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He grinned and my insides turned to mush. “How do you feel about being buried?”
I shook my head and refocused on constructing a castle turret and etching out the windows. Sneaking glances, I watched him, admiration mingled with a touch of unease. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was different from the many women who had captured Lee’s attention in the past. Was I just another conquest? Would he eventually lose interest and move on, leaving me with a heart shattered into a million pieces?
My rambling thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous presence of Royal King. He was a few spaces down, pulling his usual showboating antics, drawing attention and laughter from the crowd. Next to him, his sister Sylvie was patting sand as Charles mounded more nearby. Neither spoke to each other, but Sylvie no longer looked like she was about to run away.
I chuckled to myself, shaking my head.
Lee leaned over and nudged me with his shoulder. “Hey, fuck that guy.”
I pinched my eyebrows.
Lee gestured with his shovel toward Charles. “He snoozed, he lose’d.”
“I don’t think that’s how the expression goes,” I teased.
Lee gave me a smile that made my insides go liquid. “Hey, come here. I want to tell you something.”
I leaned forward. As I did, he peered down my bathing suit top and popped a quick kiss on my cheek.
Blushing, I sat back on my heels. “You’re a pig.”
He winked and I fell a little more in love.
Lee continued to shape our sandcastle. His commitment to impressing me, to making us stand out from the crowd, meant more than he could ever know. It was in that moment that my doubts about his seriousness and intentions gently started to fade away, replaced by a glimmer of hope.
Next to the intricate castle, Lee had dug a wide, oblong hole. “Okay, Annie.” He gestured to the opening.
“What?”
He gestured again. “Get in.”
“Get in the hole? No way.”
“Come on. You’re the mermaid. I was going to make the sand piled on top look like a fin.”
I leveled him with my stare. “You have the artistic talent of a three-year-old. You get in.”
He knew I was right, and with a determined nod, Lee whipped off his shirt and centered himself in the hole as I quickly piled wet sand over his legs. Reaching around, he pulled the wide fabric belt from my bathing suit cover-up and wrapped it around his chest in a faux mermaid bra.
I burst out laughing and used a trowel to etch a scale design into the tail fin. Lee giggled like a schoolgirl, wiggling the sand with his toes.
“Don’t move,” I warned, stifling a fresh round of giggles. I stood, wiping sand off my butt. “I’ll grab the judges!”
Racing across the sand, I found the three judges. As we approached, Lee leaned into his mermaid routine, batting his lashes and wiggling his fingers in a wave to the judges. My fingers pressed into my lips to keep from laughing. Though they were trying to appear impartial, I could tell by the humor in their eyes that we had a strong chance to win. When they walked away, I tackled Lee to the ground and peppered his face with kisses.
He quickly took over, rolling me and pressing my back into the warm sand. I laughed freely as Lee peppered kisses down my neck and collarbone.
“Hey, hey.” Tootie looked down at us and smiled. “There are kids around.” She winked as Lee rolled off me and helped to pull me up.
“Sorry, Aunt Tootie. Just got carried away.” Lee had the sense to look guilty as his aunt reprimanded us.
“Well, I am happy to present to you the prize for Best Sandcastle. Congratulations!”
Tootie handed us a certificate and a basket full of wine, cheeses, and desserts. Lee set the basket down and hoisted me into the air.
My squeal of laughter floated across the water as he charged toward the lake and dunked us in the cool water, drowning me in love for him.
TWENTY-FOUR
