Shauna watched the volleyball game being set up from her lawn chair, and tried not to wonder how it was going to go wrong. Next to her, Vanora called out, "Jules! Don't poke that!"
"What even is it, Mum?" Jules called back.
"It's a sea cucumber! They're not to be touched!"
Jules listened to his mother, and stepped away from the sea cucumber.
"The game's starting, Jules. Might want to stay out of the way," Troy said.
"Why can't I play, Mr. Troy?"
"We do need a third person on our team," Tully said.
"That could only work if Troy agrees not to play so rough," Dietrich replied. "I am still convinced he cracked one of my ribs last time."
"Did not," Troy muttered.
"I saw how you ran into him, Sam," Shauna said. "I'd be shocked if you didn't."
"Well, if Jules is going to be on Tully and Hitch's team, there's no risk of him being ran into or knocked over."
"Still," Vanora said, "be gentle." She sighed before looking at Jules. "Go ahead. Just be careful. You, too, Jack."
"Me?" Moffitt gave her a confused look. "Why do I have to be careful?"
"So you don't twist your ankle like last time."
Esther looked up from her book. "Was the last volleyball game really that much of a disaster?"
"I wouldn't call it a disaster," Mabel replied. "Just… very entertaining."
"Well, I do not want Hans getting hurt."
"He survived being trapped under his Kübelwagen during a sandstorm," Shauna said. "He'll be fine."
Dietrich glared at Troy. "Why did you tell her about that?!"
"She's my wife," Troy said. "I tell her lots of things."
"Try 'everything,'" Shauna replied.
Troy grinned at her. "All because I love you, sweetheart."
"Could we focus on the game, Sarge?" Hitch asked.
"Yeah. Why don't you show Jules how to serve the ball?"
Conversation died as the women watched their husbands and Jules play. Esther broke the silence by asking, "So, do we just sit here and worry?"
"It used to be quite worrisome," Vanora said.
"I forgot this is your first trip to the beach with everyone," Mabel added, looking at Esther.
"To be honest, I did not want to come at first," Esther replied. "Hans assured me it was just the rest of the family."
"Always will be," Shauna said. "This is our tradition every August. We come to this little place on the coast of North Carolina, and have fun for a couple of weeks."
"I see."
"Not every trip has a catastrophe," Vanora explained, giving Esther a reassuring look. "I think everyone got a little excited last year because it was the first trip they could actually enjoy without that prophecy hanging over their heads."
"That made them all a little nutty at times," Shauna added.
"Don't remind me. Jack has calmed down significantly since last year and it's very nice to see."
"They still have their moments. Sam will always be… Sam. If he wants to do something, he'll do it, no matter what you say to him."
"That must be difficult at times," Esther said.
"In the beginning, it was, but he's never been reckless with money and he's gotten better at asking if I think something is a good idea or not. He knows I can keep up with his energy and won't hold him back from something he wants to do, as long as it isn't dangerous. Of course, he likes dangerous, though. I think the kids have gotten him to step back a little." Shauna paused. "And when I say 'a little,' I mean 'very little.'"
"How many phone calls has he received about the kids?" Vanora asked. "There was the lawnmower and Dietrich's hydrangeas, the ski lift, the grizzly bear, the whitewater rafting, the Canada geese—"
"The geese weren't Sam's fault, but he did try scaring them off and that didn't end well." Shauna grinned. "I still remember the look of terror on his face when he came sprinting back in the house with Jules under one arm and Zach in the other."
"Hitch thought that was funny," Molly said with a grin.
"Jack did not," Vanora said with a sigh.
"Poor thing probably has constant migraines," Mabel said.
"He used to, but that's gotten better over the last year or so. Speaking of which—Jules, don't use your head to hit the ball!"
"Aww, Mum!" Jules pouted.
"Listen to your mother," Moffitt said.
"But you do it, Dad!"
"Because I have a harder head."
Dietrich suppressed a snort. "Oh, do you ever."
Moffitt glared at him.
"That was not nice, Hans," Esther said.
Shauna noted the look on Troy's face. "You have nothing to laugh at. You have the hardest head here, Sam."
"You're equally stubborn, sweetheart," Troy replied, "which is why—"
"You love me."
"Yes. I love you."
The game continued even as the sun rose to its highest point of the day. Shauna had set up the umbrella for the others, while Molly went to get drinks for them.
"Do you ever wonder what your lives would be like without them?" Vanora asked out of the blue.
"I've been with Tully for so long that it's hard to picture life without him," Mabel said. "I didn't even think it'd be serious. Most of the nurses I worked with had multiple soldiers date them over the course of the war. Tully kept coming back to me when our units were in the same area. It's funny because he knew me as just 'Nurse Parker' for a while. Telling him my first name was, oddly enough, a special moment, as was getting this from him." She held up her left hand, showing a silver banded ring under her wedding ring. "I know he cares deeply about his rings, so when he gave one of them to me as a promise, I knew he was serious about a relationship. I have no idea where I would be if I hadn't met Tully. Not here, that's for sure."
"I'd have either found someone else, or would still be living at home," Molly said. "I'll admit, I wasn't too sure about Hitch at first. I knew he had a reputation for playing around, but he said that things changed when he came back from the war. We went to the same schools together, but we never really knew each other beyond sharing some classes and passing each other in the hallways. I think I wasn't pretty enough back then. When we started seeing each other frequently in the drugstore, I got curious, and here we are now. It was definitely a bit of a risk, because I didn't know if he had really changed. That risk paid off. What about you, Shauna?"
"I would probably be back in England, married to someone who actually has my mother's approval," Shauna replied.
"Your mother still hates Troy?"
"I don't know if she hates him, but she definitely didn't approve of him. I've thought about seeing if things have changed, but it's not worth it at this point. She may not even be alive anymore."
"As troublesome as Troy can be at times, no one can say he's treated you poorly," Vanora said.
"He had to help me break a lot of old habits and learn to be my own person, which is… not something you should be learning as an adult." Shauna wanted to change the subject. "How about you, Vanora? Where would you be?"
"Still working at the museum in Blackburn. All of this is because I decided to go with Evelina to that presentation in Cambridge." Vanora sighed, smiling. "I wouldn't go back, though. Jack is a wonderful man." Her smile faded. "I did feel helpless whenever the prophecy would come up. Jack would shut down rather quickly and have to be alone with Anah for a while. The… nightmares he has about the war can be tricky to deal with as well, but they're much less of a problem now. There was one night where I woke up to him sobbing and holding me tightly, because he had a bad dream that I disappeared." She looked out at Jules. "It's difficult whenever Jules asks, 'Why does Dad scream at night?' I say the same thing every time, 'Your father has bad dreams sometimes.' He'll reply, 'I have bad dreams but I don't scream.' I never know how to respond to that, but I think the most recent explanation I gave was, 'Your father has seen some very scary things in his life, and sometimes they come back in dreams.'" There was still a somber look on Vanora's face when she turned to Esther. "Where would you be?"
Esther didn't look sure on what to say. She sighed before saying, "Not in a very good place." She closed her book before turning to watch Dietrich. "It takes a lot of patience to work with Hans. It is frustrating at times, because his depression can surface at any time, but I cannot imagine working with me is any easier. I feel bad whenever I leave the bed to sleep on the couch downstairs, or jump when all he does is come up from behind. I know he will not hurt me, and yet I let my fears take over. He always looks like it is his fault whenever I get scared." Esther fell silent, looking deep in thought. "We do have good times, when we are both happy. He does a lot to make me comfortable, and I want to give him the same in return."
"I remember overhearing him telling Sam that he has a hard time around the anniversaries of certain events," Shauna said.
"He does." Esther kept watching Dietrich. "I think we have both gotten better at asking for help in the last year or so."
There was silence between all of them for a few moments. The volleyball game ended with no injuries, but everyone was somewhat dehydrated. Dietrich sat down in the sand in front of Esther's chair, drinking from a water bottle and receiving a scalp massage. Tully got a chair to sit next to Mabel and give her a sweaty hug. Hitch sat in front of Molly to get a shoulder rub. Moffitt lay on his back in the sand in front of Vanora, who poured cold water on his face and into his mouth.
Troy was fanning himself with his hat before sitting next to Shauna. "You okay, sweetheart?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Shauna asked.
"I don't know. Looked like you and the rest of the ladies here were talking about something serious."
"Oh. We were talking about what our lives would be like if we hadn't married all of you."
Troy nodded. He took a generous drink from his water bottle, draining half of it before pausing to breathe. "I'm glad you've got friends that you can talk about that kind of stuff with."
Shauna rested her head on Troy's shoulder. "I'm glad you have the same."
"We don't drive you too crazy, do we?"
"No, of course not."
"You can be honest."
"I'm being honest, Sam." Shauna kissed his cheek.
"Would you tell me if we were?"
"Yes." Shauna reached under Troy's hat to run her fingers through his hair. "Why don't we take a walk along the beach? Just the two of us."
"Sure." Troy finished his water. "That'll be—"
He was interrupted by Moffitt yelping when water was poured onto his chest and stomach.
"With you laying in that position, Moffitt, it is awfully tempting to bury you in the sand," Dietrich said.
"That's a terrible idea!" Moffitt said.
"Too late." Vanora stood, taking Moffitt by his ankles and dragging him out to a softer part of the beach. "Tully, where are the shovels and buckets?"
"Tully, don't!" Moffitt snapped. "I outrank you! Don't get the shovels, that's an order!"
"And I outrank all of you. We are burying you," Dietrich said.
"Yeah, let's take that walk." Troy got up, gently patting Shauna's shoulder.
"You're not going to bury Jack with everyone else?" Shauna raised an eyebrow.
"Not this time."
Shauna felt like there was more that Troy wasn't saying, but she decided not to press him. She took his hand when he held it out to her. "Are you sure you're alright, Sam?"
Troy waited until they were a good distance away from the others. "I did hear a lot of your conversation, and… I'm sorry if it seems like I don't listen to you at times."
"I did say you're getting better, and I do understand why you tend to go off on your own. You didn't want to follow anyone's expectations, just like me."
"Yeah. I also heard you say how you had to learn how to be your own person as an adult, and I could feel it bothering you."
"It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure, Sam."
"Okay." Troy squeezed Shauna's hand, sighing contentedly as they walked down the beach together. "Maybe we should go to another beach, just the two of us, someday."
"We celebrate twelve years together in October," Shauna said. "What about that?"
"It'll probably be too cold here. Maybe Florida? Or Hawaii?"
"Maybe. We've got time to think about it."
"Yeah. Let's just enjoy our time here."
They walked about a half-mile down the length of the beach before turning back and returning to the others. When they arrived, Moffitt had been buried up to his neck in sand, and he gave Troy a pleading look. "Help me."
"Oh, no, this is… a sight to behold," Troy said.
Vanora dumped another bucket of sand onto her husband. "It's sand, love, it'll wash off."
"No, I'm going to be finding sand in places I didn't even know I had!" Moffitt glared up at Dietrich. "I can't believe you."
Dietrich gave him a big smile. "This is probably one of the greatest ideas I have ever had."
Jules came over with a bucket. "Do we need any more, Mum?"
"Nope. He's completely covered," Vanora said.
"Now what?" Shauna asked. "Do we just leave him here?"
Dietrich rubbed his chin and pretended to think. "Well, I am actually feeling a bit hungry. We could get lunch and then come back to dig Moffitt out."
"Don't I get lunch?" Moffitt asked.
Troy sighed, and looked at Shauna. "What do you think? Leave him or dig him out?"
"Dig him out," Shauna said.
"Thank you! A voice of reason!" Moffitt said.
"Yeah, let's dig him out," Tully agreed. "It was fun, we got pictures, and Dietrich smiled. Good things all around."
Shauna turned to Troy before they started digging Moffitt out, and stood on her toes to kiss him. "Even if your friends are a bit wild at times, I wouldn't have it any other way."
