With a heaving sigh, Elizabeth stretched in bed, her toes poking out of the duvet as she moved. Sunlight poured in through her thin curtains and she groaned a little before glancing down beneath the windowsill. Alongside the unblinking, unmoving rabbit was a thick, wooden clock waiting to be hung. Another gift from Grandpa. It ticked quietly; 7:20 am. She slowly rolled out of the bed and opened the curtains fully, taking in the rolling sea in the distance before opening the window, allowing the refreshing air to breeze into the room.
It was all so perfect.
She slipped on a simple white bathing suit and chose a white, lace sundress to wear over it. It covered the swim suit nicely and hung comfortably mid-thigh. She tied a faded denim shirt around her waist, securing it with a tight knot. Another beautiful day in Santa Carla, she thought with a happy smile. Every morning seemed to start this way and she wouldn't change it for the world.
"It's a good day" she mumbled to herself, smoothing her dress.
She drummed her fingers on the windowsill thoughtlessly as she reflected on her adventure the night before. Nibbling her lip with a happiness that had little to do with the weather, she looked at herself in the mirror.
She thought she looked quite pretty. She hoped the boys were at the boardwalk today.
She hoped he was.
She knew it was fast but she couldn't deny that she was crushing a little. She had never met a man like him. Dwayne was almost the epitome of masculine. Tall, dark, handsome, cold and aloof but damn...when he got talking, when he smiled, when he was playful? He was so warm and inviting. She knew he'd probably flirted with a million girls, she knew she probably wasn't special but it was kind of nice to think that maybe she was. It was hard not to think about, anyway. He was so unlike anyone she had ever known.
All of the boys were, really.
She had lived a normal life back in Arizona with boys that were cute but she'd never been around...well, she'd never been around men before.
Just boys.
She'd never found reason to complain about it but there was just something so compelling about Dwayne.
She wanted to see him again.
With a little shake of her head, she plodded down to the bathroom.
"Lizzie, did you leave the light on for us last night?" Grandpa asked her as she entered the kitchen, fresh faced and minty mouthed.
"Uh, yeah" she confirmed.
"Well don't! It's a waste of electricity. I know my way around in the dark and the boys can learn, too. It's a damn useful skill. Here" he passed her a sole, double stuffed Oreo cookie before leaving the kitchen.
She took a moment to register what had happened before taking a bite of the cookie and pulling a box of cereal from a full cupboard.
"Oh, good morning sweetie" Lucy smiled widely, walking in through the conservatory and planting a kiss on her daughter's head as she reached the kitchen counters.
She was carrying a stuffed brown bag, "hey, no, no no don't have cereal. I bought sausages and eggs. I know you're all eating trash in the evening - don't try to deny it! - so have something decent for breakfast at least" she laughed and set down the bag.
"Are sausages and eggs decent?" Elizabeth asked, helping by removing the items from the bag.
"...we'll add some mushrooms and tomatoes. You look nice, sweetie. Heading to the beach?"
"I thought so. I'll see what Sammy wants to do, it's a gorgeous day again"
Hopefully she would run into the boys..into Dwayne, "is it always like this?"
"Uhh...well, you may be disappointed come winter" Lucy laughed, trying to be diplomatic, "but summer is very nice, yes"
"Eh" Elizabeth shrugged, "so how's work been, Mom?" she asked, helping Lucy put the items away before setting a pan on the stove.
"Oh, it was just wonderful. Really, it's been wonderful. The owner is just so kind.."
Elizabeth grinned widely, "the owner, huh?"
"Oh!" Lucy laughed and blushed a little.
She was chopping some fresh tomatoes and not making any eye contact. Elizabeth also noted that she didn't rebuff her.
"It's nice, Mom" Elizabeth assured, meaning it.
The sausages were already sizzling invitingly in the hot pan, and Elizabeth cracked two eggs alongside them. She was cooking for herself and her mom, Michael and Sammy would have to fend for themselves.
Lucy blushed a little at her daughter's meaning.
"Oh, no. It's silly. It's silly..I mean, I haven't dated anyone since college and. Oh who knows? I don't even know if I'm ready or even if he's interested" Lucy paused and smiled at her daughter, "It's silly. I'm a forty year old divorcee…"
"Don't be crazy!" Elizabeth laughed, "any guy would be lucky to have you and age is just a number, right?"
"Well, I guess so" Lucy said with a big smile, "though that's easy for you to say. Youth and beauty! But...well, we did stay a few hours late, just talking…" she confided, splitting the tomatoes between two plates.
She placed two slices of thick bread in a mustard yellow toaster that looked like it may have been purchased before Lucy was even born and got two cups down from the cupboard.
"Talking about the job?" Elizabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Everything, really" Lucy said evasively with another small smile.
"Mom, you're being coy…" Elizabeth teased happily.
"We were talking about everything and food came up, you know me, such a foodie-" Lucy buttered the lightly browned toast and placed it on the plates, making way as Elizabeth began to slip the sausages and eggs from the pan, "-coffee?-" at Elizabeth's nod, she continued, "-and he told me about this amazing restaurant an hour or so away that specializes in lobster..I haven't had lobster since I went to Maine during Spring Vacation-"
"-you spent your spring vacation in Maine?"
"Oh yeah, I was a wild student" Lucy's eyes glittered.
Elizabeth laughed at the image.
"Well, wild history aside" she grinned, "it honestly sounds like this guy is interested"
Elizabeth grinned as she carried the plates to the table.
Lucy had already placed two steaming cups of coffee down, with lots of space for milk.
"Max. His name is Max" a big smile "and, I'm sure he's just being kind but he offered to take me there…tonight"
With a gleeful grin, Elizabeth sat down "why would you say you didn't know if he was interested?! Mom, he sounds totally in to you. You have a date!" she assured happily.
And why wouldn't he be into her? Lucy was amazing; the warmest, kindest woman she had ever met and frankly, she deserved a bit of happiness right now.
Lucy took a bite of sausage and tomato, "it's been such a long time but, oh, I think I'm actually excited. Should I? Do you think you and your brothers will be OK?"
"We'll be absolutely fine! I actually really do want to go swimming and then thought I'd spend time at the boardwalk. Maybe Sam wants to try out the comic shop again"
Plus, Elizabeth thought silently, Michael would absolutely want to go.
She bit into her toast.
Why was she acting like she didn't have an ulterior motive, too?
She wanted to run in to Dwayne as much as she knew Michael wanted to see Star.
"You're sure?"
"Positive"
"I should go for it?"
"Without a doubt. He's a lucky guy"
Lucy smiled, "you're a good kid, sweetie. You know, speaking of good kids...those two should be up by now, I know Sammy had a late night but really it's almost nine…" Lucy said, glancing at the clock.
It was closer to eight thirty, but a mother's concern didn't stand for correction.
"Sammy had a late night?" Elizabeth clarified, expecting it to have been Michael.
"I don't know what your Grandpa was thinking" Lucy nodded as she sipped her coffee, "that store is a three hour drive away and he always spends hours chatting to the owner before he's even collected the chemicals and then there's the paperwork-"
"-hm? Chemicals?"
What on earth was she talking about?
Lucy tilted her head, "well sure..what did you think he was getting?"
"Huh? Animals. Sourcing products.."
Lucy snorted into her coffee a little, chuckling, "where would you get an idea like that? You think there's a warehouse with animal corpses waiting to be stuffed?"
"...but..Grandpa said.." Elizabeth sighed.
She'd been had.
Lucy shook her head laughing a little, "oh sugar you shouldn't listen to half of what he says"
"But wasn't there a comic shop?"
"Oh, God. That place..." Lucy sighed, "I love him but he's hard work sometimes"
"Sammy?"
"Yes but your Grandpa. Your poor brother..."
"But he got to go the a comic shop, right? A place that has rare titles?"
Lucy rolled her eyes for a second, "no. It's an antique bookstore that once upon a time came across a first edition comic someone had donated after a death in the family. Tucked away between some encyclopedias.." Lucy conceded with a shake of her head, her tone taking on a more sympathetic edge "a lucky find that made the news when I was a kid. I doubt there was much up your brother's alley there. Poor kid. Michael got back just a few minutes after me and I feel asleep waiting on those two!"
"I'll go wake them up in a second" Elizabeth promised, crunching into the toast again, "Grandpa seemed perky though, was it really that late?"
"Honey, your Grandpa is always perky"
"Hah, yeah, I guess.." she shook her head. She couldn't believe she fell for Grandpa's joke, "so..do you know what you'll wear tonight?"
Just as the two women started a serious discussion about clothes, Michael and Sammy, one wearing sunglasses and one wearing a small frown entered the kitchen.
They were dressed and showered, which surprised both Lucy and Elizabeth.
They didn't care to ask questions when Lucy said she had plans that night - typical boys - but they both agreed to spend the afternoon down at the beach with Elizabeth.
It was kind of funny, actually because the two women seemed to be the only happy ones at the table.
In the end, as conversation had all but died thanks to the sullen emergence of two tired boys, Lucy had started to stack her dishes in the sink. She told them that she would be making them a vegetable bake for lunch, would like to see them actually eat it but she'd promised they could leave any time after that.
Both boys had just grunted, pouting over their breakfast and Elizabeth had to stifle her grin.
It seemed like neither of them were morning people.