Chapter 14: Sunshine and Lovers
******Sunday Morning******
Daisy giggled as Jason kissed her neck in a spot that he knew was ticklish.
"Laughing while I'm trying to make love to you?" he asked in mock outrage.
"You know that spot doesn't turn me on!" she replied, grinning up at him.
"I love your laugh," he admitted, gazing down at her. It seemed he'd went way too long without hearing it.
"We've been in this room for two days, Jason. Don't you think we should go out?" Daisy asked, sitting up.
He sighed. "Tired of me already?" He threw himself down on his stomach next to her.
"Tired of this room," she stated.
"Where would you like to go?" he asked. "The beach? I'm not opposed to seeing you in a bathing suit. When you get too cold, I can warm you up!"
Daisy laughed. He was rarely playful, and she was enjoying seeing this side of him. "The beach sounds good. Why don't you take me home? I can change into my own swimsuit," she suggested. "However, it's probably too cold to do any actual swimming."
"You know that doesn't matter, right?" he said, grinning. Seeing her in a bathing suit was almost as good as seeing her naked. Since it was early February, there wouldn't be a bunch of guys ogling her.
Her phone rang. She reached over and picked it off the bedside table. "It's Veronica," she said as she clicked the talk button. "Hello, Veronica. What's up?"
"Not too much. It's going to be in the high 70's or low 80's today, so we were going to take Richie and Lily to the beach to build sandcastles. There's no wind for surfing, so the beach should be empty. Do you want to come over and hang out?" Veronica asked.
"That's funny. We were just talking about going to the beach ourselves," Daisy said, smiling in satisfaction.
"Oh? Who's 'we'? You and Parker?"
"Actually, it's Jason," she revealed, waiting for her friend's response.
"Oh, my God! Does that mean you and Jason are back together?" Veronica exclaimed.
Daisy ran a hand down Jason's bare back, feeling smug. "You could say that. We've spent the weekend at the Neptune Grand making up!" she shared.
Veronica laughed. "Well, I can say that I definitely know what that's like! I don't want to intrude on your private time, though. We can catch up later," she said.
"Hold on a minute," she said, muting her phone and looking at Jason. "Do you want to go to Veronica and Logan's beach? They have the kids."
"You do know it won't be just them, right? Dick and Mac and Trina will probably be there. Then she'll invite my sister, who will invite Eli," Jason said. "Or it'll be Wallace."
"So? Those are our friends," she pointed out.
"I have to share you already?" Jason asked disgruntled.
"You get to show me off," Daisy pointed out.
He grinned. "True. Okay," he agreed.
She smiled happily as she unmuted her phone. "We'll be there. Do you want us to pick up lunch?" she asked Veronica.
"Nah. I promised Lily a picnic, so I'm going to make sandwiches," Veronica said. "She stayed the night. Trina flew to New York this weekend, so we also had Richie all to ourselves."
"Okay, we'll see you in about two hours or so," Daisy said. They said goodbye, and she hung up.
"Two hours? I can work with that," Jason said.
"What?" Daisy asked, confused.
He moved until his body draped half over her. He molded his lips to hers, kissing her thoroughly. Then he stopped and gave her a pleased look. "I think we have time for one more round, don't you?" he asked.
Daisy giggled. "I suppose so," she said, pulling him back down.
*****The Beach House*****
Logan snickered as he watched Veronica try to convince Richie to wear his sailor hat. Richie kept pulling it off and then chewing on the hat.
"Richie, baby, you aren't supposed to chew on your hat," she told him.
"It's his hat. If he wants to chew on it, he can!" Logan insisted, grinning.
"I don't understand. The sailor outfit we bought him when he was born had a hat. He didn't seem to mind it," Veronica said.
"That's because all he did then was eat, sleep, and poop. Now he's alert and seeing things. Not to mention putting things in his mouth is how he learns," Logan said. "That's what that baby book said anyway. I'd rather he chew a hat than a dead bug."
Veronica shuddered at the thought. "Fine. But we can't keep him in the sun too long. I don't want his head to burn," she said.
Logan handed her a bottle of suntan lotion. "This is for kids. 100 proof. We'll bring the patio umbrella," he said.
Lily came into the room. "I'm ready!" she announced. She was at the age where she didn't want anyone to help her dress, so Veronica had allowed her to put on her beach clothes herself.
Logan looked at her sandals. "You got your shoes on backwards, sweetie," he said as he bent down to help.
"Is Daddy coming?" Lily asked.
"I think so. When he dropped you off yesterday, he said he'd be by this afternoon," Logan said.
"But if I'm not here, he won't know where I'm at. He'll be upset if he can't find me," Lily said in concern.
Logan and Veronica exchanged a smile. "Don't worry, munchkin. I'll text him. He'll look for us at the beach," Logan said.
"Are you going to surf?" Veronica asked. "There's not supposed to be much wind, though."
"True. And if Dick comes over, I don't want to rub it in that he can't. Maybe we'll toss a Frisbee? That's low energy, right?" Logan suggested.
"Good idea. I'm going to bring the beach ball. Richie and Lily can push it back and forth to one another," Veronica said.
"How's the little guy going to manage that?" Logan asked.
"I'll help him, of course," she said. "We've been practicing." Last night when Logan was cleaning up the kitchen, she'd put Richie in front of her on the floor with Lily a few feet across from them. They'd rolled the ball back and forth. Richie loved it and tried to grab it every time. His failed attempts delighted the competitive Lily.
"Have you started making the sandwiches yet?" Logan asked.
"Not yet," she said.
"I'll get started. Who's coming?" he inquired.
"Duncan won't be here until after lunch, so don't make one for him. Daisy and Jason make four. Dick and Mac make six. Mac said she was going to invite Parker since she was at loose ends this weekend. Wallace and Thea are bringing Darrel," Veronica said.
"Okay. Sandwiches for ten coming up!" Logan said with a dramatic sigh.
"If it's too much for you, sweetie, I can do it," she said with false sweetness.
Logan grinned and gave her a loud kiss on the lips, causing Lily to giggle.
"Kiss me, too, Logie!" she ordered. Much to her delight, he complied with an exaggerated smack on both cheeks and then her lips.
"A husband's work is never done!" Logan said as he saluted before heading to the kitchen.
Veronica smiled after him.
"Logie is so funny!" Lily said, grinning. "He gives the best kisses next to Daddy."
"Yes, he does," Veronica agreed. She wasn't sure Logan would like being ranked behind Duncan in anything, but in this case, Veronica felt he'd understand. Duncan had made a lot of mistakes in his life. One thing, however, he was doing right. Lily adored him. Their closeness reminded Veronica of her own with her father. The daddy-daughter bond was a special one. Veronica hoped one day she'd get to witness Logan have the same bond with their own daughter.
******Casablancas******
After sitting through a torturous breakfast with his mother, Dick was even doing his homework to keep from talking to her. She wasn't the worse mother. She'd never beat him or put him down or did evil mom things like Logan's sadistic father had done to him. She'd been more attentive when he was younger. Dick's rational mind knew that it was his father who had cheated on her over and over. He couldn't blame her for finally having enough and divorcing their father. However, he did blame her. He blamed her for not stopping his mistreatment of Cassidy. He blamed her for allowing their father to treat the two boys so differently. He blamed her for remarrying and moving to another country and abandoning him and Cassidy. He blamed her for refusing to allow Cassidy to go with her after their father went on the lam.
His simmering anger was there below the surface whenever they were together. When she chatted so freely like all was fine and perfect between them, he wanted to rage and yell. However, Mac had told him it wasn't good for his blood pressure to get angry. He had to be like Bruce Banner and not go all rage monster on her because his heart wouldn't like the extra stress. So as his mother talked at him (she didn't seem to care how engaged he was), he nodded and pretended to listen. Finally, he told her he had homework to do, so she kissed his forehead and left him in peace.
When his doorbell rang two hours later, he was grateful for the interruption. He opened the door and found Mac and Parker on the other side.
He grinned happily. "Why did you ring the bell?" he asked as he bent down to kiss Mac hello.
"Your mother," Mac said as she and Parker stepped through the door. "She's made it abundantly clear that she considers me ill-mannered for not ringing it."
Dick rolled his eyes. "Screw her! She has no say in what goes on in my house!" he said hotly.
"She's your mother, Dick," Mac admonished. "Don't speak about her that way. She won't be here forever, and it's only a slight adjustment."
"How are you feeling?" Parker asked.
"Loads better. I've been finishing up some overdue homework," Dick explained. "I'm glad you ladies are here. I need a break."
"Do you want to get out of the house?" Mac asked. "Veronica and Logan have invited us to hang with them at the beach. They have Lily and Richie."
"Play time at the beach? I'm so there!" Dick said eagerly.
"No surfing," Mac reminded him. "Your doctor's appointment is tomorrow. I know you're feeling better, but we don't want to push it."
"Yea, babe, I know. I'll just be glad to get out of the house," Dick said. "Let me go change."
"He seems better," Parker observed as he moved toward the stairs. She followed Mac to the living room to wait.
"Yes, he is. He bounces back quickly," Mac said proudly.
"That's a good thing. Some guys would be pretty down in the dumps having to adjust their lifestyle," Parker observed.
"I'm not sure it's hit him exactly," Mac said. "He knows it's serious, but I don't know that he gets it's going to be a lifelong battle with his heart, blood pressure, and well-being."
Parker grimaced. "Poor guy. I'm glad he has you. I don't think he'd be handling things nearly as well without you," she said. "He is so far removed from the guy he was freshman year when I met him that sometimes it's hard to believe it's the same guy!"
"I do take most of the credit for that," Mac said, flashing her dimple.
Parker laughed. "And we give it to you," she responded.
"No, in all honestly, Dick was just indulged too much. He was never given enough positive reinforcement. Dick Sr. encouraged all his bad behavior," Mac said. "When you never have anyone show you kindness and real love in action, it's hard to give it back."
"Good point," Parker said.
Mac was proud of how far Dick came. Although she did acknowledge she had a part in it, she also knew he was on the path to a better version of himself when his brother died. Cassidy's death had forced him to take a real look at himself and how his actions affected others.
*****The Beach*****
When Daisy and Jason arrived at the beach after two hours of play time and then an hour getting ready, the beach fun was in full swing. They were holding hands as they joined their friends. Logan, Dick, and Wallace were throwing a Frisbee. Veronica and Mac were playing with Richie while Darrel, Lily and Parker flew a kite-or rather tried. There wasn't much wind for it. Thea was sitting in a beach chair reading. When they approached, Veronica called out a greeting. The guys stopped throwing their Frisbee and clapped and whistled at the sight of the reunited couple.
"Finally!" Logan called out.
"Way to go, Jason!" Dick called out. "You finally tamed the beast!"
"Be glad you recently had a heart attack!" Daisy replied with a glare.
Dick went to her and wrapped her in a bear hug, pulling her away from Jason. "I was just teasing!" he assured her. "You're too hot to be a beast!"
Jason pulled her away from Dick. "Hey, now! You got your own woman to manhandle. Leave mine alone!" he ordered. Everyone laughed.
"Are you hungry? We already ate, but we saved you some chips and sandwiches in the cooler. Drinks, too," Veronica said, pointing.
"Thanks," Daisy replied as she headed toward the cooler.
"Heads up!" Wallace called, throwing the Frisbee to Jason.
Jason reached up and grabbed it out of the air. He walked over to his friends.
"Daisy finally forgave you, huh?" Wallace asked, grinning.
"Yes," he said, his happiness apparent.
"I'm happy for you, man," Wallace said, giving him a fist bump.
"I see yours is hard at work even at the beach," Jason said in amusement, gesturing to Thea, who was in her own little world.
"Yes, she wouldn't agree to come unless it was okay for her to bring one of her books," Wallace said, giving her a fond smile. "She's the most driven person I've ever known, and I'm the best friend of Veronica Mars."
"That's Veronica Mars-Echolls," Logan reminded him pointedly.
Wallace chuckled. "My bad. Forgive me," he said.
"Come get a sandwich!" Daisy called out to Jason.
He and the guys went and joined the women. Thea closed her book to greet the new arrivals, finally noticing them.
"So we want to hear the details!" Veronica ordered. "Why the turn about?"
Jason shrugged. "Don't look at me. You'll have to ask her. Joseph and I went to the movies, and she and Parker were there. She attacked me with her lips," he said, winking at her.
Parker laughed, knowing he wasn't far off.
"That's not exactly how it happened!" Daisy protested.
"Wait!" Veronica interrupted. "Joseph is in town? Seriously?"
"He's fine. Don't worry about him," Jason said dismissively.
"Why the change of heart?" Mac asked Daisy, curious.
"I just realized that he was my perfect match," she answered honestly. The girls ahh'd and Dick snickered. Jason kissed her in response. Logan grinned, understanding her perfectly.
The friends chatted for a while. Then Alicia and Keith showed up, hoping to convince Veronica to let them spend some time with Richie.
"No convincing needed. He's been outside long enough," Veronica said. "He's probably not got much steam left, though. It's time for his nap."
"Can we take him home until tonight? I bought a new playpen just for him," Alicia said. She and Keith had embraced Trina's son the way they'd embraced Logan—without reservation.
"It's okay with me if Veronica doesn't care," Logan said.
"It's fine. I was about to take him inside anyway," Veronica said. She kissed him and handed him off to Alicia.
"Come by at seven. I'll make us dinner," Alicia said. She looked at Thea. "Thea, can you and Wallace join us for dinner tonight?"
Wallace looked at Thea, knowing her schedule was always more intense than his. When she smiled and accepted the invitation, his heart swelled with love. Thea had an insane class load, but she always made time for people. She always made time for him, and now she was making time for his family. He sat down next to her as Keith chatted with Dick and Logan.
"You amaze me," Wallace said, reaching out and taking Thea's hand.
Thea smiled. Wallace never failed to make her feel special. He was so easy to be with, so easy to love. "Why thanks," she said. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. "What's that for?"
He grinned. "I love you," he simply said.
"I love you, too," she said, her smile kicking up a notch.
To Wallace, she got more beautiful every day. Unlike so many of the plastic women in California, Thea was genuine, her heart and soul eclipsing all others. Sometimes, it was hard to believe she was his.
Alicia's eyes misted as she saw her son gaze adoringly at Thea. She watched them as Veronica got up to lead them inside the house to get his diaper bag and make Lily take a bathroom break. Keith came up and held out his arms for the little guy. Richie grinned and waved as Keith made a face at him.
"You ready?" Keith asked as he grinned down at the redheaded baby. When Alicia didn't reply, he looked up at what held her attention. She was staring at Wallace and Thea.
"My son is completely in love with that girl," Alicia said, wiping her eyes.
"Is that a bad thing?" Keith asked.
Alicia sighed and shook her head. "No. It's good. He's all grown up. But he'll never be my little boy ever again," she said.
"I'm sure he'll tell you that he'll always be your little boy," Keith said. They slowly followed Veronica and Lily toward the house, waving goodbye to everyone.
"Yes, I know. He's just so young, Keith. Too young to be so serious. I don't want to see him hurt," Alicia admitted.
"We were both that young when we fell for our kids' parents," Keith reminded her.
"And how did that work out?" Alicia pointed out.
"Not too bad. You got Wallace, and I got Veronica. Everything else is just gravy," Keith said with a wink. "Besides, Thea is a far cry from your drug addicted ex or my alcoholic one."
"Very true. She is wonderful," Alicia said.
"She'll be the making of him," Keith said. "You planted the seeds, but we men are stubborn. We're also highly susceptible to a pretty face. It doesn't always matter if there's more behind the pretty face. Fortunately, your son has fallen for someone who will never lead him down any bad path. She will push him to the best man he could possibly be."
Alicia nodded, knowing Keith was right. "I know," she said with a sigh. "What if he screws it up?"
Keith laughed in understanding. That was always possible. "We can't ever predict what our kids will do entirely. We can only support them, guide them, and hope for the best!"
Alicia knew he was right. They followed Veronica into the house.
A half hour later, Veronica and Lily began to build a sandcastle. Soon Dick decided he was the master sandcastle builder. A competition was about to begin when Duncan arrived.
"Daddy!" Lily yelled, jumping up and running to him.
Nothing warmed Duncan's heart like the sight of his daughter's face lit up with love and excitement reserved solely for him. He held out his arms to pick her up and held her tight for a moment. Kissing her, he grinned down at her. "Have you been having a good time?" he asked her.
She nodded happily. "Yes, I flew a kite with Parker and Darrel! I got it to fly, Daddy! Mackie said it wouldn't 'cause there weren't no wind. She was wrong! It flew, Daddy!" she said excitedly. "I want my own kite, Daddy. I want it to have purple butterflies on it with a purple tail. Darrel's has a white tail. The wind isn't strong today. Parker says that maybe another day the wind will be better for us. Why can't you tell the wind to blow, Daddy? I want to fly the kite a long time!"
Duncan laughed in amusement as he listened to his daughter's recitation. Logan was listening to her babble.
"Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but not even your father can control the wind!" Logan told her.
"My daddy can do anything!" Lily said with the stubborn, mutinous look that reminded both men so much of her namesake.
"Well, I can't control the weather, baby. Only God can do that," Duncan said.
"Then you should pray more, Daddy. Maybe God will listen to you if you ask Him nicely," Lily said wisely.
"Maybe so," Duncan said, smiling at her. He greeted his friends. "What are you guys doing playing in the dirt?"
"We are about to form teams to have a competition," Dick announced. "Mackie and I are going to show these amateurs how to make a real sandcastle!"
Wallace scoffed. "I have the smartest girlfriend, who almost minored in structural engineering!" Wallace bragged, winking at Mac, who took no offense. "This is in the bag!"
"Well, my wife can break into any structure with her devious mind, so this is in our bag!" Logan bragged.
Jason looked at Daisy. "What do you do?" he asked her.
"I admire you while you do all the work!" Daisy said with a smirk.
Jason laughed and kissed her. "That works for me!" he told her.
Duncan looked at Parker questioningly. "Yes, they're back together," she said, answering his unspoken question.
"Parker and I are going to win, Daddy! She said she won a castle building contest when she was little!" Lily said when Duncan put her down. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down next to Parker.
"I told your kid that Parker didn't need any help then, so she should be on our team!" Logan shared.
"That's not fair! Parker needs somebody to help her, too!" Lily said, giving Logan a disappointed look.
Veronica grinned at her, loving her sense of fair play. That quality definitely came from Meg. "That's right, sweetie. She does," Veronica said in approval.
Parker smiled at Duncan. "Do you want to be on our team?" she offered, hoping he'd say yes, hoping he'd say no. Would her feelings for this man ever make sense?
"Sure," Duncan said. His daughter beamed in approval.
Dick grinned as he watched all his friends so focused on playing in the dirt. He remembered the first sandcastle he and Cassidy built when they were not much older than Lily. Raising his head toward the clouds, he winked. He liked to imagine his brother watching him from above.
"Are you watching, Beav? Being a grown-up isn't nearly as boring as we thought it'd be!" he thought. Picking up his shovel made from a piece of plastic that he'd found, he began to dig.
There were worse ways to spend an afternoon.
******Chapter End******