Page 71 of Chasing Forever

She could easily envision dating him when they went back home, but she questioned if he felt the same. Maybe to him, this was just a vacation romance soon to be forgotten, but she’d never forget it. Aside from Chase, she had one other person to thank for the experience—Irene.

The next morning, she decided to change up her routine. Instead of lounging around in her pjs, sipping coffee, and writing, she decided to hike out to the cliff.

She got into her exercise clothes (which were worn more for comfort than exercise), donned her sneakers and sunglasses, and went out into the early morning air.

Partway down the path, she realized she hadn’t brought her phone, but it didn’t matter. There was only one person she needed to talk to right then, and that person was in heaven.

She passed a few people on the trail, mostly morning joggers like Chase. She wondered if she’d bump into him, but she hadn’t heard any sounds from his unit that morning, so maybe he was sleeping in.

It was a lot easier to traverse the steep dirt trail with sneakers than flip-flops, and soon she was at the top, huffing a bit from the climb. I should have been doing this every morning, she thought. Then I wouldn’t be so winded.

There weren’t any cliff jumpers that early in the morning, and she picked her way along the rocky trail to where she and Chase had been before. The breeze was cool and ruffled her hair, but the sun was warm on her skin. She looked out over the expanse of ocean and exhaled. If only she could bottle this scene and take it back to Michigan.

In a way, though, she already had. She’d included her cliff-jumping experience in her new book and painted the picture of this exact view as she’d jumped. She smiled recalling how she’d clutched Chase’s hand so tightly she’d left red marks and how he’d been so proud of her he hadn’t minded.

She walked a little further until she found a boulder to sit on near the cliff’s edge. It was far enough away from the trail to afford some privacy, which was what she wanted.

Hugging her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, she glanced out to sea.

“Grandma? I hope you’re listening, and maybe Grandpa is too. I just wanted to say thank you for giving me this precious gift. I can’t express how much it’s meant to me…”

She paused to swallow as her eyes welled up with tears. She hadn’t known that would happen, and she hadn’t brought tissues. So much for always being prepared.

“My muse is back, and that’s mostly thanks to you. You knew that sending me here would help, and it did. But there’s something else that’s helped too. Or, I should say, someone.”

She quickly glanced around, and not seeing anyone, she continued. “His name is Chase. Good name for a book hero, right? I gave him a different name in my book, but it’s him, Grandma. He provided a lot of inspiration too.”

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she swatted it away.

“I think you’d like him. He’s tall and handsome and has the most gorgeous green eyes. But aside from that, he’s sweet and caring, and…he’s turned my world upside down in a good way.”

The breeze picked up, and she wanted to believe it was Irene’s way of responding. Hugging her legs a little tighter, she smiled through her tears.

“I’m not sure what the future holds, but he helped bring my smile back, and I wanted you to know. I love you, Grandma. Thank you so much for everything you’ve ever done for me. I still feel you even though you’re not here.”

She couldn’t say any more because her throat had clogged up. She bent her head to her knees and let herself cry, but these tears were different from the ones she’d shed in the recent past. These were tears of sadness for her grandma not being there, gratitude for all that Irene had given her, and hope for a brighter future.

A few minutes later, she’d wiped her tears and was about to stand up when suddenly she felt a presence nearby. She jerked her head to the right and looked straight into a pair of brilliant green eyes. Chase.

Chapter 32

Chase hadn’t realized it was her at first, but as he got closer, there was no mistaking her glossy dark hair and petite body perched on the rock. He almost called out to her, but the way she was sitting with her head down and hugging her knees, he didn’t want to startle her. Was she meditating? Deep in thought about her book? Sad?

He couldn’t tell until suddenly her head popped up, and she looked right at him. She’d been crying, and his heart dropped.

“Callie? Are you okay?” He moved closer, still unsure if his presence was welcomed.

She nodded and offered him a tentative smile. Then she scooted over on the rock and patted the space beside her.

It was an invitation he gladly took. He settled in, and because the surface of the rock was only so wide, their bodies touched from shoulder to knee. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said. He’d gone out for his morning run a bit later than usual and had decided to run up the cliff trail to burn off some of the extra calories he’d consumed.

“I was compelled to come up here this morning,” she said, her voice sounding a bit raw. “I wanted to talk to my grandmother.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, the term of affection slipping out naturally. He wrapped his other arm around her front and squeezed.

“I’m okay. It was a good talk even though it was one-sided.”