After their meal, and after Brighton had finished off one roll of film and nearly another one, they all got up from their chairs and headed back out of the restaurant. Max thanked the staff and everyone else joined in, then they walked outside to the parking lot.
"Hey, dad?" Brighton called. "Fran- you guys stay right there, let me get a picture of you guys in front. Why don't you sit right there, and I can get all that in the background." Max and Fran looked at each other, then looked at where Brighton told them to sit. It was just a small slab of wood across two posts, making a small bench, but it was just big enough for the both of them. Fran pulled Max over and everyone watched as Brighton knelt down to get a better shot, and then he snapped several photos of the two of them. "Okay, now stand up- and can you guys get in front of that tree right there? With the flowers on it?" They both did as he said, and Brighton snapped another few photos of the two of them.
"Okay, now, all you children go over there, too!" Niles said, and reached over to take the camera from Brighton. "That tree is really nice as a backdrop. Okay, get a little closer…" Niles lifted the camera to his eye and framed the photo, then snapped the picture. "Wonderful!" He said, then they all filed back towards the van, and Niles turned the camera back over to Brighton.
"I can't wait to see these pictures!" Brighton said to Niles.
"Oh, I know, right? What a vacation!" They chuckled, then hurried to catch up to the others at the van, and they all climbed back in, ready to go.
"Okay, everyone- now we can stop briefly at a beach on the way back if you'd like, and if there are any stores you want to go back to, or others you might see, say something quick. I don't want to have to turn around. And if you want time to play at the beach back at the house before Fran and I go out, then think about that, too," Max told everyone, as he backed the van out of the parking spot and got back on the small road.
"Oh, sir, I think there was just one shop I saw that I'd like to stop at, and maybe the children as well." The kids all turned to look at him.
"What kind of shop, Niles?" Maggie asked.
"Oh, an apparel shop. I think I saw t-shirts hanging out front and in the windows. Maybe some souvenirs perhaps?"
"Oh yeah! I want to see it! Maybe they have some surf shirts or something! Is that even a thing in France?" Brighton wondered.
"Well, I guess we'll find out!" Max said. They headed back through the village, and Niles pointed out how to get to the shop that he had seen. Max found a parking spot on the side of the road, and then the children jumped out of the van and ran for the shop entrance, Niles hurrying behind them. Fran reached for Max's hand and they followed after the others.
The shop was indeed a small surf shop, with souvenir t-shirts, beach shorts, and swimsuits of every kind. Brighton and Niles steered clear of the tiny Speedo-type men's swimsuits, but Maggie headed straight for the bikinis.
"Fran! You gotta come here!" Maggie squealed. Fran looked at Max to see if he minded, and he nudged her to go join Maggie. Max reached for Gracie's hand and let her lead him around the shop to see the things she wanted to look at. Niles spied a number of Hawaiian-style shirts with lovely prints on them that he got a kick out of, and Brighton was pouring through an entire rack of t-shirts, trying to find some he had to have.
"Gracie, darling?" Max asked.
"Mmm hmm?" Gracie said, as she looked through the bins of seashells.
"Why don't you find a souvenir here, too. Anything you'd like- a t-shirt, perhaps. Maybe something that says the name of the village on it, something like that?"
"Okay, daddy! I'll keep looking! What about you, are you getting anything?"
"Oh, I don't know. I don't think I need a t-shirt, do you? I might look silly in one of those."
"But daddy, look, they have hats, and polo shirts, too! Maybe even shorts. You can find something you can wear this summer- like for if we go to another beach or someplace warm for vacation."
"Well, that's definitely something to consider, sweetheart. Be sure to tell me if you see something you think I might like."
"I will!" She grinned, and skipped around in front of him, looking through more trinkets.
It wasn't long before everyone but Max had something in their arms. Brighton had several t-shirts, Maggie had a tank top and a bikini, Niles had picked out a couple of printed shirts, and Fran had also found herself a bikini, a shirt, and a pair of cotton shorts with a logo in French printed across one of the legs. Max steered Gracie towards Maggie and asked her to help Gracie find a shirt or something, too. Max reached for Fran's waist and then peeked over her shoulder to see what she found.
"Ooh la la!" He whispered to her. Fran giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"I found a few things I wasn't expecting… What about you? Didn't you find something?"
"Well, I don't know. I don't really need a surfer t-shirt. Or any of those shirts like Niles got. Have you seen anything you think I might like?"
"Well, I don't know. It depends. See this shirt and shorts I found? I was thinking they might work better as pajamas…" she bumped his hip and grinned, and he looked down at the clothes she was holding onto. "Maybe you can get something to wear as pajamas, too?"
"Pajamas? Hmm… I hadn't thought about that. Maybe. Let me look a bit more. And Maybe you can help Gracie, too. She's getting a little too caught up in seashells, and I don't know if she should bring back too many of those. They could end up being crushed to bits in the luggage."
"Oh, yeah. I'll go help her. Here- look over in this section here- that's the men's stuff. They have shorts and some cotton pants, too. Look for something that's soft and comfortable. I'll be right back," she said, and patted his waist, then hurried over to Gracie and Maggie, and helped Gracie look through the smaller sizes. Max turned and looked at the men's clothing, and felt a little intimidated at first. He could see Brighton getting a kick out of them, but they didn't seem appropriate for someone like himself, who was more comfortable in a suit than in beach attire. But as he flipped through the racks, and looked up above at the shirts that were hanging overhead, he came across a few things that did, indeed, look like they would be very comfortable as pajamas. And they were printed with simple, tasteful designs featuring the name of the local village, and some extra text in French. It really would be nice to have a souvenir like that, an outfit or two that he and Fran could wear when they were alone, and could reminisce about their time here together. Max checked the sizes and pulled a pair of shorts, pants, and two shirts off the racks and held them close to him, to see how they might look. Fran appeared behind him and clutched the crook of his arm.
"Find something? Oh, what are these?" She said, and ran her hand over the things in Max's hands. "I like these, Max! And they feel soft, too! Are you thinking for pajamas?"
"Yes, maybe. Or even for just lounging around, if that's something I ever do. If we ever do…" he smiled at her. "I think I will get these, what do you think?"
"I think that's a good idea! And if you ever get tired of them, maybe I'll wear them instead!" She grinned, and Max laughed. He held the shirts up to her, trying to imagine her in them.
"Hubba, hubba!" He said, making her laugh. He leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips, then they went to see if everyone else was ready to go.
Brighton had already taken his things to the register, and added a handful of stickers to the pile. Fran and Maggie had helped Gracie find a shirt along with a couple of seashells and a souvenir pen with a sailboat in it that slid back and forth as you tilted the pen. Fran grabbed some stickers for Val, too, and everyone added their things to the pile. The young girl at the register seemed almost overwhelmed, but Max said several things to her in French that seemed to calm her down. Brighton watched his father, wondering what he said. The girl was a little older than him, but he thought she was really pretty, and wished he could get a picture of her to show his buddies back in New York. When the girl had rung everything up, and Max had paid, Brighton tried to catch the girl's eye by lingering around, close to his father. Max began handing bags back for the others to carry, then handed Brighton his bag. Brighton shyly looked one last time at the girl, right as she turned and caught his eye. Brighton gave her a little smile, and she smiled back, then Brighton felt the sudden urge to run for his life. He took the bag from his father and hurried outside, and ran straight for the van. His heart was racing and he knew he was blushing, and he didn't want anyone to notice.
Everyone got back into the van and set down their bags, then Max pulled out of the parking space and headed back for the main road, looking for a nice, small beach where they could stop before they headed the rest of the way back to their own beach.
"Hey, Fran?" Maggie asked.
"Yes, sweetie?" Fran turned in her seat to look back at Maggie.
"When you and daddy go out later- if you go by any of those shops, can you let me know if you see any places I might want to go to? I was kind of thinking it might be nice to find a summer dress or something. Something that looks a little different from all the usual things they always have back in New York."
"Sure! I might like to find something like that, too. So yeah, as long as your father doesn't object, or get too bored, we'll see if we can find anything," Fran looked over at Max to see what he might say.
"Hey, it's a vacation, darling! We should look at everything we can possibly find, especially if it makes you happy. I want all of you to have a nice time here, so we can have fond memories of this trip. It's already been quite a whirlwind, hasn't it? So let's make as many memories as we can." Max smiled, and reached for Fran's knee and gave it a squeeze. Everyone smiled, and looked back out the windows as they passed by the homes and small businesses, then out at the water once the road opened up again.
"Hey, daddy! Look at that beach up there! Can you see it? Can we stop at that one?" Gracie squealed, her face pressed up against the window. Everyone looked over to see what beach she was pointing at.
"Sure, Gracie. I think I see some parking over there. And there's that covered area. It doesn't look like anyone's there, Is that beach alright with everyone?" Max asked. The others cheered in agreement, and Max headed for the parking area on the hill over the beach.
Once Max had parked the van, the children jumped out and were about to run down to the water when Max called back to them.
"Take off your shoes before you step in the sand! And try not to get any in the van when you come back. And just for ten minutes! You all don't have any sunscreen on!" The children stumbled as they pulled off their sandals and sneakers, and ran down the stone ramp until they got to the sand. Max turned back to see Niles sitting on the side step of the van, folding his trouser legs up. Max raised his eyebrows.
"What? I'd like to go down to the water, too. And I'll try not to bring any sand back with me!" Niles said, then got up and shut the sliding door of the van, and headed after the children. Fran and Max laughed, and Max reached for Fran's hand. They walked over to a covered overlook where there was a bench and a railing along a stone wall and sat down to watch the others walking in the wet sand, and Brighton running out to chase the retreating waves, splashing and kicking at the water. Max stretched his arm over Fran's shoulders and she rested against him.
"It's so nice out today, isn't it?" Fran sighed, looking out over the expanse of ocean and boats in the distance.
"It is, it's very nice. And the company is even better…" they looked at each other and smiled. Fran reached at her shoulder for his hand and held it, and they looked back out at the children and Niles. "You don't want to go down to the water with them?" He asked.
"No, no. I don't want to make any extra work for when we get back and get ready for our date! We can go back to the beach tomorrow." She turned to look at him. "Do you want to go down there with them?"
"No. I want to sit here with you," he gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. She loved it when he smiled at her, it gave her a rush.
"Hey, thank you for lunch. That place turned out to be really beautiful, and the food was really good, too!"
"It was. And you're welcome. I'd like to say I planned it that way, but it was just a happy accident."
"Accident or not, it was perfect. The flowers and everything- it was all so pretty there! I'm glad Brighton took some pictures, too, aren't you?"
"Yes. I'm glad he had that camera. And I bet the photos will be wonderful. You're always so pretty when you're surrounded by flowers!"
"Aw! Thank you. And I bet tonight will turn out great, too, even though we don't know where we're going!"
"Yes- I really hope so. Would you be okay to walk from the house? In case it's hard to find parking?"
"Sure, that should be fine. As long as we can find our way back if it gets dark. But that shouldn't be too hard, we just head for the water and take the main road."
"True. We'll have a quick look at the map, and head up to where those shops are, and have a look around. Maybe do a little shopping before we eat. Sound good?"
"Yes, it does!" They smiled at each other again, then turned to look back at the water. Just then, they caught Brighton with the camera, aiming up at them. Fran waved at him, and it looked like he took another photo, then turned to take pictures of his sisters and of Niles, then Niles grabbed the camera and took photos of the children. Fran and Max watched them for a few minutes, then Max checked his watch.
"I think it's about time we head back, don't you? And get some sunscreen on these children!" Max said, and stood up from the bench, then reached for Fran's hands and helped her up. He whistled as loud as he could to get the attention of one of them, and then waved at them to come back to the car. The children slumped their shoulders at first, but then remembered they had their own beach, and that they had plans to go there when they got back, so they raced each other back to the ramp, and then up the ramp to the lot where the van was parked. Poor Niles was left on his own to make the trek back himself, but he didn't seem to mind. He was happy that everyone else seemed to be happy, and he had to admit he was having a really nice time himself.
Max opened up the van for everyone, and one by one, the children got the sand off their feet and put their shoes back on, then climbed back into their seats. Niles knocked the sand off with his socks, then just slipped his bare feet into his shoes. He climbed into the van, sat down, and began to unfold his trousers. Max looked over at Fran and they giggled, then went to get in the front seats. Max started up the van, then pulled out onto the main road again and headed back to their beach house. Everyone was in such a good mood, smiling and joking, and Gracie leaned her arms up by the window and watched outside as the sights passed by. Max glanced in the rear view mirror and caught a look at everyone, and it made him really happy. He was so glad they were all here, together, and that they were really able to have such a nice vacation, even though it started out with so much worry and hurt. He looked over at Fran, who was smiling as she looked out the front window. He slid his hand across the bench seat of the van and grasped her hand. Fran turned to look at his hand holding hers, and she gave him a squeeze, then looked at him as he glanced at her again and smiled. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

"Did you see Brighton checking out that girl at the surf shop?" Maggie teased, and shoved Brighton gently as she walked past him at the kitchen counter.
"I was not! Shut up!" He said, embarrassed, and tossed a wadded napkin at her. The others laughed, but Fran put her arm around around his shoulders, to comfort him.
"Aw, leave him alone. He wasn't being crude, he was just being friendly, and there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, I think I thought I saw the girl checking him out, too," Fran smiled. Brighton looked at her wide-eyed.
"Really?" He asked. Everyone laughed again, and he blushed. Maggie and Gracie grabbed the things they were taking to the beach and rushed out the door, still laughing.
"Really!" Fran whispered back to Brighton, elbowing him, and his expression changed from embarrassment and humiliation to confidence. He smiled, and picked up his things, then hurried out the front door. The kids grabbed the boogie boards and skim board along with several folding chairs and hurried down to the beach.
"Wait for me! Don't go in that water until I get down there, children!" Niles yelled after them. "My goodness, you'd think they wanted to go to the beach or something!" Max chuckled.
"Well, thank you for looking after them, Niles. We'll come down there before we leave, and talk to you all. Just make sure you have some fun, too," Max said.
"Oh, and they can go in the water, but please don't let them go out further than they can stand up in, especially if the waves are rough. That makes me nervous," Fran said.
"Absolutely, that makes me nervous, too. Well, I better get down there!" Niles rushed out the door, shutting it behind him, and grabbed another folding chair and umbrella from the storage room outside the front of the house.
Fran reached for Max's hand and pulled him over to the window where they could look out at the beach, and watch everyone setting up their chairs and the big umbrella, and then watched as Brighton ran off to the water's edge with the skim board, trying to figure out how to use it correctly.
"They're really having a good time, Max. I'm so glad!" She said, and grasped his upper arm with her other hand. Max watched them down at the beach, the girls running back and forth through the waves that rushed up on the beach, and Brighton finally managing to ride the skim board a short distance. Niles flopped down in a chair and put his wide-brimmed hat on, then opened his bottle of soda, and watched the children play.
"It does look like they're having fun, doesn't it? This is how I really wanted things to go, you know? I think we all really needed some time like this." He gave her hand a squeeze and looked over at her and smiled. "Are you having a good time, Fran?"
"I'm having the best time, Max! The best time! I'm just so glad we talked when we got here. And I know it was almost like the universe forced us to, because we were avoiding it for too long. So I'm actually glad we had that bad storm, and that the kids and Niles had a safe place to stay, so we could talk. You know, that first night- the night in Paris when we stayed at the hotel? I couldn't sleep that night, not just from jet lag or anything like that. I got up and went to look out the window for a while, and just looked out there at the city, and the lights from the cars, and the people walking together on the streets. I saw some couples down there, some holding hands and walking. And it made me wonder where they were coming from, and where they were going. And it made me wonder about you, right next door. I felt really bad that I was pushing you away, but I was scared to even start to say anything, and I couldn't pretend that I was fine, because I wasn't." Max looked at her, then put his arm around her.
"You went to look out the window, too?" He asked. She nodded. "I did, too. Brighton was sound asleep, and all I could think of was how you were right on the other side of the wall, but it felt like you were so far away. I got up and went to look out the window, because I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about everything, and wondering if I had done something wrong- something bad- that would make you pull away like that. And I couldn't think of anything. So I worried maybe something bad had happened, that you didn't want to tell me about. I was really worried about you, but I wasn't sure what to do. So yes, I suppose that storm really was a good thing. Even though it felt at the time like it was summing up everything that was going on, and how bad we both felt. But it made us talk. I'm really glad we finally talked, and got everything out in the open. And I'm especially glad that you're staying with us, Fran. That's the best part of it all." Fran wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder.
"I'm glad about that, too. Really glad!" They hugged each other for a while as they watched out the window.
"Hey, you want to go up on the roof for a little while? Before we get ready to go?" Max asked.
"Sure! We still have some time to kill. Come on!" She pulled him by the hand and they walked to the back door that led to the roof deck.
Fran hopped up on the edge of the table, and Max leaned back against it next to her. Fran stretched her arm across his shoulders and they looked out over the water and across the countryside around them. It was beautiful! They breathed in the fresh salt air, and felt the warm breeze blow across the rooftop. There were several white sailboats in the distance, catching the wind and rushing through the water at a good clip.
"Have you ever been sailing, Fran?" Max asked, turning to look into her eyes.
"Sailing? Hmm… on a boat with sails? No, I don't think I ever have. I've been on plenty of boats before, of all sizes. But you either had a paddle, or it had a motor or a big engine on it. You must have gone sailing before, though, haven't you?"
"Yes, when I was younger, before I got married. Hmm, I think that was the last time I went sailing. So it's been a while. But it was on boats similar to those sailboats out there. I was trying to get my license for New York, but never finished doing all the hours. Life got too busy. I had a license back in England. I belonged to a sailing club, and in the summers I'd go rent a sailboat with friends and we'd make a day of it when we could. It was fun most of the time, but I did get caught in some surprise storms a few times. That wasn't fun, it was pretty terrifying, actually. All hands on deck to get the sails down. And even then, using the little outboard motor to try to get the boat back to the harbor, fighting against the waves and wind. That took forever!" Max shook his head as he remembered back.
"What about those big sailboats? The ones they use to race in? Did you ever do that?"
"Oh, no! I'm not that brave! And that really is a lot of work, with a whole crew. That can be very dangerous. But it's fun to watch! But I think you have to be a certain kind of crazy to take that much risk, out in the open water."
"Crazy is right! And just in case you ever have the urge in the future, please don't take that kind of risk! That would scare me to death!"
"You and me both!" Max said, then squeezed her knee and gave her a peck on the lips. Max helped Fran down from the table, and they stepped to the edge of the roof wall, then looked down at Niles and the children. "You know, I think I have a good idea of what to get Brighton for his birthday. He seems to be having a lot of fun down there." Fran looked down at Brighton, skimming across the waves as they came in and retreated.
"That skim board thing? He sure picked that up pretty quick. But I guess that's not too different from snowboarding, or skate boarding. He does look like he's having fun, doesn't he?" She grinned.
"He does. And Maggie looks like she's almost got the hang of that boogie board."
"Oh! I should have warned her about doing things like that in a bikini! One rogue wave, and whoosh!" Max looked over at Fran, wide-eyed.
"Hey, she's with family. And she can hold the board in front of her if it does happen. Better she learns here than at some crowded beach somewhere."
"Oh my gosh, Fran! You've got to warn me about things like that!"
"I'm sorry! I just thought about it. But she's fine, Max! I'm sure she wasn't thinking she'd be boogie boarding on this trip, so she probably didn't bring a one piece. But she's fine, don't worry!" Fran patted him on the back to settle him down, and as he thought about it some more, he knew she was right. Maggie was in a safe environment, and she'd be fine even if she did have a bikini incident with a rogue wave. But now he had to figure out how to get that worry off his mind.
"You know what? Let's go get ready, and go do some more shopping before we have dinner. This might be our only chance to shop by ourselves. Would you like to do that?" He asked.
"Would I like to go shopping? Do you realize who you're talking to?" Fran grinned. "Let's do that! Oh, should I change my dress? Or do you think it's okay if I keep this one on?"
"I think you look lovely the way you are, you don't need to change. I might just put on a tie and grab my blazer, in case it gets a little chilly tonight, especially if we're walking back."
"Oh, yeah, okay. I didn't think about that. I might need to bring something, too. Okay, let's go back inside and get ready! I can't believe we're going on a date!" Fran's giddiness infected Max, too, and gave him butterflies. He followed her back down the stairs into the house, and then they split off to their rooms to get freshened up and ready for their evening out.