“You want to go in?” Mark pulls off his shorts to reveal the lime-green trunks beneath.
Erin stands up and pulls her white lace cover-up over her head, her back to Mark, as she makes sure the pieces of her skimpy black bikini are firmly in place.Shoulders back, chest out, stomach in,she reminds herself before slowly spinning around.
“Wow,” he says. “You look amazing.”
She laughs and runs toward the water, Mark right behind.
The water is warm, the small waves surprisingly powerful. Erin shrieks as the undertow pulls her down and briefly sucks her under. Mark is right beside her, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her back up. She watches him catch an incoming wave and ride it to the shore. Another wave hits him as he struggles to get back on his feet, and Erin laughs with delight.
“Happy?” he asks, once again at her side. He grabs her hand and they ride the next wave together.
“Stupid happy!” she tells him.
They spend the next hour alternately riding the waves and relaxing in the sun.
“I’d really like to kiss you right now,” Mark says, his face suddenly looming over hers.
“I’d like that, too.”
The kiss is soft and gentle.Don’t stop,Erin urges silently, never wanting the moment to end. “We should probably head back,” she tells him reluctantly, common sense reminding her that it would be wise to get home before her mother returns with Leo. She hasn’t decided whether to tell her mother how she spent her afternoon or not. The reckless part of her would like nothing better than to see the look on her mother’s face; the saner part thinks this is a look she should probably avoid.
“You want to go for a walk before we leave?” Mark asks, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.
They walk along the water’s edge, smiling hello at the people they pass, pointing out the various ships and boats on the horizon, laughing at the assortment of body shapes they see laid out on the sand.
“Hey,” Erin says, suddenly tugging on Mark’s arm to stop him. “Look.” She nods toward a man lying on his back in the sand farther down the way. “Isn’t that our neighbor?”
Mark brings his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun and get a better look. “You mean Mr. Grant?” he says, squinting. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Should we go say hello?”
“No. He looks like he’s asleep. Besides, he kind of creeps me out, the way he’s always staring out his window. We need to go back now anyway. Come on, I’ll race you.”
Erin turns on her heels and starts running.
She doesn’t look back.