One Last Time
Grasshoppers chirp as he walks along the edge of the pool towards the brick pathway.
The garden lights guide him through the dark as his feet carry him further from the house. Last light had been half-past seven, a sign that they were indeed saying goodbye to the summer season.
The wind that's blowing off the beach moves through his hair, and even with the long-sleeved button-down he was sporting, he could feel goosebumps pricking his skin.
His lips twitch seeing the outline of her body about halfway down the path. She becomes clearer as he nears.
"Liz," he whispers, not wanting to scare her.
"I was wondering when you would come looking for me," she says as his hands find the tops of her shoulders.
He gives her a squeeze before he leans in and wraps his arms around her, hugging her from behind.
"What are you thinking about?" He could tell she'd been thinking simply by the bit of stiffness in her shoulders.
She lets out a breath. "Life." He locks his hands just under her breasts. "My career… I worked too hard while at the CIA. I should've had more fun."
He rests his chin atop her head. "That's not you." She would've been bored without that job. And although she was a great professor, after about a year, he saw the potential for a burnout from a dull day-to-day routine. Hell, four days away from the office and she was anxious to get back to her desk. "Do you regret it?"
Her hands cover his.
"Nothing." He feels her head shake. "If the things that happened to me hadn't have happened, I might have not met you."
He gives her another squeeze before craning his neck so he can kiss her temple.
"Are you ready to be back?" Four nights and five days on Nantucket and she would return tanned, rested, and hopefully relaxed. She'd needed the break.
"I can't wait to see the kids."
"Did Alison pick a date?"
She nods. "She's flying home next weekend."
His hands slid back to her shoulders. "That's exciting. I know you've missed her terribly." She'd spent the summer interning with a company in London.
"I'm so proud of her." She turns in his arms. "I'm proud of all of them."
His hand lifts and he brushes back a strand of her hair.
"Where's Henry?"
His fingers linger, touching soft skin. "Packing."
Her eyes dip. "I should help him before he has another reason to be pissed at me."
They'd had an argument this afternoon. He'd thankfully missed most of the fight while he was in town picking up a few groceries for dinner, but he'd caught the end of it, finding Elizabeth nearly in tears.
He supposed that five days together hadn't been the brightest of ideas, but the house was huge. Henry could have taken an entire wing to himself he'd wanted.
The three of them had an agreement, but he suspected watching him, his wife's lover, taking the place that used to be Henry's was overwhelming at the least… Knowing and actually seeing were two different ballparks.
"But you're still sandy." His hands run up her arms. She was still in her swimsuit from their evening swim.
Her head lifts, and he catches her smile. "And what do you propose we do about that?"
He grabs her hand and chuckles as he pulls her up the path… They'd make use of the outdoor shower one last time.