The Wish(72)

Our salads arrived, then our meals, as Bryce discussed the grueling application process to West Point. He’d received recommendations from both of North Carolina’s U.S. senators, which sort of amazed me—but he said that even if he hadn’t gotten in, he would have gone to another university, then entered the army as an officer after graduation.

“And then the Green Beret thing?”

“Or Delta, which is another step up. If I qualify, I mean.”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting killed?” I asked.

“No.”

“How can you not be afraid?”

“I don’t think about it.”

I knew I’d think about it all the time. “What about after the military? Have you ever thought about what you want to do then? Would you want to be a consultant like your dad?”

“Not a chance. If it was possible, I’d follow in my mom’s footsteps and try to do some travel photography. I think it would be cool to go to remote places and tell stories with my pictures.”

“How do you even get a job doing that?”

“I have no idea.”

“You could always go into dog training. Daisy’s doing much better lately at not wandering off.”

“It would be too hard to give the dogs away over and over. I get too attached.”

I realized that I’d be sad, too. “I’m glad you’re bringing her to the house, then. So you can see her as much as possible before she leaves.”

He rotated his glass of tea. “Would you mind if I stopped to pick her up tonight?”

“What? For the surprise?”

“I think she’d have fun.”

“What are we doing? Can you at least give me a hint?”

He thought about it. “Don’t order dessert.”

“That doesn’t help.”

I saw the slightest of twinkles in his eyes. “Good.”

*



After dinner, we drove to Bryce’s house, where we found his parents and the twins watching a documentary on the Manhattan Project, which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. After loading an excited Daisy into the bed, we were back on the road and it didn’t take long before I knew where we were going. The road led to only one place.

“The beach?”

When he nodded, I peered at him. “We’re not going in the water, right? Like that opening scene in Jaws, where the lady goes out swimming and gets eaten by a shark? Because if that’s your plan, you can turn around now.”

“The water’s too cold to go swimming.”

Instead of stopping in the parking area, he made for a gap in the dunes, then turned onto the sand and began driving down the beach.

“Is this legal?”

“Of course,” he said. “But it’s not legal to run over anyone.”

“Thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

He laughed as we bounced through the sand, my hand gripping the handle above the door. It was dark—really, really dark—because the moon was just a tiny sliver, and even through the windshield, I could see stars spreading across the sky.

Bryce remained quiet while I strained to make out a shadowy outline ahead. Even with the headlights, I couldn’t tell what it was, but Bryce turned the wheel as we drew near and eventually brought the truck to a halt.

“We’re here,” he said. “But close your eyes and wait in the truck until I get things ready. And don’t peek, okay?”

I closed my eyes—why not?—and listened as he got out and closed the door behind him. Even so, I could vaguely hear him occasionally reminding Daisy not to run off while he made a few trips back and forth between the truck and wherever he was going.

After what was probably a few minutes but seemed longer, I finally heard his voice through my window.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he called through the glass. “I’m going to open the door and help you down and walk you to where I want you to go. Then you can open them, okay?”

“Don’t let me fall,” I cautioned.

I heard the door open, felt his hand when I reached for it. Lowering myself carefully, I stretched out my toe until it finally reached the ground. After that, it was easy, Bryce guiding me across the cool sand, the strong wind whipping my hair about.

“There’s nothing in front of you,” he assured me. “Just walk.”

After a few steps I felt a surge of heat and there seemed to be light pushing its way through my eyelids. He gently pulled me to a stop.

“You can open your eyes now.”

The shadowy outline I had spotted earlier was a pile of sand forming a semicircular wall around a flat-bottomed pit about two feet deep. On the ocean side of the hole was a pyramid of wood already glowing with dancing flames, and he’d set up two small lawn chairs facing it, with a blanket draped over each. In between the chairs was a small cooler and behind that was something mounted on a tripod. In the realm of romantic movie gestures, it might not have counted for much, but to me it was absolutely perfect.

“Wow,” I finally said, my voice quiet. I was so overwhelmed that nothing else leaped to mind.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“How did you get the fire going so fast?”