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“Me, too.”
The women snoozed until the joyful scream of one of their kids got their attention.
“I knew it was too good to be true,” Katrina said, sitting up.
“I feel so lazy,” Annie said, stretching her arms over her head.
She looked out over the bay, Bonnet Island just a short swim away.
“I’m swimming to the island,” Annie said.
“You’re nuts. It’s too cold.”
She stood up and stripped off her jeans and lacy top, down to her underwear, Katrina pointing at her, roaring with laughter.
“If I get eaten by an alligator, tell Stevie I love him.”
“Annie, don’t. You’re insane!”
“Forget it. I’m tired of worrying. The freezing water will help, like electroshock therapy.”
With that, she ran to the end of the dock and jumped in.
“Annie!” Katrina cried, looking around to see if the babysitters were anywhere nearby.
She stood, brushing off her slacks, and walked to the end of the dock, watching Annie gracefully swimming to the little island that Maggie owned, part of her ancestor’s land.
In the cold water, Annie focused on the island ahead of her, one arm after the other stroking the water. The buoyancy of the water, the speed she gained slicing through, increased her feelings of well-being. It was exactly what she needed. In minutes she reached the sandy shoreline and climbed out, standing on the beach. With arms raised, her wet underpants and bra transparent, she yelled for Katrina.
“Look! I want to live here,” she called. “Come join me!”
“I don’t swim,” she called back, laughing. “You look like Hero, the virgin priestess of Aphrodite!”
“I feel like her. But it was her lover who drowned, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t remember. But you definitely look naked.”
Glancing down at her bra, she shook her head. “My nipples are huge. Nothing like giving birth to turn your body into a dairy cow.”
From the distance, the riders heard Annie’s excited cries and could see her on the beach.
“Jeez, is that Annie, naked on the island?” Justin asked, high up on Spooky.
“Ha! No, she’s got her underpants on. I guess she finally lost it,” Maggie said, laughing. “My girlfriend found her breaking point.”
Chris looked on, concerned. “Now, there’s a side of Annie I don’t think I’ve met yet.”
“She’s a tough cookie,” Maggie said defensively. “But maybe all this crap with your ex and your sons wanting to move to Cypress Cove and her kid being abused pushed her to the edge.”
“Jeez, I’m sorry about that. I guess I didn’t realize.”
“I think I’ll go back; she’ll need a towel when she climbs up on the dock,” Maggie said, turning Dale around.
“We’ll stay out for a while longer,” Dave said, chuckling. “Don’t want to embarrass her.”
“I think Annie is probably so over it at this point, she doesn’t care who sees her in her underpants.”
Maggie rode back to the barn, the return more somber than the departure. She wanted to be a support to her friend who was obviously struggling. She tied up Dale and went into the house to get towels for Annie.
