Josh scratched his head as he shuffled toward them. Kristen beamed, waving at Katie.
“Hey, Dad?” Josh asked.
“Yeah?”
“We wanted to ask if we’re still going to the beach today. You promised to take us.”
“That was the plan.”
“With a barbecue?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” he said. He rubbed his nose. “Hi, Miss Katie.”
Katie waved at Josh and Kristen.
“Do you like the bike?” Kristen chirped.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I had to help my dad fix it,” Josh informed her. “He’s not too good with tools.”
Katie glanced at Alex with a smirk. “He didn’t mention that.”
“It’s okay. I knew what to do. But he had to help me with the new inner tube.”
Kristen fixed her gaze on Katie. “Are you going to come to the beach, too?”
Katie sat up straighter. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Kristen asked.
“She’s probably working,” Alex said.
“Actually, I’m not,” she said. “I have a couple of things to do around the house.”
“Then you have to come,” Kristen cried. “It’s really fun.”
“That’s your family time,” she insisted. “I wouldn’t want to be in the way.”
“You won’t be in the way. And it’s really fun. You can watch me swim. Please?” Kristen begged.
Alex stayed quiet, loath to add pressure. He assumed Katie would say no, but surprising him, she nodded slightly. When she spoke, her voice was soft.
“Okay,” she finally said.
9
After getting back from the store, Katie parked the bike at the back of the cottage and went inside to change. She didn’t have a bathing suit, but she wouldn’t have worn one even if she did. As natural as it was for a teenager to walk around in front of strangers in the equivalent of underwear and a bra, she wasn’t comfortable wearing something like that in front of Alex on a day out with his kids. Or frankly, even without the kids.
Though she resisted the idea, she had to admit he intrigued her. Not because of the things he’d done for her, as touching as that was. It had more to do with the sad way he smiled sometimes, the expression on his face when he’d told her about his wife, or the way he treated his kids. There was a loneliness within him that he couldn’t disguise, and she knew that in some way it matched her own.
She knew he was interested in her. She’d been around long enough to recognize when men found her attractive; the clerk at the grocery store talking too much or a stranger glancing her way, or a waiter at a restaurant checking on their table just a bit too frequently. In time, she’d learned to pretend she was oblivious to the attention of those men; in other instances, she showed obvious disdain, because she’d known what would happen if she didn’t. Later. Once they got home. Once they were alone.
But that life was gone now, she reminded herself. Opening the drawers, she pulled out a pair of shorts and the sandals she’d picked up at Anna Jean’s. The night before, she’d had wine with a friend, and now she was going to the beach with Alex and his family. These were ordinary events in an ordinary life. The concept felt alien, like she was learning the customs of a foreign land, and it left her feeling strangely elated and wary at exactly the same time.
As soon as she finished dressing, she saw Alex’s jeep coming up the gravel road and she drew a long breath as he pulled to a stop in front of her house. Now or never, she thought to herself as she stepped out onto the porch.
“You need to put on your seat belt, Miss Katie,” Kristen said from behind her. “My dad won’t drive unless you’re wearing it.”
Alex looked over at her, as if to say, Are you ready for this? She gave him her bravest smile.
“Okay,” he said, “let’s go.”
They reached the coastal town of Long Beach, complete with saltbox houses and expansive views of the sea, in less than an hour. Alex pulled into a small parking lot nestled against the dunes; saw grass billowed nearby in the stiff sea breeze. Katie got out of the car and stared at the ocean, breathing deeply.
The kids climbed out and immediately made for the path between the dunes.
“I’m going to check the water, Dad!” Josh shouted, holding up his mask and snorkel.
“Me, too!” Kristen added, trailing behind.
Alex was busy unloading the back of the jeep. “Hold up,” he called out. “Just wait, okay?”