Flight to Paradise (Flight Trilogy, Book 1) (8 page)

The digital voice said, “You have one message…”

“Hi, this is Ryan.” Emily glanced over at Kate.

“That was fast,” Kate said.

Emily moved closer so she could hear every word. “I was just calling to tell you I enjoyed meeting you today and look forward to my guided tour of the Old Lighthouse.”

“How sweet,” Kate said. “And listen to that accent.”

“You’re probably still at the beach. Feel free to give me a call, 755-3599, or…ah…I’ll just call you back later. Talk to you soon.”

“Based on the time of the message, that boy went straight home,” Kate said. “I think if you play this one right, you might get more than a
couple
of free dinners.”

“He’s a sweetie,” Emily said. “Think I should call him back?”

“Now, if it were ‘lover boy’, I’d make him beg. I might even wait for his
second
call. But I think you’re safe with this one.”

Emily replayed the message and wrote down his number. She put the phone on speaker and dialed.

“Hello,” Ryan said.

“Hi, Ryan. This is Emily. Remember me?”

“Absolutely. I guess you got my message.”

“Yeah. You ready to book that tour?” She looked at Kate and raised her eyebrows.

“Sure. When can you work me in?”

“How about next Saturday?”

“Sounds great! What time?”

“Three o’clock too early?”

“No. That’s perfect.”

“Good. The park closes around six, so that should give us enough time. The sunsets are to die for. I’ll even introduce you to a good friend of mine, J.R. Cabrillo.” Kate rolled her eyes.

“Who’s that?”

“I’ll let it be a surprise.”

“I like surprises,” Ryan said. “Also, don’t forget, you need to be thinking of where you’d like to eat dinner.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll pick out a good place,” she said, looking over at Kate with a sly grin. “Listen, I need to go. Call me later this week and I’ll give you directions to my place.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

“Emily Anderson…you are
so
bad,” Kate said.

“Yeah, don’t you love it?” This guy had something intriguingly different going on—something she liked. Perhaps it was his innocent Southern charm, or his overly sensitive attentiveness. Whatever it was caught her off guard and she liked it.

CHAPTER 12

San
Diego
,
California

Six
months
later
—
Saturday
,
December
22
,
1983

Ryan was smitten. Emily Anderson had won his heart in only six months. Thoughts of Keri had grown foggy with time, however, like an unwelcomed ghost in his mind, her many special qualities haunted him at times—tempting him to question his love for Emily. He learned to push them away, convincing himself they were only the remaining fragments of a childish infatuation. He was happy for her and Bill. If it didn’t work out, he knew she would eventually make someone a great wife.

He and Emily had grown inseparable—romantic dinners, walks on the beach at sunset, and weekends filled with impulsive adventures from morning until night. He lost himself in her playful and carefree spirit. Her uninhibited affection kept him in an almost constant state of arousal.

With only six months remaining in the Navy and knowing an airline job would take him away from San Diego, he feared losing her, much like he’d lost Keri; the result of his not acting on his feelings. Marriage—a topic they frequently discussed—was a possibility but he wished for more time. He desired to know
everything
about the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with. However, the thought of leaving her behind was unbearable. He’d already blown it once.

Emily made life exciting both in private and in public. As they walked together in crowded places, heads turned and followed them like fields of wheat blown by a gentle breeze. He often met the glazed stares of gawking men with a proud sense of ownership, thinking:

Eat
your
heart
out
boys
;
she’s
all
mine
.

Although he found no fault in her physical beauty, other areas of her life screamed out “danger ahead.” Her undisciplined use of credit became apparent. Her credit cards were often refused by merchants, stating, “I’m sorry, but this card was declined.” As quickly as the words rolled off the merchant’s lips, she would produce a second card—a third if necessary. With each confrontation, she appeared shocked the card’s limit had been reached. His momentary waves of embarrassment would quickly vanish when she wrapped him in one of her playful hugs.

Overall, her many attractive qualities outweighed his few concerns, allowing him to compromise his worries. Once married, he could teach her about money, and together they would build a solid financial life.

However, something in his core haunted him. He remembered his numerous Sunday morning talks with his mother. When the subject of qualifying a woman as a potential wife came up, she would say, “Now Ryan, you can always tell what kind of wife a woman will make by the relationship she has with her father. Often, a woman’s idea of men is synonymous with her image of her father.”

The distant relationship Emily had with her alcoholic father concerned him. The few occasions he had seen them together they barely talked. And her mother, a shy, quiet woman seemed to live in fear, as if a prisoner sentenced to a life of solitary confinement. Although a part of him was suspicious, he believed that once they were married, these issues would not present any long-term threats.

After talking with several major airlines, they all seemed very interested in offering him a job after he separated from the Navy.

He wondered if he could support a wife on the first-year airline probationary salary. If Emily worked, they might be able to squeeze out enough to afford a cheap one-bedroom apartment in Texas. Then he remembered the time he asked Emily how she felt about working after they married. She’d scrunched-up her nose and said, “I don’t mind waiting a few months.”

He knew it would be more like a year—probably longer. A year was a long time, and she was a beautiful woman. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together; the second part of the equation being a never-ending batch of fresh, young, fighter-pilots, most of them like Rex, combing the beaches for hot girls. One look at her in her bikini and they would be all over her.

He remembered his mom telling him, “Learn to listen to your heart.” Well, his heart was crying out for Emily, and he didn’t want to lose her. Time was running out. He would soon be leaving the Navy and California. He needed to know if she was willing to give up everything to go with him. He planned to find out today. Every detail had been meticulously planned. The ring was in his pocket. Today was the day he hoped to ask Emily Anderson to be his wife.

CHAPTER 13

Two
o’clock
in
the
afternoon

Ryan pressed the small white button mounted on the wall beside her apartment door. A faint chime sounded inside. In his arms he cradled a long white box wrapped with a wide red ribbon and a large red bow.

The sound of steps grew louder. The peephole in the center of the door flickered dark seconds before the door opened. “Happy Anniversary!” he said, offering the white box to Emily.

“You are so sweet!”

Her look of excitement was priceless. Wrapped in a white bathrobe, no makeup, and her hair in a towel, she was still gorgeous.

“Come in.” She took his hand and guided him into the apartment, closing the door behind him. “Am I late?” She turned his arm slightly to get a better look at his wristwatch.

“No. You’re fine. I wanted to surprise you.” He’d planned a night filled with surprises. He only hoped she would be as excited later when he presented her with the biggest surprise of them all.

“What did you bring me?” She carefully removed the red bow and ribbon from the box then slipped the top off. “Oh!” She folded the thin paper away. “Roses! They’re beautiful.”

She leaned down and breathed-in the mesmerizing fragrance. A small white card caught her eye. She placed the box of flowers on the table by the door, took the card, and started reading it silently. Her eyes grew watery. Quickly wiping them, she handed the card to Ryan. “Would you read it for me? I don’t think I can.”

“
My
dearest
Emily
,

With
these
roses
I
give
you
my
love
.
I
chose
thornless
red
roses
because
of
what
they
symbolize
:

Red
roses
to
symbolize
romance
,
love
,
beauty
,
and
courage
:
A
romance
between
us
I
hope
never
ends
;
My
love
for
you
that
has
overtaken
every
corner
of
my
heart
;
Your
beauty
which
words
cannot
describe
;
and
my
wish
for
the
courage
to
make
the
changes
in
my
life
that
will
allow
you
to
love
me
more
.”

He took one rose from the box and handed it to her.

“
The
thornless
stems
signify
that
the
first
time
I
saw
you
;
it
was
love
at
first
sight
.
Thank
you
for
the
most
wonderful
six
months
of
my
life
.

I
love
you
more
than
you
will
ever
know
.

Ryan
.”

He looked into her eyes and softly said, “I love you.”

She wrapped both arms around his waist and hugged him; her cheeks still wet with tears. “I don’t deserve you.”

He leaned down and kissed her. With excitement in his voice, he said, “I’ve got a big night planned, but we’re on a tight schedule. So you’d better get ready.”

“How exciting!” She removed the towel from her head and shook her slightly damp hair. Taking both hands, she slowly pulled it back and twisted it into a ponytail. With her arms raised and her hands behind her head, the front of her robe accidentally opened, exposing her bare breasts. His eyes dove uncontrollably to take in the view. His heart rate spiked. Time froze, like an out-of-body experience.

Reluctantly, he forced his eyes to their previous orbit—hoping she had not noticed. She smiled, making no attempt to pull her robe closed.

“Like what you see, sailor?” She took his arm and led him to the nearby sofa, encouraging him onto his back. Slipping the robe from her shoulders, she straddled him and began unbuckling his belt.

“We’d better not,” he said. “I don’t think we have time.”

She chuckled seductively. “There’s always time for me to show you how much I love you.” With his pants unbuckled and zipper down, she smiled and said, “Looks like someone down here didn’t get the memo about being on a schedule.”

As she reached for him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him. Face-to-face, he said, “Emily, now is not the time.” He kissed her. “I have something very special to show you, and, if we don’t go now, we might miss it.” He kissed her again.

“Okay, sailor, but it better be good.” She sat up.

The sight of her made him think hard about going anywhere. He glanced at his watch—almost two thirty. “It’s a surprise you’re going to love.”

“If you say so.” She slipped into her robe. “I’ll only be a minute.”

She called out from the bedroom, “I don’t know if I can handle all these surprises.”

“Me neither,” he said, zipping his pants.

CHAPTER 14

7:40 p.m.

“Wow!” Ryan said. “You look gorgeous!” He stood from the sofa taking a moment to arrange the pillows before walking over to Emily.

“You’re sweet.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Oops.” With her finger, she attempted to remove the lipstick. “There…that’ll give you a nice rosy look.” She patted his butt.

“Thanks.” Ryan said. He looked at his watch—two forty-five.

“Are we on schedule, Captain?” She smiled and gave him a wink.

“Yes, ma’am, right on schedule.”

Beneath his disciplined military shell, Ryan was a full-blown romantic. Although he didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, he understood the sensitivities of a woman—something he attributed to his mother’s long talks. His love for Emily had grown deep and he feared time was running out.

He’d planned the evening to perfection, much like one of his military missions. His sights were aimed at Emily’s heart. After leading her through his masterfully planned journey, the day would end with an amorous evening at the Del; what he hoped would be the perfect romantic setting to solidify their commitment to a future together.

“I’m so excited!” she said. “You make life so much fun.” He reached over and took her hand.

The day was clear with an average temperature for December of sixty-four. Ryan brought along an extra jacket for Emily. The daily closing time for the park was adjusted seasonally to correspond with the breathtaking sunsets; one of the main reasons for visiting the park. Today, sunset was forecast to be at 4:57 p.m.

A few miles after turning onto Catalina Boulevard, the scenic drive took them to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery; Ryan’s first planned stop.

It was beautiful, yet sobering. The two-lane road divided tens-of-thousands of unpretentious white grave markers spreading over acres of meticulously manicured lawns. Many of the gravesites were dressed with Christmas wreaths and grave blankets from loved ones; seasonal gifts of respect and love.