A Day at the Beach Part 1
Note: I will finish my Random Title Shuffle, I promise, but I spent the weekend at the beach and took a swim in the chilly Atlantic and this came to me…..
Danielle heard the engine coming up the dirt road and ran to the front window. Sure enough Annie turned the Corvette into the gravel drive of the cottage Danielle had rented for a week on the Delaware coast. Danielle could hear Bruce Springsteen coming from the stereo and her sister and her boyfriend had matching grins on their sunglass-covered faces.
Annie killed the engine and hopped out of the car, she walked around the front of the car and met Auggie to guide him inside, only instead of offering her arm as she usually did she leaned against him and kissed him. His hands found her hair and her's the small of his back.
Danielle knew she should turn away, but they were mesmerizing. The kiss was serious, but suddenly Annie pulled back, a huge smile on her face. Auggie said something Danielle could not make out and Annie laughed, a free open laugh, her head back her ponytail swinging with the effort of it.
"OK, you two, stop putting on a show for the neighbors," Danielle called from the front porch.
Danielle gave Annie and Auggie a tour, Annie interjecting bits of information that would help Auggie's mobility. They dropped their bags in the big airy room at the far end of the house that Danielle thought would be best for the couple, both for Auggie to maneuver and for their privacy.
"The girls are already on the beach, I'm packing some snacks and I'll see you down there?" Danielle left the two alone.
Annie walked Auggie to the door frame and he traced the wall of the room clockwise and she told him what everything was before he encountered it. As he completed the circuit he reclaimed his place in her arms.
"Very nice," he smiled, "but I have one question."
"What's that?" she asked as she unbuttoned his shirt.
"Does that door have a lock on it?"
"In fact it does," she clicked the lock and the sound was all he needed.
He walked her back to the bed pulling her shirt off over her head.
"It is a really good thing you do not drive that car to work every day," he commented as he worked on her shorts.
***555***
Half an hour later Annie led Auggie down the short sea grass lined walk to the small private beach, the squeal of seagulls was matched by Chloe and Katia when they saw their Aunt and Auggie approach.
"Annie!" sand was flying as they ran full force.
"Whoa whoa whoa little monkeys, you'll knock us down," Annie laughed as she disengaged her arm from Auggie and dropped to her knees to hug her nieces.
"Did you have a good nap?" Katia asked.
"Huh?" Annie looked puzzled.
"Mommy said you needed a nap after your drive," Katia explained.
"She did, did she? We're fine," she laughed and stood, brushing her arm back against Auggie and the 4 of them proceeded to the compound Danielle had created of chairs, umbrellas and tables.
Annie positioned Auggie at a chair and surveyed the spread.
"Looks delicious Danielle," Annie pointed out.
"Glad you could enjoy it," Danielle smirked and Annie blushed a little.
Annie stripped off the sundress she had covering her bathing suit and laid it over a chair.
"We had to apply our sunscreen," Annie clarified.
"Sun protection is very serious business," Danielle agreed.
"Annie, where is your bikini?" Chloe asked.
"What sweetie?" Annie asked still smirking at her sister.
"You usually wear a bikini and mom says something about how she could where a bikini if she hadn't had babies. Oh my god, did you have a baby?" Chloe's eyes got huge and Danielle tried not to laugh.
"Um, no Chloe, I didn't have a baby. Don't you think I would have told you if I had a baby?" she tweaked the little girl's nose.
"And, this is a bikini," she held her hands out to the side.
"No it's not," Katia joined in, "your bikinis were always really small."
"Were they?" Auggie joined in.
"This is just a different kind of bikini," Annie explained the tank top style two-piece she was wearing and Auggie heard the change in her voice.
He knew of course why her bathing suits had changed since last summer, her scars were in particularly obvious places when wearing a bathing suit.
"I'll be the judge of this. Let me see," Auggie held up his hands and wiggled his fingers enticingly.
"Auggie…." Annie warned.
"I'll be good, I promise," he grinned.
Annie approached and placed his hands on her hips. He slid his hands up and over her bare stomach.
"Yep, definitely a bikini. It has 2 distinct pieces and a bikini has 2 distinct pieces, bi means 2. If this was only 1 piece it would be called a unikini," he declared.
"That's not a word," Katia laughed.
"It's not? It should be," Auggie frowned.
The girls ran off, happy with Auggie's revelation about bikinis and Annie thanked him with a kiss to his forehead and a glass of iced tea.
***555***
"I'm hot," Annie announced and got up and stretched, "can I interest you in a swim?"
"Sure," Auggie agreed and followed her to the water's edge.
"Ooooh, cold," Annie squealed when the small waves lapped over her toes.
"Not like Sri Lanka?" Auggie smirked.
"Or the Red Sea?" she countered.
"Ouch," he grinned.
"I think this ocean is just perfect for us. You can't just walk right in, you have to take your time, learn to trust that it won't stop your heart if you give yourself over to it," she waded them further out as she made her analogy.
"But, when you do give in to it," she fell back into the cold water and quickly surfaced shivering, "it completely…takes your breath away."
Auggie smiled and let her pull him under.
TBC…
