First Date, Again

She was the first girl he’d ever liked, and the first girl whose lips he’d tasted. When they were fourteen, she was the first girl whom he’d ever told he loved. The beginning of his crush on her was the moment that girls no longer had cooties.

Beth had been Lincoln’s dream girl. In elementary school, they’d been buddies… she was ‘one of the guys’ and did the same stuff as the rest of the gang. But by junior high, things started changing. Their relationship morphed from ‘buds’ to something completely different. One day, in sixth grade, they were walking home from the bus stop, just the two of them. He’d tripped, and she pulled him back up… and for the rest of the walk, until she turned to go up her front walk, their fingers were interlinked.

It all crashed to a halt at the end of ninth grade. Linc’s dad was transferred to Great Britain. Trans-Atlantic calls were expensive, and even though he tried, writing was something he did like just about every other fifteen-year-old boy… he didn’t.

***

She wrote a few letters, at least a few more than she received. She was still in love with Linc, but he wasn’t there. She didn’t know if he was ever coming back. Eventually, life moved on for her.

Steve Ogden took her to her first dance, and while her mind wandered to Lincoln Royce, she pushed it down. He was gone and she didn’t know if he even thought about her anymore.

Beth Thomas graduated and went on to college. She started using her full name, then met and married Tim Willis. He had been a good man, until he wasn’t. But they had three wonderful children together. After college, she never went back to Virginia, at least not until after the divorce. Her kids were grown, and had scattered to the winds, and her father’s health declined. Her parents needed her. When she thought about it, she needed something different. Someplace different.

***

Lincoln Royce picked up the loaf of bread and set it in his cart. He had a lot more things to get. It wasn’t his first trip to the grocery store since moving back, but each time, it seemed like the list got longer and he realized all the things he was missing.

“Lincoln Royce?” he heard from behind him.

He spun around. His eyes landed on a woman that seemed familiar. He looked at her for a moment, eyes probing, trying to see through the years. It had been a month since he’d moved back, transferred to the place he’d lived until he was fifteen. He’d left thirty-nine years before.

“Liz Jones… right?”

“Pretty good, Linc. It’s Liz Garrett now. I almost forget... twenty-five years. Are you visiting?” she asked.

“No. I moved back a few weeks ago. How have you been?”

“Good… like I said, married. Two kids. Grandson on the way,” she said, smiling wide. “Never left. What about you? We kind of lost track of you after you moved to England.”

“Yeah… wow. That’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I was actually living outside of London until coming back here. I got married, we had a son. My wife passed from cancer two years ago. The company was looking to expand, and here I am.”

“I’m so sorry, Linc. That must have been devastating,” Liz said, reaching out and taking his hand. “Have you seen any of the old crowd?”

“No. I wouldn’t even know where to start. And work has been a little crazy. And getting my house in order. I bought it without having set foot in it. It was still a good deal, but needed a little more than I thought, you know?”

“Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner. You and my husband, Gil, would get along great. What do ya say? Friday, I won’t take no for an answer.”

He knew her determination. He also knew she had been Beth’s best friend when he left. If anyone knew where she was and how she was doing, Liz would have the inside track.

“Sure,” he replied.

She tapped his phone with hers, passing along her address.

“Casual. We’ll grill or something. It’ll be fun.” Her eyes glinted with the mirth he remembered.

***

Elizabeth Willis was sitting in the kitchen of her best friend’s house, a glass of merlot in her hand. It was her second.

“You are up to something, Liz. I have known you too long. I can see it in your eyes,” Beth said to her friend.

“Moi?” Liz replied, her hand on her chest, her eyes wide. “Aside from setting you up on a blind date, nothing at all.”

“Blind date? You are kidding me. I’ve been in town a week.” She shook her head. She wasn’t mad. More than just about anyone, she knew that Liz loved her. They were both only-children, and they had been like sisters their entire lives. Even when Beth lived across the country, the two of them remained incredibly close. “Fine… who is it?”

“I’m not telling… But he is tall, quite attractive. Light brown hair threaded with silver. He has gorgeous hazel eyes.”

“And why is this beautiful hunk of masculinity not married?” Beth asked, her eyelashes fluttering.

“Widower. His wife died of cancer. He has a son, twenty-eight. I really think you’ll like him. And he is going to love you.”

“I don’t know… but I guess it’s too late now. You owe me, though,” Beth said, refilling both of their glasses.

They moved out to the deck, overlooking the bay. Gil was manning the grill, cooking up a few steaks. The awning was rolled out, and with the breeze, it was a perfect evening to sit and listen to the waves lapping on the beach as the sun lowered in the sky.

“Doorbell,” Liz said as she jumped off her chair and headed back into the house.

“I don’t know a thing,” Gil said, laughing as Beth turned to look at him. “I’m just the hired help. But my wife might know you better than you know you.”

Beth turned and looked back toward the sliding glass door as Liz came through. A moment later, her date stepped through the door. She hadn’t even seen his face when she knew who it was. The way he reached for the door was enough for her.

“Linc!” Beth cried as she launched from the tall chair into his arms. His arms wrapped around her as she buried her face in his chest, squeezing him. “Are you real? Are you really here?”

“Hi, Beth.” He pulled back a little and looked at her. “My God, you are beautiful.” Beth reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I’ve missed you.”

Beth pulled him back to the table and sat down next to him, her fingers intertwined with his and her eyes locked on him. Her other hand reached out and touched him tentatively. “I missed you, too.”

***

Linc looked at Beth in the pale light of the approaching twilight. Her golden hair, now streaked with touches of silver, a few wrinkles emanating from the corners of her beautiful blue eyes. But he saw the same girl he’d fallen in love with forty years before. He saw the girl he was never able to forget. She sipped her merlot, her eyes coming back to him and she set the glass down. Her smile was as brilliant as ever, and her eyes held the same playful shimmer.

Gil laid out the plates, grilled flat-iron steaks with a blue-cheese butter, rosemary and garlic, along with roasted potatoes and grilled, homemade bread.

“Gil, this is amazing,” Linc said.

Through dinner, with Liz and Gil only occasionally bumping into their consciousness, they had talked about their lives. The thirty-nine years that had escaped them. School, college, work, kids. Their eyes seldom left the others.

After dinner, they sat close and held hands, the conversation continuing. Every once in a while, Gil or Liz would get a thought out, but they were all but invisible to the two lovers.

Liz brought out the warm, dark chocolate brownies, their aroma mixing with the merlot.

“Do you want to walk on the beach?” Linc whispered in Beth’s ear as dessert was finished.

“Yes, she does,” Liz said quickly. “Gil and I will take care of this.”

“I can help…” Beth tried to say.

“No, you can’t. I’ve never been so happy to be ignored in my own house in my life. Go… walk… fall back in love with each other,” Liz laughed out.

Beth blushed deeply as Linc held her hand, helping her from the chair. “Too late,” she whispered to her friend. “Thank you.”

Beth slipped her arm into Linc’s as they turned and walked down to the beach, their shoes sitting on the front porch of the house. They walked the length of the beach, slowly, enjoying each other’s touch as they talked about the old days, both together and apart.

“It must have been devastating to lose your wife like that,” Beth said, her head leaned over on his shoulder as they strolled across the sand.

“It was. It was almost as hard as losing you when I moved. Don’t get me wrong… I loved Bianca… I still do… but we had a good life together. We were married for almost thirty years. But I never forgot about you.”

“I never forgot about you, either,” Beth replied, stopping, Linc turning to face her.

For the first time since they were both fifteen, she reached up and wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, the other around his shoulders. His hand fell to her waist, then encircled her, pulling her tight. She stretched up and tasted his lips, the first touch tentative. He leaned down, returning the kiss, longer and deeper. They kissed again, each kiss more intimate and comfortable than the last.

As they walked away from the beach to collect their shoes, Liz stepped onto the porch. “How was dinner?” she asked, her eyes gleaming.

“The pairings were amazing, Liz,” Linc said, his smile broad.

“The merlot was perfect with the steaks and pairing of it with the dark chocolate brownies was exquisite,” Beth added.

“Of course, pairing me with Beth again was the one that put the night over the top,” Linc beamed.

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