On the Beach

She loved the morning mood on the beach, when everything was quiet and only the waves, as they rushed towards the shore, were heard. It was also this time when she preferred to swim. Emily unfurled her blanket, put her towel and baby phone on it, and took off her shirt. Daniel went to work an hour ago, and Julian slept peacefully. So enough time for her to bathe a little in the waves. She ran into the water without stopping, and dived into the next wave. She didn't pay attention to what was happening around her as she dived again and then followed the stream with steady-going crawl movements. She didn't realize how far she had swum when she couldn't feel any contact with the ground. A sense of panic came over her, but she tried to fight it. If she didn't keep a cool head now, she would drown! She had to go back to the shore! She tried to swim in the other direction, but the waves carried her farther and farther out. When the next wave pushed her under water and she no longer believed in surviving, suddenly strong arms encircled her and lifted her to the surface and brought her back to the shore. Coughing and water spitting, she crawled the last meters to the dry land and then fell down on her back, where she remained, with her eyes closed.

"Everything okay? Are you all right?"

She saw a face that bent over her, but she couldn't see it because of the dazzling sunbeams.

"Shall I call a doctor?"

She slowly shook her head and then placed her hand on her forehead to see better. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized who had been her savior. She had the 'Dad' already on her tongue, but she swallowed it down. A strange déjà vu feeling came over her as she stared into his blue eyes. Once again he had saved her from drowning. She remembered the first time when her mentally ill mother had tried to drown her. "Th-thank you, I'm fine," she said, with difficulty, and sat up.

"Are you sure?"

She saw the doubt in his eyes and nodded.

"It was unreasonable to swim that far out," he said with a reproachful look.

She stroked a damp strand of hair from her forehead and noticed how her hands were trembling. "I'm actually a good swimmer," she said defensively. "I don't know why I swam that far out today."

He held out his hand. "David Clarke," he introduced himself.

"Emily Grayson." She hesitated before she took his hand and held it for a moment. It's me, Daddy! she thought. Don't you recognize me?

He pointed to the beach house. "You are Victoria's daughter-in-law," he stated. "You're the new owner of the beach house."

She nodded. "I know you used to live there, too," she said.

"With my daughter Amanda, yes," he confirmed. "It was more than twenty years ago."

She saw him looking at her, curiously, scrutinizing, and she wondered if he had recognized her. For a moment, she fought with herself to tell him that she was actually Amanda, his daughter. But she thought about the consequences what it would mean for Daniel, his parents and Charlotte. She could lose everything. No, the price was just too high. She shook her head slightly, and saw his brow furrow.

"No, you don't want to have a coffee with me?" He asked, surprised.

"Pardon?" She hadn't even listened when he asked her the question. "Oh... coffee... yes, why not?" She forced a smile. "Maybe with some cake? I have to thank you for saving my life."

He rose and ran a hand though his short, wet hair. "That's the least you can do," he said, smiling.

Emily felt a stab in her heart as she saw his smile. She was suddenly reminded again of how much fun they once had, how often they had laughed. David Clarke had not only been her father but also her familiar, her friend. She could trust him. And he had protected her until he had been arrested. She suddenly longed to get it all back. "At my place," she said. "Tomorrow, four o'clock in the afternoon?"

He nodded. "I'll be there."

When she took his hand she wondered how she should proceed, now that she had let him back into her life. She reached for her towel and the baby phone. "See you tomorrow!" She didn't look behind as she went back to the beach house, but she could feel his gaze, which followed her until she had disappeared into the house.