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Epilogue
Summer
I love living at the beach. And I love living there with Will. The south end of Sea View isn’t as crazy as the north end, where the beach access parking lot lies. That area is always packed with day trippers because there’s a bathhouse and toilets.
Down by us, there’s a private beach access for the people who live across the street. We’re getting to know the neighbors around us, and it’s not unusual to see Will chatting at the water’s edge with a captive audience. The ladies are intrigued with Dr. Peterson. I’m not jealous at all, because he’s innocent. Once we were out together at the Costco at opposite ends of the aisle when I observed a steady stream of women checking him out, some even following him. I sidled up, giving him a warning.
“Watch out, Will, you’re gathering admirers.”
“I didn’t even notice.”
“Will, I saw one lady flirting with you by the rice.”
“I wouldn’t know a flirt from a fart,” he said.
“I don’t believe you’ve never had admirers before.”
“Honest to God, this is a first. At least it’s the first time it’s been pointed out to me.”
“Well, you’re popular but don’t forget…” I held up my ring finger, where a giant diamond now lived, waggling it at him.
In Costco, in full view of his followers, he kissed me.
He’d asked me to marry him, and of course I’d said yes, but we were waiting. We didn’t feel any urgency to get married. But I wanted marriage if I got pregnant, and so far, it hadn’t happened.
Every Sunday afternoon, Lisa and Ryan erect a cabana and volleyball net, and family and friends converge on their stretch of the beach for a day of games and barbecue. It’s just easier doing it at Lisa’s cottage because of the kids and all their many belongings. It’s easier for Lisa, too, who is about ready to pop. With her back to you, you can’t even tell she’s pregnant, but then she turns to the side, and there it is. She’s all round and cute, and I want that.
There are usually about eight or nine kids on the beach on Sundays. Building sandcastles, running on the beach, and surfing on the boogie boards is so much fun. The boys are a riot, trying to outdo each other.
They are intrigued with Will, too, who can actually surf.
“Do you think they’d mind if I brought my surfboard down?” he’d asked the first time we were invited over.
“Wait. You surf?”
“I did. I mean, I’m sure I can do it again. I think the kids would enjoy it.”
So, he went home to get it, and when the kids saw him return with an old-fashioned long board balanced on his head, they went nuts.
“My brother surfed,” Lisa said, watching Will. “My father did, too. I’m glad Will is doing this for my boys.”
“I can’t get over how they are flocking to him when we are outside. He doesn’t seem that approachable because of his appearance.”
Lisa looked at me and frowned. “What are you talking about? He’s like a big old teddy bear.”
“You think so? He’s so big, he keeps referring to himself as Grizzly Adams, and I had to Google it to find out who it is.”
“Who is it?” Lisa asked.
“He was a mountain man in California during the early 1800s. But there was a TV program about him in the seventies, and I think that’s who Will is comparing himself to. It’s the hair.”
“Okay, gotcha. I think he’s cool-looking,” Lisa said. “I think you and Will look great together. Much better than you and Ryan.”
I pretended not to hear. Did she know I’d slept with Ryan? Did that jackass tell her we’d had a brief fling? That comment led to an epiphany. I wasn’t going to avoid Ryan any longer because it affected my relationship with Pam and Lisa.
Even stranger, Will and Ryan hit it off. They had an immediate connection. Ryan looked up to Will, maybe because he was well educated and older. But I wasn’t about to allow what had turned out to be a meaningless encounter to have so much power over me.
I looked at Lisa. “Just to clear the air, I hooked up with Ryan after ignoring him for six months. It obviously meant nothing to either of us. I don’t want any weirdness between us because I love you like a sister.”
