by T. I. Lowe
“From what I’ve gathered, it takes time to loosen uncomfortable knots. And the best way to allow that to happen is, say . . . a date.”
Everyone nodded in agreement as though Sophia had just spewed out profound words instead of hogwash.
Reaching her limit on being teased, Josie snapped at Sophia without thought. “Three years of marriage makes you an expert, I suppose.” Josie was surprised when the brunette beauty practically cowered down in her chair. “Sophia?”
Sophia shook her head. “I’m certainly no expert in that department.”
Opal suddenly tossed Josie her sundress. “Josie, take a walk with August so the two of you can work out the details on that date.”
Opal might have been the easygoing hippie of the group, but when the whimsy ebbed from her tone, Josie always knew it was time to take Opal seriously. At the moment, Josie had no other choice but to take a walk. Something was up with Sophia, and they needed to spare their friend some dignity by not airing any of it in front of August.
After pulling the sundress on, Josie flicked a hand down the beach. “Follow the way.” Resisting the temptation to slap her forehead—lead, not follow—she began stomping away without confirming August was even following. The uneasy churning in her stomach was all the evidence she needed to know he was close.
“The Sand Queens haven’t changed much, have y’all?” August commented as he appeared by Josie’s side, easily falling into step with her.
“What do you mean?” She chanced a glance in his direction.
August shrugged his tanned shoulder and offered a kind smile. “The friendship you three share is quite a special one.”
Josie thought he was going to tease her about their quirkiness, so his compliment took her by surprise. Most friendships tended to fade after graduation, but the three of them continued to genuinely enjoy one another’s company.
“Thank you . . .” She shook her head. “Hard to believe you probably have an entire group of foreign friends now.”
The beach stroll continued as August regaled her with stories about a few friends he’d made during his time backpacking through Europe. She was amazed at all of the traveling opportunities he’d had, as well as the chance to study abroad for most of his college years. August had lived an entire new life so completely different from the docile seaside community life she’d lived since he left six years ago.
“I met my friend Alessio during the International Art Ministry. In between projects, we’d gather some of our friends and go exploring. He’s fluent in Italian and I’m fluent in French, so we tried teaching each other common phrases to make traveling a little easier. Alessio thought it was funny to mess with people by mixing the Italian and French languages. It was hilarious to most of us, but the owner of one of the hostels we stayed at outside of Paris didn’t find any humor in it.”
Josie slid her hands in the pockets of her sundress and searched the sand for interesting shells. “That had to be quite confusing.”
“Madame Faure thought Alessio was cussing at her. Got us kicked out on the streets.” August allowed a little French flair to enunciate the lady’s name before slipping back to his relaxed Southern drawl, completely charming Josie.
“No way! That’s crazy.” She laughed freely, feeling the butterflies die down in her stomach. She’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to August.
“True story.” August grinned while squinting up at the sun, clearly recalling the moment.
“Do you miss Europe yet?”
“Ça me manque un peu, mais pas assez pour revenir.” The words rolled off his tongue with little effort, and it took quite a lot of effort for Josie not to swoon. The man was too charismatic for his own good.
“Okay, show-off, translation please?” Josie pushed her shoulder into his before catching herself.
“I miss it some, but not enough to return.” August stopped to grab a beach ball the wind was stealing away and returned it to a little girl.
Once he was back by her side, Josie commented, “In both languages, that statement is romantic in such a sad way . . .”
“Tu manges toujours du sable?” He cut her a sideways glance. “Does that one sound romantic, too?” His tone was filled with flirty tease.
It most definitely sounded romantic to her, so she nodded. “What did you say?”
August slowed and leaned close to her ear, his heated breath tickling the side of her neck. “Do you still eat sand?”
The shiver he’d elicited forgotten, Josie shoved his shoulder once again. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” The glare Josie tried to deliver turned goofy as she joined him in laughter.
The memory of that sand-eating dare flickered through her thoughts as a wave rolled over her toes. That day years ago, a thirteen-year-old Josie somehow managed to shed her shyness long enough to stand up for herself when a group of local boys told her she was too girlie to surf their waves. She told them she’d eat a mouthful of sand if she couldn’t outsurf them. If she did, they would have to eat the sand. August, not being part of the challenging fools, remained onshore as she proved her place by owning the waves long after each of her competitors crashed.
“I still can’t believe you ate sand.” He smirked.
“Sometimes you have to prove a point.” She shrugged.
The boys couldn’t manage swallowing the sand and ended up spitting it out, so Josie showed them up on that too by taking a mouthful of wet sand and swallowing it. What stood out the most to her about that memory was the awestruck look August had on his face.
“I admire you for that day. You’ve always reminded me of Nan.”
Josie couldn’t help but smile at the mention of August’s adoptive mom. Nan was known as a spunky tomboy, never allowing anyone to tell her she couldn’t do something. “I take that as a compliment. I think a lot of your mom.”
“You should take it as a compliment. Nan is a great woman.” August tipped his head in a gentlemanly gesture before picking up his pace to continue their stroll down the beach.
Josie found her shoulders relaxing and the tension uncoiling from her stomach as they reached the pier. Without prompting, August led her down the wooden planks before sitting on one of the benches near the end. She tilted her head and watched a small cluster of dolphins play around the pier piles below them.
“Tell me something else about your travels.” She kept sight of August in her periphery while scanning the murky water for more glimpses of ocean life.
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. . . . Oh, did you eat anything unusual?”
August groaned, causing Josie to sit up and look over. “I went with a group of friends down to Périgord for an art festival. . . . I ate tête de veau.”
“What is that?” She gave him a dubious look.
August leaned a little closer with his nose scrunched and his top lip snarled. “Calf’s head.”
She gagged. “Why would you eat that?”
“My friends thought it would be funny to tell me it was chopped-up pork loin.”
Josie covered her mouth with her hand, but the laughter escaped between her fingers. “That’s awful.”
“Tell me about it. I’m not an adventurous eater by a long shot either.” His face puckered again before taking on a more curious look. “How about you?”
Her laughter came to a halt. “What about me?”
August nudged her arm with his. “Tell me something new about you since I’ve been gone.”
Josie gazed out over the water, wishing she were eloquent enough to spin some adventurous tale for him, but that was not a gift she had nor was there an adventure to share anyhow.
“Come on, Jo. Don’t go mute on me.” August playfully nudged her arm again, but it didn’t wiggle any words out of her.
There was something on the tip of her tongue that begged her to confess, but she bit down on it until it hurt. Surely August would consider her a nutcase. She wanted to tell him th
at ever since that day with her mom, a fear had set up in her that was so debilitating, she couldn’t go any farther than the front door of the diner some days. That fear constantly told her if she didn’t stay by her dad’s side, something awful was going to happen to him too.
“I teach Sunday school,” she finally blurted when he nudged her the third time.
“That’s great,” August said, his voice sounding sincere.
Josie blinked away the stinging from her eyes and glanced at him. He actually looked impressed and that reassurance was enough to alleviate some of the stiffness from her shoulders. “I enjoy it.”
“Good. You should always enjoy what you do. No sense in doing it otherwise.”
Josie looked away, thinking his comment was more on the lines of advice she actually needed, but she had no choice but to disregard it. Circumstances didn’t allow her any other choice.
Their conversation faded after that as they took in the happenings around them. A few elderly men were having a lively debate while their fishing lines tangled. Two identical-looking toddlers came bouncing down the pier as a teenage boy convinced a naive teenage girl that the dolphins were actually sharks.
With the warm sunshine and sultry breeze blanketing her while the subtle sway of the pier offered its familiar comfort, Josie’s head ended up resting on the firm shoulder next to her before she realized it.
Only a few beats passed before she jolted to her feet in such a spastic manner, it looked like she’d been zapped by an electrical current. “I . . . I’m so sorry.”
“No worries, Josie. Only thing you should be apologizing for is you moved too soon.” August remained stretched out on the bench, completely relaxed with a small smile toying with his lips. “Why don’t you come sit with me for a little bit longer?”
“I’m going to head back.” She turned and scurried down the pier with her flip-flops pattering in an aggressive beat against the wooden planks.
August easily caught up with her, but the anxiety had already erected the walls around her. “Are you okay?”
Steeling herself and taking a deep breath, she nodded. “I’m sorry for acting so silly. . . . It’s just . . . talking to you the other day, after all these years, was such an unexpected surprise. I guess I’m still in shock today.” A nervous laugh slipped out from her wobbly lips.
“You have nothing to apologize for, so knock it off.” August shot her a pointed look. “And to be honest, I’m glad I surprised you by my mere presence.” Teasing took over the pointed look as he bit the corner of his lip.
“You still bite your lip, I see.”
“Yeah. Thought once I removed the lip ring, that habit would stop.” He chuckled.
“Why’d you take it out? And the others?”
“They didn’t fit me any longer. It was time to try on a new look.” He threaded his fingers through his drying black waves of hair.
“I think both looks fit you well, but this one suits you even better.” Josie thought he always carried a distinct grace in each step he took, but there used to be an underlying hint of uncertainty to it. She sensed that he had somehow figured out how to shed it within the last six years. It made her wish she could do the same.
As soon as Opal and Sophia came into view with their heads angled close together, Josie knew a serious conversation was going down. “It was good seeing you again,” she said softly to August.
He seemed to pick up on his dismissal and quickly gathered his board. “I’m going to leave you Sand Queens to it, but I’d be honored if you could attend my art exhibit next Friday night.”
Opal spoke up. “Your uncle’s studio?”
August tipped his head. “Yep. Seven o’clock.”
“Fantastic. Sophia lives out of town now, but Josie and I will be there,” Opal, always the spokeswoman for the trio, answered.
August waved and gave Josie one last measured look before making his way in the opposite direction of the beach.
Josie let go of the confusing feelings he’d stirred and focused on her defeated-looking friend. “What’s wrong, Sophia?”
“Ty moved out.”
The three women grew quiet as the delicate hum of beach life droned on with occasional bursts of laughter from sunbathers and seagulls squawking in protests at their intrusion. Josie knew the young couple had had a rocky year, but she’d not realized it had gotten to that point.
Eventually Josie asked, “How is our little guy taking it?”
“Thankfully he’s still too young to really know the difference. Ty has always been gone so much anyway.” Sophia sniffed and dabbed at the corner of her eye with the corner of her beach towel. “Momma’s been staying the last month with us, so that’s made it easier.”
“Do you mind me asking what happened?” Opal asked just above a whisper.
“Ty doesn’t think I respect him,” Sophia answered, but Josie had a feeling there was much more behind it than that.
“How so?” Josie prompted.
“Y’all know I’m a decision maker. Always have been.” Both friends nodded in agreement. If there ever was a choice that made the girls pause, Sophia was the one to resolve it. “The only decision Ty has ever had to make is when he’s on a football field. That’s been fine and dandy for the last three years, but all of a sudden every time I make a major purchase or decision for our family, he flies off the handle.”
“Aww, babe, maybe all the pressure from his career has him feeling a little helpless,” Josie offered.
Opal nodded. “I think Jo’s right. Didn’t Ty’s shoulder injury have him sitting out almost half the season?”
Sophia fiddled with her wedding ring. “Yeah.”
“And that rookie got enough spotlight time to shine. It makes perfect sense for Ty to be feeling threatened.” Josie nodded her head vigorously, hoping to comfort her friend’s worry.
“Marriage is a lot harder than I thought it would be.” Sophia’s shoulders slumped and a frown tugged her lips way down.
Josie exchanged a worried look with Opal before saying to Sophia, “Well, you’re no quitter, so if anyone can handle it, it’s you.”
Sophia scoffed after a few seconds of silence.
“Have a little faith, my friend. It’ll work itself out.” Opal pulled on her floral-patterned sundress, promptly sending the other two into pack-up mode.
Sophia folded her lounge chair. “But what am I supposed to do?”
“Give him some space to sort it out. In the meantime, lean on Josie and me.”
Josie placed a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “Yes, and several trips to Seashore Creamery for therapy. Doctor’s orders!”
Opal paused in packing up, looking dreamy all of a sudden. “Ooh yeah! They have squid praline on special!” She was close to squealing and the other two were close to gagging with their faces set into grimaces.
“That sounds awful.” Josie wrinkled her nose.
“It’s surprisingly good. You shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“No thanks. I’m going to stick to vanilla with hot fudge.” Josie scooped up two of the chairs, while Opal grabbed the colossal straw bag.
They made quick work of tucking the chairs inside the small shed off to the side of the diner and began walking up the street to the ice cream shop.
Before they arrived, Sophia broke the silence. “Don’t think you’re getting away with not telling us about what happened on your walk with August.”
Josie sighed and looked skyward. “He’s just as charming as he ever was and I’m still just as dorky.”
“Oh, but that’s part of your charm.” Sophia wrapped her arm around Josie’s waist. “I’ll never understand why God didn’t see fit to give me just a few of those extra inches of height he gave you.” She looked up and stuck out her tongue.
Opal skipped inside while the other two paused by the door.
“Oh, but what he didn’t give you in the height department, he made up for in the courage department. Sophia, I look up to you
. You know that, right?” Josie offered her petite friend a warm smile before they stepped into the shop, where Opal was already ordering three samples of squid praline.
After attending the service at Sunset Cove First Baptist Church, Josie headed inland to the Gilbert estate, still wondering why Opal was in such a tizzy about the barbecue. She drove through the open gate and was relieved to spot only a handful of cars. Normally the Gilbert gatherings had too many guests for Josie’s liking. It only took her walking into the giant back garden to have the relief chased away as soon as her eyes landed on one tall, dark, and smiling man.
August was near the grill with several other men. He tipped his head toward her, but thankfully, he didn’t head her way.
Face blushing instantly, Josie raised her hand in greeting before turning away to find Opal in the small crowd, already coming up with a plan to say hey and then make a quick exit. Her reaction to seeing him was embarrassing and she feared even if he stayed in Sunset Cove, the hot flash and sweaty palms weren’t going to fade.
Given the considerable span of time that they had been separated, Josie couldn’t figure out for the life of her why the man lingered in her thoughts. August was like a speck of paint caught underneath her fingernail. Even though it wasn’t visible, she knew it was there. Sometimes it seemed natural to have it there as a part of her. Yet at other times, it worried her to death and she desired to be rid of it altogether.
“I can’t find Opal anywhere,” Sophia grumbled as she walked up to Josie. Little Collin was asleep on her shoulder and looked to be weighing the petite woman down. “You okay?”
Josie shrugged, knowing Sophia could see the effect of being around August written all over her heated face. “I haven’t seen Opal or Lincoln. Those two better not have forgotten about the barbecue.” She was about to take Collin out of Sophia’s arms when her friend’s dad hurried over and beat her to it.
“Thanks, Dad.” Sophia smiled while rotating her shoulder.
Josie gazed at the exquisite backyard, loving how the azaleas were in full bloom—pinks, whites, and reds lined the garden. Several fountains blended in with the murmurings of the guests as they grouped around them. She was admiring the arched trellis dripping with wisteria and ivy when Opal stepped underneath it, still wearing the lace boho dress with flowers pinned in her hair from church, making Josie glad she hadn’t switched her floral print dress for jeans she had stashed in the truck.
