Prompt: photo of four feet sticking out the open tail of a car
"Hey, Kate…?" Castle approached the back of their SUV slowly, unsure of what his wife was up to now. It had been her idea to come up to the Hamptons in the Fall, before the weather properly turned too cold, and they were enjoying the quietness.
Mostly.
"Castle, just do as you're told for once and wait, else this won't be a surprise!"
A theatrical huff and flop of his arms were his only response.
A few minutes later after watching Kate go in and out of the house a couple of times he was back, armed with a medium-sized kids' sand spade, and a castle-shaped bucket.
"Hey, Kate…? This is the first day it hasn't threatened to rain all week, aren't we going down to the beach?"
"Maybe later, Castle, first we are going to kick back and relax in here."
"In… in the car? Kate, the beach is a fifteen second walk that way." He pointed to the other side of the house.
"Put your bucket and spade in, Rick, we're not going to that beach today. Have you got your sunglasses?"
"Yeah, but… that beach is private…" She went over to him and clasped her hands together behind his neck.
"All will be revealed if you get in and let me drive you someplace, okay? I have a picnic and everything. Just have a little faith, Rick."
Later on, after dining on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a flask of coffee while sitting on the tailgate of the SUV, they climbed into the nest Kate had made before they left the house. Pillows from nearly every sofa in the place, and at least three blankets each, had turned the space into a perfect snuggling spot.
"Kate, this is so good. Better than lying on the beach because the sand doesn't get in all the crevices. And it's softer too." He had been stroking his hand leisurely up and down her spine, lulling himself almost to sleep until she snorted in amusement.
"Softer? Wow, Castle, you really are getting old."
"Old?! I'll show you old, Kate Castle…"