Friday, after I got out of work, I received a phone call from Andrew. He had just arrived back in town and was wondering what I was doing that weekend. I told him I had weekend plans but we might could; possibly get together for lunch later in the week, as just friends of course. He agreed and we arranged to meet at this little café not far from the airport Tuesday noontime. I didn’t mention my date(s), not that it was any of his business, and I hoped he didn’t get too personal with what I had been doing lately. We didn’t chat for long, just enough time to exchange pleasantries and set up a time and meeting place.

I got home after six and slipped out of my red heels. My feet were slightly swollen and my toes ached. Peter Berkins had traipsed me all over town looking for just the right beach house. He was not an easy person to please, and after our fifth location, I wanted to shove my paperwork down his throat and leave him. But I didn’t and he finally seemed satisfied with the last place on the list. Of course, he wanted time to think it over, but he promised to let me know sometime the following week. The sooner he had his house and was off my hands, the better.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I sighed and padded into the living area, Daisy right behind me. She had greeted me at the door and wouldn’t let me past the foyer until I had loved on her sufficiently enough. And she would probably be underfoot the rest of the night. It was fine with me; I was hoping take a nice, long bubble bath then curl up on the sofa with a good book. The sun glinted through the patio doors as it began its descent over the horizon and on a whim; I moved to the French doors and threw them open, allowing the warmth to fill the room. I watched as my precious Labrador sniffed around the entrance then settled herself half inside and half stretched out over the stone of the patio.

“You’re a trip.” I told her as the sound of the telephone filled the room.

Glancing over to where the white cordless was nestled in its cradle, I sank down onto the sofa and plucked it up. My parents name flashed in the ID and I gave an inward groan.

“Hello?”

“Hey, honey, how are you?” My mother’s soothing voice flowed over the line and directly into my ear.

I gave a little nod. “I’m doing alright. Had a long day at work.”

“Ooh, did you sell any homes?”

“Well, there’s one that a couple recently made a bid on, but I just spent today showing some wanna be Hugh Heffner about a hundred different beach houses.”

“Goodness, that is a long day.”

“Yeah, it is. And now I want to take a nice, hot bubble bath.”

“Well, I think you most certainly deserve it.”

I smiled. “I do too.” A pause. “So, what’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes, everything is just fine. I was only calling to tell you the news…”

She trailed off and I lifted a brow. “What news?”

“Your brother and Candace are going to be moving to Arizona.”

Both my brows arched now. “Seriously? What for? I thought he loved New York City and wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“We thought so as well, but Candace was given a very lucrative promotion that would require her to work out of their Phoenix office. So,” she chuckled, “they’re moving.”

My brother and his wife, Grayson and Candace Huntley, were power house executives. He was vice president of the accounting firm he worked at in the Big Apple and Candace had just made partner at her law firm. They were both so career driven it left them with no time for children and so I had no nieces or nephews. I hadn’t seen my brother since my move, and even living in Connecticut rarely saw him then. Grayson was six years older than me, and we didn’t have a close relationship. When I was old enough to want to spend time with him, he was out the door with his friends or school. He traveled overseas to London for college and returned home with Candace. They were wed four months after graduation and immediately submersed themselves in their work. But it made them happy.

“What about his job?”

“He says he’s going to commute. Get a place in the city and travel to Arizona on weekends.”

I made a face, thinking that was probably one of the worst decisions for a relationship. “And Candace is okay with only seeing her husband on weekends.”

My mother gave a soft laugh. “Well, you know Candace…she’ll probably be too busy during the week to even think about Grayson.”

I sighed and gave a nod. “Whatever floats their boat, I suppose.”

“It may not be the best choice, but they’re both willing to see it through, so that’s important.”

“Yeah, I know…” I rubbed my forehead. “Well, next time you speak to him, tell him I said ‘congratulations’.”

“I most certainly will.”

“When are they making the move?”

“Not for a few more weeks. They still have to find a place to live and get everything situated.”

“Oh,” I leaned back in the sofa, watching Daisy sunning herself.

My mother paused and I knew what was coming.

“So, everything is going good for you?”

“Yeah, it’s going well.” My toes dug into the plush carpeting.

“Your father and I miss you, Morgan. Maybe you could come visit sometime.”

At least she wasn’t asking to come out and see me. “Um… maybe sometime, yeah.”

Miriam sighed. “Why are you trying to isolate yourself?”

I hesitated, wetting my bottom lip. “I’m not isolating myself, Mom.”

“You are. You won’t let us come see you, and you won’t come see us. Are you cutting us out of your life?”

Her words made my chest twinge. “No, Mom… no.” I shook my head. “I wouldn’t ever do that.”

“Then… then why won’t you see us?” I could hear the tremor in her tone and knew tears weren’t far behind.

“Mom…” I sighed and rubbed my cheek, feeling my heart breaking at what she was saying. “I…don’t know. I guess I…just…don’t want to be reminded of Hugh.”

“Oh honey, you know we would never do that.”

I could feel my own tears pooling in the corners of my eyes. “I…know, but it still scares me. I’m trying so hard, Mom…”

She was quiet for a moment. “Morgan, baby, you can’t do it on your own.”

“I’m not. I have Deanna…and a few others.”

“Let your father and I visit.”

My eyes looked outside, the sky illuminated with the pinks and oranges from the sunset. It was brilliant and beautiful and I felt a tiny glimmer of hope inside. “Maybe.”

“That’s better than a no, we’ll take a maybe.” She sounded more cheery.

I had to smile at her optimistic attitude. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, baby.”

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday was a beautiful day; the birds were chirping, the sun was shining and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. It was warm so I dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a pale pink polo. Daisy was eager and got so excited when she saw the leash I produced. She tried knocking me over in all that excitement in fact. I laughed and shooed her back down to all fours before hooking the leash to her collar, then together we headed from the house and across the backyard to the beach.

Alex was waiting at the bottom of the steps, Bernie at his side. Daisy tore the leash right out of my hand the minute she laid eyes on the other dog. I could only laugh though and watch as she raced down the stairs and greeted the Bernese with affection. Bernie returned the greetings, his tail thwapping as he sniffed and pawed at the chocolate Lab.

“Aren’t they an excited pair?” My male companion spoke as I reached the sand and grabbed up her leash before my dog could dart away.

“Yeah, it’s heartwarming.” I couldn’t stop the grin that covered my face as I observed the two of them fawning over each other.

“How are you?”

I turned and met his gaze, those familiar shivers moving down my back. It was an uncanny effect he had on me and I wish I knew the reason for it. “I’m good. How are you?”

His smile reached his eyes. “I’m great.”

“Good.” I returned the smile then turned back to my dog, tugging her away from Bernie a bit. “Daisy, give him some room to breathe.”

Next to me, Alex chuckled. “Say, ‘I’m excited, mama. I’ve missed Bernie so much’.”

“She’ll miss him even more when she suffocates him.”

He laughed and gathered the black leash attached to the Bernese. “Shall we walk?”

I peeked my eyes towards his dog then back to him. “Will he be okay?”

“Of course.” He touched my arm and we started a slow gait along the sand. “He’s not gimp.”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “Well, I wasn’t sure how he was doing with everything.”

“Better than expected, actually. The doc said he’s surprised how well Bernie is handling the diet and medications.”

“Oh, that’s great!” I flashed a grin and squeezed his hand.

He returned the squeeze then continued to hold my hand. “We’re not in the clear yet. He still has to undergo chemotherapy and they’re talking about surgery.”

“Surgery?”

“Yeah,” He nodded and watched as the two animals tried to frolic in the waves, “To remove the tumors.”

“Oh gosh,” I was overcome with sadness for the dog. “Are… you okay?”

A shrug. “Doing the best I can. There’s still a long ways to go and a hard fight, but Bernie’s a fighter.”

My eyes shifted in his direction. “You seem to be one too.”

He gave my hand a warm squeeze. “I do my best.”

I giggled low, finding myself liking the feel of his hand and the warmth that seeped into me. “So, there’s this contest at work and whoever has the highest sell percentage gets a trip to Hawaii.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him this.

“Oh yeah? Are you going to win?”

“I don’t know, some people seem to think so. I don’t know if I want to though.”

“Really? It’s Hawaii, how can you not want to win?”

“Because you have to attend this convention and listen to lectures and all that kind of stuff.” I left out the real reason why I didn’t want to go.

“You find those kinds of things boring?”

I tugged Daisy back from where she was trying to catch a crab that scurried along the sand. “Not totally, but who wants to spend all day in a lecture hall?”

“True, especially when it’s Hawaii.”

“Exactly.”

We fell into a comfortable silence as we strode along, the dogs pawing at each other before darting this way and that, trying to jump in the waves or catch a butterfly. It felt nice to just walk and not worry, or over think, or stress myself out. Alex was a good companion; there was no pressure to be something I’m not, or move past something I’m not ready to. I still couldn’t explain why I felt so at ease around him, but I was beginning to learn not to question it.

“I’m surprised there’s not more people out here.” I finally broke the silence and glanced around at the surroundings. A few people were parked in beach chairs or strewn over beach towels, and a couple of children played in the surf, but for the most part it was empty.

“Most everyone’s over at the public beach, or the boardwalk.” Alex explained. “And the ones that use this one, are so used to it they get bored coming out here.”

“I don’t see how that could be possible. This place is too beautiful for someone to not want to be a part of it.”

“People don’t always realize what they have.”

I gave a little nod. “That’s very true. And when they do realize, it’s too late.”

“You need to live each day like it’s your last.”

I glanced over at him, realizing we were still holding hands. “Do you do that?”

“I try to. Sometimes I get caught up in the every day living, or all life’s troubles, but I try to take a step back and look at the big picture.”

I nodded and finally took my hand back from his, using it to tuck some stray hair behind my ear. “Where does your mom live?”

Alex gave a slow blink and chuckled low. “That’s a pretty random question.”

I gave a little shrug, but remained quiet.

“She lives in Florida.”

“Really?” My eyes cast his way. “How often do you see her?”

“Hmm…” He rubbed his chin and thought it over. “Major holidays, sometimes I’ll go back for a visit or she’ll come out here.” He paused then looked at me. “Why?”

I shrugged. “No reason.”

He studied me a moment then reined his dog in from where Bernie had been trying to run out into the water. “How often do you see your mom?”

I didn’t look at him. “It’s been awhile.”

“How long is awhile?”

“Almost a year and a half.”

“That is awhile.”

And suddenly I didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore. “Yeah, but she and my dad may be coming out to visit me soon.”

“Well, that’s good.” He reached over and captured my hand again.

We strolled along in that comfortable silence once more, just observing the two dogs and their playful frolicking. After making our way so far down the beach, we finally turned and began to head back. The sun had risen a little higher in the sky and was beating down. It wasn’t scorching hot, but I was definitely feeling warmer than when we’d started off. I would probably want to get a shower in before we met up for whatever else he had in mind. Speaking of which.

I glanced over at him. “So, where are we going after this?”

“Have you ever heard of Catalina Island?”

“Um…I’ve heard it mentioned before, but that’s about it.”

“Well, I’m gonna take you there.”

My eyes widened some. “Really? What kind of things are there?”

“Lots of things.” His eyes danced as he looked my way. “Kayaking, jet skiing, snorkeling, horseback riding, a museum, dance club…golf course.”

“Wow… we won’t be bored, huh?”

He chuckled and lifted my hand, brushing his lips over my knuckles. “Not at all.”

I tilted my head and watched him all thoughtful. “That sounds nice though. I don’t even remember the last time I…rode a jet ski.”

Alex glanced to his watch. “Well, what are we waiting for? How ‘bout we take our pooches back, get cleaned up and I’ll pick you up at one?”

“Okay,” I nodded and sent him a grin. “That sounds good to me.”

“Great.” He matched my grin then together we strolled hand in hand back towards my place.