“Why don’t I hammer the anchors while you do whatever you need to…” she offered, and he moved to grab something else out of the plane. He returned moments later, trading spots with her, and gestured to the bag.
“If you want to change, there is a swimsuit from Glory inside, two towels, and some swimming trunks from Alpo for me. I’ll grab the picnic basket last, because I don’t want to draw ants in the tent while we are swimming… just in case. I’ll finish the pegs and will go to grab the chairs, so you have some privacy.”
“Thank you.”
Mary took the backpack and disappeared in the tent, zipping it closed. Sitting down inside the tiny enclosure, she looked around and couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her.
It wasexceedinglytiny.
Opening the backpack, she hesitated and listened to hear him hammering and slowly moving around the tent – before walking off. As she pulled out the items in the backpack, she saw a note inside… and pulled out a pair of swimming trunks – and a black triangle bikini.
Dismayed, she kept digging, hoping that there was maybe a second swimsuit further in the bag, only to find a Flyboys t-shirt… and that was it.
Hesitating, she wasn’t sure what to do.
She was not a bikini person in the slightest. Her lower stomach had a pooch, she had stretch marks on her body, and a scar on her belly button from where she’d gotten it pierced when she was eighteen, accidently ripping it out two months later. Joe always told her she would be pretty if she lost twenty pounds.
“Uh… Jax?” she called out nervously, and didn’t hear him answer. Peering out of the tent, she saw he was walking down to the beach with two folding chairs… and a bottle of wine?
He brought a bottle of wine for them?
Sitting back down, she opened the envelope that was addressed to her and Jax… and realized that there was no way it wasfromhim – if it was addressedtohim.
Jax - Be true to yourself and have a great time, my brother! Mary – Live a little, have fun, and trust me!
Love,
Glory & Alpo
Staring at the letter in one hand and the bikini in the other, she took a deep breath and hesitated…
Mary changed.
Folding up her jeans and other items, she put them in the corner of the tent and heard Jax’s voice.
“Is everything okay, Mary? Are you still changing?”
“Did Glory pack the bag for you?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Just curious,” she replied evasively – and yanked the Flyboys T-shirt over her head nervously and left the note out for him, since it was made out to the two of them.
Unzipping the tent, she saw him standing there with his back to the tent and realized he was going to be very sweet about making sure she was comfortable with this outing. What other guy would be so kind as to put his back towards you, respecting how you felt?
“The tent is yours now,” she offered, climbing out and adjusting the bikini bottom to make sure she was covered modestly. The sun was getting low on the horizon, and there wouldn’t be a ton of swimming unless they hurried into the water soon.
He carefully kept his face turned from her and ducked into the small, squatty pop-up tent… and heard him chuckle. She realized he must have noticed how low the ceiling was and how small a footprint the tent had. It was going to be a challenge, to say the least.
Gazing on the ocean before her, she felt drawn towards it… a sense of peace filling her soul as she breathed in the warm, salty air. Pulling on her flats, she started towards the rickety boardwalk that went over the small dunes where she’d seen Jax cross earlier with the chairs, and waited. Her phone was in the tent with her clothing to keep it safe and dry… but oh how she wished she had it.
This view, this sight, would be something she would never forget – and he had given her this glimpse of paradise.
She saw the two lawn chairs in the sand about fifteen feet from her… and smiled. Stuck in the sand between the chairs was the bottle of ‘white wine,’ except it didn’t look like any wine bottle she had ever seen. No, there was definitely a cork, or topper, to it… but it was something else.
“Hey…”
Mary jumped, feeling a hand touch her elbow, and whirled around in fright. Laying a hand on her chest as if to slow her heart, she saw his concerned gaze… and those shoulders!