Page 23 of Color Chameleon
“We’ll get it all figured out.”Darcy had a little bit in savings.He’d rather not touch that, but if they could walk to Charma’s in less than a half hour, an Uber couldn’t be that expensive, he was sure.“So breakfast and then getting your stuff to move you in here.It’s a plan.”
“I like a plan, though I’m also good with spontaneous stuff too.”
“We can leave the rest of the day as spontaneous.Although I was thinking we could head to the beach and see if we can’t find your clothes and stuff.”
“That’s not a bad idea.You could show me your spot, too.”
“I’d like that.”He gave Charma a quick kiss, then scrambled out of bed.“I get the bathroom first!”
Charma thought it had been a little sad, gathering all his things and putting them into garbage bags.He’d only needed two, plus his backpack for his electronics so they wouldn’t get bumped.That was all he had to his name.Of course, none of the furniture here was special so it didn’t matter that it wasn’t his.And Darcy didn’t have room for him to bring in a bunch of stuff anyway, so no harm, no foul.They’d ubered back from his place to Darcy’s, and he’d dropped it all inside so they could head over to the beach right away.He could put everything away later.
And now they were at the beach, checking out the area where he’d been sunbathing.He’d really liked the flip-flops he’d been wearing, so he hoped they found at least those.They were not having much luck, though.
“How about we ask the lifeguard if there’s a lost and found?”Darcy suggested.
“Yeah, I’d like to do at least that before giving up on my stuff.”The beach towel had been this wonderful enormous rainbow one that two could lie on that he’d brought from home and there were, of course, his flip-flops.
There was a lifeguard hut not too far down the beach, and they were lucky—there was a lifeguard on duty.
“Hey there.You don’t happen to have a lost and found, do you?”Charma asked.
“We sure do.You’d be surprised the stuff that gets left behind.”The lifeguard pointed back the way they’d come.“It’s at the main building back about a mile that way.Anything found on the beach at the end of the day winds up there, so as long as you haven’t only just lost what you’re looking for…”
“Nope, this was a couple days ago.”
“Then if it wasn’t taken by anyone else, it should be there.Good luck.”
“Thanks.”He and Darcy headed off in the direction the lifeguard had pointed.
“I’m going to walk in the water.”Darcy slipped off his sandals and made his way to where the waves were lapping at the beach.
Charma did the same and they wandered along in companionable silence, the breeze off the ocean a nice counter to the sun beating down on them.
Darcy pointed at a two-story structure up ahead, just off the beach.“There it is, not too much farther.”
“Cool.How far is it to your spot?”
“Well, we have to go back the way we came, but only maybe another ten minutes past the lifeguard hut.And we can walk in the water most of the way before it starts getting rocky.”
“Cool.”
They made their way into the Lifeguard and Beach Safety Center and went up to the counter.
“I lost a few things here the other day and was wondering if I could take a look at the lost and found,” Charma said.
“Sure, what did you lose?”
“Beach towel, shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.”
The girl behind the counter laughed.“What, did you go home in your swimsuit?”
“Something like that.”He and Darcy shared a glance and a grin.
“If it was recently, it should be in the big box over by the vending machine.Anything older than a week or so gets moved into the back.”
“Thanks.”
He and Darcy went over to the box, and he saw the corner of his rainbow towel immediately.He grabbed it with a whoop, pulling it out from under the various other items on top of it.Darcy laughed at him but accepted the towel, and he went digging for the rest of his stuff.It was all there, his shorts, his T-shirt and his favorite flip-flops, which he immediately traded out for the sandals he’d been wearing.He wriggled his toes, so pleased.
