Page 90 of Changing Tides

“The salty breeze carries the promise of an awesome evening, filled with good food and laughter.”

“You’re weird,” Amiya calls after him.

He grins over his shoulder at us.

With a sense of excitement, we set about gathering everything we need from the back of the SUV.

Then, we head across the sand to the designated spot on the beach where the clambake will be held. It’s a secluded area, perfect for our little party, with plenty of space for everyone to spread out and enjoy themselves.

Amiya and I lay out a large tarp to serve as our makeshift dining table, using pins in the corners to ensure that it’s sturdy and anchored against the shifting bank, as Sebastian and Anson get to work on digging a hole in the sand. Parker collects a pile of flat beach rocks, and they line the pit with them before tossing in a pile of wood and starting a fire.

Once the blaze is large and the flames are dancing in the pit, the boys peel off their shirts.

“What are you guys doing?” Amiya asks.

“Going swimming,” Sebastian quips.

“Swimming? What about the food?”

He grins. “It’s going to be a while. The fire has to burn out. Then, we scoop out the ashes, cover the hot rocks with seaweed, add the food, and then cover it with more seaweed and sand.”

“What? We cover it with dirt?” she cries.

Sebastian laughs. “Yeah, and it’ll cook. Then, we dig it up and dig in.”

She turns to me with her hands on her hips. “Did you know we had to bury our dinner?”

I shake my head. “Nope, this is my first time too.”

Anson runs up behind her and snatches her cover-up from around her waist.

“Hey,” she screams before taking off after him.

Sebastian looks at me and grins as he starts stalking toward me.

I throw my hand up as I start walking backward.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I scream.

He takes off in a sprint, and I turn to run, but before I can get very far, his arms come around me, and he hoists me up and over his shoulder. Then, he slaps my behind and takes off for the water as I kick.

We stroll into the surf behind the others.

The warm water laps at my skin as I slide down Sebastian’s body just as a wave crashes over us.

The rush of water tosses me into him, and he catches me and pulls me to his chest as I sputter and cough up seawater.

Once I’m stable, I splash him in the face as he reaches out to clasp my waist. I struggle to kick past him, but he has a firm grip on me.

“My dress is all wet, and I lost my sandals,” I gripe.

“I’m sorry.” He laughs out as he buries his face in my neck.

“You don’t sound sorry,” I say as I push against him.

He locks his biceps, and I finally give up and wrap my arms around his broad shoulders.

My fingers find the hair at the nape of his neck as I look over my shoulder to see where Amiya is. She’s off in the distance, being tossed into the waves by Anson.

---