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Emily and Vanessa plowed into the water with the first wave of kids. Alec kicked a soccer ball around with Marcus, Devin, and a bunch of older kids. Brianna and the twins had plopped right into building sandcastles with some of the younger ones, and Garth was picking up seashells with several of the girls. Three staff members had accompanied them, but they stayed back and let the volunteers run the show.
Noah closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the sea breeze. Something thumped into his leg, startling him.
“I am so sorry.” Grace grimaced, stepping away and pulling at an enormous bag that had slipped from her shoulder. She straightened, the top of her cover-up—a loose-fitting tank dress—askew to reveal a bright, floral swimming suit and a smooth shoulder marked red from the heavy bag. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I was looking at the beach. And this”—she frowned at the bag—“is a little fuller than I’d like.”
“Kitchen sink?” he asked.
The worry on her face melted into relief. She let go of the bag, reaching up to rub her shoulder. “Everything but,” she said. “Half the kids left without their towels. Sister Margaretta caught me, but I couldn’t catch the group with this load.”
He nodded his understanding and looked back at the chaos. He hadn’t noticed Grace’s absence, and he’d managed two whole words to her.
Progress.
“It’s nice to feel the sun again,” she said with a happy sigh.
“Yeah.” He dug his flip-flop-exposed toes into the sand, appreciating the cooler dampness under the heat.
Just as he was searching for something else to say, Alejandro and Teresa sprinted out of the water directly for him, grabbing his hands and pulling him toward the waves. Grace said something in Spanish that made them laugh and pull even harder. He abandoned his flip-flops in the sand, surrendering to preserve the skin on his hands and wrists.
They reached the water at a trot, sending cool spray up his legs. His escorts let go, jumping and splashing him with their hands. He bent to return the favor only to have Alejandro land on his back like a flying squirrel, sending them both to the ground right as a larger wave broke and soaked them all. The kids roared with laughter as Noah spluttered and spit and wiped his burning eyes.
“What happened, Aquaman? Someone give you kryptonite?” Vanessa laughed.
“Wrong superhero,” Garth said, chasing the soccer ball and launching it back down the beach.
Noah spit again. “Nasty!”
Vanessa laughed harder. “Aquaman can’t have a saltwater weakness!”
Noah glared at her, shielding his face with his hands and holding back his own laughter as the kids continued their assault. “I’ve never been in salt water before.”
“You’ve never been to the ocean?” Vanessa asked.
“To, yes.In, no. I grew up in a landlocked state and never really traveled.”
“But you had a passport?”
“Well-building trip to Ghana. We didn’t go to the beach.”
“Hmm,” she said, swinging a girl with a crown of braids around and sending her off again. “Well, you’ll get used to the salt.”
Alejandro managed to give him a facial as Vanessa said this, proving the point. Growling, Noah grabbed the boy, hoisted him over his shoulder, and carried him to deeper water, where he tossed him in the air the way he’d seen dads throw their kids at pools. Alejandro squealed, splashed down in the surf, and came back for more. Several other boys lined up to take a turn, and soon Noah’s arms were aching.
“No más, no más!” he said, using more of his excellent Spanish to ward off his attackers and making a face to show them how tired he was. They would have none of that, clinging to his legs and arms until, for self-preservation, he dove into the water, losing most of the cling-ons, and swam the rest of them off in two strokes. Squinting under the water, he noticed that his eyes didn’t hurt so much now that he was used to the salt, then swam out farther before surfacing.
Alejandro spotted him and immediately gave chase. Gulping a lungful of air, Noah dove again, swimming parallel to the shore. This time when he came up, he saw Alejandro had given up the water chase and was running along the shore, followed by several others. The boy let out a string of Spanish, gesturing wildly.
Alec burst with laughter. “Dude, he’s calling you out! You’d better come and get him!”
A grin split Noah’s cheeks. He dove toward shore and swam until he could high-knee it through the shallows. All of the children screeched and scattered, but Noah zeroed in on Alejandro.
“You’re it!” Noah called when he caught the boy, then ran away, children still skittering out of his path.
Alec rattled off some Spanish, and the game was on. Alejandro chased Noah first, but after several unsuccessful attempts, he sought an easier target in Teresa. Noah tried to jump out of the little girl’s reach but was stopped in his tracks with an “Oof!” as he ran into someone, allowing Teresa to tag him. Noah grabbed hold of his victim and steadied them both, finding Grace in his arms, her hands on his shoulders.
Grace, in a swimming suit, her smiling face tanner than her arms and shoulders, her skin hot against his wet hands. Their eyes met, freezing both of their smiles. “No glasses?” she asked.
“No.” Heat radiated from her hands into his shoulders.
