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The man nodded his head up and down. As Ashlyn watched him, she couldn’t believe it. Was he laughing? What was he laughing about? Ashlyn gently bobbed in the waves as she looked at this strange man who was laughing about a near-death experience.
“Do you need help making it to shore?” Ashlyn tried again, trying to help the man as much as possible. Maybe he was a lunatic as well. Maybe that was why he was in the middle of the ocean in the first place.
Finally, the man coughed up a little water, gave a final cough, and wiped at his mouth. “You sure are a strong thing for being so little,” he commented.
He had a southern accent, and Ashlyn smiled at the twang in his “thing.” “It’s really not hard to save someone, even if they’re bigger than you, but it would have been easier if you hadn’t been struggling so much. Couldn’t you tell I was trying to help you?”
The man threw back his head and laughed. Ashlyn was indignant. What was so funny, and why couldn’t she be included in the joke? “I didn’t need any saving, but I do appreciate the effort.”
“What do you mean you didn’t need any saving? You were flailing around like you were being tugged under!” Ashlyn set her face in a straight line to this character of a man.
“I was looking for a shell,” the man continued. “The best shells are found away from the beach where the tide has not turned them and broken them so much. I had my goggles, and I was diving down. I found a real beauty, but an undercurrent pulled me just then. I wasn’t able to grab onto the shell. I just sort of rolled it with my fingers. The current somehow managed to tear my goggles away. So, I was trying to get that shell and my goggles. That’s why I was bobbing up and down like a lost sea buoy.”
Ashlyn couldn’t help it. A smile slowly spread across her face, then she started to giggle. “I guess I shouldn’t wait around for a thank you, then. I just made you lose the location of your precious shell.”
The man laughed. “Hey, it’s no big deal. I’m sure I’ll find another shell just as nice that won’t be so dangerous to my life. I’m Brandon.”
“Ashlyn.” Ashlyn wasn’t sure if she should shake hands or just leave the ocean. After all, she wasn’t wearing a swim suit, and the water was really weighing down on her shorts.
“It’s nice to meet you. You are very kind to have come out to the ocean when you clearly weren’t dressed for swimming today.”
Ashlyn looked down and saw that her pale pink blouse was now clinging to her, clearly showing the lines of her bra. Ashlyn blushed and tried to pull the shirt away from her body, but the water wouldn’t let that happen.
“Well,” she said, trying to turn the attention away from her shirt. “I guess I have served my purpose here. You are saved, whether you wanted it or not, and I had a refreshing swim.”
“Whether you wanted it or not,” Brandon finished off. “Hey, I’ve got a towel on the beach. It’ll be nice and warmed up by the sun right about now. I insist you use it.”
“No, really, it’s okay,” Ashlyn said. “My house isn’t a far walk from here. I don’t mind. In fact, it feels rather nice to be cooled off.”
“Do you have a vacation home then?” Brandon started leading the way into shore, and Ashlyn instinctually followed him. After all, she needed to go back to the house anyway.
“No, no, no,” she quickly denied. “Nothing of the sort. I’m actually. . .well, I’m working with a film crew. We’re filming a movie in the area, and everyone is put up in a beach house while we’re working.”
“Wow! That sounds nice! What movie are you filming?”
“It’s called Firebird. It won’t be out for at least another year, though. It takes a crazy amount of time to cut and produce a movie.”
“Will your name be in the credits?”
“I don’t know,” Ashlyn replied. “So, what are you doing here, spending time diving for seashells?”
“I know this may sound crazy, but I’m house sitting.”
“You’re house sitting? At the beach?”
“Yes, it is a thing. The house is actually a half hour drive from here, so I’m not as close as you might think. Anyway, the family is going to spend the summer in Europe, and they wanted someone to take care of their house while they were gone.”
“So you take care of the house?” Ashlyn just wasn’t getting this idea.
“Yes, I’m not paid to do it, but I get a place to live for a few months. Meanwhile, it gives me time to work on my music. I’m hoping that if I get good enough, I can do more than just perform at birthday parties or ladies’ luncheons.”
“Do you play an instrument or do you sing?”
“I play acoustic guitar,” Brandon answered. “I sing too. I guess there are a thousand guys out there my age trying to become famous for doing something like this, but I can always hope I’ll get a chance at the big shots.”
For some reason, his easygoing way of approaching life appealed to Ashlyn. He wasn’t ruled by someone else’s clock, nor was he worried about reaching a certain career goal. He was just enjoying life as it came to him.
“Here’s my towel,” Brandon said, holding the bright yellow cloth out to her.
