"I do love it when you're impractical, you know."
"I know. And against all my better judgement I do silly things just to please you." Caroline flashed a bright smile at Melanie that matched the day.
The two women strolled across the coarse golden beach, each holding a pair of shoes and the other's hand. The sun was high, the water splashed and crashed, and it was a glorious Brighton midafternoon. Without the direct sunshine it would have been far too cold for bare feet and rolled up jeans. As it was Caroline had caught a bit of a chill. But Melanie did bring out the impractical in her.
The Jeep was down but not permanently out. The damage was more than cosmetic. It would take the garage three days to fix the whacked alignment and replace the bumper. It was either hire a car and return home, then return to fetch the Jeep, or stay and enjoy an extended vacation with Melanie.
The decision to stay wasn't half as hard as Caroline lead Melanie to believe. They extended the rental on the flat, and here they were, beach side. Punters and boaters raced by. Ahead of them the pier was end-of-weekend quiet but not void of life. It was the only day of their trip so far that had not started and ended in overcast gloom. They weren't the only ones taking advantage of the reprise, the bliss, and the blue sky.
"I know you're missing Flora already. Gillian wasn't too put out?" Melanie nudged the corner of her squared-off, burgundy glasses as she peered through them at Caroline. The fine crows-feet patchwork at the edges of her green eyes disappeared into the thick rims.
"I do miss her. I can't believe how much. But Gillian will be just fine. Calamity's old enough now to help and Flora's independent enough she doesn't have to watch them like a hawk at all times." Flora's departure from what Caroline had dubbed the 'appalling threes,' had resulted in a miraculous change in her daughter. In this case alliteration in the description had not been as important as accuracy. Three had left Caroline wrung out to dry. But now Flora was four going on forty, and far more balanced in temperament between her lost mother Kate and her ever-present mother Caroline.
They passed a twirling, musical carousel and the laughter from the children on board made Caroline miss Flora even more. On the other side of it was a long, low concrete sea wall.
"You mind if we stop and watch the carousel? Just for a while?" Caroline swung Melanie's hand and tried not to look embarrassed at her own request.
"As you wish, Buttercup."
"I just don't get that movie."
"Oh who cares about the movie? It's the book that I love. But if you'll please keep wrinkling your nose in that adorable fashion, I'll rattle off more movies you don't get. I like the way it makes you look."
"No need for that." Caroline swapped faces and put on her smugly amused expression. "And you always love the book more."
"Well of course I do! That's why I've embraced a life filled with them. Use your head, woman." Melanie rapped her knuckles on her own dark head and shook her shining, thick black hair. Streaked with silver at the temples, it hung long and straight, breaking just over her shoulders. Most of the weekend it had been draped up and back in an untidy half-pony tail as Melanie combatted the humidity and the salt air.
They settled on to the wall and began sweeping sand from their feet. Caroline rubbed hers together, brisk motion adding welcome warmth before she replaced her blue and grey trainers.
As the carousel turned and turned, Caroline began to recognize the faces as they passed by. There was a woman her age, her firm build, and her ruddy blond English look. She had a girl with her, Caroline assumed a daughter, who was perhaps a year older than Flora. The mum held the girl tight on the horse as they traveled around and around. The young girl laughed and pitched back and forth on the wooden golden galloper, face covered in joy. The mother did not participate in the raucous cacophony of movement, sound and merriment with her daughter or her fellow travelers.
Caroline believed that she was however, trying to appear to be enjoying it. She wore a smile, but it stayed fixed and unchanged. Her eyes were wide, but they scanned the beach and the parents and children around her.
Last month Caroline and Melanie along with Gillian and Robbie had taken Flora and Calamity up to the Lightwater Valley theme park for the day. The girls were young for it, but it was the kind of outing that provided ample adult stimulation. She'd ridden with Flora on the carousel and hadn't been able to look away for a second from the light and abandon in her daughter's eyes. By the time the ride was over she and Flora were both breathless and giggling.
The carousel slowed and stopped. The mum bundled the girl off the pony and pulled held her hand as they walked away from the carousel. Soon enough they mingled with the sprinkling of tourists wandering on the promenade.
"You're watching the blonde woman with her daughter?" Next to her, Melanie leaned against Caroline and nudged.
Caroline didn't respond as her eye snagged a short man with thing, stringy hair standing forty meters away at the top of the stairs leading from the beach to the road. He leaned against the black wrought-iron post sipping a soda and not paying attention to anything. Appearing not to be paying attention to anything, at least.
Melanie nudged again and Caroline rejoined and accompanied it with a broad smile. "You don't miss a trick, do you?"
"Not usually." Melanie wrapped her paisley scarf around Caroline's neck and pulled her close. Her warm breath filled Caroline's ear. "And because of my silly, random and useless collection of knowledge, you'll never best me at University Challenge."
"That day is coming, my dear. I can smell victory. I can practically taste it." Caroline's inflection and countenance were stern, but the kiss she planted on Melanie's nose was not. She finished her affections with a quick push of Melanie's glasses back up her nose, and sat back to admire the woman's smooth honey-brown skin. Caroline paid more than an average amount of attention to her skin care and was – content – with the results. Melanie paid very little attention to her darker complexion and the effect was still more radiant than Caroline's consistent ministrations.
"I think those are chips you smell, actually. Can we share some?"
The smell of fish and chips did fill the boardwalk, and it wasn't at all unpleasant as it mingled with the sea air. "Of course. Come on." Since meeting Melanie, only chasing after Flora kept Caroline in any state resembling fit and trim.
There was little Caroline ever felt like denying Melanie. Including a holiday trip to bustling Brighton, rather than the sleepier Isle of Wight she'd favored. If she'd known the sojourn to the south of England after dropping William off at Oxford would last a week, rather than a couple nights, she might have been less flexible.
"Why do you think that woman looked so dour? Do you suppose she's doing a runner after pulling a wild bank-robbery caper in France?" Melanie's big sage eyes grew bigger and Caroline saw the vivid imagination behind them spark to life.
"What I suppose is she's an overworked, underpaid, and exhausted single mum desperate for a holiday."
"Come on now. That's no fun at all. But I can see why you'd imagine it that way." Melanie squeezed Caroline's waist and she started and squeaked.
"Not everything in life is a book plot, Mel."
"Oh but wouldn't it be so much more fun if it were, Caroline?"
"mmmmmm" Caroline imitated Celia and let her rumbled non-response and narrowed eyes speak volumes.
A cloud rolled across the sun, the leading edge of a large bank intent on moving in and settling in over the afternoon. Caroline pulled Melanie's scarf tighter for her, and did the same with her own. She linked arms with the other woman and they snuggled in against each other, walking on toward the pier in search of the aromatic chips.