanted just because she was afraid of being hurt again, was that any answer?

"Hallie!"

"What?" She looked up.

"It's your turn," Zac said, holding up the gray metal ring he'd just pulled from the ring machine. "Grab it."

She looked down at the machine. The ring in the machine was brass, as shiny and golden as the day it was new.

"Lucky dog," Chris said. "You got it."

She stood and looked at the shiny brass ring, just waiting for her.

"It's your turn," Zac said again.

"Yes, it is," Hallie said, and took the ring.

~*~

EPILOGUE

Hallie opened the door of the storage unit and went inside. The horses lay there in the emptied-out space, all alone with their cracked wood and chipped paint and missing parts, just waiting for her. As they had waited for over sixty years for someone to come to them with an open heart. Someone to care.

She closed the metal door behind her, shutting out the sounds of the amusement park outside. Over her head, the roller coaster clacked on its tracks, and the faint sound of the riders' muffled screams echoed through the building.

She set down her satchel of carving tools and examined the bass wood in a neat stack in the corner. She picked up a piece and carefully checked it for quality. Yes. This would make a good replacement leg for Beauty. She carried that piece over to the rose-covered horse and set it down nearby. Her hands didn't hurt when she carried things, when she opened and shut doors, or even when she clenched and unclenched her fingers as she had day after day in physical therapy. No more pain. Still a little stiffness. Ninety percent recovered? Ninety-five? Who knew? Who cared? She would make up for any missing ability in careful, concentrated effort.

She started her work.

~*~

She looked up from Beauty's new leg hours later when the door opened.

Through the sawdust in the air she saw Kyle silhouetted in the doorway, the sound of laughter and music behind him.

"Lunch?" he asked. She saw the question in his eyes. Not just a question about taking a lunch break, but a question about them—would she try with him as well as the horses? Try to see if there was something between them that they could build into a lifetime?

She brushed the sawdust off her tee-shirt and jeans and stood up. "Yeah, I'm game. Anything but veggie hot dogs."

~*~

The blonde TV reporter from GB-TV motioned for Hallie and Kyle to stand side-by-side in front of the gold ribbon they were going to cut to officially open the carousel. "This will make a good shot, with the carousel behind you."

Hallie patted down her curls self-consciously, then straightened her fuchsia suit and tried to relax.

Kyle held a giant pair of scissors Tom had found somewhere (and Windy had helpfully spray-painted pink). He looked tense in his uniform of jeans, white shirt, dark jacket and bolo tie.

"We're here with Kyle Madrigal and Hallie Reed of the Pajaro Beach Amusement Park. Today the park celebrates its grand re-opening, and behind us is the 1927 carousel found last year, and now restored and running for the first time today."

The woman went on, asking Kyle questions about the history of the park, and Hallie about the carousel restoration process.

All the while Windy and the twins stood in the crowd gathered behind the GB-TV cameraman, making faces at them while they tried to sound professional and answer the reporter's questions.

Finally it was over, and the people gathered around all clapped when the ribbon was cut and the band organ, properly tuned at last, started playing.

Kyle took Hallie by the hand and swung her up next to him on the carousel itself. They stood by the rose horse as the ride started to revolve. She could feel the horse's roses at her back as she leaned against it and looked up at Kyle.

He kissed her.

"Hey," she said. "This is a bit public, isn't it?" She noticed the cameraman was still filming, and no one else had gotten on the ride yet. "Don't you think we should stop the ride and let everyone get on?"

Kyle shook his head. "The first ride is for you." He lifted her up and she sat on the rose horse. He stood beside her, holding her around the waist. The crowd around the ride was just a blur as they revolved.

No one shouted, or cheered. They all stood and watched the carousel with its two riders. Funny.

Kyle looked disconcertingly like his little sister at the moment, with a silly grin on his face like he was holding back some secret.

"Aren't you going to grab the ring?" he finally asked when she just sat there, staring down at him. She reached out automatically as they passed the ring dispenser, and she caught the ring on the first try.

It was brass, of course, gleaming like new. And attached to it by a white ribbon was another ring. This one was tiny, and gold, with the littlest diamonds around the band.

He took it from her. "I'm hoping you weren't counting on something with five carats from Tiffany's," he said.

She held out her finger and he slipped it on.

"Let me guess: it was great-grandmother Rose's."

He kissed her. "Of course. It's the ring for the matriarch of the Madrigal family."

"That would make you the patriarch."

"Yup," he said. "This is who I am and what I am. My job is to hold the family together for another generation—"

"—until our kids take it over from us."

He nodded. "It's a lot to take on, Hallie. A big family, a long history. You'd always be tied to one place and one family."

It—and he—was everything she had every hoped for, every dream she'd ever dreamed fulfilled.

"So you'll marry me?" he asked, a bit tentatively, as if there could be any doubt.

"Of course," she said. "After all, who am I to stand between a man and his mission in life?"