AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shook his head in silence at her, perplexed at her dislike of public places.
Twenty minutes later they arrived at Waterworks Park, where they disembarked from the carriage at the entrance near Cadillac Boulevard, named after the founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. The park, itself, housed one of the few waterworks systems found anywhere in America. Its main source was to provide clean drinking water to the thousands of residents of the city, but it was also home to a glorious park that drew in tourists from all over. It was a botanical oasis away from the polluted streets of the metropolitan. Together, Ryan and Evelina enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the many geranium scented pathways lined with garden beds and chestnut trees.
It was a beautiful summer day. The sky was a clear blue and the air hot and thick with a mid-July humidity. Not surprisingly, the park was overflowing with park goers, far more than Ryan anticipated. He wasn’t entirely certain but he wondered if that was why Evelina chose to stroll unnaturally close to his side most of the day. Not that he minded. In fact, if it wasn’t considered improper, he would have loved to walk arm in arm. As it was he had to contend with being granted the odd brush of her arm against his own every now and then.
That was until their footsteps led them to the first of many canals that flowed in from the Detroit River. At that point, she seemed to be hanging back, keeping a proper distance from him. Or possibly the water’s edge?
He thought of the story her father had recounted of that day on the rocky bluffs and wondered if Evelina would ever gain his trust enough to reveal what happened. He very much wanted to help her however no matter what he did, she would not allow him in. Which was probably all for the best, he cautioned himself. He had big plans and bigger goals. There was no time in his life to coddle a woman suffering from neurosis. Yet he realized as he watched her lovely face crinkle in agitation, that he also was in no rush to leave her behind either.
* * *
Evelina liked that Ryan had slowed his pace considerably that day. He always seemed in a rush, moving about quickly. It was nice to see him slow down and enjoy his surroundings. As he was now. They had strolled past a canal and were approaching a small lagoon where they came across a father sitting on a bench observing his boys who were playing with a little wooden sailboat along the water’s edge. The scene immediately drew Ryan’s attention.
“My favorite toy as a child was a hand-me-down sailboat from my oldest brother. Our father had carved it for him for a birthday present, but he rarely played with it. So after my many attempts at begging and pleading, it was finally handed down to me. I played with that boat for hours on end. I’d take it down to the lake to watch it ride the current, dreaming of the day I would actually be able to sail away on a real ship.” He offered her a genuine smile, his mind full of happy memories.
Evelina paused then found herself revealing, “So did I.”
He arched a brow. “You had a toy boat?”
She held his gaze and wondered what he would think if she told him, she too had dreamed of sailing away on a boat. That the water beckoned her as it did any other sailor with the sea in their blood.
“Yes,” she found herself saying instead. “My father also made it for me.”
His smile increased. “You must show it to me someday.”
“I no longer have it.”
The disappointment on his face was swift. “Why ever not?”
She paused, then said, “I would imagine because I outgrew it.”
“I do hope you passed it on to a child who could enjoy it.”
“I don’t remember what I did with it.”
He lifted his chin and held her gaze causing her to shift uncomfortably almost as if he knew she was lying. She had loved that little boat but after the accident, she threw it in the fireplace and watched it burn to ashes. The sea doused from her blood forever.
As if sensing a melancholy arising within Evelina, Ryan turned away from the boys, took her elbow in his hand, and led her down the garden path where they came across a tower that soared high above the park.
“Good Lord, that’s tall,” she exclaimed.
“It stands at 185 feet tall,” he informed her. “They say you can view the entire city up there and follow the Detroit River as far as the eye can see.”
“How on earth do you get up there?”
“A staircase of course.” He grinned. “Race you to the top?”
She actually laughed. “That’s an unlikely scenario.”
He quietly accepted her rejection, not pushing the subject.
“Though I’m sure it would be a breathtaking view.”
He turned and stared down at her face. “I would carry you all the way to the top just so you could see it. All you have to do is ask.”
Evelina’s insides glowed. Never before had anyone other than her parents made her feel so special.
“That won’t be necessary.”
