Page 10 of Love Takes A Tumble (Midlife Meet Cute #3)

Chapter Ten

Harrison drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, the familiar curve of the Pelican Inn's driveway coming into view.

Two hours of driving toward Charleston—and another two hours back—had given him plenty of time to think, but little clarity.

One thing he knew for certain. Leaving without a proper goodbye had been a mistake.

Whether or not Audrey wanted more between them, they deserved a better ending than angry words and a hasty retreat.

The afternoon sun filtered through the oak branches as he parked and cut the engine. For a moment, he just sat there, trying to gather his thoughts. What would he say to her? What could he say that he hadn't already said?

With a deep breath, he stepped out of the truck and made his way toward the inn. The wraparound porch welcomed him like an old friend as he climbed the steps, the wood creaking familiarly beneath his feet. He'd just reached the top step when the screen door swung open.

Audrey stood in the doorway, car keys in hand, her expression transforming from determination to shock.

"Harrison," she said, his name little more than a breath.

"Audrey." He stopped, momentarily frozen by the sight of her. "I was—"

"Coming back," she finished, her voice catching slightly.

He nodded, taking a tentative step forward. "I got almost to Charleston and realized I didn't want to leave things the way we did."

"I was coming to find you." She held up her keys as if offering proof. "I messaged you."

Something unfurled in Harrison's chest, a tightness he hadn't realized he'd been carrying. "You did?"

"Yes." She took a step toward him, closing the distance between them. "I was wrong, Harrison. I got scared and pushed you away, and I'm still scared, but..." She took a shaky breath. "I'm more scared of never knowing what might have been."

Harrison felt his pulse quicken. "What changed your mind?"

"I finished writing a scene I'd been struggling with," she said, a small smile touching her lips. "My lighthouse keeper. He finally realized that guiding others to safety isn't the same as finding your own way home."

The words hit with unexpected precision. "And did he? Find his way home?"

"He's trying," she said softly. "It turns out it's more of a journey than a destination."

Harrison moved closer, until they stood just inches apart. "I'd like to be part of that journey. If you'll have me."

Audrey's eyes met his, vulnerable but steady. "I'd like that too. I can't promise I won't be difficult sometimes. Old habits and all that."

"I can be pretty stubborn myself," he admitted with a small smile.

"We're quite a pair, aren't we?" She laughed softly, the sound warming him from the inside. "A retired firefighter who doesn't know how to stop rescuing people and a librarian who's afraid to write her own story."

"Maybe we can help each other figure it out." Harrison's hand lifted to her face, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. This time, she didn't pull away.

Instead, Audrey leaned into his touch, her eyes never leaving his. "I'd like to try," she whispered.

The invitation in her words was unmistakable. Harrison's heart hammered against his ribs as he slowly bent his head toward hers, giving her time to pull away if she wanted. She didn't. Instead, her eyes fluttered closed, her face tilting up to meet his.

Their lips met softly at first, a gentle press that sent a current of warmth spreading through his entire body. The scent of her enveloped him. Something floral and subtle, like jasmine warmed by sunlight. Her lips were impossibly soft against his, tentative but yielding.

Harrison's hand moved to cradle the nape of her neck, feeling the silky texture of her hair between his fingers. His other arm circled her waist, drawing her closer until he could feel the warmth of her body against his, the slight curve of her waist beneath his palm.

Audrey made a small sound in the back of her throat, something between a sigh and a murmur, and the vibration of it against his lips sent a shiver down his spine.

Her hands, which had been resting lightly on his chest, slowly slid upward to his shoulders, then around his neck, her touch gaining confidence with each passing moment.

The world around them seemed to fade—the creaking of the porch beneath their feet, the distant sound of waves, the afternoon sunlight warming their skin—all of it receding as they found each other in this moment they'd both been moving toward since that first morning on the beach.

When they finally broke apart, Harrison kept his arms around her, unwilling to let this moment end too quickly.

Audrey's eyes opened slowly, their green depths holding a mixture of wonder and quiet joy that he felt echoed in his own heart.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly parted, and Harrison couldn't help thinking she'd never looked more beautiful.

"I've been wanting to do that since the lighthouse tour," he admitted.

"Me too," she confessed. "I just didn't know how to let myself want it."

The screen door creaked open behind them, and they turned to find Elise watching with undisguised delight. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to, Audrey. I see you won't be needing those hotel recommendations after all."

Audrey blushed, but didn't move from Harrison's side. "No, I don't think so."

Harrison cleared his throat. "Actually, I was wondering if my room might still be available?"

Elise winced apologetically. "I'm sorry, Harrison. Someone checked in this morning. But—" her expression brightened "—I do have another room available. Right across from the Magnolia Suite, as it happens."

"How convenient," Audrey murmured, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Very," Harrison agreed, his arm sliding around her waist. "I'll take it."

The evening settled over Palmar Island like a gentle sigh, stars appearing one by one in the darkening sky.

On the wraparound porch of the Pelican Inn, the string lights had been turned on, casting a warm glow over the gathering.

Harrison sat beside Audrey on the porch swing, their shoulders touching, a simple point of connection that felt both new and somehow familiar.

Across from them, Elise and Jacob occupied the wicker chairs, wine glasses in hand. The conversation had flowed easily through dinner—served right there on the porch at Audrey's request—and now continued in the comfortable aftermath, the empty plates stacked neatly on the side table.

"I can't remember the last time we had an impromptu dinner party," Elise said, leaning back in her chair. "We should do this more often."

"Especially when there's something to celebrate," Jacob added, raising his glass in their direction.

Harrison felt a pleasant warmth that had nothing to do with the mild evening air. He'd spent the afternoon moving his things into his new room and each time they'd passed in the hallway, exchanged glances, or brushed hands, the reality of their new beginning had settled more firmly into place.

"So," Jacob said, breaking into Harrison's thoughts, "what's next for the two of you?"

Harrison glanced at Audrey, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. "Well, I've been thinking about staying on the island for a while," he said, the idea becoming more concrete as he spoke it aloud. "I was originally just passing through, but..."

"But now you have a reason to stay," Elise finished, her smile knowing.

"More than one, actually." Harrison set his wine glass down. "I've been considering getting back to what I'm good at. Working with my hands. Not firefighting, obviously, but there's plenty of old buildings on this island that could use someone who knows their way around a toolbox."

"A handyman?" Jacob asked, interest clear in his voice.

"Something like that." Harrison's gaze moved briefly to the inn's porch ceiling, to the original beadboard that had been carefully maintained over decades. "I've always appreciated a sense of community."

"Folks around here would love that," Elise said. "They're always looking for people who restore rather than rebuild."

"And what about you, Audrey?" Jacob asked. "Will you be heading back to Ohio once your novel is finished?"

Harrison felt a moment of tension, realizing they hadn't actually discussed this part yet. Everything was still so new, so fragile.

"I'm not sure," Audrey said thoughtfully, her shoulder warm against his.

"I've been thinking a lot about what comes next.

I still have about two months left on my stay here to finish the novel, but after that.

.." She paused, her fingers fidgeting slightly with the stem of her glass. "I've been considering my options."

"Options are good," Elise said diplomatically, though Harrison caught the glance she exchanged with Jacob.

"The truth is," Audrey continued, her voice growing more confident, "I didn't really have anything to go back to in Ohio.

I sold my mother's house after she passed.

My job at the library has already been filled.

I came here to find myself, and I think.

.." Her hand found Harrison's, her fingers intertwining with his.

"I think maybe I've found more than I was looking for. "

The simple honesty of her words touched something deep in Harrison's chest. He squeezed her hand gently, a wordless affirmation.

"Well, we'd be happy to have both of you stick around," Jacob said, raising his glass again. "To new beginnings."

"And second chances," Elise added.

"And finding home in unexpected places," Audrey said softly, her eyes meeting Harrison's.

He lifted his glass with his free hand, unwilling to let go of hers. "I'll drink to that."

As the conversation shifted to lighter topics—the upcoming island festival, Elise's plans for the garden, a fishing trip Jacob was organizing—Harrison found himself settling into a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in years.

Not since before his heart problems, before his retirement, before the slow unraveling of his identity that had sent him wandering.

Later, as the night deepened and Elise and Jacob excused themselves to clean up the dinner dishes, Harrison and Audrey remained on the porch swing, gently rocking in companionable silence. The distant sound of waves provided a rhythmic backdrop to their thoughts.

"Did you mean what you said?" Audrey asked finally. "About staying on the island?"

"I did," Harrison replied, his arm now draped comfortably around her shoulders. "I've been drifting for months, trying to figure out what comes next. Maybe it's time to put down some roots again."

"Because of me?" Her voice held a note of uncertainty.

Harrison considered this, wanting to give her an honest answer.

"You're part of it," he admitted. "A big part.

But it's also about finding something that matters again. This place, Palmar Island, it’s something special.

" He smiled. "And the fact that it would keep me close to you? That's not exactly a hardship."

Audrey's soft laugh warmed him. "So we're really doing this? Seeing where this goes?"

"One day at a time," he said, turning to face her more fully. "No pressure. No expectations. Just exploring the possibility."

"I'd like that." She leaned into him slightly. "I've spent most of my life making safe choices. Maybe it's time to try something a little riskier."

"Like falling for a man you've known less than a month?"

"Like falling for a man who carries women off beaches and fixes things without being asked," she corrected, her tone teasing but her eyes serious. "A man who makes me want to be braver than I am."

Harrison brushed a strand of hair from her face, marveling at how natural it felt to touch her this way. "You're plenty brave already. Coming here alone. Starting over. Writing your story."

"Our stories," she amended softly. "I think they might be intertwined now."

The porch light cast a gentle glow over her features, highlighting the fine lines around her eyes that spoke of years lived and experiences weathered.

In that moment, Harrison couldn't imagine wanting anything more than this.

The simple perfection of sitting beside someone who understood what it meant to rebuild yourself from the ground up.

"I'd like that," he said, echoing her earlier words. "Very much."