“Oh look, it’s a western sandpiper,” came a young, female voice.
“And what about that one?”
“You know that’s a glaucous-winged gull, Dad.We see those everywhere.”Her tone was bored and slightly impatient.
They made their way down onto the sand, both of them ditching their shoes and socks when they saw mine just at the start of the sand as well.
I shielded my eyes to get a better look, only for my pulse to pick up tempo when a familiar, handsome, tattooed principal grinned at me.“Twice in one day,” he said, not needing to roll up the cuffs of his pants since he was in shorts.His daughter, a cute, gangly girl with sandy-blonde hair, had a sketchbook open, binoculars around her neck, and was crouched down staring at the lone sandpiper that hopped along the lapping water.
“What brings you two down here?”I asked, my cheeks warm, and not just from the sun.Yes, his sleeves of tattoos on his arms had been in plain sight this morning at the yoga studio, but for some reason, I found myself ogling them more now.They were really beautiful.
“Mabel is a bird-lover, so we’re on the hunt for some new species.”
“Hi, Mabel,” I said, waving to her.
She glanced at me and gave a very firm, almosttoopolite, more like obligatory, “Hello,” before turning back to sketch the bird.
“Well, you came down here on a good day.By Memorial Day weekend, the beach will be packed and littered with naked people.”
Lennox’s brown eyes went wide.“Excuse me?”
“Relax, cowboy.It’s definitely not the naked people youwantto see.This is a hippy island, remember?The ones who like to take off their clothes and avoid tan lines are the island OGs.The Island Elders.”
He made a quick face of horror, then stowed it.“Well, whatever floats their boat, I guess.Is there some kind of warning that goes up though?So we don’t subject children to—”
I shook my head.“It’s fairly well known.But there’s honestly not much we can do.The island kind of runs by its own code and laws.The Council has been judge, jury, and executioner since the seventies.Just shield your eyes and don’t get on their bad side.”
“Duly noted.”
Without saying anything, he fell in line beside me, and we continued to walk along the shoreline, the water tickling our ankles.
“How’d the rest of your day go?”he asked.
“Really productive.Raina helped me with the rest of the tasting room.If you asked her, she’d say we’re ready to open for Memorial Day, provided the glasses and plates I ordered arrive on time.And even then, it’s not like we don’t have any; we just need more.”
“You disagree?”
I shrugged.“The exterior needs a deep clean.Pressure wash the patio, weed, scrub, plant, replace light bulbs.All that jazz.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded.“All I saw were rows and rows of grapevines in the fields when we drove here, but it’s quite the beautiful chunk of property you have.”
“Thanks, uh … our aunt left it to us in her will.Four single moms, all just trying to make a better life for our kiddos.We’re raising them together, which has been …” I blew a wisp of hair off my face when the wind swept it across my lips.“It’s been great.Having three extra adults that I trust with my kids.We’re really lucky.”
He rocked back on his heels a little, but it wasn’t easy considering the squishy sand and water.“I get that.I was lucky enough to have help with Mabel for the first few years, but now it’s just us.She’s old enough to stay home alone, and is fiercely independent.Those hairy years of not having any time to yourself are behind me.”
Curiosity burned like volcanic rock in the depths of my belly.What was their story?Where was Mabel’s mother?
“I’m done here,” Mabel said, walking up to us, her expression blank.“Let’s go.”
The young girl’s abruptness startled me, along with her neutral face.I wouldn’t say her eyes were dead inside, but there was an intensity to them that I could only describe as … free of emotion and ruled only by logic.It made me take a half-step back before even realizing it.
Lennox noticed though.
Shit.
“Well, how about you just sit on that log over there and enjoy the view and sunshine for a moment?”her father suggested.“I’m just chatting here with a friend, then we can go.”
“No.I’m done.There aren’t very many birds here right now.Just the sandpiper and gulls.”
