Reese and Katie were excited, all smiles and giggles, as the car rode along. Louis and Anne were on their second trip to Pensacola, Florida together - this time to visit Pensacola Beach for some fun in the sun.
"Well, here we are, girls," said Louis as he pulled off the road and parked near Hemingway's restaurant.
"Yay!" cheered Katie and Reese, struggling to unfasten their seat belts. Louis and Anne got out of the car and opened the two back doors, where Louis freed Reese and Anne freed Katie. Both girls began to run toward the sand until Anne called them back.
"Don't forget sunscreen!"
She smeared it all over their bodies as Louis set up the umbrella and spread the quilt. Then both girls ran toward the water while Anne and Louis put sunscreen on themselves and each other's backs.
"Don't go too far!" Anne called after the girls.
"We won't, Aunt Anne," Katie promised.
Anne unfolded her beach chair and settled in to watch the girls from the shore while Louis lay on his stomach on the quilt. True to their word, Reese and Katie remained hear the shoreline, dashing into the waves and then retreating, giggling all the while, until Anne saw Reese hesitate and then start to cry. Louis watched as she stood and went to where the girls were.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I cut my foot on a shell," Reese sobbed.
Anne saw her foot was bleeding copiously. "It's going to be all right." She picked the child up and turned to see Louis standing right beside her.
"I want my Daddy!" wailed Reese, reaching for him. He took her and carried her back to the quilt, where he cleaned and bandaged the wound, then kissed it.
"That'll make it all better," he said with a grin. Reese smiled back as Anne stood watching, feeling somewhat left out and useless.
"Hey, how about we make a sand castle together?" asked Louis a few minutes later.
"Oh, yes, Daddy!" cried Reese, her wound now forgotten.
The four of them got right to work, and when they were finished, an impressive structure including walls, gates, stairs, windows, and even a moat stood before them. Louis snapped a photograph of it.
"I wish we could take it home and keep it," said Katie.
"I'm sending this picture to your mom right now so she can see what an awesome job you did on it," Louis told her.
"Did I do a good job too, Daddy?" asked Reese.
"All three of you did a great job," her father replied. "Who's ready for lunch?"
"I am." Anne reached for the snacks they'd brought along, but Louis stopped her with a gentle touch of his hand on her arm.
"We don't need those. Come on, we're going to Hemingway's."
Anne frowned. "Are you sure we can afford that?"
"Don't worry about it," said Louis. "I've set money aside." His hand gently swept her cheek. "Please let me do this, Anne. It's important."
"Of course!" Anne beamed as she stood and dusted the sand off her body. The four went to the restroom to change into their regular clothing, then walked to Hemingway's.
"There sure are a lot of steps!" Reese remarked.
"More steps than anywhere else in the world!" Katie agreed.
Louis laughed. "I don't think there are quite that many."
The hostess seated them and told them the waitress would be with them shortly. They sat on a high balcony where they could look down on the beach and the other guests. Anne was thankful for the cool breeze that wafted over them.
A smiling blonde who introduced herself as Nicole came to take their order.
"They're adorable!" she said, glancing at the girls. "Are they twins?"
"No," Anne replied with a smile. "Reese is our daughter, and Katie is our niece."
Nicole laughed. "You can definitely tell they're related."
After she'd gone, Anne looked closely at the girls and and noticed they did seem to bear a passing resemblance.
As was typical of him, Louis dug into his meal with gusto, while Anne and the girls ate more slowly. Louis finished his entire meal and dessert, but Anne asked for a doggy bag for about half of hers.
After dinner, they went to Alvin's Island to look around. Reese and Katie picked out socks with all kinds of crazy designs, and Louis bought all of them. Anne found earrings and a couple of bracelets she liked, and he bought those, too.
"You're really spoiling us today!" she commented.
"There's nothing I like better than to spoil my girls," Louis replied.
At last it was time for the three-hour drive back home. Reese and Katie both fell asleep in the back seat. When they reached the Bourbon home, Anne shook Katie awake while Louis carried Reese into the house.
Anne gave both girls their baths, put their pajamas on them, read them a story, and then tucked them into bed. When she was finished, she went into the bathroom, where she found a naked Louis standing beside a tub full of steaming hot water. She giggled as he began to undress her, then helped her into the tub and climbed in himself.
"Did you enjoy today?" he asked as he washed her back.
"It was wonderful," Anne replied. "Thank you for the nice dinner and the jewelry."
"It was my pleasure." He suddenly turned serious. "I wanted to make sure Reese had at least one memorable day before she has to go back."
"She seemed to really enjoy herself today." She was silent for just a moment. "Louis, do you think she really loves me?"
"Of course she does, Anne. How could you doubt it?"
She sighed. "Well, she sure seemed in a hurry to get away from me when I picked her up after she cut her foot."
"What? Oh, that. It's just that she's known me a whole lot longer, so of course it's me she turns to for comfort when she's in pain. She loves you too, Anne, but you haven't been in her life nearly as long as I have. As time goes by and she gets to know you better, she'll become closer to you."
"You really think so?"
"I know so." He kissed her forehead. "Come, let's go put a nice finishing touch to this amazing day."
As she walked with him to the bedroom, she thought it over and decided he was probably right.