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I motioned up and down his body with my hand. “You go out in public looking like that?”
He smiled. “We’ll be fine. No one recognizes the drummer.”
I wasn’t worried about people recognizing him; I was more worried about women spontaneously ovulating around him, but I kept that to myself.
Bash dropped me off at the supermarket while he and Kody went to a nearby sporting goods store to find a kite. I had some subs made at the deli and then picked up some snacks — chips, cheese and crackers, some cut-up fruit, and a six-pack of cucumber mint vodka cans because it was deliciously refreshing and hello — no sugar, no carbs.
The boys were waiting for me when I wheeled my cart into the parking lot. Bash was covering Kody from head to toe with sunscreen.
“Did you find a kite?”
Kody held up two fingers. “We got two!”
“Two?” I questioned.
Bash nodded. “We got a kite that does tricks. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep it up,”—he cocked an eyebrow, daring me to say something—“so we bought a no-frills one, too, just in case the other one is too tricky.”
“It’s good to be prepared.” I began loading the grocery bags into the back of Bash’s large SUV. I placed the subs, drinks, and the items I wanted to keep cold in the cooler.
Kody chatted about everything on the drive to the beach. At one point, Bash grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers before resting it on the console between us. I was filled with warmth. There was no other place on the planet I’d rather be at that moment. I had to be careful that my heart-eyes weren’t showing. He’d probably pull over, kick me out of the car, and speed away if he knew the crazy thoughts that were running through my head.
It was quite an undertaking hauling all the stuff down to the beach and setting up. The blue nylon bag turned out to be a beach tent that Bash was setting up. I spread out the blanket and began organizing all our stuff. Kody dumped out his toys and began playing in the sand.
As soon as Bash finished and sat on the blanket next to me, Kody piped up in his sweet voice. “I have to pee.”
“Aww, bud. It’s a hike back up to the restroom. We better go now.”
Kody scrunched up his face. “Can’t I just pee in the ocean?”
“Don’t talk about peeing in the ocean in front of ladies. They don’t know about that. It’s a man-secret.”
Kody glanced at me. “Ladies don’t pee in the ocean?”
I listened to their conversation, trying not to crack up.
“Nope,” Bash answered. “They hold it for as long as they can and then they hike all the way to the bathrooms and wait in a really long line. It takes forever. That’s why they spend most of the day going to the bathroom.”
Kody nodded like sage advice was being imparted to him. “You can pee in the ocean, but not in the bathtub. Right, Dad?”
Bash gave Kody a fist bump. “That’s right, son.”
I hid my laugh with a cough.
“Dad, do the fish pee in the ocean?”
Bash rubbed his jaw. “I guess they do.”
“And sharks, too?”
“Yep.”
Kody hopped around the blanket, kicking some sand up. “Everybody pees in the ocean except for ladies.”
“Yep. All right, Kody, we better find the bathroom before you have an accident.”
Our beach day was picture-perfect. And when I say picture-perfect, I meant it literally. I was covertly trying to take a few pictures of Bash, especially when he pulled his shirt off and was running around with the kite. Luckily, the beach wasn’t crowded at all. There was plenty of space to fly the kites.
I did take some videos when he was wrestling with the ‘trick’ kite. He could get the kite up, but it zigged around making turns and loops so aggressively, there was no way for Kody to help, even though he squealed and clapped with every maneuver. When he got the regular kite up in the air, he let Kody hold the plastic handle until he eventually lost interest.
