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Fortunately, Leo came running over, breaking the sudden tension and interrupting her wandering thoughts.
"Do you want to build a sandcastle, Decker?" Leo asked.
"Absolutely," Decker said, not a trace of hesitation in his voice. "And I'm a great sandcastle builder."
"You are?" Leo asked, his eyes widening in admiration.
"Yes. But I need a good helper."
"I can help you," Leo quickly offered.
"First thing we need to do is find some rocks and sticks. Since we don't have any shovels, we'll have to use what we have to dig."
"Looks like I'm going to get a first-hand look at your construction skills," she teased.
"Oh, no. You're not spectating, Chloe. You're helping," Decker said.
"But I am not the world's greatest sandcastle builder," she said.
He gave her a charming grin. "You will be after today. First things first. Take off your shoes."
"What do my shoes have to do with anything?"
"It's easier to move in the sand." He kicked off his shoes as Leo did the same. Her little boy loved nothing better than to be barefoot.
She took off her shoes and socks, feeling the cool sand slide between her toes. She'd always been a beach girl, even when it wasn't summer, and sandcastle building was actually one of her strengths, but she was curious to see how Decker would do, so she let him take the lead.
It soon became clear that the rocks, shells, and sticks would not just be used for scooping sand, but also as material for walls. Decker hadn't been lying when he said he was good; he was actually amazing.
For the next hour, they worked on the castle, using her water bottle to get water from the lake to make the sand moist enough to pack down. She made a lot of the back-and-forth trips to the lake. After an hour, she was getting tired and chilly, but she couldn't find the will to end the activity. Leo was having the time of his life.
She played with Leo every day, but it was fun to have an adult partner, and Decker was great with Leo. He encouraged creativity and let Leo talk about whatever he wanted to talk about. He treated her son with kindness and respect, which only made her like him more.
"Hey, hey," Decker told her, waving an urgent hand in her direction. "Your wall is collapsing, Chloe. You need moister sand."
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"This is serious business," he said with mock outrage.
"Serious, Mommy," Leo repeated.
"Okay. I'll get more wet sand." She moved down to the lake once more, scooped some water into her bottle and then brought it back to make her sand wall more stable. "It's good now."
"It looks good," Decker confirmed. "I think we're done." He sat back on his heels, his jeans covered in sand.
"It's great," Leo said, amazement in his voice. "The best sandcastle ever."
Chloe laughed. "High praise, Decker."
"It was a group effort."
"With you in charge. You lived up to your own hype." She paused. "If you want to check out the train, we should go."
"Are we going to ride the train?" Leo asked with excitement.
"I don't know if it's running. We'll have to see," she told him. "But let's get our bikes and check it out."
"What should we do about the castle?" Leo asked.
