A World To Give

Nelson steps in to help out his company when his twin sister, Rowan,
unexpectedly leaves to take another job. While assuming her identity, he
realizes that there is a lot more to the world than he’d previously known and
he decides to take some chances he never took before.

Nelson discovered a whole new world!

---

Author's Note: Well, in this chapter, our two protagonists have truly stopped caring what the world thinks. But, they haven't stopped caring about each other. I am truly taking them to where no character, has gone... before. ~Clara.

Image Credit: https://perchance.org/beautiful-people
 
 
Chapter 5
 

Three hours and forty-five minutes after taking off, the elegant jet landed in Key West. It had been a perfectly smooth ride and Nell had gotten to know Andy a bit on the way.

As they taxied to the small terminal, a black town car, identical to the one Andy had left behind in Massachusetts, pulled onto the tarmac. “That’s our ride,” Andy said. “Ready to deplane?” He offered a hand and Nell took it.

“Wow,” Nell said as the warm air hit his face. “This is amazing. It’s so warm.”

“Yes, it is,” Andy smiled as he directed the baggage handlers to be careful as they placed Nell’s bags into the trunk of the town car.

Within minutes, they were traveling towards what Bill referred to as ‘his place,’ but Andy referred to as ‘the estate.’

Andy’s description was more apt.

There was a guard at the gate. He waved the town car through. It seemed as if the driveway was a mile long, but eventually they pulled up in front of a two story, tan stucco structure with bright yellow shutters on either side of every arched window and door. It was very large, but the colors and architecture made it look very welcoming.

There were two young men waiting to grab luggage, etc. Andy helped Nell from the car, then told the young men where to put the luggage. When he turned, he saw Nell touching the bark of a palm tree.

“Everything ok, Miss?”

Nell smiled. “Yes. I just never saw a palm tree in real life before. I mean, we have oaks and pines and maples and trees like that, of course, but… these are beautiful.”

“Yes, I suppose they are,” Andy grinned. “I never really thought about them before, but they are very beautiful.”

Nell caressed the bark some more, before accompanying Andy into the large house.

Stunning was the only word that could describe the interior. Large, arched French doors on both sides of the building. The front overlooked the driveway and a beautiful fountain, and the rear of the building opened up to a patio/pool area that overlooked the pure white sand and cyan blue water of The Gulf of Mexico beyond. Dark woods in the architecture and plushly upholstered furniture made the large space intimate and inviting.

“Do you like it, Miss?” Andy asked.

“It’s gorgeous,” Nell said. Nelson’s condo was… utilitarian. Just a few days earlier, Nelson would not have taken beauty or comfort into consideration when purchasing home furnishings. If he needed a kitchen set, he looked online, found one the right size and bought it. If he needed a couch, same procedure. Everything in this room was chosen to be complimentary to this room and to everything else in the room. And it all looked and felt like Bill in a very comforting way.

He now understood why Rowan wanted her condo to be situated in the right place and for the interior to represent her personality in a way that his never did.

He stared out at the ocean beyond the pool.

“Quite a view, Miss, isn’t it?” Andy asked.

“It is. I’ve never seen water so blue… and the sand is so white.”

“Have you seen the ocean before, Miss?”

“I’ve been to Cape Cod once, and I’ve seen Boston Harbor on a school field trip to the Aquarium, but the water was dark and looked so cold, and the sand was brown. This is like a whole different planet than home.”

“Welcome back, Andy,” a woman said as she entered the room. She looked at Nell and extended a hand. “You must be Ms Egan. I’m Sophie. I’m the estate manager here.”

They shook hands. Sophie was about the same age as Nell, but curvy in a way that Rowan was not, and Nell certainly was not.

“If you need anything, just let me know. It’ll be nice to have another girl around. It’s usually just Andy and Mr O’Connell when we have visitors.”

“Oh, well… it’s very nice to meet you,” Nell replied. Even though Nelson had given way to Nell, social skills were still new to him.

“You’ll be in the second bedroom,” Sophie explained. “When I heard that we were having a female guest, I redecorated a little bit. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you,” Nell smiled. “I’m sure I will.”

“The boys are bringing your bags up now,” Sophie said. “I’ll pop up and put everything away for you.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Nell tried to argue. “I can just live out of the suitcase. After all, it will all have to packed up again in a few days.”

“Don’t be silly,” Sophie smiled. “Of course it’s necessary. I will pack it back up for you when you leave as well. It’s no problem. Give me fifteen minutes and you can come up and get changed. Andy, why don’t you take Ms Egan out to the patio. I had the bar stocked. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Andy asked as he guided Nell towards the door.

“Ummm… maybe just a lemonade.” He checked his phone as he walked. “I don’t seem to have any service here.”

“No. Mr O’Connell refuses to put in cell service boosters here. He says it’s the one place in the world where he can truly relax.”
 
 

 
 
“Now boarding, Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore at gate B32.”

Rowan pulled her bags as she ran in that direction. She was running late and had gotten frustrated with everyone she’d talked to since getting to Logan Airport. It was the first of three flights she was going to have to take to get to Key West and she was not thrilled. She hated Southwest Airlines, she hated stopovers and she hated airport food. So far, this rescue mission was not going well.

She looked at her phone again. Still nothing from Nelson. Why didn’t he reply to her voice mails? Something was very wrong. Bill O’Connell seemed like a nice guy, but what the hell was he doing with Nelson? Had Nelson’s revelation injured his masculinity so badly that O’Connell had concocted this bazar kidnapping in order to hurt, or maybe even kill Nelson?

She handed the gatekeeper her ticket.

“I’m sorry, Miss, this is for the four o’clock flight. You’ll have to wait.” The gatekeeper, a tallish woman with a severe look about her said.

“What?” Rowan grabbed the ticket. “That’s not what I paid for. The woman at the ticket desk said there was a one-thirty flight. That’s what I paid for.”

The woman tapped her tablet a few times. “No, I’m sorry. This flight is fully booked. The next flight is at four. There’s nothing I can do.” She turned her back on Rowan and grabbed the microphone. “Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore, last call. Last call for Southwest flight WN2171 from Boston to Baltimore.”

“Son of a bitch,” Rowan muttered, perhaps too loudly, as she threw her clothes and carry on onto waiting area chairs with way too much force. Then she dropped herself into another chair and grunted loudly.

A few moments later, a Massachusetts State Trooper walked over to the woman who’d been working the gate. They spoke for a moment and the woman, rather subtly, indicated Rowan.

The trooper walked towards her, one hand on his firearm.

“Is there a problem here, young lady?”

Rowan glared at him. “You can take that condescending tone out of your voice right now. I bought a ticket for the flight that just loaded. The idiot at the ticket desk gave me the wrong flight and that idiot, who obviously called you, didn’t even attempt to fix it. So, yeah, there is a problem here.”

The trooper nodded. “Alright, well you upset that woman over there, who is not an idiot, but is a friend of mine, and because of that, you are not welcome on any Southwest flight going anywhere today. Your ticket for the four o’clock flight has been canceled, so I suggest that you look elsewhere for transportation.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, you have got to be kidding me. All I did was…” her volume rising

“One more word, young lady, and I will detain you and you will not be going anywhere today. Have I made myself clear?”

Making no attempt to conceal her anger, Rowan stood and started organizing her things.

“I asked you a question,” the trooper said. “Have I made myself clear?”

“You made yourself clear when you said, ‘not another word.’ I was obeying that order.” She grabbed her things and prepared to leave. “I can see why you and she are friends,” she said, but not directly to the trooper.

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘have a good day.’”
 
 

 
 
“The Verizon customer you are calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message at the tone.”

Very little in the world irritated Bill O’Connell more than voice mail. What a frustrating pain in the butt.

BEEEEEP

“Hi, mom. It’s me… obviously. Look, I just wanted to say I loved you and if things go well, I may be swinging by on Tuesday or Wednesday. I’ll let you know. Anyway, I’ll be at the house in Key West all weekend, so no phone. Talk to you soon. Love you lots. Bye.”

He climbed into the chartered helicopter and gave the pilot the thumbs-up sign when he was ready to go.
 
 

 
 
Nell came out onto the patio area dressed in his swim attire, as Sophie had suggested. Since the bikini top had built in ‘enhancements’ and the bottom had a ruffled hem, extremely short skirt, he wondered if it had set off any warning bells when Sophie saw it. If it had, she said nothing about it. She continued to be affable and helpful at every moment.

The room that had been prepared for Nell was as big as his whole condo. It had soft yellow walls with lace curtains and a lace bedspread. Sophie explained that the color of the room made it the only feminine room in the house and that she had worked with ‘the boys,’ the young men that worked on the estate, to redecorate it for the arrival of Mr O’Connell’s lady-visitor.

They had done a lovely job and Nell told them so.

At Andy’s suggestion, Nell indulged in a rest in a salt water hot tub. It was incredibly relaxing, but the bathing suit needed some getting used to.

Of course, Nelson had worn swim trunks as a child, but they didn’t cling to him as tightly as this ensemble did. This white suit with bright red poppy flowers, green leaves and a few egrets in its design, seemed to cling so tightly that he felt he was more exposed than he would have felt if he were stark naked.

Nadine had done some online research about how men needed to tuck or tape themselves to maintain a lady-like crotch. Tucking was perfectly sufficient. Even without the very short, ruffled skirt, his tucked crotch didn’t seem to reveal anything.

Just as Nell was getting out of the hot tub, a loud, thumping kind of noise began.

“What is that?” Nell asked Andy, who seemed unconcerned.

“That’s the boss,” he smiled. “There’s a grassy area out in front where helicopters can land. He should be here in a few minutes.”

A helicopter? Good God, this really was an entirely different world than the one he’d left back in Massachusetts.

“You’re here!” Bill seemed a little surprised. “I’m so glad you decided to come.” He gave the rather wet Nell a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I was afraid you’d back out.”

“I’m here,” Nell smiled, “but I cannot believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“That you wanted me here. That you have a place this beautiful. Any of it.”

“I’d like to share it with you.” Bill said, then turned and looked around. “Andy! Is everything the way I asked?”

“It is, Boss,” Andy nodded. “Sophie had the room redecorated. The dinning set is set up on the beach and Ian from Nine One Five is our chef tonight.”

“Perfect as always, buddy!”

“Thanks, boss.”

“You have a chef coming to your house to cook for you tonight?” Nell said, shocked that people could do that.

“Well, to cook for US, yeah.” He pointed towards the beach. “We have a fully functioning, portable kitchen that rolls out on the beach.”

“So, do you ever go to a restaurant down here?”

“Sure, but I wanted to stay in so we can just… you know… be together. Honestly, it was Sophie’s idea. She said it would be romantic.”

“Well, she’s not wrong, that’s for sure.”

“Would you rather go to the Nine One Five instead? We can do that if you’d prefer. It’s a really nice place…”

“No, no, no. A romantic meal in a tropical beach with the most handsome man I ever met sounds pretty wonderful.”

Bill smiled.

“By the way,” Nell lowered her voice. “What do Sophie and Andy know about me?”

“I think they know I’m smitten with you. Why?”

“So… they don’t know that I’m…”

“Of course not, Nell.” There it was. Nell’s knees almost buckled when Bill said his name. “They are great people. That’s why they work for me, but my personal life is none of their business – and yours is off limits. They know that.”

“Ok.”

“Hey, I’m going to change into beach clothes. I’ll be right down. Can I grab you a cover-up or anything? It does cool off as the evening sets in.”

“Yeah, please. Sophie hung it in my closet. It’s a white lace kind of almost-a-dress kind of thing.”

Bill smiled at his date’s inability to describe women’s clothing. “I’ll find it.”
 
 

 
 
It was almost nine at night and Rowan had just gotten to Baltimore. She’d missed her connecting flight to Jacksonville and to top things off, it was snowing. Not a lot of snow, not enough to shut down the airports in Boston, Manchester, Providence, Worcester or Hartford, the airports she used most frequently, but in Baltimore, it might as well have been a blizzard. All flights were canceled or delayed. She had a long night at the airport ahead of her.

She wandered towards the restaurant area in search of anything that wasn’t prepackaged to eat for dinner. All of the restaurants were closed.
 
 

 
 
“I see… yes, I see…,” Bill’s mother said into the phone. “Now, will I receive a full report from you. Excellent. Thank you very much.”
 
 

 
 
“Is everything to your taste?” Ian, the chef at Nine One Five, asked.

Bill looked at Nell. “What do you think, Nell? Do you like your yellow tail snapper?”

Nell took a moment to swallow. “I have never tasted anything this good. Everything has been so fresh and delicious. Thank you so much.”

Bill smiled, then turned to the patio area where the estate staff sat in the lounge area eating their own food from Nine One Five. “Everything taste good over there?”

They all responded in the affirmative.

“We’re all enjoying it, Ian. Thank you. You’ve outdone yourself.”

“Very good,” Ian smiled. “I have a light dessert prepared as well. It’s a small, light almond cookie with sliced mangos and blood oranges with my own lemon gelato. Should I prepare it for you?”

Bill dabbed his lips with his napkin. “It sounds wonderful, Ian. Could we have it in about a half-hour?” He happily tapped his flat abs. “I’m a little full right now.”

“Of course.”

Nell was looking at the sea. “Why do you ever leave here? It is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m happy you like it. There are a lot of beautiful places in this world, Nelly, and I’d love to show them to you. The fjords in Norway, the Alps in Switzerland, the Mediterranean coast… lots to see. In a way, I’ve kind of conquered the world, Nell, and I’d like to give it to you.”

Nell looked at Bill with a more serious attitude. “Where do you see this going, Bill?”

For the first time since they’d met, Bill seemed a bit flustered. He called Andy over and whispered something to him. As Andy ran off, Bill looked at Nell. “This isn’t exactly how I planned to do this, Nell, but it’ll have to do. Now, I know that we’ve only known each other a few days and there are definitely complications in our relationship, and we both said we should move slowly, but… Nell. I’ve worked my butt to the bone since the day I left grad school with a few specific goals.’
‘1) Make as much money as possible and do it without hurting other people. I think I’ve done that.
2) Take care of my mother. Well, she retired early and is happy as a clam in Naples, so I think I’ve done ok there.
3) Retire and enjoy my life no later than my fortieth birthday. Well, that’s still a few years off, but I certainly could resign as CEO at any time I’d like.”

Andy returned and handed Bill a small box.

“Thank you, Andy.” He returned his attention to Nell as Andy left. “Nell, I don’t think I ever considered doing all of this with a… partner. I never really thought about that kind of relationship. I was just… aimless in that one aspect of my life.’

‘When I first met Rowan online, I just thought she was kind of cute and funny. I thought a couple of dates whenever I was in the area might be nice. And then I met you.”

Bill took a moment to wipe away the little bit of emotion that had accumulated in the side of his eyes. “Nell… I truly don’t care about your… you know… physique, I guess. Since we went out to dinner that first time, I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I am one hundred percent in love with you, and I want to share the rest of my life with you…”

Nell’s emotion was obvious, too, but he interrupted none the less. “Bill, please… hold on. I think you know that I feel the same way that you do, but… Bill… I am a male, even if I don’t look like one. Frankly, I never really did, but… I feel like I’m deceiving you.”

“You’re not.”

“Maybe I am, Bill. Think about it. I can’t give you everything that a woman can.”

“Nell… we can work things out. If you’re uncomfortable with some of the ways that men have sex together, we can discuss things. We can find ways to satisfy each other…”

“Bill, Bill… that’s not what I mean. I mean… I guess I mean children, Bill. I cannot give you a child or children. Isn’t that something that you want?”

“Well, yes, I guess I do, but I also am fine with adopting children. Nell, we could adopt a child or two and they would be our children just as they would be if we were able to bring a child into the world ourselves. We could…” he stopped and looked at the person he had fallen so deeply in love with. “I’m forcing this on you, aren’t I?” He sighed. “I’m sorry. Nell. I didn’t mean to.”

He looked heartbroken.

“No, actually, Bill, you are not forcing anything on to me. The truth is, I want this… a life with you, I mean… more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. It’s just that… on Sunday, I was a wimpy little math geek who said goodbye to his sister for the first time. See, Rowan was my only connection to any kind of social interaction, and I was petrified to be left alone. Now…” he indicated the gorgeous estate and view. “How did this happen to me, Bill? You are not forcing anything on me, Bill, but I am petrified that, now that I have found you, I could lose you if a… a… real… woman came along. I can give you all of my love, Bill, but I don’t have what a woman has, and I’m afraid that I will not be enough.”

Bill stood and took Nell’s hand, then kneeled on one knee in front of him. “Nell Egan… I swear to you that you are more than I will ever need. I love you with all of my heart and with all of my heart I am asking you… will you please be my… partner… my husband, my wife… whatever.” He opened the box Andy had brought him and presented it to Nell. “I don’t care what we call it, but Nell… will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

Nell’s heart was beating so fast that he was afraid he may pass out. The tears flowed freely. They box held the most simple, yet beautiful diamond ring Nell had ever seen. Not huge, not gaudy, and not pretentious. Rather small and very simple. It was perfect. “Yes, Bill. Yes, I will spend the rest of my life with you.”

Bill put the ring on Nell’s finger, then stood and helped him up so he could hug and kiss him. A cheer came up from the patio, which is when the couple realized that the staff, who were out of earshot, had been watching the whole time.

Bill smiled and waved to them, then called out, “Ian. I think we’re ready for dessert now.”
 
 

 
 
“Congratulations, Miss Egan,” Sophie said as she opened the blinds in Nell’s room that Saturday morning. “I hope you slept well after your big night.”

Nell sat up in his bed, his light, lacy, white nighty hanging nicely from his shoulders. “Good morning, Sophie. Do you think we might drop the ‘Miss Egan’ and you could just call me Nell?”

“Perhaps eventually, Miss Egan, but for now, until Mr O’Connell is comfortable with it, I think I should stick to Miss Egan.” She smiled. “Congratulations, again. Mr O’Connell is a wonderful guy. I’m very pleased that you two found each other.”

“So am I,” Nell laughed. “I didn’t expect you to be waking me this morning. What time is it, anyway?”

“Nearly ten-thirty. Miss. Mr O’Connell. Asked me to wake you. He’d like to take you to brunch at a restaurant he frequents when he’s on the island.”

“Ten-thirty!?” Nell sounded appalled with himself. “I have never slept this late in my life!”

“You had a big night,” Sophie smiled. “When my sister comes to visit me, she always says that the sound of the the ocean, the taste of the salt in the air and the smell of the sea puts her to sleep like nothing else.”

“I think she’s right. Could you tell Mr O’Connell that I’ll be down in about a half hour? I’d just like to take a quick shower.”

“Of course. Oh, and he said to dress casually. Shorts or a skirt would be fine.”
 
 

 
 
“I’m sorry ma’am but you’ve missed that flight to Miami,” the charmingly infuriating woman at the Delta desk in Atlanta said.

“I know that,” Rowan said sounding exhausted. “Is there any way… any way at all… that you can get me to Key West today?”

“I’m afraid not, ma’am. Our only flights to Key West originate with a partner service out of Miami and I don’t have another flight leaving for Miami until two O’Clock tomorrow afternoon.”

Rowan shook her head. She’d come this far and spent so much money to get there that she couldn’t give up now. “Fine. Please book me on that flight and I will try to find a hotel room. I can’t spend another night in an airport.”

The woman typed away for a few minutes, then said, “Ok… you’re all set. I’ve sent the ticket to your email. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. Is there a decent, reasonably priced hotel at the airport?”

“Yea, ma’am. The Marriott is very nice and not too pricey. You can just follow the signs to the entrance.”

“Thank you,” Rowan forced a smile and headed off to find a place to sleep.

As she walked, her phone rang. It was Jessie. “Hi, Jess.”

“Hi, Ro. Is everything ok? I mean with Nelson.”

“I have no idea,” she said. “I’ve only made it as far as Atlanta so far. It’s been a freaking nightmare.”

“I’m sorry, Ro, but I’m sure he’s ok. They really seemed ok together.”

“Then why isn’t he answering his phone, Jess? I haven’t been able to reach him for nearly forty hours. If he’s ok, why haven’t I heard from him?”

“I don’t know… Look… if I can help, let me know.”

“Actually,” Rowan was very embarrassed to say this, “with the move to London and all this running around… I’m getting kind of low on money. Could I borrow a few hundred dollars till I get back?”

“Are you kidding? Of course! Do you want me to wire it to you at your hotel, or what?”

“We bank at the same credit union. If I text you my account number, could you just transfer it? That would be a huge help.”

“Send me the numbers, Ro. I’ll do it immediately.”

“Thanks, Jess. I really appreciate it.”
 
 

 
 
Bill O’Connell’s mother went through the printout with a yellow highlighter in her hand, checking everything three times or more. This was very confusing. How many of these Egans were there and why did it seem like they all worked for the same company? Global… something or other. There was a Rowan Egan, a Nelson Egan, a Rowan Nelson Egan, and a Nelson Rowan Egan. Were all those people one person, or were they four different people? They all had the same birthday, same high school graduation date, hell they even all attended the same college and graduated on the same date. There couldn’t be four people with the same name who all did the same things at the same time. The most confusing part of all this was that sometimes these people were listed as male and sometimes as female. Why was this so confusing!? She wasn’t a stupid woman. Maybe some coffee would help.
 
 

 
 
Nell had managed to do a reasonably good job on his makeup that morning. In fact, he’d done an excellent job, but he felt that he still had a lot to learn.

The wind blew through his baseball cap covered hair as Bill drove them to a small family restaurant in his racing green, 1961 Jaquar E-type convertible roadster. It was a dream car for Bill. His favorite, actually. He didn’t drive frequently, but when he did, he liked to enjoy it.

He loved driving this particular car, and Nell was enjoying the ride in the beautiful, vintage machine.

They pulled into a restaurant parking lot. Not as fancy as the places they’d been to lately; a mom-and-pop kind of place. A small, house-like structure with a homey feel. The sign read ‘Ken’s Breakfast All Day’ and nothing else.

“I didn’t expect some place so… regular,” Nell said, getting out of the Jaguar with some assistance from Bill. He, Nell, had worn one of the ‘casual’ outfits in his collection of clothes. A soft yellow, flouncy tennis skirt with built in shorts, a very pale blue, sleeveless, cotton top with just a touch of lace along the button closures. For shoes, he’d chosen some white, low-heeled sandals that showed of his pedicured and painted toes.

“There’s nothing ‘regular’ about ‘Ken’s,’” Bill laughed. “It’s the best breakfast place in The Keys. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving.”

The interior was even less ostentatious than the exterior. Eighteen or twenty tables with run of the mill seats, but it was clean and smelled amazing.

“Hey! Hey! Look who it is!” A man called out from behind the counter that ran along the far end of the restaurant. “Billy’s back!”

He was a very big man, probably six and a half feet tall, or even more, with nicely tanned skin and short cropped gray hair that extended to a short cropped beard and mustache that made him look very well traveled for some reason. He came around the counter and gave Bill a big, aggressive hug with several manly pats on each other’s backs. “Are you driving MY CAR today?” He looked out the window and saw the Jaguar in the parking lot. “There she is. What a beauty! When are you going to sell her to me?”

“Fat chance,” Bill laughed. “You know that’s the one purchase I ever made that I am truly happy to own.”

“Yeah… someday,” the older man kidded. Then he spotted Neil standing by. “Oh… who have we here?” He asked, taking Nell’s hand in his and offering a very courtly peck on his hand. “Have you finally grown up enough to start dating, Billy?”

Bill laughed at the jibing. “This is Nell, Lloyd. Actually, as of last night, I think it’s safe to say that Nell is my fiancé.”

Lloyd stood straight and gave Bill an astonished look. “Fiancé!? Well, hal-ay-freaking-lu-ya!” He shouted. “Franny!” He shouted towards the kitchen. “Get out here and meet Billy’s fiancé!”

An equally colorful looking woman of approximately the same age as Lloyd came bounding out of the kitchen, while the other customers watched in amusement.

Franny was also tall, standing nearly six feet tall, but her personality was even bigger. “Finacé? Why Billy O’Connell, you sly dog, how did you ever find a girl so beautiful? And so young? How old are you, sweetie?”

Nell had barely been able to cope with the idea of someone calling Bill ‘Billy’ before being asked his age by this huge personality. “I’m twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four!?” Franny sounded incredulous. “Why child this man is way too old for you. I’m sure you could find someone closer to your age to marry. Billy, how old are you, anyway? Fifty-seven?”

“Hey, what did I do to you to make you act so mean?” Bill laughed some more.

“I’m just teasing,” she said patting Bill’s face before kissing his cheek. “She’s beautiful, Billy, and you two make a perfect couple.” She kissed Nell’s cheek and hugged him, too. “Welcome to our little family, sweetheart.”

“Franny, this is Nell,” Lloyd said. “Franny and I have been married for forty-three years. Most of them spent inside these four walls, but this is where we are the happiest.”

“Your name is Lloyd and you own a restaurant called ‘Ken’s’” Nell asked.

“Ken was my grandfather, and my father was Ken Jr. Grandpa started this place in 1933, and it’s been in my family ever since. Probably would have gone to my older brother, Ken, but he passed young, I’m afraid. So, my Franny and I have run it since 1984. We met here and we love it here.”

“So, what’ll it be, Billy?” Franny asked. “How about the breakfast platter for two? It’s on the house to celebrate the occasion.”

“Sounds great,” Bill said through the smile he’d been wearing since they’d arrived.

“Of course, if you insist on paying,” Lloyd said, his arm around Bill’s shoulder once again, “then I’d be happy to take that old jalopy off your hands in exchange for your breakfast.”

“No, on the house will be just fine,” Bill laughed, then he led Nell to a table to sit.

“Old friends?” Nell asked.

“Yeah. Back when I didn’t have two dimes to rub together, I came to Key West as part of my ‘wandering’ period. It was between my senior year as an undergrad and before I stated my grad work at Yale. I was kind of fed up with college and wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back. Anyway, I was asleep on the beach and Lloyd saw me and thought it wasn’t safe. So, he kicked me awake and took me to their place for a couple of weeks. I washed dishes here for a few weeks, too. I probably would have stayed here forever, but Lloyd kind of kicked my butt back to civilization where I did what I needed to do and landed my first important job within a month of graduation, and the guy who hired me was a friend of Lloyd’s. I think that’s the only reason I got the job. Other than my mom, they’re the closest thing to family I have. I hope you like them.”

“They’re great.” Nell grew quiet for a moment. “Bill…if we do get married…”

“If? Are you having second thoughts?”

“Not at all,” Nell smiled. “I’ve just… this is all very new to me, so I guess I’m hypothesizing instead of just… I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s just how my brain works.”

“Ok. I get that, but instead of ‘if we get married,’ let’s say ‘when we get married.’”

Nell smiled. How could someone as handsome and intelligent as Bill, be so patient and understanding? “Ok… So, WHEN we get married, would you expect me to quit me job at Global?”

Bill took a deep breath and thought for a moment. “Not right away, I guess. Or even ever, if it’s important to you to keep working. What would you like to do?”

Nell thought. “I don’t know. I feel like I owe Jessie at least some time. I mean, she did give me the money for my PhD. I feel like I owe her something for that. And besides, I like my work. I’d like to do it for a while longer.”

“Ok,” Bill shrugged. “Whatever you want to do is fine, Nell. Yeah, I’m ready to step down, but it will take me at least a year or two to set that up correctly, so that the company continues to grow after I step down. You can work as long as you’d like. I’m fine with that. I would ask this question, though: Do you have to go into the office everyday, or can you work remotely and go into the office from time to time?”

Nell shrugged. “I would need to talk to Jessie, but I think I could work remotely almost all the time. Why?”

Bill smiled. “Honey, I can live anywhere in the world, and I will live in Worcester, Massachusetts if that’s where you have to be, but… I mean, look around. There’s a lot of incredible places to live on this planet. Worcester, Massachusetts isn’t one of those places. It’s fine, but… you know what I mean?”

Nell smiled. “I do. This place is pretty unbelievable. I could get used to living here, or wherever you’d like to live.”

Bill reached across the table and took his hand. “See? We can work things out. No big deal.”
 
 

 
 
A two hour flight.

That’s all it was supposed to be. A goddamned two-hour flight from Atlanta to Miami. Then a connecting flight with a puddle-jumper airline to get to Key West and her Odyssey would have been over, but like Odysseus, the gods were obviously working against her.

The plane that her flight was scheduled to use was flying into Atlanta from Denver, where it was snowing. The plane arrived three hours late. They boarded as quickly as possible and took off.

Things looked hopeful.

Fifteen minutes into the flight a man, who had been alarmingly red faced in the boarding line, started struggling for breath. He was near the rear of the plane and Rowan was near the front, but she watched as much of the commotion as the seats would allow. It was obvious that he was struggling.

Then the pilot announced that they had to return to Atlanta due to a medical emergency.

They landed and EMTs came aboard and treated the man for a good long time before he was taken out on a gurney. They announced that he was going to be ok. He’d had a cardiac episode of some kind and would be treated at a local hospital.

Everyone cheered and was relieved that the man was going to be ok.

Then… “We are sorry, but we must have all the passengers deplane at this time. We need to refuel and do a safety check before we takeoff again. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Rowan closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. There was nothing to be done. She’d have to wait to board again. That was all.

Now, four hours later, she was reboarding and reasonably confident that she would not be getting on any plane in Miami until the next day.

Thank God Jessie had sent money. Twenty-five-hundred-dollars, in fact. That allowed her to have a good meal in real restaurant while she waited and, if no flight was available, she’d be sleeping in a hotel room again, and not the terminal.

She’d had two glasses of mediocre wine and was ready to sit down and close her eyes, and when she opened them up, she’d better damned well be in Miami, Florida.

Before the plane took off she sent Simon another email.
 
 
‘Simon,
Sorry. Family issue is not resolved. I probably won’t make it back by Monday, but I’ll be back asap. Please don’t fire me. My life is never this complicated. I’d explain if I could. When I get back, I certainly will tell you the whole, ludicrous story.
So sorry.
Rowan’
 
 

 
 
“These sunsets are just breathtaking,” Nell said, sitting on a very comfortable chaise on the beach at Bill’s compound. “I don’t know how you ever leave here.”

“Gotta go into the real world to make money to pay for all this,” Bill laughed. “This is my favorite place on earth, though. My mom is up in Naples. I wanted her to move to a place on Key West, but the bad weather out here during hurricane season can be scary and she likes Naples. So…” Bill cleared his throat. “I’d like you to meet my mom, if you’re up to it.”

“Ok,” Nell sounded tentative. “Are we going to tell her about…?”

“Our engagement? Of course. Anything else? Nell, I keep telling you, I love you just as you are and I’ll love you if you go back to wearing a suit and tie, and I’ll love you if you grow a mustache, or breasts, or a third arm, or a fourth. Whatever secrets we chose to have are our secrets and whatever we chose to share, we chose to share. As far as my mother is concerned, you are Nell. You are beautiful. I love you. You love me. There isn’t a lot more to tell. Nothing else is any of her business. Ok?”

“Ok.” Nell thought for a moment, then said, “It’s not like I’m ashamed, or anything like that, it’s just… it’s just something I want to keep private. I’ve never been the kind of person who shared intimacies about myself with the world. You know? I’m afraid that… if I tell people, then that’s how their going to view me. I won’t be ‘Nell,’ I’ll be ‘that woman that’s really a guy but likes to wear women’s clothes.’ Does that make sense?”

Bill stayed quiet a moment. “Did I ever tell you that Andy has a vestigial tail?”

Nell sat up a little straighter and looked to the patio area where Andy sat reading from a tablet. “What? Is that true?”

Bill laughed. “Of course not, but if I said it was true, that’s all you’d think about when you looked at him, right?”

“It may be all I think about from now on.”

Bill laughed again. “What I mean is… yeah… I get it. When we know just a little about someone, then that becomes all we focus on. If what I said was true, then Andy would cease to be Andy and be the guy with the tail. So… yeah… I get it. You are Nell. The love of my life. End of story.”

Nell smiled. “Thank you, Bill. I knew you’d understand.”

“Move over.” Bill got up from his own chaise and sat with Nell on his. “After we tell my mom, that’ll take care of my family. Have you told your sister?”

“No,” Nell said, cuddling in on Bill’s chest. “I called her after our date, but she didn’t answer. I left a message for her to call me, but I haven’t had any cell service since then.”

“Yeah. I haven’t installed the hardware to increase our service here. It’s the one place I can be where I know that no one is going to call me. I’m on the phone so frequently that I need a break from it. I hope that’s not an issue for you. It can be fixed if you want to have service here.”

Nell inhaled the warm tropical air and all the perfume it carried. “Nah. Let’s keep this place as a retreat. I can’t believe how relaxed I’ve gotten in just a couple of days.”

“It’s good for you.”

“You’re good for me, Billy,” Nell teased using Lloyd’s nickname for Bill.

“I love you, Nell, but not enough to put up with being called ‘Billy.’”

“You let Lloyd and Franny call you ‘Billy,’” Nell giggled.

“When they net me, I was a ‘Billy.’ Billy was an unfocused lay about. I’m not proud of Billy. I’m just ‘Bill’ now. You can’t run a multi billion-dollar company and have people calling you ‘Billy.’ It just doesn’t work.”

Nell laughed. “What does your mom call you?”

Bill sighed. “William. It’s never Bill, or Will, or anything that might sound comfortable. It’s always ‘William.’ Do you have any idea what it’s like growing up with a mother that has a ‘teacher voice,’ and she insists on calling you ‘William’ all the time? It’s unsettling.”

“Try growing up being called ‘Nelson’ all the time. There’s no real nickname for ‘Nelson.’ Until Wednesday, everybody except Rowan called me ‘Nelson’ and only ‘Nelson.’”

“Did it bother you?”

“Not really. It didn’t occur to me that it should bother me. I just figured it was my name, so that was that. But since Wednesday, I hate that name. I don’t even like who I was before then. It’s like I was completely reborn the moment I saw you.”

Bill looked at him. “You are definitely not a Nelson to me.”

He kissed his cheek… then kissed it again… and again.

Then they kissed each other’s lips. And kissed them again… and again… and again… and then…”
 
 

 
 
‘Happy Sunday morning, Mom,’ the email began.
‘I’m coming up to Naples tomorrow in the early afternoon. I know it’s a day earlier than expected, but I really want you to meet Nell. If your guests are still there, don’t worry. We’ll work around your schedule. I’ll call or text when we get to my condo. Can’t wait for you two to meet.
Love you
See you soon
William
 
 

 
 
“Are you kidding me?” Rowan said to her laptop. She had looked at every airline that flew from Miami to Key West and not a single one had an available seat for that Sunday. She even called them all and asked if they could help. Nothing. “How is this possible!?” She wasn’t sure if her life had become a joke or a Greek tragedy.

The earliest she could get was a flight on Monday at twelve-thirty in the afternoon.

With a frustrated sigh, she booked the ticket.

She called Melissa just to be sure that Nelson hadn’t returned to Rowan’s apartment. He hadn’t. Now there was nothing to do but her laundry. She’d been living out of her carry on for three days. She needed some clean things.

“At least it’s something constructive,” she groaned as she poured everything out of her bag, gathered her clothes, and headed towards the hotel’s self-serve laundry room.”
 
To Be Continued...