As Bright as the Stars Read online

  “Absolutely. Nothing I’d rather do, and this is my favorite spot.”

  Kyle nodded in understanding, and Megan noticed the instant bond between them already that she’d seen hundreds of times between fishermen.

  “I noticed something strange today while I was fishing. I’ve been fishing here with my dad since I was a kid, and only twice have we accidentally caught a totuaba.”

  “Uh-oh. The forbidden Mexican sea bass,” James replied quietly. The huge fish was found only in the Sea of Cortez, and after many years of sport and commercial fishing, they’d been almost decimated. It was a crime to catch them, and people rarely even spoke of them. When they did, they usually whispered.

  “Yeah, that’s the one. Since I’ve only seen them a couple of times, I’m not exactly positive, but I’m pretty sure I saw at least three dead ones on the shore today. I was so surprised, I just left them for the seagulls.”

  “That’s odd,” James replied, tugging lightly on his beard. “Three, you say? Big ones?”

  “Yes, they were at least four feet long, each of them. Could feed an entire family really well with each one, and they sure need help down here.”

  “They were whole? Not just the filet leftovers?”

  “No, that’s the really strange thing. They were whole, but looked like they’d been gutted. I left well enough alone. I don’t need to tangle with the Federales,” he said as he gathered up the fish he had caught. “I’ll go filet these for fish tacos later. You staying?” he asked James as he opened the door to leave. “We have plenty. Good fishing day. I’ll see you guys in a little bit,” he said over his shoulder with a tip of his ball cap. “Nice to meet you, James.”

  A whirling black ball of fur crashed through the open door, running as fast as it could to greet each person in the room.

  “Here comes Jimmy,” Felicia said, as they all took turns petting the little black dog that always heralded the arrival of the man who’d lived in Playa Luna the longest.

  “You know Jimmy?” Megan and James said in unison, as they looked at each other, surprised.

  “How can you live here and not know him?” Felicia asked as she opened the bag of tortilla chips and spread them on a baking sheet.

  “Hey, all.” Jimmy sauntered in after Whiskers, his gray beard framing his wide grin. His worn blue jeans and flip-flops were a familiar site, and Megan hugged him warmly.

  “After all these years, how did we all not meet each other?” James’s eyes showed surprise, as he looked from Jimmy to Megan.

  “I know everybody. You all just don’t know each other,” Jimmy said as he hugged Felicia. “Guess you’re just not as popular as I am, James.”

  “I guess not. You seem to know all the lovely ladies.”

  “That’s because I know how to fix stuff when they all get in trouble,” he said with a wink. “Good to have somebody around who knows about propane and solar panels.”

  “Jimmy!” Cassie and Alex came through the door, all smiles.

  Megan waited patiently as Cassie hugged Jimmy and Felicia and was introduced to James. When it was finally time for a hug, it lingered as long as she could make it. When she pulled away from her daughter, she had to wipe tears from her eyes. It had been a long time, and so much had happened—to both of them.

  Everybody moved onto the patio to watch the sun set and Cassie stayed in the kitchen with Megan when Kyle delivered the fish filets. They fell into an easy rhythm—Cassie had never loved to cook but was a great helper, and that hadn’t changed—while they chatted.

  “So, a wedding sooner rather than later?” Megan asked as she handed Cassie the bowl of batter for the fish.

  “Oh, Mom, yes, sooner. Alex took me to the house he and Pablo built for us and it’s gorgeous. I can’t wait for you to see it. It’s all ladrillo, just like this one. I’m anxious to get in.”

  “Sounds beautiful,” Megan said after Cassie had described it even more. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  Cassie dipped the breaded fish filets into the hot oil, moving them around as her mom had taught her and Megan nodded in satisfaction.

  “Can you come over tomorrow? Maybe tomorrow night? We can set some tables up on the patio. All of you can come. And we can talk more about the wedding.”

  “Sounds perfect. Go ahead and invite everybody while I carry this stuff out. I can’t wait.”

  Megan watched her daughter invite everyone to the first party at her new house—that she didn’t even live in yet. She hadn’t seen her this excited since she was little, and it warmed her heart.

  The evening turned into a bit of a party, and several other people stopped by. Megan met lots of people, including James’s friend Colin. He was a volunteer firefighter for the south campos, and Megan also learned that James was studying to serve as a volunteer as well. There was no formal fire station, and the south campos relied on volunteer residents, but it was pretty rigorous training, she found out.

  Felicia’s nacho’s a hit. They ate on the patio, and Megan served the famous San Felipe fish tacos that she and Cassie had made to a very appreciative audience.

  “These are delicious.” James was clearly enjoying his tacos, as Kyle beamed with pride at his catch.

  “Nothing quite like fish this fresh.” Kyle helped himself to another fish taco, smothering it with cabbage, tomatoes, onions and the all-important white sauce that made them so special.

  “How do you make your white sauce? It’s better even than what they have in town,” James asked, between bites.

  Jimmy pushed himself back from the table as he finished his beer.

  “I can guarantee she won’t tell you. I’ve been trying to get it out of her for years.”

  She felt her cheeks warm at the compliment, and was pleased that everybody enjoyed their tacos.

  “You’re right. I can’t tell you or I’d have to kill you.”

  “Hey, I don’t want to know,” Felicia chimed in. “If I knew how, I’d have to do it.”

  As the laughter died down, everyone said their goodbyes, and Megan found herself standing on the porch with James. The moon had yet to appear on the horizon and the stars dotted the black velvet of the sky.

  “I realize I just met you, but several times tonight you seemed very far away.” He leaned against the brick pillar of the porch, making no effort to leave with the others.

  Megan swallowed hard as the memory of the ranch came flooding back. She had been trying to forget, and thought she had masked her anxiety pretty well tonight, attempting to enjoy the company.

  “I just have a lot on my mind, I guess.” She looked out over the desert, wishing that she knew what to do to make it better.

  “Whatever it is, you can decide what you want, and you can decide to be happy.”

  “It’s not that easy.” She felt her stomach tighten at the thought of the decision she needed to make.

  “Sure it is. Just choose happy.”

  He turned and headed toward his house. “Thank you for a lovely evening,” he said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the darkness.

  8

  Choose happy? She thought as he disappeared into the darkness. What did that even mean? She’d been responsible since the day she started working, and before that as the oldest child in her family, helping out with the younger kids. She’d raised one of her own, keeping her life together when Cassie’s father died when Cassie was young. A single mom after that, each increasingly responsible job had meant a better salary, and the decisions to take the jobs were no-brainers. It wasn’t until she’d missed most of her daughter’s games and events that she realized she was working more than she should. But it was what the job required, wasn’t it? What choice did she have?

  The opportunity to start the girls ranch had seemed like an escape, at least one step closer to happy. She’d tried. Owning her own business and working with her trusted sister had sounded like a dream come true. Unfortunately, it had turned into a nightmare.

  Quitting her job as a schoo
l principal to start this business with her beloved sister and brother-in-law had sounded like a great idea. Long workweeks at the school had taken a toll, and moving to another state for a fresh start and what seemed like a great business plan sounded like an adventure.

  Cassie was out of the house, in college, and she had been single longer than she’d been married. Her parents lived there, and her dad had been ill. The thought of being closer made the whole package ideal. Besides, if it didn’t work out, she could just get a job again.

  She’d taken the money she had saved for retirement and invested in the ranch, passionate about helping teen foster girls and providing a safe place to live, to grow. It was what she had done her whole career – help people. Previous students were her friends on Facebook, and she enjoyed seeing people help themselves and be productive.

  She decided to stop thinking for the day and try to relax. She’d taken a bath with her bubbles and candles after everyone had left, hoping it would help her sleep. Even in her favorite bedroom, the warm ladrillo bricks surrounding her and the waves lapping at the shore, sleep had been elusive. She’d tossed and turned, the words, “Choose happy,” running through her mind, unbidden. If it were that easy, wouldn’t everybody just choose to be happy? A ridiculous idea, she thought to herself as she gave up on sleep, looking forward to the sunrise.

  Shaking the thoughts from her head, she grabbed her San Felipe jacket emblazoned with colorful fish and threw it on over her silk pajama pants. She looked down, realizing that the yellow jacket and the purple silk pants were going to be as vivid as the sunrise. Add to that the lime green scarf that was closest to her, she thought anybody would need sunglasses to be around her.

  After years of hanging out with Felicia, she knew her friend would be snoring away and wouldn’t be up for hours, so it was probably a safe bet that she wouldn’t be teased by her. She pulled her black Uggs on, laughing at herself, not caring what she looked like as she anticipated a beautiful sunrise. Filling the kettle with water, she placed it on the stove, set a mug on the counter and threw in a tea bag.

  While she waited for the water to boil, she settled into her favorite Adirondack chair perched right on the cliff. The birds were starting to wake up, pelicans and seagulls clinging to the shore as if at the starting line, ready to begin their day of searching for fish.

  As the sky lightened, her gaze was drawn to its pink hue. A few clouds clung to the horizon, and as the sun peeked over the water, the clouds blazed with orange and red. She closed her eyes, feeling peaceful and serene.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” she heard behind her, a vaguely familiar voice breaking into her reverie.

  She turned in her chair and found herself gazing into the same piercing blue eyes she had seen last night. James stood directly behind her and he was staring at her, his eyes bright.

  “Yes, it’s the most beautiful sunrise I think I’ve ever seen,” she said, turning back toward the water. The sun had risen completely now, and the rays were shimmering on the waves.

  “Yes, the sunrise is beautiful, too,” he said, his eyes remaining on her.

  Startled, she turned toward him, her face as crimson as the sky. It had been ages since she’d been remotely aware of a handsome man, and her stomach tightened as she turned away.

  “I couldn’t help but notice you out here. Your pajamas rivaled the sunrise.” He smiled, looking down at his own multi-colored Hawaiian shirt, jeans and Uggs. “It seems we have similar taste in fashion.”

  She glanced down at her vivid array of clothes, not believing that on all the days she would grab whatever clothes were closest, this would happen. “You certainly can’t mean that with this get-up on,” she said, her eyes down.

  “It certainly is worthy of a second glance.”

  “You’re up early.” Not being a quick thinker in embarrassing situations, it was the best she could do, cringing at her lack of witty one-liners.

  “I find this time of the morning to be especially peaceful, and I saw you out here. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, not at all.” Her hands tingled, and she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t mind at all.

  The sound of the kettle whistling rang from the kitchen, gratefully giving her something to say next. “I put the kettle on. Would you like some tea?”

  “Tea? Did you say tea? I thought all Americans drink coffee in the morning.”

  “Not me. I love English tea, Earl Grey to be exact. Will that do?”

  “Oh, a civilized woman in Baja at last,” he said, as he followed her into the house. “Should be a right start to the day, then.”

  She smiled as she handed him his mug, watching as he held it under his nose with his eyes closed. “I haven’t had proper tea in ages. Can’t get it down here. This is wonderful. Thank you,” he said as he spooned brown sugar into his mug. “And a spot of cream, if you have it?”

  She took the cream from the refrigerator, handing it to him. “So, you’re British, then?” she asked as she poured some cream in her tea as well.

  “Born there, and moved to Canada as a lad. Moved back and forth several times. My father had the travel bug, and we lived lots of places.”

  “I’ve never been to England, but I was a British Literature major in college. I love all things British,” she said.

  “Really? Now that’s good to know,” he said, laughing as he walked back out onto the cliff.

  As he laughed, she realized what she had just said. “Oh, I didn’t mean...” she sputtered, almost spilling her tea.

  “It’s okay. I know what you meant.” He sat down, peering up into the sky directly above. “Do you hear that?”

  A piercing whistle came from directly above, and she spotted a beautiful white bird with brown feathers floating just overhead. It was so graceful, flying high and followed closely behind by an identical, smaller bird.

  “Those are osprey, kind of like the bald eagles of Baja. The mother is teaching her little one to fly.”

  She’d never seen a baby before—or at least hadn’t noticed if she had—and marveled at the grace with which the mother bird flew, alternately flying and floating as her offspring tried to keep up, flapping its wings wildly.

  “Listen,” James said, quietly settling back in his chair to watch.

  As the mother circled the baby, it flapped its wings to keep up with her. When he stopped to rest, just floating on the breeze, the cheeps were non-stop. Screeching for help, the mother would then double back around, somehow reminding him to flap his wings and get going again. Several times, the baby flapped wildly, then glided and screeched.

  They both laughed at the comical sight as the birds continued on along the shore.

  “That’s amazing,” Megan said finally, feeling lucky she had just witnessed that.

  “Pretty funny, isn’t it? What a place, where you can see baby birds getting flying lessons.”

  “Do you get to see things like that all the time?” she said, her eyes wide, thinking of her city life.

  “If you stay long enough, the gifts of nature will astound you. Truly remarkable.” He stood, taking the final sip of his tea. “Some of these moments beg to be captured and the camera doesn’t quite do it justice.”

  Megan nodded. “I’ve always wished that I could capture some of the things I’ve seen, too.”

  “You could,” James said as he cocked his head and looked at her.

  “No, I can’t do that.”

  “Do what? Create? You just do what you feel.”

  “Feel? Art? I can’t even draw stick people,” she said, laughing at herself. “I had an art teacher give me an F on a travel poster because I made the tulips blue. He said there aren’t any blue tulips. I never drew anything again.”

  “That’s horrible. Of course, there are blue tulips if they exist in your head. Anything goes,” he said. “Just do whatever you feel.”

  Megan turned back out to the water. She was so busy thinking, and talking to people and working that she seldom really knew w
hat she felt, certainly not in the context of creating art. She just reacted, tried to put out fires. Anything beyond that would be a luxury.

  James seemed to be thinking for a moment as he’d gone quiet. Megan assumed he was watching the sky turn colors until he turned to her.

  The sky was spectacular, multiple shades of blue and yellow and pink streaking the sky. The beauty and serenity of the moment struck her, and she wondered if this was what it was like to feel like you could be happy, create something. She thought maybe she’d caught a glimmer, and it felt foreign to her as she turned to go inside.

  “Thank you for the tea, Megan. And the entertainment,” he said, glancing at her outfit.

  She laughed as he headed for the door. “Sure, any time.”

  “That would be nice,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight at Cassie’s, if not before.”

  She was startled for a moment as she’d forgotten Cassie had invited James to join them at dinner the night before. Not that she was disappointed.

  “Oh, all right. You know where it is?”

  “Sure. I drive by there quite frequently and have seen it going up, along with all the progress at the resort. I’m looking forward to it.”

  She watched him for a moment as he headed down the dirt road toward his house and realized that she actually was looking forward to seeing him again.

  9

  “Felicia, get up,” Megan said as she barged into Felicia’s house. She’d almost run across the road, hoping that James wouldn’t see her. Either way, it wasn’t possible to look calm, cool and collected in her neon outfit.

  “What? What? Don’t talk to me until you put coffee on,” Felicia said as she pulled the covers over her head.

  She grabbed the coffee pot and filled it with water. She knew her friend would be no good to her until she could at least smell coffee. Grabbing the coffee can, she measured the right amount in the filter and hit the on button before heading back into the bedroom.

  “I don’t smell it yet,” Felicia said from under the covers. “What time is it, anyway?”