Page 10 of All I Feel

“Do you ladies ever think about how much different vacation is now?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Savanna countered.

Not that I suspected anyone was looking at me—we all had our sunglasses on, our faces pointed toward the sun—but I flourished my hand. “Those first few years we came on these vacations, we were constantly moving. At the water, digging in the sand, tossing a Frisbee. Now, it’s pretty much a chair all day with only a brief dip in the water.”

“And some of us won’t even do that part of it,” Lark mumbled.

“Don’t feel bad about that, Lark,” Mia said. “I refuse to go any deeper than mid-shin.”

Chloe laughed. “You two are crazy. I mean, I love the summer and the warmer weather, but I absolutely can’t roast all day long. In fact, Harper and I were just down in the water cooling off before you and Lark joined us, Tessa.”

“You’re right about one thing, though,” Harper said. “Vacations are completely different for us now.”

“Not all of us,” Savanna pointed out. “Sometimes, it seems like the men are the same. That rowdy, rambunctious, competitive mindset is still there for them.”

I had to agree with her. “You’re right. They never mellowed out. To be completely fair, I’d say it’s possible they’ve gotten worse.”

Mia shared, “Kingston said they were hoping to convince us to play a game of volleyball with them.”

Lark didn’t hesitate to respond. “That isnevergoing to happen. Not for me, anyway.”

“Agreed,” my sister said.

“I don’t even understand how they’re playing now with an odd number of players,” I said.

Chloe stated, “I’m not sure there’s a valid explanation for anything they do.”

She had a fair point. As kids, it had made sense that we’d be up and running around all day, but we were grown now. For the women, it was all about rest and relaxation. And nothing felt better than feeling the sun on my face and the sand beneath my feet.

For a long while, we sat in silence, listening to the waves crash along the shore, dozing off, or—in Mia’s case—reading a book.

Eventually, the sun became just a bit too much for me, and I needed to cool myself off. So, I got up and made my way to the water. I’d gotten to about waist deep when a familiar masculine voice said, “Any chance I can convince you to join us for a game of beach volleyball?”

I looked to my right to see Ace there. His cheeks were red, with bits of sand stuck to his sweat-slicked skin. “I realize there’re only five of you and adding another person would even up the teams. But let’s be honest, Ace. Adding me would still leave one team with two actual players.”

He laughed. “You’re probably right. Maybe one of the other guys will have better luck with Harper, Savanna, or Chloe.”

I smiled. “No faith in Lark or Mia?”

Glancing back toward the beach, Ace said, “Let’s face it. Lark isn’t getting out of that chair unless it’s because she’s had enough of the beach and is heading back to the hotel.And Mia’s just too quiet and sweet. It’s unlikely she’ll give up the book for physical activity.”

He wasn’t wrong.

I continued forward, moving a little deeper into the water. “Do you ever think about this vacation and wonder?”

“Wonder what?”

“When it’s going to end. I mean, we’re all still coming here with our parents. Don’t you think the time is going to come when we’re grown, have our own schedules, and just can’t make it work?”

Something washed over his expression, and he looked away. “I almost didn’t come this year.”

“Really?”

He nodded, returning his attention back to me. “I’m trying to build a business, Tessa. I should be focusing on that. But I guess I wanted one more family vacation, because the memories we make here are some of my favorites.”

Tipping my head to the side, I studied him. “Are you saying that you think this is going to be your last one?”

Shrugging, Ace said, “I don’t know. If I had to guess, I’d say so. But who knows what the next year is going to bring.”