Page 4 of Protecting You

“Is that emerald Drew? Are you telling me Drew and I will be together at last?”

The baby pushed the toy at her again, this time his hand clasping an amber cube.

“Okay, I understand. You just want to play.” AJ placed the baby on the sand between her knees and scooped a hole in the sand, letting him dig in it and watch the light breeze blow it away. But something about the amber cube niggled at her subconscious. If the aquamarine signified John, and the emerald Drew, what was the amber cube? Surely it wasn’t her?

While the baby happily explored the little pile of sand, AJ cupped her hand around the amber cube. She closed her eyes again and waited for images to wash through her, but the only picture she had was of Drew’s bright green eyes and Kristien’s hazel ones. “That can’t be right. I’ve already promised not to hurt Kristien.”

“I told you we ought to buy him a spade to dig the sand with,” said Edmund.

“I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to dig for a while yet,” replied Mavis.

“Yes, but he’ll have fun making a mess.”

AJ opened her eyes. The rest of the family moved into the shade where AJ was sitting and the baby was supposed to be napping, and soon everyone was settled on a large rug and planning the rest of the day. But AJ wasn’t really listening. She’d had the distinct impression lately that her psychic abilities were increasing, becoming more demanding. Yet in this area, they were useless. She wasn’t getting a clear message at all. Well, no use worrying about it, she told herself, deliberately forcing her mind back into the general conversation.

John crawled across to Edmund. Gradually, a feeling of restlessness came over AJ. She needed to be up and moving. It was possible for a good swimmer to swim out and around the boulders of the curving, rocky promontory at the north end of the beach and then into a small, sheltered, sandy cove. Her gaze kept returning to those rocks. She was at home in the water and in need of a good workout. Abruptly, she stood up. “I’m going to swim into the next bay. I’ll likely be gone an hour or so.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” asked Edmund, who was also a competent swimmer.

“No, thank you. I’ll be fine. I just want the exercise.”

“Okay.”

“Take care.”

AJ dropped her sunhat and sarong onto her towel before walking slowly down to the water. She didn’t know why she felt so restless, unless it was all the waiting for Drew to realize he was her soul mate. But something was definitely niggling at her brain, and a good, long swim, especially one where she needed to concentrate, would free her subconscious to work on its problems while the rest of her mind dealt with more immediate issues.

AJ walked until the water was past her knees and then dived shallowly into the water and set out in a fast breaststroke to the sandbar. It was about two hundred yards off-shore and a good marker for her to turn north. As the water started to lighten in color, indicating it was getting shallower again, she turned, following the sandbar to the end of the beach.

It was very rocky at the north end of the beach, so AJ floated over the sandbar into the deeper water but stayed close to the sandbar as powerboats, water-skiers, and jet-skiers often drove up and down in this area. She floated for a few minutes, plotting the rest of her course, wanting to stay deeper than the rocks and come in on an angle to the sheltered little cove.

Ten minutes later, AJ walked up the empty beach to a large flat rock and sat on it to rest and dry off in the sun. She ran her fingers through her tangled, dark curls, wishing she had a hairbrush with her and maybe some hair conditioner as well, and then laughed at the idea of going swimming with hair-care products.

Again and again her gaze was drawn to one particular area of the rock wall, so, sighing, she got up off her rock and walked over the sand to the wall. When she saw how easy the cliff would have been to climb—if she’d had shoes!—she laughed out loud. First she was wishing for hair conditioner and a hairbrush, then shoes. She was incorrigible.

AJ stayed on the sand, getting a good idea of the cliff and the best way to climb it, and then wandered along the beach, looking at pebbles, shells, and bits of driftwood, thoroughly enjoying the peace and silence of being alone.

In fact, it was difficult to tell she was only yards from a popular tourist beach. The rock wall cut off all the sounds, and only the occasional boat passing by broke the silence and emptiness of the tiny bay. “I’ll come back tomorrow, wearing plastic shoes,” she promised, then remembered Drew and Kristien were arriving in the morning. Well, more likely around lunchtime. “In that case, I’ll come here early in the morning so I’ve got time to explore here and to go back and shower and get dressed properly before they arrive.”

Her plans decided and feeling more settled and less itchy in her skin, AJ walked into the water and swam back to the main beach.

****

AJ had intended to slip out of the house first thing in the morning, before anyone else was awake. Her plan was totally derailed, however. First, she didn’t wake up until after seven. And then, by the time she’d showered and dressed, Utah had cooked breakfast.

“How many eggs do you want, AJ?” he asked, waving a spatula.

“I shouldn’t eat. I’m going to swim around the point again.”

“AJ, you don’t believe that old wives’ tale about not swimming for an hour after you eat, do you? No one has fallen for that story since the sixties!”

“It’s a demanding swim. There’s no sense in being stupid about it.”

“Seriously, AJ. I can’t believe you just said that. No one under the age of eighty believes that story anymore,” Edmund said, grabbing a large can of orange juice from the refrigerator and putting it on the table with a handful of glasses.

“Come on. A couple of eggs, a slice of whole-wheat toast, some strips of bacon, and you’ll be ready to swim a marathon,” Utah urged.

AJ was hungry and allowed herself to be persuaded. Besides, she didn’t really believe she’d get a cramp if she swam after eating. There’d been plenty of times when, as a child, she’d ignored her mom’s instructions and swum, and never once had she felt even the slightest hint of a cramp.

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