Seaside Romance

“I hope you’re right. I’ll be up late, so call anytime.”

On that slightly more optimistic note, he hung up. Sighing, Ben tilted his head back and sent up a heartfelt prayer. “I know You’ve got a lot to do, but I could really use Your help down here.”

Figuring that sentiment pretty much covered it, he grabbed a spare jacket and jumped into his truck. The fuel gauge hovered just above E, and he bit back an exasperated scream while he backtracked to the garage for the gas can he used on job sites. It was half-empty, but he drained it into his tank while he mentally added “stop at gas station” to his list for tomorrow morning.

“Long stinkin’ list,” he growled as he finally pulled out. “I need an assistant or something.”

While it did nothing to solve the problem, complaining to himself vented some of his frustration, so he kept going with it as he made a circuit of all the places in town his father might go. It didn’t take long to discover the other Thomas and Sons truck was nowhere to be found. That left him with Schooner Point, which had always been one of Dad’s favorite spots. It was where he’d proposed to Ben’s mother so many years ago, and that he’d head up there now made a twisted kind of sense to Ben.

The sky was clear as a bell, but the sliver of a moon suspended in the darkness didn’t provide much in the way of help. As he approached the isolated ridge north of town, he squinted into the distance, searching for something that would tell him someone was up here.

There. A faint dot of light, out near the edge of the cliff. Ignoring the rough-cut road that wound along the tree line, he headed straight for that pinpoint of light, following it like a beacon on the water. When he finally located it, he was relieved to find it was connected to his father’s truck.

Glancing up into the star-filled sky, he smiled. “Thank you.”

Was it his imagination, or did a star up there shine a little brighter for just a second? Figuring it was his exhausted brain playing tricks on him, Ben shook off the ridiculous idea and climbed out of his seat. Heading toward the ridge, he put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans to give the appearance of a guy out for a casual nighttime stroll.

When he reached the truck, he saw his dad inside, staring out at miles of starlit ocean. He’d often mentioned bringing Ben’s mother here when they were dating, and how they’d stay for hours, admiring the view and talking about their dreams for the future. Tonight, he looked like he was lost in memories of what used to be.

To avoid startling him, Ben tapped lightly on the driver’s window. After another tap, his father blinked and looked out at him in surprise. When he rolled down the window, the strains of “Fly Me to the Moon” floated from the cab, and Ben swallowed hard. It was his mother’s favorite song.

Keeping things light, he forced a grin. “Hey, there.”

Apparently, he was a terrible actor, because he got a frown for his trouble. “Is something wrong?”

“Eric’s been waiting in Rockland half the night for you.” Leaning his arms on the window frame, he added, “You were supposed to have dinner with him.”

Dad leaned his head back against the seat with a groan. “I forgot.”

“Mind if I join you?”

He motioned Ben inside, and once he was settled, Ben called his brother. “I found him up at the point. He’s fine.”

“Good. Give him a good shake for me, wouldya?”

Ben didn’t think that would help much, so he suggested, “Why don’t you come up this weekend? You can do it yourself.”

Despite his gruff demeanor, Ben knew Eric would never lay a hand on anyone in anger. After a moment, his brother chuckled. “I’m already over it. Tell him good-night for me.”

Ben hung up then took a breath before facing his dad. “We were worried sick about you. What were you thinking, disappearing like that?”

“I was home, getting cleaned up after work, and when I got out of the shower, I stood there for a minute.” Meeting Ben’s gaze, his face contorted with pain. “Do you know how quiet an empty house is?”

Lately, Ben hadn’t been home enough to experience it for himself, but it didn’t take much to imagine how it felt to be alone all the time. “Maybe you should leave the radio or TV on, so there’s some noise.”

“Noise isn’t the same as someone being there,” Dad explained sadly. “I lived with my parents till I started fixing up that place for your mother and me to live in when we were married. I’ve never been alone this long in my life. I’m not good at it.”

The optimist in Ben wanted to point out he had two sons and plenty of friends to ease that loneliness, but something stopped him. Nearly sixty, his father wasn’t talking about simply having company. He needed a companion to spend his off-hours with. Someone to take out to dinner and a movie, someone who argued with him about what color to paint the living room. Since Ben hadn’t managed to find that special person for himself, he didn’t think he was in a position to give anyone advice on their personal life.

Still, he was a problem solver by nature, and he couldn’t just let his father struggle if there was a way to make him feel better while his heart recovered from the tumble it had taken. “Okay, I get that, but you can’t just vanish like you did tonight. If one of us calls, you have to answer your phone.”

“I will from now on. I’m sorry.”

His apology rang with honest remorse, and Ben decided it was time to shove him back into the life he’d once enjoyed so much. “And we’re going to church on Sunday.”

“I don’t—”

“Then on Monday you’re gonna make an appointment with either a therapist or Pastor McHenry. I don’t care which, but it’s long past time you got some help dealing with all this. And don’t try to welsh on it,” he added sternly, “’cause I’ll be checking up on you.”

A hint of his father’s old spirit flared in his eyes. “You can’t do that. I’m an adult.”

“When you start acting like one, I’ll quit treating you like a four-year-old.”

Dad opened his mouth to retort, then slowly closed it and shook his head. “I guess I deserved that one. This must be tough on you, and I apologize for making things so difficult. A father’s supposed to take care of his son, not the other way around.”

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