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She didn’t know where she was going, nor did she care. She just needed to clear the air before returning. She drove for quite some time. When her stomach started aching worse than her feet, she stopped at a burger place and found a park nearby to sit and enjoy the evening sun.
She drove back much calmer and parked the car in front of the house. When she opened the door, she was met by a worried looking Rayen.
“Gwendoline, I was worried about you.”
Such a sweetheart. She couldn’t help but smile. “I just went out to get dinner.”
He tilted his head and studied her for a moment before nodding. “Please don’t take Amon’s horrible mood personally.”
“We all have bad days, don’t we?” She turned to her door. “Good night.” And quickly disappeared behind it.
***
Eleven
She woke up early the next day, wanting to use all the time she had in L.A. She dressed in a sundress with her swimsuit beneath it. Bikinis had never been her style, which was why she chose a black one piece with little ruffles on her shoulders. With a beach bag filled with towels, flip flops, and sunscreen she made her way to the kitchen. She was planning to stay at the beach all day, so she wanted to pack breakfast and lunch with lots of water.
She was surprised to see a picnic basket waiting for her. A letter with her name on it leaned against it on the counter. She reached for it and opened it.
Gwendoline,
Here’s a little treat for your trip to the beach.
She smiled and opened the basket. It was filled with treats, sandwiches, fruit, cheese, water, and juice. She added a few more water bottles before taking all her things to the car.
The beach was about an hour and a half away. She’d chosen one a little further away hoping it wouldn’t be as packed. By the time she got there, it was around nine. She parked and found a nice spot on the sand far enough from the water but not too far in case she wanted to take a swim. She opened the picnic basket and pulled out a sandwich and a water bottle.
Only now she noticed a small book placed in between the food. Curiously, she pulled it out. It was a short historical fiction book–not really her usual genre, but she opened it anyways. Out fell a small note with a different handwriting than the one she found in the kitchen this morning.
For your day at the beach.
She assumed by the conversation she’d had yesterday that it was from Silas. Intrigued, she started reading while she ate her breakfast. After reading the first few pages she set everything aside, pulled her dress over her head, and stood up. The beach was slowly filling with people, so she wanted to take a quick swim before it got too packed.
The sand tickled between her toes, much smoother than what she was used to from Galveston. The water was much lighter too and shimmered in the rising sun. A wave hit her feet and washed the sand from her toes. She stepped further into the warm relaxing water and watched a boat in the distance. When she was hip high in the water, she leaped forward and dove into an upcoming wave.
She spent the whole morning sitting on the beach reading Silas’s book, while trying all the snacks they’d packed for her. When it came close to lunchtime and the sun started burning down on her she decided to pack up. She carried everything back to the car before adding a few snacks and water to her bag. As she watched the people in the water, she walked along the beach towards the pier.
On the pier she found a cute sunhat and a few souvenirs that she wanted to keep for herself and maybe even give a few to Evangeline. She sat down on a bench towards the end and pulled Silas’s book back out. She started reading again while sipping on a lemonade.
She didn’t even feel the time pass as she immersed herself in the story and only looked up when the air slowly cooled down. The sun was still up, but much closer to the horizon then she’d thought. She only had a few more pages left, so she finished the book before heading back to the car. It had been an interesting read, though the old English had been a little hard to understand at times. It was definitely not something she would’ve expected Silas to read.
With the beach slowly clearing up as everyone left to go home, she strolled by the water letting it caress her ankles. The drive back was a little stressful with lots of traffic, and after about two hours she parked in front of the house.
Gwen had just opened the trunk when she heard feet crunch down the gravel behind her. She turned her head and saw Silas step next to her. With a grin he leaned in and grabbed the picnic basket.
“It looks like you had a good day.”
“I did, next time I just have to remind myself to use sunscreen.”
His eyes traveled her up and down before his eyes brightened amused. “You do look a little red.”
She grabbed her bag and sunhat and walked by his side into the house. “Thank you for the book.”
“You read it already?”
“Yes, I finished it before coming back. It took me a little longer because I wasn’t used to the writing style. I usually read more modern books.”
They walked into the kitchen where Rayen and Mr. Seavey stood at each end of the island with a glass of red wine in their hands. She felt as if there was some kind of tension in the air, but she wasn’t sure if that was just her own imagination. She still wasn’t over Mr. Seavey’s comment from the car ride. Simply thinking about it made her stomach knot.
