Chapter Six

Leana spent the next day trying to decide if she was going to take that walk down the beach or not. She was in her room rummaging in her closet and came across a box on the upper shelf. Opening the box a wave of nostalgia came over her. There were pictures, scrap books, odds and ends from what seemed to be a lifetime ago. Flipping through one of the scrapbooks she couldn’t help laugh at some of the pictures. Her and Richie on the boardwalk, him carrying a huge pink floppy-eared rabbit he won for her. Him making silly faces, playing on stage, just Richie being Richie.

There were other things, flyers, posters, clippings of reviews of their shows, pictures of her, Richie, Jon and Dorothea, ticket stubs, more pictures, programs, other tour souvenirs, things people on EBay would pay a pretty penny for. At the bottom of the box was a stack of letters and postcards Richie had sent her when they toured their first two albums. As she thumbed through them an old REO song came on the radio, causing Leana to sigh.

I can hear your voice promising your love will never die
I can feel your golden skin on mine beneath the desert sky
So how can it be true, how can you just turn and let me go
Let the story of your life with mine forever go untold
I can't take these words to bed with me and hold onto them at night
They can't erase the emptiness and make everything alright
Cause your laughter and your tenderness will never disappear
No matter where you are tonight a part of you is here with me
Here with me, I don't know where you are, all I know is I need you to be
Here with me, I know it's not too late, to turn around and get it straight

Noting the time, she made her decision. She quickly showered, slid into her favorite well worn jeans, layered a black tank top over a white one and decided against shoes. She left her hair down, letting the dark brown waves spill down her back and, sliding her glasses on her face she grabbed her jacket and went out the back door.

Richie stepped out onto the deck and wondered if she would show up. He sipped his beer and looked up and down the beach, not seeing anyone. Sighing he turned and went back into the house. She probably won’t come he figured. Hell he was lucky she didn’t throw him off her deck last night. The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. “Hey man” it was Jon. Richie smiled and let Jon in. They headed toward the kitchen and, as Richie continued to the sliding door to go outside, he threw over his shoulder “beer’s in the fridge bro.” Jon detoured to the fridge and Richie went outside.

Leana was coming up the beach toward his house and saw him come outside. She stopped and just looked at him. She had always had a thing for the tall, dark and handsome type and he certainly fit the bill. He wore his hair much shorter now, but it suited him and she itched to run her fingers through it. He looked good and still made her pulse race she thought and he was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She started up the steps, he was still alone. “I heard there was a party here tonight.” He smiled and walked over to her. The urge to touch her was great but he restrained from doing so. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.” Leana smiled back at him. “Well, I got hungry and a burger sounded good, so here I am.”