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“Then give me my sandwich back.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this at Heaven’s Hoagies.”
“The guy said it’s their California Beach Club, and I thought that sounded fitting.”
“Are these—?” Blake poked at the flimsy sprout things. “Sprouts?”
“Yes.” Lauren managed to grab her sandwich from him, and he grinned at her as she settled back into her chair. “They’re good. It won’t kill you to eat vegetables, you know.” She took another bite of her sandwich and made a big deal out of moaning over its greatness.
Blake laughed while she did, and then he took a bite of his sandwich. Ah, yes. No one made sandwiches like Heaven’s Hoagies, what with the bread all toasty on the outside like that, but so soft under that initial crunch? He loved it, and he loved the simplicity of the mayo-mustard mix, warmed slightly on the inside of the sandwich, with that salty ham, and the melty cheese.
With this sandwich and with Lauren on the beach with him now, Blake could honestly say this was about as close to perfection as life got.
Tommy came jogging up to their little umbrella as Blake finished his sandwich. “You got lunch?”
“Heaven’s Hoagies,” Blake said. “Lauren got your favorite.”
She bent to get it out of the bag, and she handed him the sandwich. He looked at her and took it. “Thanks, Lauren.”
“Anytime.” She smiled at him, and Tommy sat on the blanket with Blake.
“The water’s choppy today,” he said. “It looks smooth, but it’s not.” Just then, the siren sounded, and Lauren yelped.
Neither Blake nor Tommy got too bothered, because they’d been through this before. “It’s a warning siren,” he said—yelled—over the noise. “It means you have to come out of the water. See how everyone is coming in?”
“Why do they have to come in?” Lauren yelled back.
“They’ve spotted something out there they don’t like.”
Lauren seemed alarmed, but she really didn’t need to be. The siren continued for another minute or so, and then it silenced. “That is so loud,” she said.
“No sirens on the private beach, I’m assuming,” Blake said.
“I never get in the water,” she said. “But no, I’ve never heard a siren.”
“You wore your swimming suit,” he said. “You weren’t planning to get in the water?”
“No.” She looked at him, but she’d put on a pair of sunglasses, and he couldn’t really see her eyes. “Are you?”
“Yep,” he said. “It’s hot, and the water cools you down.”
“The shade keeps me cool,” she said. She actually reached into her bag and pulled out a sun hat. She settled it on her head and took another bite of her sandwich. “So, Tommy,” she said. “You like to boogie board?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. He didn’t add anything else to the conversation, and Blake felt the tension under the umbrella tick up a notch.
“What do you do when you can’t come to the beach?” she asked.
He looked at her, the ends of his hair curled and still dripping salt water. “We can always come to the beach.”
“Well, you can’t go in the water right now. So you’d…”
He looked at Blake, who didn’t want to bail him out.
“Wait for them to blow the all-clear horn?” Tommy guessed.
Lauren’s shoulders went down, and she smiled. “I see.”
“She means what do you do when you’re not at the beach at all, bud.”
