Summer Desires

by Emily King

  Sarah turned to Peter. “You’re right, I did like seeing that. Amy was great and she’s a natural at teaching the kids.”

  “Yeah,” he said, nodding and smiling. “Let me take you over to her now.”

  “Okay, because I had better have an escort so no one besides John thinks I’m a crazed groupie who might try to rush the stage,” Sarah joked. She wasn’t going to let the discovery about groupies flocking here ruin the lunch she had planned with Amy, but she didn’t know how long she could wait to ask her about why she had been keeping it all a secret.

  Amy turned at the sound of Peter’s voice calling her name. He was walking toward her and Sarah was with him. Sarah’s blond hair was glossy in the sunshine and windblown, as though she might have ridden her bike here. A backpack was slung over one shoulder. “Hi, Sarah!” she called with a smile and a wave and began walking toward them.

  “Hi!” Sarah said, stopping before her with Peter.

  “Is everything okay?” Amy asked. She glanced at Peter and back to Sarah. Everything seemed fine, but Sarah had never come here before.

  “Yes, I just wanted to see you,” Sarah said. “And I brought lunch.” She patted the backpack slung over her shoulder.

  Amy grinned. “It sounds like today is my lucky day, then—I wanted to see you too…and I’m hungry for lunch.”

  Peter chuckled. “It looks like my work here is done—I’ll leave you two to your lunch.”

  “Thanks, Peter,” Amy said. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

  “Yes, thanks again, Peter,” Sarah said.

  “Sure thing.” He smiled, gave a nod, and walked away.

  “So, you brought lunch?” Amy asked.

  “Yes, I brought some of our favorites from the food truck.”

  “Yum!” Amy said with a smile. “Why don’t we walk down the block to where there are a couple of benches with a nice view? With any luck, one will be available and we can eat there.”

  “Sounds great—lead the way.”

  “Here, give me your backpack, and I’ll carry it.” Amy slipped the backpack off Sarah’s shoulder and slung it over her own. She reached for her hand, clasping it, and they strolled the distance to the benches. Both benches were available. They chose one, and Amy handed the backpack to Sarah, who unzipped it and began extracting packages and containers.

  “Here, these are chicken bánh mì,” Sarah said, handing two paper-wrapped and taped bundles to Amy. “Why don’t you unwrap them while I put together our salad?” She set out a container of green papaya salad and its accompanying container of vinaigrette and little packages of toppings of chopped peanuts and Vietnamese cilantro.

  “Okay.” Amy undid the tape and laid out the sandwiches on top of the wrappers. “Anything for dessert?” she asked hopefully.

  “Of course,” Sarah said. “I got us coconut custard.” She added that to the assortment of food on the bench.

  “You’re awesome,” Amy said, leaning over to give Sarah a kiss.

  Sarah smiled. “And here are some ice teas ,” she said, reaching into her backpack once more and setting out two bottles.

  Amy opened them both and handed one to her. She raised her bottle and tapped it to Sarah’s. “Thanks for going to the trouble to do this. It’s a treat to see you during my lunch break.”

  Amy hadn’t seen nearly as much of Sarah as she would have liked lately, because talking with the media about the pier rescue and about her goal of selling her dealership had been keeping her busy. While the publicity was free, apart from the cost of her time, Amy was finding that the old saying “you get what you pay for” was unfortunately ringing true, because only a couple of people who had contacted her as a result of the publicity seemed legitimately interested in the dealership. But she had just done a TV talk show, so that should attract more interest. And there were still the ads she had placed in the trade journals, which should also attract interest.

  “You’re welcome.” Sarah smiled. “It’s a treat for me, too, and it was fun to watch you teach. I didn’t know I was going to get to see you do that. I have to admit, it was a little bit of a turn-on for me.”

  “Oh? I didn’t know you liked the stingray shuffle, or I would have demonstrated it sooner,” Amy teased.

  Sarah swatted at her. “You know what I mean. You, striding around on stage, taking charge, teaching the kids. I liked watching you.”

  “I’m glad,” she said. She gazed at Sarah. She had known what Sarah meant. She thought Sarah looked sexy doing most anything. She reached out to caress her cheek.

  Sarah blushed sweetly. “We should eat before you have to get back.” She handed Amy a fork and offered her the freshly tossed green papaya salad.

  She took a forkful and chewed. “Mmm.” The crunchy, tangy salad was always tasty.

  Sarah began to eat, too, taking bites of her sandwich and sharing the salad with her.

  Amy relaxed in the warm sun as they ate. It had been a while since she had felt this free of tension. All of the time spent with the media in the last month and a half had been draining. Too much time spent schmoozing and interacting with demanding strangers always took a toll on her. It was probably one of the reasons that running an auto dealership had never been a good fit for her. She couldn’t imagine going back to that and hoped her recent efforts with the media would result in some more sales leads.

  Sarah looked out at the ocean as she ate and sipped from her bottle of tea, seemingly lost in her own thoughts as well, her long hair gently ruffling in the light sea breeze. Just when Amy was about to ask what she was thinking, Sarah turned to her and spoke. “How come you didn’t tell me you have groupies coming to see you at work?”

  Amy sat up. “Peter told you about that, huh?” Not that it was a secret, but she wished he hadn’t said anything.

  Sarah nodded. “But only because one of the other lifeguards thought I was one of your new fans. Why didn’t you mention what was happening?”

  Amy shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you with it. I know the social media stuff has been stressing you out and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

  “Peter said people have been leaving lingerie and notes for you.”

  Amy shrugged again. “I’ve been trying to ignore all of it and hope that it goes away.”

  Sarah looked down.

  “Hey,” Amy said softly. She gently drew Sarah’s face up with her hand until she was looking at her again. “I’m sorry I kept it from you. You don’t have anything to worry about. You know that, right?”

  “You’re not tempted by all of it?”

  “Tempted by some stranger’s lingerie?” Amy shook her head. “No. You, however, tempt me a great deal.”

  Sarah gave her a small smile.

  Amy leaned closer and kissed her. “If I didn’t have to get back to work soon, I would take you home with me and show you just how much you tempt me.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Amy kissed her again. Those vapid and attention-seeking groupies had nothing on her smart, pretty, and kind-hearted girlfriend. If anything, Amy was worried that the groupies would scare Sarah away from her.

  “Let’s have dessert,” Amy suggested. She handed her a spoon and kept the other for herself. She offered the container of coconut custard to Sarah, who took a spoonful, and then she took a spoonful too. The creamy custard was yummy, just like the rest of the lunch had been. After they finished, they gathered up the empty wrappers and packages from their lunch and put them in the nearby trash can. They started the walk back to headquarters.

  Amy spoke. “I’ve been meaning to ask you—would you come to the Lifeguard Luau with me? It’s in a couple weeks, on the last Saturday of the month.”

  “Sure, I’d love to…but maybe you could tell me what it is?” Sarah gave her a playful smile.

  “Oh, right.” Amy chuckled. It was easy to overlook the details when blissed out from a wonderful lunch and walk along the beautiful oceanfront with Sarah. “The Lifeguard Luau is anot
her of our annual fundraisers. It’s for the junior lifeguard program and our other community recreational activities and outreach programs.”

  “Great, I’d definitely love to go.”

  “Good, it will be fun.”

  Sarah stopped in front of the bike rack at headquarters. “This is me,” she said, gesturing to her bike.

  Amy nodded. She didn’t want her to leave, but the lunch break was almost over. “What about tonight? Are you free tonight?” she asked.

  “Why, what’s tonight? Is there another media thing?”

  “No, tonight is unfortunately how long I have to wait to thank you properly for this surprise visit today,” she said with a salacious grin. “If you’ll let me, that is.”

  Sarah grinned back. “It’s a date.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  From the passenger seat of Amy’s SUV, Sarah watched the multimillion-dollar homes go by on the winding incline to the estate where the Lifeguard Luau was being held. Given the informal title of the event, Sarah had been surprised to learn that it was being held in this opulent area of the city, but apparently a wealthy retired actor who had made his money in beach films allowed his estate to be used each year as the location for this lifeguard department fundraiser.

  Sarah hadn’t been in this area of South Coast Beach since her time with Robin. It felt strange to be driving along these roads on a date with Amy. At least Amy took the curves at a more sensible speed that Robin ever had. Nevertheless, Sarah was clenching her hands to her thighs out of habit. She made herself relax, straightening her fingers and smoothing her dress.

  “Am I driving too fast?” Amy asked. “I’ll slow down.”

  “No, no, I’m fine. Just a little nervous, I guess,” Sarah said, not wanting to mention Robin if she could avoid it.

  “Oh, don’t be. The Luau isn’t anything formal, despite the neighborhood.”

  That might be true, but Sarah was glad she had worn a new dress for the occasion. She had gone shopping, sifting through various sale racks, and had the good fortune to happen upon a side-tie dress in a floral pattern that seemed perfect for tonight.

  Amy, as usual, looked delectable. She wore a pale khaki, tailored linen suit that complemented her fit physique. Under the suit jacket, she wore a white cable knit sweater of a clingy thinness that curved over her breasts and snugged in at her trim abdomen. Sarah was already looking forward to time with her after the event.

  After Amy parked, they walked some distance to arrive at the sprawling estate and followed signs and other attendees to a side gate leading to the back lawn where attendants stood collecting tickets. Polynesian music was playing, live from the sound of it. Amy reached inside her suit jacket and presented two tickets to the attendants, who smiled and welcomed them inside.

  On a large patio overlooking the lawn, a band was set up, with the band members wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis. The lawn was dotted with brightly lit tiki torches and arrayed with tables and chairs. Light green tablecloths covered the tables and each table held a centerpiece of a hollowed-out pineapple base filled with flowers. The whole area was heady with the scent of flowers, and it wasn’t just from the centerpieces. The arbor she and Amy walked under was covered in a fragrant and beautiful flowering vine, and many other flowers bloomed in the lush and verdant yard. “What an amazing yard,” Sarah said.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Amy was admiring a grouping of bird of paradise plants with multiple exotic orange and violet flowers in bloom.

  There were white tents on both sides of the yard. The caterers’ tents were set up on one side. Sarah wondered what was being served in addition to something that likely involved the pineapple from the centerpieces. Next to the catering area, it looked like drinks were being served.

  Amy followed her gaze. “Maybe we should head over and get something to drink. It’s getting crowded.”

  “Okay. What’s going on in those other tents?” She gestured to the opposite side of the yard.

  “That’s the silent auction. Some local businesses and a couple of athletes from the area have donated items and services to be auctioned as part of our fundraiser.”

  “That’s nice of them. Can we check it out later?” There were a lot of people milling around in the tents. There must be some good things on offer.

  “Definitely. There’s always great stuff to bid on. And I’m curious to see how much the new set of performance tires I donated is going to bring in.”

  They got in line for the no-host bar which looked to be offering beer and wine.

  “Sarah! Amy! Hi!”

  They turned around to be pulled into a hug from Justin. “Fancy meeting you here!” He smiled at them. “And you know Ron,” he said, indicating his boyfriend, who smiled and greeted them also.

  “I didn’t know we’d see you here,” Sarah exclaimed happily.

  “I go to the Luau every year,” Ron said, “but this year I get to bring Justin.” He gave him an affectionate smile.

  Sarah smiled at him. Ron was a lot sweeter than the prima donnas Justin usually went out with. She was happy for Justin and hoped his relationship with Ron continued to go well. “We should sit together later,” she said to them.

  “Yes, let’s,” Justin said. “First, Ron and I are going to do a little dancing. I wonder if I can get the band to play some Don Ho. I like ‘Tiny Bubbles.’” He and Ron headed off to the dance area in front of the patio.

  Their confidence at venturing out among what currently seemed to be all heterosexual couples at the dance area impressed Sarah. She watched Justin and Ron for a while as she and Amy continued to wait in line. No one seemed to be giving them more than a glance. Maybe she and Amy would be able to dance, too. “It’s a pretty nice crowd here,” she commented.

  “Yeah, it’s always more pleasant when that’s the case, isn’t it?” Amy said, easily following her train of thought. She put her arm around Sarah and Sarah leaned into her while they continued to wait in line. At the bar, they got glasses of merlot and headed toward the silent auction area.

  On the way over, they ran into some of Amy’s fellow lifeguards and their dates. Amy introduced her and she and Amy joined in the conversation with everyone. With everyone chatting happily, Sarah was glad to see that the sour grapes lifeguard at Lifeguard Headquarters the other week seemed to be the exception as far as jealousy for Amy’s success was concerned.

  As the other lifeguards began talking more about work, some of their dates broke off together and headed toward the silent auction tents, gathering Sarah up with them on the way. Sarah looked back over her shoulder at Amy, who flashed her a smile while she stayed to finish chatting with her coworkers.

  In the tent, Sarah and the other girlfriends began to check out the items up for bid. The first silent auction table seemed to have a sports theme. There was a can of tennis balls autographed by a famous tennis player. One of the women let out an excited cry and wrote down a bid. There was a golf club—a driver—donated by South Coast Beach Country Club, which Robin’s best friend Samantha owned. Out of curiosity, Sarah looked at the value listed on the bid sheet. She sucked in a breath. Who knew a golf club cost that much? It must be something really high-tech. Samantha wasn’t the generous type, so it was unlikely the donation had been made from the goodness of her heart; it was probably an attempt to lure some of the attendees into joining her country club. The next sheet listed a kayaking lesson. That could be fun.

  The women moved onto the next table, and Sarah walked with them. Hmm, a whale-watching excursion. Sarah had seen advertisements for whale-watching tours when she had done some sightseeing along the wharf in another coastal city. She had been interested in going, but the tours were large group tours that involved someone speaking on a microphone to the crowd on the boat. It didn’t seem like quite the experience she wanted, even though she would love to see a whale up close. This excursion, however, was by private charter boat and that interested her more. As to her budget, the minimum bid was steep, but it would be a
lot of fun to go on a boat ride with Amy and have the chance to see a whale. Plus, it was for a good cause. She wrote her name down with the minimum bid on the bidding sheet.

  “Oh, I don’t think that bid is going to last long,” a woman’s voice said.

  Sarah straightened from her writing and found herself face-to-face with Robin.

  Robin smiled unpleasantly at her. “In fact, I know it’s not going to last. Angelique likes whales, too, don’t you, babe?” Robin glanced at the woman standing next to her but didn’t wait for an answer before bending to write in a new bid that was several times the number listed as the minimum raise.

  Sarah felt an all-too familiar tension creep into her body at Robin’s comments. She wanted to walk away and ignore her, but the woman Robin had called Angelique was smiling expectantly at Sarah, so Sarah stayed and introduced herself.

  Angelique shook her hand politely. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, wavy blond hair and a nicely made-up face and was wearing a snug and low-cut red tube dress. Even if Angelique was going to be the one who got to go on the whale-watching private charter, Sarah felt a little sorry for her that she would be going with Robin.

  Robin looked Sarah up and down, no doubt judging her new dress. It was a look Sarah remembered well from her time with her and her friends, who all had the habit of assessing the worth of each other’s attire and trying to one-up each other with the newest trends.

  “Doing okay over here?” Amy asked as she walked over and slipped her arm around Sarah. She eyed Robin, clearly remembering her from the day at the coffeehouse.

  “Fine,” Sarah answered calmly. She didn’t want to give Robin the satisfaction of letting her know that her little snipes were already making her tense. “I was just talking to my ex, Robin, and her girlfriend Angelique. Robin, Angelique, this is my girlfriend, Amy.”