Page 85 of Moonlit Kisses

My eyes slide to Max and I swallow. Maybe hearing about some of their fun times will help. “I’d love you to share it with me.” Max reaches across under the table and lays his hand on my thigh, squeezing it in support.

“Oh, no. Which story are you going to share?” Beth chuckles.

Martin looks at her with a sparkle in his eye. “Remember Mr. Fitzroy?”

Beth’s eyes snap to mine, then back to her husband. “Oh. Do you think that’s the best story to share?”

“Hell yeah. It was hilarious. Not that we thought it was funny at the time, but looking back.” He sighs and glances away. “Good times.” He nods to himself as he becomes lost in the memory.

Beth’s eyes come back to me. “They were fun times. I think we were about sixteen. Well, you were eighteen.” She swipes Martin’s arm in jest. “Old enough to know better.” She winks at me.

“Mr. Fitzroy was Nicole’s neighbor. He had a swimming pool.” I feel like I already know where this story might be heading.

“He was the only person with a swimming pool in the neighborhood.” Beth adds.

“He was away on vacation and it was the hottest, muggiest night. We couldn’t escape the heat. It had been days and days of the same stinking, hot, unbearable temperatures. The girls and I deci–”

Beth shoves her hands on her hips. “Hang on there. If I remember correctly, you coaxed Nicole and me to do it. We weren’t so sure it was a good idea.”

Martin tilts his hand from side to side as if Beth’s recount isn’t quite accurate. “Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, we took the opportunity of Mr. Fitzroy being away and decided to go for a swim late one night after we’d been at a party. The guy used to keep his gate locked, which meant we had to climb his fence to sneak around the back. The girls and I stripped down to our underwear and jumped in. It was heaven.”

Beth nods. “I remember the sheer relief to finally have a reprieve from the heat. It was so good.”

“Yeah. I’m not sure how long we swam, but we were having a great time. Suddenly, all the lights inside the house came on and before we could react, all the lights across the back of the house switched on and Mr. Fitzroy came storming out of the back door, yelling at us and threatening to call the police to report us for trespassing on his property.” Beth and Martin chuckle.

“I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast. I jumped out of that pool, scooped up my clothes, and ran to the corner near the fence where it was still dark.” Beth giggles. “Nicole, though …” she shakes her head, “she wasn’t so keen on climbing out with Mr. Fitzroy watching because she had white underwear on.”

A gasp escapes as I imagine Mom’s embarrassment. “Oh, no.”

Martin grimaces. “Yeah, I climbed out quickly, too, not realizing I left Nicole in the pool all on her own. Mr. Fitzroy was cursing up a storm something fierce. Lights came on next door and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis came out to investigate what was going on. Nicole was still in the pool, clinging to the edge, trying to hide her body while Mr. Fitzroy was shouting across the yard to her parents about what a terrible job they had done and that their daughter was a miscreant.” Martin chuckles and Max joins in.

“Her parents were yelling at her to get out of the pool and she was yelling that she couldn’t because her underwear was see-through. I was trying to put my clothes back on over wet skin. Martin was hopping on one leg, trying to get his jeans back on and Nicole stayed in the pool, defiant.”

“Oh my gosh, that sounds just like Mom,” I add with a chuckle.

Martin nods. “Yeah. She was stubborn.” I nod in agreement. “Anyway, eventually Nicole’s mom came over with a towel and Nicole climbed out of the pool with most of her dignity intact.”

“After that, Nicole was always careful to avoid Mr. Fitzroy,” Beth finishes.

“I’m not surprised. Did she get into trouble with her parents?”

“Not really. They thought she’d learned her lesson. She was mad at me for days after that. Didn’t speak to me because she blamed me.” He shakes his head, but he has a twinkle in his eye. “Beth got her to come ’round, eventually.” He smiles at her and she returns it. I wonder how difficult it is for Beth to remember those times when Martin’s heart belonged to someone else? He kisses her temple and Beth’s eyes flutter closed for a moment. “They were good times.”

Beth nods. “Yes, they were.”

“That sounds like something me and my sisters would have done when we were younger,” Max adds.

Beth and Martin continue to share stories of the three of them throughout the meal, giving me an insight into Mom as a teenager. Before her life got heavy and complicated. She sounds like she was fun to be around, not that she wasn’t fun. She would find ways for us to have fun at the park or at the beach. Simple things that didn’t cost money.

I help Beth clear the table and set up for dessert. As she rinses the dishes to stack in the dishwasher, I use the time while it’s only the two of us. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner. This evening’s been lovely.”

“You are more than welcome. We hope this is just the beginning, Molly.” I swallow down the lump that forms at her kindness and blink away the sting in my eyes. I refuse to cry again tonight.

CHAPTER43

–max–

Beth and Mollycarry out some type of creamy looking dessert. “I hope you like Tiramisu.” Beth proudly places the dessert in the middle of the table while Molly distributes the bowls.

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