Free A Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury Page B

just hitting the place where the sky and sea came together. She shaded her eyes with her free hand. “It’s so pretty.”
    The air was even cooler now. Marcus put his arm around Mary Catherine’s shoulders. “I wish I could ask God to stop the sun . . . right there.”
    “Mmmm. Yes.” She smiled. It was seven o’clock. They had an hour at best. “Just freeze it. With a million shades of blues and pinks spread across the sky.”
    He took her hands and faced her again. The cold sand beneath her feet sent chills up her legs. Mary Catherine let herself get lost in his eyes. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
    “Figured if I could see you even for an hour it was worth it.” He brushed her long hair back with his fingers.
    “You’re crazy.” She smiled, drawn to him, flattered by him.
    “You can’t get rid of me.” His eyes sparkled, back to his familiar teasing. “I’m building that orphanage next to yours.”
    She laughed and the sound hung in the air between them. The sun was already gone, dropped below the horizon. She ran her thumbs along the tops of his hands. “We have to go.”
    “Can you pretend?” He moved closer, his breath soft on her cheek. “Please, Mary Catherine. Just for today?”
    Her mouth was dry. “Pretend?” She could smell the faint scent of his cologne. All she wanted was to kiss him.
    “Yes,” he whispered. “That I’m more than your friend.”
    Tears blurred her eyes again. She closed the gap, brushing the side of her face against his. “I don’t have to pretend.” She met his eyes. “Nothing ever felt more real.”
    This time he framed her face with his hands and in a way Mary Catherine never thought she’d experience again, he kissed her. Passion swirled around them, making her forget the chilly breeze off the ocean. She would’ve been breathless with a perfectly healthy heart.
    His breathing was faster, too. “How can I ever be just your friend?”
    Mary Catherine had no answers. She looped her arms around his neck and this time the kiss came from her. Yes, she could pretend. She could pretend that she was healthy and whole and Africa was only a distant dream, something she wanted to do one of these years when she got around to it. She could pretend that Marcus was the man she’d been waiting for. The one. Real and good and true.
    The kiss was wonderful, and when they parted and caught their breath, the sky was already growing dark. A sad smile played on the corners of his lips. “We need to get back.”
    She nodded, and he took her hand. They didn’t talk as they made their way across the stretch of sand and crossed Ocean Avenue. She wasn’t as breathless this time. Maybe she was too distracted by the sadness of it all. The fact that this could be the last time she’d ever see him.
    When they were a block from her apartment, Marcus called for a ride. They had only a few minutes in front of her building. He kissed her again. “I’m not giving up.”
    She closed her eyes and let her forehead fall against his chest. “If I don’t see you again—”
    “Mary Catherine, you have to believe—”
    “Please. I need to say this.” She looked up. “If I don’t see you again . . .” Tears welled in her eyes. “Just know I’ll always remember this. You surprising me. These hours.”
    He looked like he still had more to say. But just then a black sedan pulled up. Marcus signaled to the driver to give him a minute. They kissed one final time.
    “Remember something.” He breathed the words against the side of her face.
    She waited, fighting tears.
    “Friends talk.” He framed her face with his hands and searched her eyes. “Write to me, okay? Please.”
    She nodded. “I will.”
    They held on to each other until he kissed her cheek and whispered the word she never wanted to hear. “Goodbye.”
    She blinked back tears, her voice strained. “Bye. Thanks for coming.”
    He looked back once as he walked to the waiting sedan. But neither of them