"Mija?" Pilar turned from her newspaper at the sound of the kitchen door
swing open.
"Good morning, mama." Paloma smiled and bent as she kissed her mother on the head, "did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Pilar nodded. She noticed her daughter was fully dressed and wondered where she could be going this early in the morning, "Paloma?"
"Yes, mama?"
"Where are you going?" Pilar motioned with her hand at Paloma's clothing.
"Oh," Paloma felt herself blush, "um I thought I'd get a head start today. I figured that I would go down to the university and enroll today."
"You're going to go to school here?"
"Yeah," Paloma took a seat at the table and smiled as her mother's face lit up, "I got accepted to a school on the West coast, but I decided to stay here. For the family."
"I'm so glad you did," Paloma could feel the joy surge in her heart, "that would be wonderful!"
Paloma nodded in agreement, silently reprimanding herself for not telling her mother the complete truth. It was true that Paloma wished to stay in Harmony to be closer to her family, especially as Antonio was still recovering from his setback, but there was another reason why she felt it was worth staying in Harmony. She sat at the kitchen table and thought back to the afternoon that convinced her to remain in her hometown.
**************************TWO DAYS EARLIER*************************
"So," Paloma sighed as she walked along the pier with her newly acquired friend, "what do you have planned?"
"For what?" Her friend asked.
"For life," Paloma stopped and climbed on the railing to sit, "I mean, it's great and all that you're back, but what are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nicky," Paloma turned to face Nicholas Crane who was leaning on his elbows against the rail, "I mean, are you going to continue to do menial jobs around Crane Industries? Are you going to finish school? What?"
"No one's ever asked that before." Fox sighed and stared out toward the horizon where the sun was descending.
"What?"
"Well," Fox stood and placed his hands in his pocket before continuing, "I guess everyone just figured that I would be a leach off of my father and grandfather since I was the 'second' son."
"And now?" Paloma wondered.
"Now," Fox ran a hand through his hair and sighed at the question, "Now, I don't know. Now, I'm the one who's going to take over the entire Crane empire, and I have no idea what to do with it. I mean, Ethan was the one who had all the formal training. He's the one who went to school, the one who accompanied father to work when he was a kid, sat in on all the business meetings when he was in high school. I have no clue what to do now."
"I see." Paloma nodded and stared at her friend's face, realizing how lost he truly was, "Well, what do YOU want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what is it that YOU want, Nicky?" Paloma shrugged, "I know what other people want and expect, but what about you?"
"I've never even thought about that."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't think I had to," Fox smirked, "I always figured that everything would be given to me. I never thought I had to work."
"Oh, God forbid." Paloma rolled her eyes.
"No, that's not what I meant." Fox turned to face Paloma to explain, "I mean, I just didn't expect the whole thing with Ethan to happen. You know? I grew up with the guy as my older brother, the one whose shadow I had to live in because he was the oldest son, and I was merely the other one."
"But now?"
"Now, I'm the one who's got the responsibility." Fox stepped in front of Paloma and looked into her eyes as he continued to explain, "I'm the one who's going to have to be responsible for thousands of people's jobs and careers, and I haven't got a clue where to begin."
"Is this what you want to do?" Paloma went back to her question as she climbed down from the railing to stand before him.
"Honestly?"
"Yes, honestly."
"No."
"Well, what do you want?"
"It's silly," Fox shook his head.
"I'm sure it's not. Please tell me?"
"Promise you won't tease me about it?"
"Why would I?"
"Well, okay." Fox took a deep breath, "you see, Lo, I've always loved hanging around with kids."
"Really?" Paloma's ears perked up as he continued.
"Yeah, I mean, I spent a summer as a camp counselor at a little kids camp."
"You did?"
"Community service."
"I'm not even going to ask." Paloma hid her smile with her hand.
"Yeah, yeah." Fox nodded, "Anyways, my dream, if you want to call it that, is to someday have a camp of my own. You know, for kids like myself."
"Like you? I'm not sure I understand, Nicky."
"Well," Fox moved to lean on the railing again, "there's a lot of kids out there, kids of the rich and famous, and for the most part, their summers are spent either (a) hanging out in some far off country being pulled around by a nanny or (b) taking summer school classes at their boarding school cause daddy and mommy don't want them home for the summer. Too much of a bother."
"I get it," Paloma nodded and turned to face him, "you want a place where over-privileged kids can get down and rough it in the woods for the summer."
"It's not just for the little rich kids." Fox stood to his full height and licked his lips before finishing his thought, "it's for all kids who don't really have your average childhood."
"Meaning?"
"What I mean is. You know, those kids who have to watch the other kids play outside, seeing the fathers and sons throwing the ball around their front yard, the moms and daughters sitting in their lawn having a tea party. It's for the kids who never really got the chance to be,"
"Kids." Paloma finished his sentence, "I know what you mean. I kinda went through the same thing. I grew up just fine. Skinning my knee after falling off my bike, climbing trees, chasing fireflies on a summer evening, but as soon as I left Harmony and moved to Spain it was all about the rules and restrictions. I couldn't play outside because my aunt thought I'd get too dirty, I couldn't play basketball or baseball cause my uncle said that those were not sports that a lady plays."
"You know now." Fox turned and brushed a stray hair from her face with his hand, "it's hard for those kids, Lo. And, I wish I could turn back time and spend more days making snow angels with you, but since I can't, maybe I could give some other kids the chance."
"I think that it's a wonderful idea, Nicky," Paloma smiled, "I do hope that one day you'll be able to have your dream."
"Someday, Lo." Fox nodded and reached down to take her hands in his, he squeezed her small hands in his in assurance, "Someday I will."
The two friends broke their stare and turned back toward the setting sun. They spent those moments standing side by side in complete stillness and silence. Though their minds raced with a million words, none of which were spoken a loud.
Paloma smiled when she felt the weight of Fox's arm rest upon her shoulder and she inched closer toward him, her head resting just below the nape of his neck. She listened to the steady pace of his heart beating and sighed in the silence that they shared. It had been so long since she felt that she had belonged, so long since she had a true sense of being 'home', and in that moment she knew there wasn't anywhere else she'd rather be than the spot she was standing. And there was no other person whom she had wanted to be sharing this very sunset with other than Nicky Crane. In that moment, as the sun slipped beneath the bay, Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald that this was where she belonged. She knew that this man meant much more to her than just a good friend. Paloma knew that this man, the man she had shared so many childhood memories with, the man who turned from being what she thought was her worst enemy into her best friend, she knew that beside Nicholas Foxworthy Crane was where she belonged.
In that moment she knew.
She was home.
************************************************************************
*A/N* TAAAA DAAAA!!! I love sappy stories, LOL! Anyways, stay tuned to see if Fox returns Paloma's feelings. Will he? Won't he? Hmm..you'll have to wait in suspense to see what happens next in the ongoing saga of Paloma and Fox! Take care and thanks for the reviews!! WG
"Good morning, mama." Paloma smiled and bent as she kissed her mother on the head, "did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Pilar nodded. She noticed her daughter was fully dressed and wondered where she could be going this early in the morning, "Paloma?"
"Yes, mama?"
"Where are you going?" Pilar motioned with her hand at Paloma's clothing.
"Oh," Paloma felt herself blush, "um I thought I'd get a head start today. I figured that I would go down to the university and enroll today."
"You're going to go to school here?"
"Yeah," Paloma took a seat at the table and smiled as her mother's face lit up, "I got accepted to a school on the West coast, but I decided to stay here. For the family."
"I'm so glad you did," Paloma could feel the joy surge in her heart, "that would be wonderful!"
Paloma nodded in agreement, silently reprimanding herself for not telling her mother the complete truth. It was true that Paloma wished to stay in Harmony to be closer to her family, especially as Antonio was still recovering from his setback, but there was another reason why she felt it was worth staying in Harmony. She sat at the kitchen table and thought back to the afternoon that convinced her to remain in her hometown.
**************************TWO DAYS EARLIER*************************
"So," Paloma sighed as she walked along the pier with her newly acquired friend, "what do you have planned?"
"For what?" Her friend asked.
"For life," Paloma stopped and climbed on the railing to sit, "I mean, it's great and all that you're back, but what are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nicky," Paloma turned to face Nicholas Crane who was leaning on his elbows against the rail, "I mean, are you going to continue to do menial jobs around Crane Industries? Are you going to finish school? What?"
"No one's ever asked that before." Fox sighed and stared out toward the horizon where the sun was descending.
"What?"
"Well," Fox stood and placed his hands in his pocket before continuing, "I guess everyone just figured that I would be a leach off of my father and grandfather since I was the 'second' son."
"And now?" Paloma wondered.
"Now," Fox ran a hand through his hair and sighed at the question, "Now, I don't know. Now, I'm the one who's going to take over the entire Crane empire, and I have no idea what to do with it. I mean, Ethan was the one who had all the formal training. He's the one who went to school, the one who accompanied father to work when he was a kid, sat in on all the business meetings when he was in high school. I have no clue what to do now."
"I see." Paloma nodded and stared at her friend's face, realizing how lost he truly was, "Well, what do YOU want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what is it that YOU want, Nicky?" Paloma shrugged, "I know what other people want and expect, but what about you?"
"I've never even thought about that."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't think I had to," Fox smirked, "I always figured that everything would be given to me. I never thought I had to work."
"Oh, God forbid." Paloma rolled her eyes.
"No, that's not what I meant." Fox turned to face Paloma to explain, "I mean, I just didn't expect the whole thing with Ethan to happen. You know? I grew up with the guy as my older brother, the one whose shadow I had to live in because he was the oldest son, and I was merely the other one."
"But now?"
"Now, I'm the one who's got the responsibility." Fox stepped in front of Paloma and looked into her eyes as he continued to explain, "I'm the one who's going to have to be responsible for thousands of people's jobs and careers, and I haven't got a clue where to begin."
"Is this what you want to do?" Paloma went back to her question as she climbed down from the railing to stand before him.
"Honestly?"
"Yes, honestly."
"No."
"Well, what do you want?"
"It's silly," Fox shook his head.
"I'm sure it's not. Please tell me?"
"Promise you won't tease me about it?"
"Why would I?"
"Well, okay." Fox took a deep breath, "you see, Lo, I've always loved hanging around with kids."
"Really?" Paloma's ears perked up as he continued.
"Yeah, I mean, I spent a summer as a camp counselor at a little kids camp."
"You did?"
"Community service."
"I'm not even going to ask." Paloma hid her smile with her hand.
"Yeah, yeah." Fox nodded, "Anyways, my dream, if you want to call it that, is to someday have a camp of my own. You know, for kids like myself."
"Like you? I'm not sure I understand, Nicky."
"Well," Fox moved to lean on the railing again, "there's a lot of kids out there, kids of the rich and famous, and for the most part, their summers are spent either (a) hanging out in some far off country being pulled around by a nanny or (b) taking summer school classes at their boarding school cause daddy and mommy don't want them home for the summer. Too much of a bother."
"I get it," Paloma nodded and turned to face him, "you want a place where over-privileged kids can get down and rough it in the woods for the summer."
"It's not just for the little rich kids." Fox stood to his full height and licked his lips before finishing his thought, "it's for all kids who don't really have your average childhood."
"Meaning?"
"What I mean is. You know, those kids who have to watch the other kids play outside, seeing the fathers and sons throwing the ball around their front yard, the moms and daughters sitting in their lawn having a tea party. It's for the kids who never really got the chance to be,"
"Kids." Paloma finished his sentence, "I know what you mean. I kinda went through the same thing. I grew up just fine. Skinning my knee after falling off my bike, climbing trees, chasing fireflies on a summer evening, but as soon as I left Harmony and moved to Spain it was all about the rules and restrictions. I couldn't play outside because my aunt thought I'd get too dirty, I couldn't play basketball or baseball cause my uncle said that those were not sports that a lady plays."
"You know now." Fox turned and brushed a stray hair from her face with his hand, "it's hard for those kids, Lo. And, I wish I could turn back time and spend more days making snow angels with you, but since I can't, maybe I could give some other kids the chance."
"I think that it's a wonderful idea, Nicky," Paloma smiled, "I do hope that one day you'll be able to have your dream."
"Someday, Lo." Fox nodded and reached down to take her hands in his, he squeezed her small hands in his in assurance, "Someday I will."
The two friends broke their stare and turned back toward the setting sun. They spent those moments standing side by side in complete stillness and silence. Though their minds raced with a million words, none of which were spoken a loud.
Paloma smiled when she felt the weight of Fox's arm rest upon her shoulder and she inched closer toward him, her head resting just below the nape of his neck. She listened to the steady pace of his heart beating and sighed in the silence that they shared. It had been so long since she felt that she had belonged, so long since she had a true sense of being 'home', and in that moment she knew there wasn't anywhere else she'd rather be than the spot she was standing. And there was no other person whom she had wanted to be sharing this very sunset with other than Nicky Crane. In that moment, as the sun slipped beneath the bay, Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald that this was where she belonged. She knew that this man meant much more to her than just a good friend. Paloma knew that this man, the man she had shared so many childhood memories with, the man who turned from being what she thought was her worst enemy into her best friend, she knew that beside Nicholas Foxworthy Crane was where she belonged.
In that moment she knew.
She was home.
************************************************************************
*A/N* TAAAA DAAAA!!! I love sappy stories, LOL! Anyways, stay tuned to see if Fox returns Paloma's feelings. Will he? Won't he? Hmm..you'll have to wait in suspense to see what happens next in the ongoing saga of Paloma and Fox! Take care and thanks for the reviews!! WG