Part 8
Howie was sitting on the edge of the water where the waves lapped against the shore watching Sarah as she floated just a few feet away from him. She had her eyes closed as she lay on her back completely unaware of his gaze, or so he thought.
He moved slowly towards her so as not to startle her and as he neared her, without opening her eyes, she said, "I was wondering how long it would take you to join me."
"How did you know I was here?"
"I could ‘feel’ you. What time is it?"
Howie looked at his watch, "Almost eight."
"I’m hungry. What are we going to do for dinner?"
"Don’t you worry about that. Are you ready to head back to the house?"
"Yeah," she answered as she stood up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "I could get very use to this, ‘D’."
"To what, Angel?"
"Just you and me…no fans, no guys, just US!"
Howie smiled, "It has been nice. How about we stay here after the guys leave?"
"I have to get back to Orlando tomorrow to work on the Benefit for next weekend."
Howie frowned, "Sarah, you’ve done everything that needs to be done. You DO NOT have to go back tomorrow."
"Howie, the benefit is NEXT weekend."
"I know that but I’ve also seen what you’ve done for it. The only thing
left is for the Benefit to actually take place. STOP STRESSING over it. I know
it will be as big a success as the cruise was. Besides, we have plans for
tomorrow."
"We do?"
As the couple headed back to the house, Howie told her that Nick and Becca were going to sail down the coast on Nick’s boat and meet them at the docks to spend the day on Nick’s boat. Sarah was excited about the plans and happily gave up the idea of going home. If Howie wasn’t worried about the benefit, she wouldn’t either.
As they reached the steps of the house, Sarah spotted something hanging over the rail of the steps. Howie grabbed it quickly and said, "I have a surprise waiting for you but you have to cooperate. I want you to close your eyes and I’m going to put this blindfold over your eyes."
Sarah looked at him doubtfully. "What is going on?"
"Just trust me….please."
"You know I do. Okay. Put the blindfold on me."
Sarah turned so that Howie could put it on her and then he took her hand to lead her in. She walked hesitantly with him, not sure what he was doing but trusting him completely. She could tell that he was leading her to their room and as they passed through the living/dining room, she sensed that something was different. She could smell ‘it’ but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
In their room, Howie closed the door and took the blindfold off. "I want you to go get a shower and then get dressed."
"Where are you going?"
"To one of the other rooms to get ready. DO NOT leave this room until I come back to get you."
"What is…"
"Please, Sarah….I want this to be perfect."
Sarah looked into his deep brown eyes and couldn’t resist. "I’ll wait here. Anything in particular that you want me to wear?"
Howie smiled and pointed to the bed. There lay the dress she had worn the very first time she’d ever met him. It seemed like forever since she’d worn it but she was more than glad to wear it tonight. It was like a whole new start for them as well as Nick and Becca. Sarah knew in her heart what this night was about and she didn’t want to disappoint Howie.