“I can’t even imagine having a baby,” I admit. But then I picture a brown-haired, brown-eyed little boy who looks like Alec, and my belly flip-flops. I bet he would make a wonderful dad, what with his big heart and all his patience. He would teach him how to fight and I would teach him how to surf…
“What are you thinking about?” Micaela asks.
“What? Nothing.” I shake myself from my ridiculous thoughts.
“Bullshit. You got this goofy look on your face,” Micaela accuses.
“I was just thinking about my adorable godson and how glad I am you’re the one with the baby, so I can spoil him rotten and then hand him back when it’s time for him to be fed and changed.” I poke my tongue out and Georgia and Micaela both laugh.
“This color?” the nail tech asks me, holding up a bottle of blue nail polish.
“Yes, please.”
After we finish getting our toes done, and Georgia gets a manicure, we get our eyebrows threaded and then each get a facial. Once we’re completely pampered, we head over to the Santa Monica Pier to have lunch. I stop at the taco stand and order some tacos, then tell Georgia and Micaela I’ll be right back.
“Hey, Aiden,” I say when I approach. He’s sitting in the sand and drawing in his sketchpad, something he does often.
“Hi, Lexi,” he says back, his brown eyes meeting my blue ones. “Did you bring me tacos?”
“I did.” I hand him the bag.
“Thank you. I’m drawing a picture. You want to see?”
“Of course, but then I have to go. My sister and cousin are waiting for me.”
“Okay.” He turns his sketchpad toward me.
The drawing is of the ocean with several dolphins swimming around. It’s in pencil and the details are flawless. Every line, every shadow done with perfection. “Did you see these?” I ask, pointing to the dolphins.
“Yes, they were swimming right there.” He points out toward the water.
“It’s a beautiful picture,” I tell him, hating that nobody but me ever sees his art. He deserves to have his art hung up where everyone can see it.
“Thank you, Lexi,” he says, opening the bag so he can eat his food.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.”
I head back up to the pier and find Georgia and Micaela sitting at a table with our food and drinks.
“How’s Aiden?” Georgia asks when I sit down. She’s only met him once, when she came with me to the beach, but she knows I feed and visit him on the regular.
“Good… drawing.”
“Who’s Aiden?” Micaela asks.
“A friend of mine who’s homeless and has lived in a tent under the pier for the last several months. I brought him something to eat.” I met Aiden one day when walking by him. I offered him some food I had packed and, even though at first he was reluctant, he accepted my offering. Now, every day I’m here I either buy him tacos, which is his favorite meal, or bring him food from my house.
“That’s so sweet of you,” Micaela says.
I shrug. “I wish there was something more I could do.”
We eat our lunch and then Micaela takes off back home. Georgia and I spend the rest of our afternoon getting ready for tonight’s music festival.
“This lineup is amazing!” I yell as Luke Bryan thanks everyone for coming out tonight, and the crowd screams and shouts their love for the man.
“It is!” Georgia sports a wide grin that tells me she’s enjoying herself. I was shocked when she agreed to come to the music festival with Alec, Chase, and me. I know she’s already made steps toward finding her perfect path, like going to the club and dancing with Chase and Robert, and then meeting Robert for lunch the next day—which she told me went really well and they’re planning to go out again soon. But I kind of expected her to say the music festival was too much too soon. However, when I told her about it, she squealed in excitement, shocking the hell out of me and making me proud at the same time. It probably helps that she’s a huge country music fan and it’s just the four of us in the owner’s box, so while it’s loud all around us, we’re not actually in the middle of the craziness.
I can’t deny that her willingness to find her perfect path has me thinking about mine. Since we made that pact in my jeep, she’s made a pointed effort to get out of her comfort zone, while I haven’t done anything. I think my issue is that I don’t even know what path I’m looking for, what getting out of my comfort zone entails. Georgia’s issue has always been that she’s shy and isn’t comfortable around a lot of people, so finding her path seems so cut and dry: put herself out there in crowds. I’m not saying it’s easy for her, but at least she knows what path she’s looking for.