Page 16 of Liberty

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Libby was waiting on the beach at seven exactly. She looked cute; she had a pink one-piece on, with her hair pulled up in a ponytail.

She waved when she saw me. I jogged toward her, leaving my board on the beach. Nobody would mess with it.

“Hey. You ready?”

She nodded. “I think so. Is there, like, a bunny slope in surfing?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No. But I won’t take you far out. Okay? And we’ll stick together. And if you want a life jacket, I’ll get you one.”

“I might not have great balance, but I’m a strong swimmer. I’ll be okay.”

I nodded. “Cool. Well, let’s go, huh?”

Together, we walked out into the water, about to our waists. I brought my board with me. It was better than the ones owned by the resort, and I knew how to balance it properly in the water.

“So, first step is lying on the board.”

“Lying on it?” Libby looked at me, head cocked. “That’s it?”

“It’s step one. Climb up.”

She climbed up, astride the board in the center. The back tipped under the water.

“Okay, so when that happens, you’re too far back. We call it corking.”

“Corking?” She chuckled. “Why?”

“I dunno. It’s just the lingo. I guess because corks float in the water? Here, let me help you.”

I helped her slide forward, an inch at a time, until the board floated evenly in the water. I pulled a piece of yellow wax from my pocket and marked the spot where her chin sat.

And I said I silent prayer of thanks to whoever might be listening that I was mostly underwater.

Touching her, seeing her laid out like this, had me rock-hard in my trunks.

We spent an hour out on the water. I taught Libby how to paddle, how to get herself sitting, then kneeling, on the board. She actually managed to stand up once before tipping herself into the water. She came up laughing, even as she wiped salt water out of her eyes.

I went to her then, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

Libby nodded, still laughing. “I’m really bad at this, but it’s fun!”

“You’re not bad! You’re actually getting the hang of it pretty quickly!” I looked at my waterproof watch and smiled. “We should head in. But, hey, are you busy after this?”

She looked up at me, shaking her head. “No. Kylee’s going to the karaoke thing tonight, but I was just gonna stay in and read. Why?”

I shrugged. “You want to have dinner?”

She lit up. “Yeah, I’d love to!”

“Awesome.” I nodded. “The restaurant here is pretty good.”

“Sure. Um, can I go clean up first?” She gestured to her hair, which was a mess from falling in the water.

“Yeah. I’ll be at the bar, okay? You come meet me when you’re ready.” I smiled.

So did she. “I will. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

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