Page 14 of The Summer House
“Sure. Thank you,” she said, standing up with her drink. The captain had lowered the ladder so she could exit easily.
Callie stepped onto the weathered wood of the dock that led to walking paths along the beach, careful to keep hold of her glass as she made her way over to a patch of wildflowers growing in the sandy soil nearby. Luke came up behind her. The sun’s rays were still strong despite the evening hour. She strolled along the dock beside Luke, admiring the gaillardia that lined it. Its blossoms were like bursts of sunshine: The daisy-style petals were burnt orange with yellow tips, making the flowers seem as though they were little blooms of fire against the sand-colored sea oats surrounding them. She resisted picking herself a bouquet, knowing there wasn’t anywhere to put it on the boat.
She turned to Luke. He looked like a poster boy for some sort of beach fashion ad. The shirttail of his nautical button-down was untucked in a casual but perfectly executed way, his sunglasses dangling from his fingers. He grinned at her, the lines from so many days in the sun showing around his eyes.
She reached over and delicately slipped the stem of a gaillardia between her fingers, cupping the bloom in her hand. “Aren’t these beautiful? They’re so vibrant.”
“I’ve never noticed them. Are they weeds?” He bent down to take a look.
“No,” she said. “They’re wild flowers.” She indulged herself and picked one off, threading it through her hair just above her ear.
That curiosity appeared on his face again. “Ah. It looks much prettier now that I get a better look at it.” He flashed a flirty smile, and she thought back to his laughter while they were eating their burgers yesterday, before she’d really understood who he was. Seeing all this tonight had changed her perception.
“Want to walk to the beach over there?” he asked. A sailboat bobbed on the horizon, the waves fizzing up the shore, beckoning her.
“Sure.”
To her surprise, Luke held out his hand to lead her down the few steps to the grassy area winding toward the shore. She took it, feeling the warmth of his grip, the softness of his touch, and the stillness in his fingers. While the gesture was just friendly, it felt so intimate that Callie found herself trying to hold her fingers casually when it would be so easy to intertwine them with his.
“We used to make bonfires on this beach as kids,” he said as they walked. “On any given night there would be at least fifteen teenagers all sitting around a giant fire. After school on Fridays, we’d throw our beach chairs in the back of our trucks and drive over here.”
Callie imagined a flock of privileged teenagers in their polo shirts and pressed shorts, laughing behind their designer sunglasses. “So you’re an old pro at bringing girls here then,” she teased.
“Of course,” he played along. “But now I’ve stepped up my game. I offer mojitos instead of strawberry wine in paper cups.”
“I used to drink strawberry wine too!” she giggled. “We’d sneak it into our friends’ houses. One of them had an older sister who would buy it for us.” She shook her head at the memory. “There was nothing like a bag of Doritos and a paper cup of strawberry wine to get a night going.”
“I might have some Doritos on the boat,” he said, pretending to turn back just as they reached the sand.
She laughed, pulling him toward the beach.
They walked down to where the waves were breaking and sat in the dry sand just close enough to get their feet wet when the tide came in. She slipped her sandals off and set them beside her.
“Yeah… I haven’t been to this beach in a long time,” he admitted.
“Who was the last person you were here with?”
Luke pursed his lips as he sifted through the memories. Then that crooked grin spread across his face. “Sally Johansen. I was eighteen.” He laughed and then turned to Callie. “Sally Johansen is married with six children—all a year apart.”
“Wow.” She let that sink in for a moment. “Just think, that could be you!”
“I want a big family, but I can’t imagine having six children, all that close in age. My God, that would be a lot of work.”
“Yes, it would.”
“It would be fun though,” he said, and she noticed that he’d moved his foot nearer to hers, only a small strip of sand between them.
“To be married to Sally Johansen?”
“No,” he said, with a burst of laughter. “Having a bunch of kids. That would be enough children to start our own beach volleyball team.”
Callie shared in his amusement before they settled into a happy moment of quiet.
“I was an only child,” she said, looking over at him. “I always wanted a sister or brother. It was really lonely sometimes.”
“Mmm.” Luke nodded. “I have a sister and I’m really close with her now, but growing up we were always at each other—I used to chase her around the house trying to tickle her even though I knew she hated it. Why do kids do things like that?”
Callie smiled. “I don’t know,” she said. “But I’ll bet it’s a funny memory now. I wish I had someone to share that kind of thing with. Olivia, my best friend, and I are sort of like that.”
