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Ace and Amanda stop at the bluff because she wants to take a picture of the view. He is leaning against Florence and a strange feeling overwhelms him like he has forgotten something. But, it seems connected to this very spot and he can’t figure out why. Amanda notices the confused look on his face and asks him what’s wrong. “I feel like I’ve left something behind.”
She tries her best to comfort him, but the entire way down the coast of Maine he is haunted by a feeling of uneasiness. Their next stop was Bar Harbor. A place he remembered his father mentioning growing up. Apparently, he had lived there as a kid, but he doesn’t delve into it too much. Ace hadn’t met his grandparents since they passed before he was born. He looks over at the view and wonders if she is up for a hike. After a long day of hiking they have dinner at one of the local restaurants before checking into a BnB. Amanda tries to pry him for information, but he smiles silently at her. He drifts off pretty quickly.
Ace is back in Horseshoe Bay. It’s a windy and dark evening. He is standing at the bluffs. He is alone with a door to his right. A woman with long red hair is standing there looking out at the sea. He tries to move towards her, but it's as if his feet are stuck to the ground beneath his feet. She turns to him and smiles. It’s Nancy and she’s holding something.
Ace wakes up in a sweat not quite sure what’s going on? He gets up and goes to the bathroom and pours water on his face. He stares back at his reflection and tries to shake off this feeling that is haunting him. He heads back to bed and the next morning, they head off to Blue Hill. They had planned on checking out as much of the Acadian National Park as they could and hiking was something that always helped him clear his mind. But, he couldn’t shake the memory of the strange memory of Nancy on the Bluffs. She looked beautiful-ethereal as the wind blew around her. But, why was he dreaming of her there. It’s probably because she was born there, but of all people to be on his mind, why her? They had a nice day exploring the park and managed to have a nice time exploring the town, but the disconnect was still there. He wasn’t sure if Amanda felt it too. But, something was not clicking and he thought getting away from Horseshoe Bay would help. But, he found himself wondering if this trip was a good idea.
“Ace, are you okay? You seem lost in thought.”
He smiled at her, “I’m okay. Just tired from the hike”
They talked about her plans to go to Europe once she saved up enough money. They both managed to skirt around the topic of Nancy and her brother. He even tried to hide the dismay on his face when he called. He didn’t like the guy, but her relationship with her brother wasn’t his business. Ace pulled out his phone and checked his messages. There were a few from Bess talking about Nick and George getting engaged. A quick note from the happy couple themselves. His fingers strayed over Nancy’s name, he clicked on it and hoped there was a message waiting for him, but nothing. The silence was strange, but weirded was the empty feeling that filled him up at that moment. Here he was unable to get her off his mind. He sent a quick photo he had snapped of the mountains in Acadia park and found himself deleting a note that said, “wish you were here”
Ace quickly put his phone away and chastised himself silently. Amanda joined him on the bed as they tried to figure out where to go for dinner. The evening was full of stunted conversation and when they got back to their room, Amanda started pacing.
“Ace, you promised me. You promised to make me a priority, but i don’t actually feel like you have.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and said, “I don’t understand.”
“You’re not present. Your head is somewhere else and I know its with her.”
“What?”
“I can’t play second fiddle to Nancy. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since we left Horseshoe Bay haven’t been yourself and at first I blamed myself. But, it's not that. You’re trying, but I don’t want to be with someone who has to try so hard to love me.
Ace was speechless, not sure how to respond to the accusation. He tries to open his mouth to disagree, but he can’t bring himself to. Because a part of him knows she is right. He hasn’t been fully present because he can’t stop thinking about Nancy and the damn dream or the fact that she hasn’t communicated with him in over a week.
“I’m sorry,”was all he could muster. Ace sat back and stared at the ceiling as Amanda slept quietly beside him. He promised to drop her off at the bus station in the morning. He really
didn’t want this to be how they ended. He eventually drifted off.
Ace was standing at the cliffs again. Nancy moved closer to him as she held a bundle. “Will you hold me?” she asked and he closed the gap between them. She held a baby in her arms. They stood there heads bent together as they held onto a small child.
He woke up in a sweat again, his body betraying him. Ace was hard and overwhelmed with a want for someone that wasn’t lying beside him. He took a cold shower and hoped this feeling of desire and confusion would leave him alone. He changed and found himself sitting in Florence thinking about these strange moments. Who was the baby and why did he nearly kiss Nancy in his dream? And why did it feel so right? Had he always had these feelings? Was Amanda right?
It was nearly light out when he went back to their room. Amanda was awake. She was sitting on the bed with her packed bag at her feet. “Where’d you go?”
“I couldn’t sleep so I went for a drive.”
Amanda pursed her lips and said “I hate that its ending this way Ace.”
He sat beside her and said, “So do I.”
“Promise me one thing and this time keep it?
“Anything.”
“Tell her.”
Ace didn’t bother to argue instead he shook his head in agreement. They went down to the local diner and shared a cup of coffee together before he drove her to the local bus dept. Ace leaned against Florence as he watched her get on. Normally, this is when he’d be overwhelmed with a sense of grief or sadness, but for some reason he felt like he could breathe again.
*****
Nancy was in the kitchen with Carson and Ryan as she watched the former teach the latter how to make pasta. “I don’t know, Dad. What if he burns it.”
“Anyone can make Pasta?”
“You burned oatmeal, Ryan?”she said matter-of-factly. She watched as he shrugged. Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing. “I’ll get it,”Nancy said.
When she opened the door, Ace was standing there looking like he hadn’t slept for days. “Are you okay?”she asked.
She closed the door and they stood there looking at each other, neither saying what was truly on their mind. Ace ran his hands through his hair and said, “You haven’t texted.”
“Well, I thought you needed time with Amanda.”
He nodded his head. “What’s wrong?”
Ace began to pace back and forth on her front porch. “Why do people keep asking me that? But, truth is I’m not okay, its like I have pieces of something in mind that I can’t remember.”
“What?”
“The bluffs. I kept dreaming of us there. But, it felt right and there was and you were holding a baby. I think I might be losing my mind.”
Nancy reached for his hand in an effort to calm him. “You’re not crazy, but I don’t know how you can know this.”
“You mean you felt it too,”he asked as he looked into her eyes. But, the question felt deeper than he intended. Nancy closed the space between them and said, “why are you here?” as she lifted his hand to her heart.
“Because I need….”but his thought trailed off as he found himself staring into her eyes. They were so beautiful and he knew now that Amanda was right. “You. I need you Nancy.”
Ace pulled her in closer with his other hand and when he kissed her, it was as if he was finally home. Nancy dropped his hand and ran her fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss. When they parted they both laughed as Carson and Ryan were looking through the window at them.