Page 67 of Finding London

“For sure. Have fun, man. Have a nicerelaxingtime,” Cooper calls after me.

“Don’t I always?” I exclaim over my shoulder.

I hear his laughter as I exit the house.

“Oh, I love the beach,” London says as I grab the cooler and supplies from the truck. “I mean, a beach in Florida or Hawaii would be better, but I’m sure this will be fine.”

“Have you ever been to Lake Michigan?” I ask as I throw the boogie boards under my arm.

“No.”

“Well, don’t knock it until you try it. First, the sand in this area is the softest sand you’ll ever find. The water isn’t salty, so it won’t sting your eyes, and it’s really warm right now.” It’s almost August, which is the best time for Lake Michigan, in my opinion. “You’ve been living in Michigan for four years, and you’ve never come here?”

“Nope. I usually travel with my family during the summer months, so I’ve never been here.”

“You’re going to love it.” I walk around the back of the truck to meet her.

“Um, what are those?” Her eyes dart to the boards beneath my arm.

“Boogie boards,” I answer simply as I start walking toward the water.

“Why do you have two of them?” London calls out from behind me, the soft sand obviously slowing her down.

I stop walking to let her catch up. “Because there are two of us,” I answer when she’s next to me.

“I thought this was going to be a beach day. You do know what a beach day is, right? I’m talking about lying on a soft towel with a drink in hand, baking in the sun all day with an occasional short dip in the water. There are no surfboards allowed in this scenario.”

I give her a quick kiss on her pouty lips. “Good thing I didn’t bring my surfboards then.”

“Loïc!” she says in a huff.

I continue my descent to the beach. I can’t help the huge smile on my face. “Oh, chill, little spoiled one. You’ll have fun,” I call back to her.

The wind has picked up near the water, but I’m pretty sure I heard London let out a growl.

I find an empty spot located in a small dip of a large sand dune. It’s perfect because the walls of the dune will keep out some of the wind and prevent our crap from blowing all over the beach. Plus, it’s fairly close to the water.

I situate our large multicolored blanket, the beach umbrella, and cooler. “You ready to get in the water?” I ask London.

She has taken off her shorts and shirt, and she is facing me in her string bikini. I have no idea how she maintains such a smoking body when she enjoys physical activity less than anyone I know. She must come from good genes.

“You’re exhausting,” she says with a sulk, which elicits laughter from me.

I reach out my hand to take hers.

She wistfully looks down at the blanket. “Why did you bring the beach blanket? I have a feeling we’re not going to be spending a lot of time lounging today.” She sulks.

“I’m sure we’ll need it at some point.” I bend down and kiss her cheek.

I leave the boards by our blanket for now. She just grunts as we walk to the water.

“You know, for being so worldly, London, you’re pretty sheltered.”

“I am not. I’ve done lots of things. Just because my pastimes are different from yours doesn’t mean they’re wrong.”

“You’re right.”

We walk through the waves where the water meets the sand. Michigan doesn’t have brilliant waves like California does, but for a freshwater lake, they’re pretty decent, especially on a windy day like today. It’s a perfect day for boogie-boarding.

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