The soft twirling of the island birds finally cajoled Rosie out of bed. She showered quickly and put on a pair of shorts and tank top. As she passed by the desk on her way out, she remembered the note that the Captain had asked her to write. She sat at the desk and poised the pen over the hotel stationary.

Dear Captain,
I am very happy that you have accepted my invitation. Will you be available around six this evening? Please let me know if this suits you. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Warm regards,
Rosie

She stared at the note for several minutes. Brief and to the point. Nothing really personal, just a friendly note to dinner. Finally deciding that it was fine the way it was she folded the note and placed it in an envelope. She dropped it at the concierge desk with the request that it be delivered to the captain’s room and then it was on to her day.

Last minute changes were made to the make-up color schemes for the bridal party. More plans were changed with the bachelorette party and by the end of the day, Rosie was ready to fall over with exhaustion. In her room she found a note from the captain stating that he was also looking forward to dinner tonight. Gaining her second wind, Rosie prepared for her date.

Brock took advantage of the rest and relaxation granted to him. Not only was he able to spend time catching up with family but he also partook of the amenities offered by the island. During the days, he spent his time snorkeling and admiring the beautiful underwater scenery. His love for the ocean was vast and endless. Born and raised along the Mississippi, it was evident from the beginning that whatever path he took, the ocean would be involved.

Brock’s decision to join the navy was more of a chance to figure out what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His father, Barrett, wanted him to take over the family paddle boat business, but Brock had other things in mind. His leaving home was not a pleasant one. The only one who seemed to accept it was his mother, Bea and foster sister, Carrie. But she was so innocent back then, not knowing the turmoil that was raging within Brock’s soul. He promised her he would be back in two, three, four years but now that fifteen years had passed since their last goodbye on the pier, he wouldn’t blame Carrie at all for being mad at him and leaving her alone.

The past couple of days had been very trying on Brock, emotionally and mentally. In finally talking to Carrie a couple of days ago and talking to his mother last night, he found the peace and forgiveness he felt he needed before he could enjoy himself and be truly happy for Carrie. He haven’t had a chance to talk to his biological sister, Bodie, as of yet, but in trying to get her alone to talk to him, he had been unsuccessful.

Then a surprising turn of events, a lovely young woman, one Rose Smith asked him out to dinner! He still smiled at the thought and his heart softened a bit, remembering her standing in front of him, tall and proud, slightly embarrassed at her boldness yet willing to face the humiliation if one should come. What surprised him even more was his easy acceptance of the invitation. So many years at sea and seeing things that most men would try to forget, any close relationship was not something he had intended for himself at all. There have been other women, but all passing glances and brief stopovers throughout his life. Perhaps, Rosie was just another one those stopovers yet there was something haunting about the young woman and for once he was unable to read the mystery behind her eyes.

He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. Looking forward to his dinner with Rosie, he showered and got ready for the night.

Rosie stood in front of the full-length mirror and passed a criticizing eye over herself. She went with an ivory silk pantsuit to accentuate her tan. The wide leg pants just sat on her hips showing off her tribal tattoo on the lower part of her back. The top only covered the front and ended at her midriff. Thin straps tied around her neck and across her back.

She bit her lip and stared at herself. Is this too much? It’s revealing but it still keeps them wondering. She shook her head quickly to cast all conflicting thought away from her head. She continued with the final touches, slipped on a pair of ivory heels and placed pearls at her ears and around her wrist. She spritzed on her favorite perfume and took one last look into the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she left her room and made her way downstairs.

As she made her way across the lobby, one of the lobby shops caught her eye. Without missing a beat she changed directions and headed for the florist. She immediately found what she was looking for.

“Yes, I’d like one of those please. Charge it to my room, 750.” The cashier prepared the slip and handed it to Rosie for her to sign.

“Thank you.” Inhaling the sweet scent of her purchase, she made her way to the bar in the dining room.

Taking a seat, she mentally went over her appearance again. Convincing herself that she should go and change, she turned around to leave only to see Brock at the entrance looking for her. She stopped all movement and stared at the man she would be having dinner with. For the first time since she met him, he wasn’t wearing his uniform and almost didn’t recognize him. Now without his jacket, she noted the well-formed torso and muscled arms showing strength that she had never noticed before. Her pulse quickened slightly. Just breathe.

Brock had finished his preparations for dinner half an hour earlier. On his way down to meet Rosie, he decided to stop by Carrie’s room to see how she was holding up and making sure that the stress of the wedding was not getting to her. He got so caught up with her that he lost track of time and realized that he was already ten minutes late in meeting Rosie.

Skipping the elevators, he ran down the stairs and berated himself for losing time like that. In the navy, that was unexceptable and to leave a lady waiting was even more so. He reached the lobby and tried to catch his breath for a moment. Upon reaching the entrance of the dining room, any attempts to catch his breath were rendered useless when he saw Rosie at the bar.

Fool! To be late for this. He snapped himself out of the dream world he was slowly wandering towards. A feeling unknown to him stirred from within. Do I even know what “this” is? Am I even capable of it? Am I ready for whatever “this” is? His mind raced, images flashed through his head, past, present and future merging into one in his mind. He quickly forced all thoughts to stop and slowly, step by step, made his way to Rosie.

A smile lit up Rosie’s face. “Hello.”

“G’d ev’nin, Rosie. My, you look lovely tonight. I’m so sorry I’m late. I stopped by Carrie’s room to see how she was doing and I lost all track of time.”

“That’s quite alright, Captain. I’m sure Carrie appreciated that you were concerned for her.”

Brock smiled. “I hope so and please, before the night gets any further, call me Brock. I get enough of “Captain” on the ship. Now shall we?” He offered his arm.

Rosie nodded her head. “I’m sorry, Cap…Brock. But before I forget. This is for you.” She handed him the single sterling silver rose.

“Well, I am flattered. I hadn’t expected anything like this. But now I feel horrible, I neglected to get you a thing.” Rosie shook her head, “That’s quite alright. I wasn’t expecting anything. After all, I asked you to dinner, so it only seemed appropriate that I offered you the rose.” She smiled genuinely at him, liking the fact that he seemed pleasantly surprised once again at her gesture.

“Ah then, I shall make it up to you by offering you a good time. May I?” He offered his arm once more.

Rosie took it and was lead to an empty table in the corner of the room. He pulled out her chair for her, lightly brushing the waiter away who was ready to do the same. Denied a part of his job, he proceeded to fill their water glasses and presented them with menus.

Now that they were sitting across from each other, Rosie finally got her first unobstructed view of the Captain’s face. The candlelight did nothing to soften the ruggedness of his features. Though one would be intimidated by such a look, Rosie found herself attracted to it. She quickly looked down at her menu before Brock caught her stare.

Brock took the menu offered him and glanced down briefly at it before his eyes were drawn over the menu and towards Rosie. He admired her like an art connoisseur would a beautiful painting. As he continued to watch her he noticed her shoulders start to slightly shake. He caught her eyes and raised his eyebrow in question.

Through her eyelashes, she tried to catch more glimpses of the captain and instead met his questioning eyes. She started to giggle. “I’m sorry but may I confess something?”

“Well, of course, Rosie. What is it?” asked Brock, a million things running through his mind.

“I was quite surprised that you accepted my invitation, but from the look on your face when I asked, you were just as shocked.” She looked down at her menu, a blush rising on her cheeks. “And, ah well, I’m quite nervous right now.” She sat still, holding her breath.

Brock felt his body relax and smiled. “To be quite frank, Rosie, I am too.” He silently added, If only I could tell you. If only… “Well, we’re here now and that’s all that matters. Would you like something to drink?” He signaled the waiter over.

“Yes, we are.” Rosie quickly looked over the wine list. “I’ll have a Pinot Grigio.” She told the waiter.

“Same for me, thank you.” When the waiter left, Brock asked, “So, tell me a little about yourself, Rosie. I don’t know if we’ve ever really had a chance to talk.”

Rosie thought about her words before she began. “Well, there really isn’t much to tell. Until about the age of sixteen, I’ve been passed on from one foster family to another, until a friend of mine and I went and stuck it out on our own.”

The memories came flooding back for her. There was more than she was telling, like the family she could never talk about and the friend she had lost. She hesitated a moment and skipped the painful part of her past.

“Since then I’ve had various jobs on the Vegas strip from cocktail waitress to lounge singer, salon beautician to other odd jobs here and there.” She took a sip of her water.

Brock watched the emotions play across her delicate features. So many wanderers out in the world with no family or a place to call home. He once again thanked a higher being for the family he had and the friends who offered him support when he needed it. He began to wonder again if being away from home for so long was worth the sacrifices he had to make.

“That is truly incredible, how you’ve been able to fend for yourself for so long. An enviable quality to say the least.”

Rosie chuckled inwardly to herself. If you knew what I had to do to fend for myself, you wouldn’t think of it as enviable, she thought. “Well, I learned a lot from the kids I used to hang out with. We all kept an eye out for each other.” Not kids, more like monsters. “So you see my life was not and still isn’t exciting at all, but life in the military, you must have stories to tell.” At that moment, the waiter arrived with the wine and filled their glasses. “Are you ready to order, sir?” he asked.

“Rosie?” Brock said.

Rosie glanced at her menu once more and made her decision. “Yes, I’ll have the broiled salmon with lemon butter sauce.”

“And I’ll have the linguini in clam sauce.” They handed their menus to the waiter. Brock lifted his glass for a toast. Rosie did the same.

“What shall we toast to?” asked Brock.

Rosie tilted her head and thought about it for a moment. “How about to family, good friends and life?”

“I’ll drink to that.” They clicked glasses and each took a sip of their own.

Rosie put her glass down and tried to pick up the conversation where they left off. “So, tell me some exciting stories of you great navy career.” She sat back and watched him in silence.

Stories? Brock felt himself hold back a laugh. Oh, I have my stories and they must stay mine. “Life in the navy is not an easy one, for certain. I started out on the bottom of the food chain and thought the grunt work would drive me crazy. If it weren’t for the sea, I might have gone crazy.

“The sea has been my passion for so long and it got me through those times. I worked hard, rose in the ranks, and now, command my own ship. Not too eventful but very satisfying.”

Rosie sensed that there was something he was holding back. I guess we all have our secrets to keep. But what is his secret? “Well, your life couldn’t have always been work. You must’ve had some time to visit your family and friends and to create relationships.” She left the sentence lingering, wanting to know if there was someone else, wanting to know if her thoughts were all for naught, wanting to know if she was just going to be another afterthought.

He pondered Rosie’s question about family and friendships. “Family? The greatest joy of this past week was finding I still had one. I had been out of touch with mother, father and Bodie. Carrie, I hadn’t seen for almost fifteen years and was convinced she’d never speak to me again. On the sea, it can be difficult, staying close to home. I left a lost behind once and…” And how much more am I willing to wager?

Rosie listened to what Brock was saying. “You sound like you made a lot of sacrifices to join the navy?”

“Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my work. But, as with any decisions, there are consequences, I’m sure you understand. I’m just glad everything worked out for the best.”

She nodded. Yes, I understand. Just like I had to make my own choices and live with the consequences. In the background, the pianist started to play for the evening entertainment.

Brock listened as the fiery strains of Bach filled the room. Filling it with intensity that he knew all too well. He leaned slightly forward. “In fact, if I may confide in you, I’ve been feeling adrift these past few days. Seeing family again, it makes me wonder if when I leave here, will everyone be gone all over again?”

“From what you have told me, I think your fear is unjustified. You worried about Carrie not forgiving you for leaving her so long ago. But just like you said, all has been forgiven and forgotten. Now that you all have “found” each other again, you just have to make that effort to keep in touch and not miss out on your family’s lives.” She heard the intensity in her voice, a strength she hadn’t heard since she left her own family behind.

“Hmm, then I guess that settles it,” said Brock with a smile. He lifted his wineglass and took another sip. Rosie smiled. At a loss for words at the moment, she sat back and listened to the pianist as he changed from classical to a slow contemporary song. A teasing smile playing on her lips, she asked, “Would you care to dance?”

Brock looked at Rosie with surprise, a chuckle coming out of him.

She laughed lightly. “Let’s see, you’re not used to being asked out to dinner or dance are you, Captain?” He shook his head.

Rosie got up from her chair and this time offered her hand for his. “Shall we?”

With a smile on his lips, he took her outstretched hand and walked with her onto the dance floor.

She placed her hand on his shoulder just as he placed his hand on the small of her back. As their hands joined, Rosie’s heart began to race.

I barely know this man! Why do I feel like such a schoolgirl around him? This is probably just another date for him. She pushed all thoughts away and closed her eyes to enjoy his presence.

For Brock, he felt himself tremble slightly. Here on the dance floor, when could I have predicted this? He took a few clumsy steps then smiled to himself as he discovered the rhythm he thought he had lost. Is there truly room in my life for someone else?

They became lost in their own world, the music taking them away. Their steps and moves matched perfectly and when Brock dipped Rosie, her laughter brought smiles to those who were around them. After the dance, their dinner arrived and they enjoyed a good meal and good conversation. They told each other stories of their childhood and the trouble they seemed to always find. Many details were skipped but both sensed that the other needed to keep their secrets for the time being.

Brock marveled at how charming and intelligent Rosie was. There were no pretenses about her. He honored her need to remain quiet about parts of her past but of what he did find out about her, he admired all the more. To be alone and living life, he understood, but really alone with no family to go home too, he couldn’t imagine what that is like for her. Again, a feeling deep within him stirred that he couldn’t explain or was it that he knew what it was, he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

He walked her back to her room, her arm entwined in his.

“This is it,” said Rosie as she stopped and turned to face Brock. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

“I did too, discounting my horrid attempts at dancing.” They shared a laugh.

“No, you are a good dancer, you just have to have more faith in yourself.”

Brock wanted to say more but found himself lost in Rosie’s eyes. He realized that he was still holding her hand and instead of letting go, he took a small step towards her. They slowly move closer to each other. Brock takes her into his arms and suddenly pulls away from her. Rosie looked at him with hurt and surprise in her eyes.

The demons reared up in Brock’s head. No, I can’t. She deserves better than me; if we get any closer, I’ll only end up hurting her. He stepped away from her, fighting against the side of himself that was feeling the pain of what he was doing and the hurt he was already causing.

“Rosie, please forgive me? I…I just can’t. Not now. I’m…no good for you, Rosie and I don’t want to hurt you. You are a wonderful woman, beautiful, intelligent and I really want…” He shook his head. “You deserve better than a man who might leave at any moment. I’m…I’m sorry, Rosie. Forgive me.” He laid a parting kiss on her cheek, turned and trying to retain some composure, he walked away. Please understand. Please.

Rosie watched his retreating figure, no words coming to mind. What? Confusion filled her and still she made no move to go after him and demand an explanation. A sound from the other end of the hall brought her out of her paralysis. She quickly walked into her room and leaned against the closed door. A frown marred her features as she made her way to the balcony. Feeling the cool breeze against her flushed skin, she began to think back about what Brock had said. Anger slowly rose within her. How dare he?! She turned quickly and stormed over to the desk.

Yanking the chair out from underneath the desk, Rosie grabbed pen and paper and began scribbling a letter. When she was done, she sealed the letter and called for a porter. She handed him the letter and gave him his instructions. That done, she finally got ready for bed but sleep eluded her that night.