The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks [89]
Later, as the sun began its midafternoon march across the sky, they packed up their things, ready to head home. Taylor carried the blanket, towels, and picnic basket they’d brought with them. Kyle was walking ahead of them, his body covered in sand, carrying his pail and shovel as he weaved through the last of the sand dunes. All along the footpath, a sea of orange and yellow blossoms bloomed, their colors spectacular. Denise bent and plucked a blossom, bringing it to her nose.
“Around here, we call it the Jobellflower,” Taylor said, watching her. She handed it to him, and Taylor wagged a finger at her in mock reproach.
“You know it’s against the law to pick flowers on the dunes. They help protect us from the hurricanes.”
“Are you going to turn me in?”
Taylor shook his head. “No, but I’m going to make you listen to the legend of how they got their name.”
She pushed away the hair that had blown into her eyes. “Is this another story like the dram tree?”
“Sort of. It’s a little more romantic, though.”
Denise took a step closer to him. “So tell me about the flower.”
He twirled it between his fingers, and the petals seemed to blend together.
“The Jobellflower was named for Joe Bell, who lived on this island a long time ago. Supposedly, Joe had been in love with a woman, but she ended up marrying someone else. Heartbroken, he moved to the Outer Banks, where he intended to live the life of a recluse. On his first morning in his new home, however, he saw a woman walking along the beach in front of his house, looking terribly sad and alone. Every day, at the same time, he would see her, and eventually he went out to meet her, but when she saw him, she turned and ran away. He thought he’d frightened her off for good, but the next morning she was walking along the beach again. This time, when he went to see her, she didn’t run, and Joe was immediately struck by how beautiful she was. They talked all day, then the next, and soon they were in love. Surprisingly, at the same time he was falling in love, a small batch of flowers began to grow right behind his house, flowers never seen before in this area. As his love grew, the flowers continued to spread, and by the end of the summer, they’d become a beautiful ocean of color. It was there that Joe knelt and asked her to marry him. When she agreed, Joe picked a dozen blossoms and handed them to her, but strangely, she recoiled, refusing to take them. Later, on their wedding day, she explained her reason. ‘This flower is the living symbol of our love,’ she said. ‘If the flowers die, then our love will die as well.’ This terrified Joe—for some reason, he knew in his heart that truer words had never been spoken. So he began to plant or seed Jobellflowers all along the stretch of beach where they’d first met, then eventually throughout the Outer Banks, as a testimony to how much he loved his wife. And every year, as the flowers were spread, they fell deeper and deeper in love.”
When he was finished, Taylor bent and picked a few more of the blossoms, then handed the bunch to Denise.
“I like that story,” she said.
“I do, too.”
“But didn’t you just break the law, too?”
“Of course. But I figure that this way, we’ll each have something to keep the other in line.”
“Like trust?”
“That too,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Taylor drove her into work that night, though Kyle didn’t stay with her. Instead Taylor offered to watch him at Denise’s house.
“We’ll have fun. We’ll play a little ball, watch a movie, eat some popcorn.”
After hemming and hawing, Denise finally agreed, and Taylor dropped her off right before seven. As their truck pulled away, Taylor winked at Kyle.
“Okay, little man. First stop is my house. If we’re going to watch a movie, we’re going to need a VCR.”
“He’s driving,” Kyle responded vigorously, and Taylor laughed, well used to Kyle’s form of communication