Sunshine Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The sand was hot and felt wonderful under my feet. I took a deep breath. I loved the smell of the ocean as well as the coconut and pineapple smells of lotions and oils. The lotion in my bag had the same scent and a high protection factor. I was fair and prone to sunburn.

  “Where to?” I asked as I looked over the beach.

  “Let’s go over there,” Darby said, pointing to his right. “There’s an open chair with an umbrella.”

  “You can take the chair,” I said. “I like my towel on the sand.”

  I had packed three swimsuits for the trip and had chosen my favorite to wear today - a midnight blue, strapless, one-piece suit with high-cut legs. Bright pink flowers peeked out from shirring on one side. Darby was wearing board shorts with a colorful tropical print. He looked like he should be surfing big waves off the coast of California instead of sunning here in Florida. He was completely adorable, and I noticed several girls looking his way.

  There were quite a few people on the beach, but it wasn’t crowded. Approximately one hundred yards to our south, a volleyball game was in progress.

  I unpacked my bag, spread out my towel, and sat down. Everything was almost perfect. I couldn’t help wishing for Mick to be here beside me. My phone was in my purse back in the hotel room, so I couldn’t check to see if he had called again.

  Darby had already settled back in his chair and was taking in the sights. His smile appeared permanently plastered on his face.

  I applied my tanning lotion liberally. I smelled like a pina colada. The delicious aroma almost made me want to forego the beach and head for the pool bar, but I was settled on my towel now and allowed the sun to have its way with me.

  An hour later, Darby poked me with his foot and said, “Hey, roll over before you reach lobster level.”

  I was surprised I had dozed off.

  “I’m headed for the volleyball game,” he said. “Want to come?”

  “No, you go without me,” I told him. “I want to turn over for a while and read my book.” I held my bottle of lotion up to him. “Do my back before you go?”

  “Sure,” he said. He knelt down and took the bottle from my hand. The quick massage felt wonderful.

  “Have fun,” I called after him as he loped on down the beach. Once again, girls turned to look at him, and several started walking toward the volleyball game. He certainly wouldn’t have any trouble meeting new people here. I hadn’t even thought about meeting anyone new and wouldn’t have noticed anyone looking at me anyway.

  I hoped I wasn’t burning, and I really needed to cool off. I walked to the water’s edge. Five teenage boys with stand-up paddle boards were on the water directly in front of me. They’d been on the water for quite a while now and were laughing and having a good time. Occasionally a wave would come along that they could actually ride. It was fun to watch them try.

  I waded in up to my knees and splashed water on my arms and legs. I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the waves, smelled the sea salt in the air, and felt the cool water lap at my legs. I walked out until the water was almost up to my shoulders. It felt wonderful.

  The guys began to yell and get excited again. A wave was coming, and it was a surprisingly big one. I turned my back to it, thinking it would just wash over me, but the wave knocked me down and drove me to my knees under the water. I came up sputtering and pushed my hair back out of my eyes.

  A couple of the guys were already coming back out with their boards. One of them pointed in my direction and smiled. I looked behind me, but there was nothing there. I turned back and he was still smiling. I looked down. My right breast had popped out of my suit and appeared to be bobbing on the water. I turned away from the guys and the beach as fast as I could and adjusted my suit. A strapless swimsuit and an unexpected wave were definitely not a good combination.

  I was embarrassed and wondered if anyone on the beach had seen what happened. I made my way back to my towel as fast as I could, pulled my book from my bag, and turned over onto my stomach.

  As soon as I started reading, I wished I had brought something else. The beach didn’t seem the place for Drills, Skills, and Strategies for Racquetball. I was serious about the sport, but not that serious at the moment. I put the book away and settled more comfortably on my towel. The hot sun completely relaxed me.

  I awoke with a start. I had dozed off again. Darby was still with the volleyball players, but it looked like the game was breaking up. The guys with the boards were gone, and I noticed other people on the beach picking up their towels and bags and leaving the beach. I saw someone who I thought looked like the skinny guy from the restaurant. He was hunched over, seated on a towel, and facing the ocean. He wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere.

  I realized the sun wasn’t quite as bright as it had been. I looked behind me and saw there were dark clouds coming in from the east. This would be a late afternoon soaker, as was common in Florida, or it was a front coming in that would bring rain for the evening.

  Just as I finished packing my bag, Darby was back with his big smile and said, “That was a blast! You have to join in next time. I know you’d be great, and you could consider it more training.”

  The raindrops were just starting to come. I looked around and saw almost everyone was off the beach now except the knucklehead skinny guy.