Saturday dawned bright through the curtains of Chuck's bedroom, causing him to groan and turn over, pulling one of his spare pillows over his head to block the light. He was just about to fall back asleep when a loud knocking came from his front door. "Really?" He groused stumbling out of bed and down the stairs of the small one-bedroom apartment he'd moved into when Orion Games had begun to turn a profit. He saw no need to purchase a house when it was just him and liked being close to his sister and brother-in-law and their daughter. Of course, living so close tended to lead to moments like this where he got early morning visitors who had no respect for his desire to sleep.
Opening the door revealed no big surprise as he was met with the excited, smiling face of his older sister. "Elle, it's too early in the morning for this," He huffed, stepping back from the door, knowing from experience it was better to just let her say her piece than to shut the door in her face which he often felt like doing when she woke him up like this.
"It's not that early," Ellie countered, following her brother into his apartment as he shuffled his way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, "And besides, it's easier to find a good spot if you go early."
"Then how about you guys go ahead, and I'll join you later," Chuck yawned as he reached for a mug in the cabinet above the coffee maker.
"Because we both know you won't join us later," Ellie gave him a knowing look as she leaned against the archway leading to the small kitchen area.
"That may well be true, usually," Chuck pointed out as he pulled out a bowl and a box of fruity-o's and prepared his breakfast as he continued to speak, "But you are forgetting one crucial thing. I promised Clara I would be there, and you know I can't lie to that face."
"In that case, if you are going to be there, why not just go with us?" Ellie challenged.
"Because, contrary to popular belief in the Woodcomb and Grimes households, I am an adult and capable of getting myself from point 'A' to point 'B' with little to no supervision," Chuck rolled his eyes as he carried his bowl of cereal and coffee to the dining room table and took a seat. "I know you were one of the driving forces to Morgan mandating I take a break from work."
"Chuck you hadn't slept in days," Ellie countered, "And while I know you are an adult and capable of taking care of yourself, when you are deep into a project, you often let pesky things like sleep, eating, and personal appearance go to the wayside. You're my little brother and it is my right to worry about you."
"I appreciate that," Chuck nodded, slowly chewing his cereal, "But do you really have to worry so much? I mean, I could have been done with the game by now rather than having to wait until next week to finish."
"Yes, I do Chuck," Ellie insisted, "Until Skip is done with school and able to help you with making the games, and even after, you need to learn to pace yourself. I know you impose some ridiculously short deadlines for your projects, but is it really worth it to have the game done by some arbitrary date and risk your health in the process?"
"Alright, I see your point," Chuck sighed, "I will try to do better about being more cognizant of my own health when I'm working."
"That's all I ask," Ellie nodded, stealing her brother's mug and taking a sip of coffee, "I'll leave you be for now. We'll be heading over there in about a half an hour. If you don't want to caravan with us over, we can text you our location when we get there so you can find us."
"Sounds good, Elle," Chuck nodded, "Do you want me to bring anything?"
"We have food, blankets, towels and such covered," Ellie rambled off a mental checklist in her head, "So really all you need to bring is you… and maybe your guitar, you know how much Clara likes it when you play."
"That goes without saying," Chuck snickered, "We can't disappoint Clara."
"Alright little brother," Ellie gave him a small smile, "We'll see you there."
"Okay, Ellie," Chuck nodded and watched her as she walked across the living room to the landing that sat between the stairs and the front door. She gave him a small wave and exited the apartment.
"Good morning, Mom," Sarah smiled at her mother as she entered the kitchen, Molly propped on her hip.
"Good morning, Sweetheart," Emma looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee as she read the paper, "Did you sleep well?"
"Yep," Sarah nodded, as she placed Molly in her highchair before setting about preparing their breakfasts, "Have you already eaten?"
"Had some toast and grapefruit earlier," Emma responded lightly, "Just enjoying a cup of coffee before heading up and getting ready for today."
"Alright," Sarah nodded, popping a few pieces of bread into the toaster before opening the fridge to pull out the containers of blueberries and raspberries she and Molly would have for breakfast. She noticed the Tupperware boxes on the top shelf of the fridge and when she turned to the counter, she noticed a small cooler sitting on the floor by the island counter, "You've been busy already, I see."
"Didn't know how long we would be out, figured it would be a good idea to pack a bit of a picnic to take with us," Emma shrugged nonchalantly as she tipped her mug back and finished her coffee. "I'm going to go get dressed, do you want me to pack a bag for Molly while I'm up there?"
"No, that's okay," Sarah shook her head as she reached for the toast which had just popped up and proceeded to butter it and cut one of the pieces in to triangle pieces for her daughter, "You just get you ready, I can take care of Molly and my things for the day. I already have the impression that you know exactly how you plan to pack the cooler, so I'll leave that to you."
"You know me too well," Emma chuckled, rinsing out her cup and placing it in the top rack of the dishwasher before pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek and heading out of the kitchen to get dressed for the day.
An hour later, all three Walker girls were ready to go. Emma carried the cooler and her tote bag to her silver 2005 Kia Sorento, opening the back hatch and settling them, along with the diaper bag and totes her daughter handed her, in the trunk while Sarah loaded Molly into her car seat. Once both women slid into the front seats, Emma started up the car and backed out of the driveway.
"We should probably stop at CVS to pick up sunscreen," Sarah advised, "I wasn't able to find any in the bathroom."
Emma simply nodded her understanding and directed the car out of the neighborhood. After a brief stop at the drugstore, for Sarah to grab sunscreen and some bottled drinks for them, they made their way to their destination. Emma quickly laid out a large, tan, Pendleton blanket with a loose blues and red plaid pattern and set up the umbrella before returning to the car to grab the cooler and help Sarah bring over the rest of their bags. By the time she returned, Sarah had already pulled out the shopping bag and was slathering sunscreen on her daughter's fair skin.
Both women watched with amused smiles on their faces as Molly stood, a little unsteady on the shifting sand beneath her feet and walked toward the edge of the blanket where she looked curiously at the sand surrounding her. It was her first time at a beach considering between her mother's university classes and concerts, they hadn't had much time to explore the New England coastline. She looked back at her mother and grandma and pointed to the sand, "Dis?"
"That's sand, Baby Girl," Sarah smiled at her daughter as she got up on her knees and crawled toward the little girl. She picked up a handful of the gritty substance and let it run through her fingers before taking another handful in one hand and gently grasping Molly's hand in her other and letting the warm sand run over and through the girl's hands and fingers. Molly's eyes widened at the texture before kneeling next to her mother, grabbing handfuls of sand and watching it slip through her chubby fingers.
"That will keep her entertained for a while," Emma smiled, lathering on some sunscreen as she watched her daughter introduce her first grandchild to sand. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips when she heard Sarah having to tell the two-year-old that sand was 'icky' and not meant for eating.
Sarah and Emma sat watching Molly play with the sand along the edge of their blanket as they enjoyed their day, people watching and reading, while also keeping an eye on the girl.
A shriek caught their attention as they started munching on their lunch of sandwiches, carrot sticks, and fruit. Both women looked up to see a tall, well-built man in his 30's with sandy hair who wore nothing but a pair of dark blue board shorts chase a woman about the same age with dark hair and a girl who looked to be a few years older than Molly through the tidepools and lapping waves along the shoreline. Emma grinned as she watched the man grab hold of the woman and sling her over his shoulder and run into the surf while the little girl giggled and clapped her enjoyment at their game.
Not long after, the small family who had been playing in the low waves made their way to a blanket that had been set up not too far down the beach from where they had set up their space. The woman pulled on a t-shirt over the teal bikini she was wearing and pulled a smaller shirt over the little girl's head, covering the hot pink bathing suit the girl wore. Once they were both covered up, she reached into a grocery bag, pulling out paper plates and plastic utensils. She was just reaching into their cooler when a loud shriek came from the little girl who was suddenly dashing down the beach.
"Uncle Chuck!" The girl cried as she flung herself at a man a few years younger than her parents. The man was as tall if not slightly taller than the girl's father with a trim but fit frame and curly brown hair. The young man grinned as he dropped the bag that was on his shoulder and the soft sided case that had been in his other hand before running a short distance past that point and scooping the girl up in his arms, swinging her up and to the side of his body and tossing her into the air, causing the little girl to squeal in delight.
"Clare-bear!" He grinned at the little girl adoringly as he caught her and brought her safely into his arms as the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, causing the t-shirt he wore to rise a little giving those around him a glimpse of his abdominal muscles. "Did you miss me?"
"Yeah, I've been waiting for you to get here all day!" The girl protested.
"I'm sorry I made you wait," The man smiled down at her, warmly, "But your Uncle Morgan called me just as I was heading out the door."
"Did you bring him and Aunti Alex?" The girl looked around eagerly.
"No, but they'll be here later," The man assured her as he put her back down. He ignored the little girl's pout as he walked back to his bag and soft-sided case and picked them up. The moment the girl saw the case, her face lit up, "You brought it!"
"Of course, I brought it," The man gave her a mockingly offended look, "C'mon, it's me."
The girl grinned as he slung the strap of the soft case over his shoulder and reached out his hand to her, "I promise I'll play later, but we should probably go eat before your mom hits home with those daggers she's shooting at me."
"Mommy has daggers?" The girl looked up at the man in wide-eyed awe.
"No, it just means she's giving me 'the look' that means I'm in trouble if I don't do as she wants, which is to bring you back to her so you can eat your lunch," the man explained, "I'm also kinda hungry, so we should probably eat."
"Okay," Clara nodded and skipped along beside her uncle as they made their way to join the rest of their family.
Sarah watched the whole interaction between the girl and the tall man. There was something about him that was so familiar to her, and the smile he had when he looked at his niece nearly melted her from the inside out. It was a good thing she was sitting down or else her knees would have given way. Not even Bryce had caused such a reaction at first sight.
Emma noticed her daughter's reaction to the newly arrived young man, but chose not to say anything, at least not yet. It was clear her daughter was infatuated with the man; she'd never seen her look at anyone else the way she looked at him.
After a meal of cold chicken, potato salad, and cookies for dessert, Chuck decided it was time to enjoy the beach a little. He pulled off the tan firefly t-shirt he wore, leaving him in a pair of black board shorts, not even noticing he had drawn just about as much attention from the women nearby as his brother-in-law did. He gave his sister a small smile and dashed down the beach toward the waves, when he got about waist deep, he dove in, under an incoming wave. The water was bracingly cold but felt good considering the hot afternoon sun. He turned to see his sister chuckling and rolling her eyes at him. He could see Clara pointing toward him and saying something to her mother before they both looked over toward Chuck.
He knew what was coming, a moment later, Clara was free of her t-shirt and was running toward the ocean, kicking up sand behind her as she went. By the time she had reached the surf, he was only a few feet away. Before she had gone far enough for the waves to reach her knees, he'd scooped her up, blowing a raspberry against her neck, causing the girl to giggle. "You're all wet, Uncle Chuck."
"Well, diving in the ocean will do that to you," Chuck grinned, "Do you want to go in?"
Clara nodded vigorously, "Alright, remember to hold your nose," Chuck advised as he waded back into the incoming waves until he was waist deep once more, "Here we go, one, two, three!" He held on to Clara, who clung to him with one arm while the fingers of her other hand held her nose closed, and let himself fall back into the waves, effectively dunking both of them into the cold surf.
When they'd come back up, Clara demanded to go again, through her chattering teeth. Chuck grinned and repeated the count down and fell back again as the waves enveloped them. They played in the ocean a while longer, Chuck trying to teach Clara how to body surf, and then chasing each other through the surf that lapped against the hard packed sand of the shore. He had noticed the pretty blond a ways down the shoreline with the toddler playing in the surf and did his best to steer Clara away from the little girl so that their game of tag wouldn't wind up knocking the younger girl over.
Clara soon tired of their game and they trudged their way back up to where Ellie and Awesome were sitting so that Clara could lie down and rest for a bit. He helped Clara put her t-shirt on and wrapped her up in a large towel. Just as the girl was laying down, she murmured something.
"Hmm?" Chuck leaned closer to his niece as he stroked her light brown hair.
"Guitar, please," Clara repeated, sitting up and looking at him with puppy eyes.
"Sure," Chuck smiled, turning to grab the soft sided case that he'd laid along the side of the blanket. Opening the case, he withdrew the acoustic guitar and laid it across his lap and began strumming softly before he began to sing, 'Imagine' as Clara listened intently. It didn't take long for Clara's attention to turn into drooping eyes and head and eventually lay down, curled up next to her favorite uncle, and drift off to sleep. Once he was sure the girl was asleep, he gently shifted, putting the guitar away in its case and laying back, adjusting the girl until she was laying on his shoulder, snuggled up against him. He never noticed the blond woman, a little girl in her arms, watching with a small smile on her face.
"Imagine there's no heaven…" Sarah turned toward the sound of the man who sat 100 yards away singing as he strummed his guitar. She couldn't help but smile at the image it created, the man with the guitar singing to the little girl who was clearly fighting sleep. She'd caught glimpses of him throughout the day and heard snippets of conversations between him and the family he was with. From the moment she'd first saw him a distant memory began to tug at her mind. Of a teenaged boy on a beach with windswept curls, a guitar, and a velvety warm voice that had never ceased to make her weak in the knees.
When he'd began to sing, drawing not only her attention, but that of her mother and daughter, any doubts of his identity fled. This was the same boy she'd met and fallen for instantly all those years ago, the one who she never had the opportunity to claim was the one who got away. The physical distance between them back then, which would have increased once he'd gone off to college, and the difference in their ages would have made it difficult to have cultivated a relationship back then. It was clear he lived in the area, if the familiarity between himself and the little girl was to be believed along with the references the girl had made about other possible family members who might have easily been able to join them.
Sarah had kept an eye on the family, especially the man and the little girl, but also kept her distance, not wanting to make her presence known just yet. Now, she watched as he put his guitar aside and pulled the little girl into his arms to snuggle as he dozed along with the little girl that she knew now was his niece. The heavy weight in her arms made it clear his song had also lulled her daughter to sleep. She felt the twinge of regret in her heart watching the care he had toward his niece, knowing he would show the same care and love to his own children someday. She only wished that she could go back and make other choices.
She had been seduced by Bruce Anderson, the suave businessman she met her last year of college. It was clear that all Bruce had been interested in was a physical relationship with the naïve coed. He had been her first, and only, when she told him that she was pregnant, he refused to accept the child was his. He disappeared from her life so quick she nearly saw a smoky outline of his body followed by skid marks from the peal out his feet caused. She regretted the relationship, how easily she'd been sucked in, the only thing she didn't regret was that the ill-advised relationship had resulted in the best thing in her life, her baby girl. That, however, did not negate the fact that watching her not-so-forgotten first love, however brief their time together, made her wish that Molly had been his. Of course, if it hadn't been for Molly, she wouldn't have returned to California; never would have seen him again.
She settled Molly down on the blanket, covered in a small blanket to protect her from the light breeze that had blown in over the ocean, and told her mother she was going to take a walk. Emma assured her that she would watch Molly. She thanked her mother, kicked off her sandals and started down toward the shoreline, the wrap she'd tied around her waist fluttering in the breeze and exposing her right leg, over the hip of which the wrap had been tied.
Chuck had been drifting in and out while Clara dozed in his arms, opening his eyes, he caught sight of a woman walking sedately along the shoreline. She wore a black bikini top and a colorful wrap around her waist that moved with every step she took, the breeze catching it at its own whim. She looked like a Disney princess to his eyes, but he knew that was just a fantasy.
He'd seen her throughout the day with a little girl and an older woman, and she seemed familiar to him somehow. Something about the way she moved, the musical laughter that had drifted over the sound of the surf crashing around them when they were both playing around the ocean with their young charges, that nagged at him. Watching her, brought hazy memories back to mind that never fully clarified, almost like a word caught on the tip of your tongue never fully realized or able to be spoken. Nevertheless, he felt drawn to her somehow.
Knowing he wasn't likely to get the answers he was looking for at that moment, he allowed himself to drift off once more, enjoying the rare snuggle time he got with his niece before she got too old to want to snuggle with him as she napped. As he slept, his mind drifted to simpler days, a girl with blond hair and an infectious laugh, a sandy beach and a school auditorium. Not enough time together, attempts to stay in contact that quickly fell apart. He hadn't thought of that time in years, the wisp of a memory more of a dream than an actual recollection when it ever came drifting back to him.
