Lindsay couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. Her stomach was cramping, she could hardly breathe, and she was sure the tears trailing down her face were making her look just lovely. She didn't really care, to be honest. She was sitting on the counter in the break room, listening to Danny, Flack, and Adam argue about Flack's inability to wear anything but suits, and if that meant there was something feminine about him. So far they were just insulting each other and in the last few minutes, the conversation had turned to include the fact that Adam had two cats and one of them was named Fluffy. She wasn't sure how that fit in, but she figured throwing it out there had been a wise decision.

"Men, real men, we're supposed to have dogs," Danny said, shaking his head. "Why in the world do you have cats?"

"Because I like cats! They're cool!"

"I gotta agree with Danny here, even though he called me a sissy. Cats are for women. Lindsay should have cats."

"Hey! What are you trying to say, Flack?"

"What?"

"Are you calling me a cat lady?"

"Well… I… it's not that…"

The look on his face was priceless and she couldn't hold her composure any longer. A huge guffaw bubbled out and she nearly fell off the counter.

"Did you guys break Lindsay again?" Stella asked as she came into the room, her hands on her hips.

"No, she was broken when we got here!" Danny said, holding up his hands in mock innocence.

"Well can someone fix her? I need her help."

Lindsay righted herself and calmed her breathing before sliding off the counter.

"Okay, I'm better."

"Good. I broke that printer again. And since no one else in this room will ever learn how to fix it…"

"Stell," Flack started, his eyebrow going up. "Shouldn't you be a real leader and learn to fix it yourself?"

"Excuse me?"

"She gets mean on Mac's days off," Adam commented to Danny who nodded.

"Heard that," Stella tossed over her shoulder as she and Lindsay left the room. "Sometimes I think we should get hazard pay for working with so many boys."

"I totally agree," Lindsay said with a nod, taking the front cover off the printer. "Did you manage to get anything printed?"

"Nope. It just made that sad beeping noise and kind of died."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't think you broke it. I am pretty sure someone else did and then walked off and left it."

They looked at each other and grinned.

"Danny."

Shaking her head, Lindsay turned back to the printer where she battled the paper, the rollers and even the ink cartridge before finally getting the thing in working order.

"We have got to get a new printer. This thing sucks."

"I agree. I even told Mac that and he said that it's just a printer and we don't need to spend money on it."

"So he wants our test results to be printed crooked? How professional is that?"

"I never claimed to understand the man."

"I don't think anyone did. I think you're all set to go here."

"Thanks. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Are you and Adam…"

"Oh geez."

"…dating?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You two are always together."

"So are you and Mac."

"Okay, granted. But there seems to be a vibe there. I dunno, maybe I'm just bored."

"Maybe you are. Go see a movie or something."

Stella chuckled and Lindsay left the room, feeling triumphant for evading the question and not having to lie either. She and Adam didn't do much talking about their relationship and she wasn't sure she was ready to bring it up either.

"So Coney Island," Lindsay said with a chuckle. "We're such tourists."

"No shame in that, as long as no one sees us."

"I suppose," she agree with a shrug.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I guess I just… I expected Coney Island to be a little more…"

"Better?"

"Yeah!"

"It is kind of disappointing after Disneyland."

"Totally."

"We'll go walk on the beach instead."

He took her hand and they walked to the sand, their shoes immediately filling. Wrinkling her nose, Lindsay stopped and took her shoes off, letting her bare feet sink into the sand.

"Now that's summer," she commented as they moved closer to the water.

"So…"

"So what?"

"My mom is going to be in town."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. In two weeks. She and my step-dad are going on a cruise and their flight to Florida goes through JFK. They have a four hour layover, so I'm meeting them at the airport for lunch."

"Oh."

"And um… while they're on the cruise my little sister is going to stay with me."

"Hannah, right?"

"Yeah. She's five."

"Are you going to take vacation days?"

"A few. I already talked to Mac about it, he said he'll try to get me as many as I need, but my cousin Sarah said she'll take Hannah if I have to work."

She smiled and turned to look at him.

"You're excited."

"Yeah. I don't get to see Hannah all that much, so it'll be nice to have her around for a while."

"This just means you get to play with toys and not feel weird about it."

"That too."

They chuckled and he squeezed her hand.

"So I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Want to come with me to the airport?"

"You mean to meet your mother?"

"Well… yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay? Just like that?"

"Why not?" she said with a little shrug.

"You're something else, you know that?"

She smiled as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Hey Adam, can we sit?"

"Oooh, ominous."

"Not ominous. Just… can we sit?"

He nodded and they found a spot in the sand that was away from the majority of the people on the beach.

"I want to ask your opinion on something."

"What's that?"

"Stella said something to me yesterday," she began, picking at her cuticles. He put his hand over hers, forcing her to look up at him. She sighed. "She asked if we were dating."

"Oh."

"I wasn't sure what to say. I mean, I know that we… but I didn't know if we should tell people or what. I don't want to lie about it, that makes it seem like we're doing something wrong. But I didn't want to just start talking about it either."

"So what did you say?"

"Nothing really. Made some comment about her and Mac."

"Linds!"

"Well, I didn't know what else to say! And she wasn't mad, it was just all I could think of. I just… I know we're not going to go bringing it up in conversation, but if someone asks, can we tell them?"

He thought for a minute, his eyes scanning the water.

"I think if someone asks, then yeah, we can tell them. But maybe not everyone that asks. Stella, sure, tell her. Danny, no."

"Why not Danny?"

"He still has a thing for you."

"He does not."

"Denial."

"Look, I am the first to admit that for a while it felt like there was something there, but whatever it was, it's gone. I promise."

"You don't have to convince me, Linds. You did pick me after all."

"Yes, and I am a very, very smart woman."

"That you are."

He slid her arm around her and she leaned into him with a little sigh.

"Lindsay, are you happy?"

"Yes. Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because I don't want you to not be."

"I'm happy, Adam. And it's not going to change, no matter how many times you annoy me with that question."

"Good. Let's go get something to eat."

She smiled as he hauled her up from the sand.

"What do you think; Coney Island hot dog?"

"Only if we want our stomachs pumped."

"Now there's a good bonding experience."

"Leave it to you to find the silver lining, Adam."

"I'd just be a grump if I didn't."

"Very true."

They walked silently and slowly for a while, enjoying the night air and the ability to be together without words. It was a nice change for both of them compared to previous relationships. They just fit. They worked. They made sense. She could dance around to bad music, sing at the top of her lungs, wear old sweats and no make-up and with him, that was okay. He made her comfortable in her skin. She'd never been so sure of herself before.

"Hey Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"You should win me one of those huge, obnoxious stuffed animals."

"I should?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, a good boyfriend would."

"I guess I suck then."

She snickered and leaned over to hug him.

"An even better boyfriend does not break under the whines of his girlfriend. And for that I thank you and bestow on you the Real Man award."

"Are you going to knight me now?"

"If I had a scepter I might."

"You're kind of a major dork."

"Thank you for noticing."

He stopped walking and pulled her against him, framing her face with his hands and looking into her eyes for a moment before kissing her. Surprised as she was for the public display of affection, she managed to slide her arms around him and remain upright. Each kiss harkened back to the first one, full of such reverence and promise that it still took her breath away. His fingers played in her hair for a moment before he pulled away. She smiled up at him, her eyes nearly at half mast.

"You're good at that," she whispered, her words almost taken away by the wind.

"Thank you for noticing."

They shared a smile and he brushed her hair back from her forehead.

"So, dinner?"

"Let's have some."

"Not pizza or burgers or Chinese though."

"What's left?"

"Hmm. Tacos?"

"Sounds good. But only if we refrain from the hot sauce contest this time. Because that was just childish."

"Yeah, but you won twenty bucks."

"I suppose things all work out then."

He grinned and they made their way down the beach, playfully pushing and poking each other. By the time they reached the boardwalk, she had jumped on his back, her shoes clutched in her hands and thumping against his chest with every step.

"We're too old for this."

"No one has to know how old we are," he retorted.

"True. I guess comparatively we're pretty young."

"See? We're not too old for anything."

"Hey wanna jump on a bed later?"

"Read my mind."

She giggled and kissed his cheek.

"You have no idea how much I love you right now."

An hour later they were driving home, windows down and the radio on. They were laughing and singing at the top of their lungs and as the wind whipped across her face, she couldn't remember another moment of such freedom. It was the warmth of summer, the laziness of the day and the joy of the night, and she never wanted it to end.