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“Ha! Just have fun.”
Pam left to circulate among her guests, and Sandra slipped into the cabana that had been thoughtfully outfitted with a full-length mirror. Posing from side to side, she had to admit, she’d never looked better. Living at the beach and only having to go into the city a few days a week had contributed to a weight gain that she decided she liked. Anyone looking at her would still see a thin body, but she knew there was extra padding that had filled out the hollow places, including her face.
Andy waited for her near the walkway, and when she stepped out of the cabana, for the first time in a long while, she was self-conscious. In the past, Sandra ruled every situation, knew she could bring men to their knees, and took advantage of it. But at that moment, she wanted to please Andy Roman. He had an incredible body. Muscular but not ridiculous like Dan, he was leaner. His swimming trunks came mid-thigh, showing off just enough toned leg that she wanted to feel them with her hands.
Oblivious to the people around them, he held out his hand to her, trying not to gush. Her body was amazing, long and lanky, but with full breasts and hips, a new look for Sandra, who was usually skeletal. He imagined being nestled in between her legs. Her suit had a thing they called a modesty panel back in the nineteen fifties, but it did just the opposite; he wanted to stick his finger under the fabric, pull it up and see what he could see.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. “I feel like a bumpkin.”
“You are not a bumpkin,” she said, pulling a towel around her body. “You’re the most handsome man here.”
“I don’t think so. Why are you covering up?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I don’t want to show myself off to everyone.”
“Let’s get in the water,” he said.
They spread their towels out on the dry sand and ran to the water’s edge. Brent saw his mother and screamed with delight.
“Oh god, here’s trouble,” Sandra cried, laughing as Brent ran toward her.
They each took his hands and picked him up off the sand, swinging him back and forth, finally letting him get into the water. The three of them bobbed up and down, splashing playfully, and soon the cousins surrounded them, Megan and Miranda grabbing at Sandra’s hands, a familiar human, but mysterious, and they wanted to be close to her in this improbable situation.
“You don’t get in the water very often, do you, Aunt Sandra?” Megan asked.
She looked down at her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Never. I’m going to start though, this summer. Will you swim with me?”
“Yes! I’ll swim every day if you want.”
“I don’t want to go back to Rehoboth,” Miranda said. “Can you help me talk to my grandmother, Aunt Sandra?”
Sandra thought about what she was asking. “Where would you stay?”
“Well, Aunt Pam’s, I guess. And Lisa’s house with Megan.” Then she looked up at Sandra. “With you and Brent if you have room.”
“Of course I have room for you. No one has ever asked to stay with me before,” Sandra replied. “I think it might be fun. Yes. I’ll help you talk to your grandmother.”
The boys were splashing and dunking each other, bodysurfing on boogie boards. Andy swam back to her, smoothing his hair back from his face, water streaming off his body. Her heart rate zoomed up watching his body.
“This is so implausible,” she said, smirking. “It’s like I’m in an alternate universe.”
Andy laughed with her, encouraging her to explain why.
“I guess it started when I got in the water. I never get in the water. I stand around like I’m in a photo shoot, holding my stomach in. The kids never talk to me. All I did was get into the water, and now Pam’s niece wants to live with me.”
Soon, the nannies came to talk, and Alison, Julie and Lisa joined them. Then Ryan and Dan came down. Later, Sandra would say it was one of the nicest times she’d had at the beach, memorable for the laughter and comradery. No one was threatened by anyone else’s behavior.
“Did you notice how amicable this is?” Lisa asked. “What do you suppose accounts for it?”
“We’re getting old,” Sandra said. “No one is flirting. No one is making passes at anyone else.”
“Do you know why?” Alison asked. “Because there’s no booze. No one is drinking because the kids are here.”
“And it’s only three in the afternoon,” Ryan said. “The tone might change in a few hours.”
“I vow not to drink,” Julie said.
“That’s easy for you,” Lisa said. “You never drink.”
