Day 3

The next day was less awkward for both Richie and Cynthia. When Cynthia awoke she was pleased to find the smell of coffee and breakfast waiting for her in the kitchen. They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before Cynthia insisted that they hit the beach again. He thought of protesting but she disappeared upstairs before he could get a word in. He wasn’t exactly in the best shape of his life and the thought of spending yet another day at the beach with 20-something male models didn’t exactly sound like his idea of a great time. When she reentered the kitchen his jaw dropped at the sight of her quickly changing his mind.

“God, Cyn, you look amazing,” Richie said taking a good look at her. Her pale skin made the intensity of her magenta bikini pop even more so. The halter-top hugged her breasts giving them just a bit of a lift; he would have to thank the makers of the Miracle Bra later for that. Her skirt bottom was ruffled leaving a bit more covered than a regular bottom would, but it only seemed to accentuate her long, lean legs.

“Thank you sir, now you go get changed quick. We’re wasting daylight here,” Cynthia answered giving him a shove out of the kitchen. She waited for him on the patio and he returned in a few minutes later with towels for both of them.

“Ready my dear,” Richie asked.

“Absolutely,” she answered smiling. “I think today I’m gonna learn to bodysurf. I mean really get the hang of it. Do you know how?”

“I didn’t spend every summer of my childhood down the shore for nothing,” Richie said leading her down the beach to an area that wasn’t overrun with models.

“So that’s a yes,” she asked excitedly taking his hand.

“Yes ma’am, but I’ll warn you it’s been maybe 25 years since I’ve even attempted to do it,” he said laughing at the memory.

Once he found a more secluded part of the beach he put their towels down and laid them out. His hands were barely empty when Cynthia kicked off her flip-flops and was nearly dragging him to the water. Once they were out a good distance, about to her chest, he gave her some basic instructions.

“There’s really not much to it. Watch out for surfers, and people once you get closer to the shore. When you get your wave just paddle into it, and let it take you,” he said.

“Ok, I think I got it, but I’ll warn you I’m pretty uncoordinated,” Cynthia said.

“I’ll go first, so you can see, then take the next one in,” Richie offered.

“Ok, but I don’t know if you’ll be up for the challenge once you see me,” she said laughing.

“You can’t be that bad. I’ll take this one,” he said seeing the wave building behind him. “Then wait for a smaller one and I’ll see you at the shore,” He gave her a salty kiss before riding the wave effortlessly to the sand.

When he stood and looked back at her, she was all smiles giving him two thumbs up. He gestured behind her to take the next wave and she nodded excitedly. She tried to remember what he told her in their ‘mini lesson’ and let the wave take her to shore. She started out strong but by the time she reached Richie she has been turned around half a dozen times; there was sand in her hair and her bathing suit had been noticeably shifted.

Richie did all he could to keep from laughing as she walked over to him removing a piece of seaweed from her foot and adjusting her top. “Well that was a nice try, but maybe you should stick to land sports,” he said smiling.

“What’s the matter? Not up for a challenge?”

“I’m up for it but I don’t know many people who would willingly get back in the water to try again after a first attempt like that one,” he said as gently as he could, still suppressing his laughter. “Hell most people would avoid the beach like the plague.”

“Then I guess I’m not most people. Do I strike you as a woman lacking confidence,” she asked.

“Absolutely not,” he said. If there was one thing that he knew about her it was that she was unusually confident, maybe that’s what drew her to him. It wasn’t in a conceited way just that she was sure about who she was and nothing else seemed to faze her.

“Good, then lets go,” she said taking his hand and pulling him back to the water.

He obliged her and tried to correct the mistakes he saw her make. She listened eagerly but each attempt ended as ungracefully as the first. Each time she swam back to him confident that she would nail it the next time.

They had been working at it for a couple hours to some improvement but no real success. The water had risen a bit and she held onto him so her tiny frame didn’t get knocked around in the water.

With her arms wrapped around his shoulders he felt his stomach growl again as it had been for the past half hour. “Cynthia, while this has been quite enjoyable, my stomach is begging me for a break,” he pleaded.

“Nope, I’ve almost for the hang of it. Were not stopping till I get a good one. This is the one I can feel it,” she answered confidently.

He shook his head as she turned to choose her wave. When she got into one, she rode it all the way to the shore nearly flawlessly and she turned to him beaming. He waded in towards her and she jumped into his arms nearly knocking him over, chatting excitedly.

“Perfect, now we can eat,” he said laughing.

“After that accomplishment, all you can think about is your damn stomach,” she asked through a fake pout. He nodded at her with a pout of his own and she gave in. “Fine we can take a break, but after lunch we are coming right back out here.”

“Any chance of calling it a day,” he asked.

“Absolutely not! It’s a beautiful day and the beach is right here. How could you think such a thing,” Cynthia asked genuinely surprised.

“I dunno, I guess I’m used to it,” he offered.

“Well not for me. When you grow up in the nearly artic Midwest like I did, you enjoy everyday that it’s not snowing and we like to do that outside. Come on lets get you some food, before you pass out or something,” she said gathering their stuff.

“Wonderful,” Richie said as his stomach growled again right on cue.

Cynthia rolled her eyes as they made their way back to his house hand in hand. When they arrived she left their sandy towels and shoes on the patio and wiped off a majority of the sand off before they entered through the kitchen.

“How do sandwiches sound? Quick and easy,” Richie asked.

“Sure what do ya got,” she asked reaching for plates out of the cabinet.

“PB & J,” Richie said grabbing the three necessary ingredients.

“You’re too much sometimes, you know that,” she said shaking her head.

They set to work making a plate full of sandwiches before they settled at the table. “So tell me something,” she said taking a bite.

“Anything,” he answered smiling at her.

“Why did you really ask me to stay? And none of the ‘I could see that you were special’ bullshit.”

“Honestly,” he asked to her encouraging nod. “I’ve been going through a rough patch and a good friend of mine told to me to give the next woman a shot and to get to know her. But I asked you to stay all on my own because I do think you’re special and all of that bullshit. Disappointed?”

“Not at all, I just wanted to know. Did this friend of your say how long you had to get to know this person?”

“Two weeks, from when we met,” he answered trying to read her.

“So this is Sunday and we met Friday night so this is day three of our two week adventure,” she said teasingly.

“Your mad,” he asked.

“Are you kidding? I love it! I like how this friend of yours thinks, and besides now I know I’ll be here another 11 days,” she said smiling.

“So you’ll stay then? Two weeks,” he asked anxiously.

“Oh yeah. That puts off my decision of where to go till then, and I could get used to this whole beach thing,” she answered.

“I’m glad it was you,” he said sincerely.

“Oh yeah, why’s that?”

“Because there is something about you,” he stopped when she shot him a look. “No I mean it. I can’t put my finger on it. You just seem so full of life. You don’t seem to take anything for granted and every minute you’re taking something in. I used to be like that, once, but now…” he let his voice trail off.

“Now you’re stuck with me for another week and a half,” she said.

He smiled his thanks at her and she nodded supportively. It was as if she understood him even though he hadn’t even told her his last name. A quiet ‘thank you’ was all he could manage.

“You don’t have to tell me anything. You’ll tell me what you want when you’re ready,” she said giving him a kiss.

It was this kiss and Richie’s honesty that turned what could have been a couple of crazy weeks or days even, into something truly special, because this was the first time in a long, long time that he let his guard down, stopped expecting the worst and embraced the rest of their two weeks with an open heart and an open mind.