“His name is Nick. He lives two houses down. He’s really nice and very cute,” Beth said matter-of-factly.
Her little sister, Melissa, looked up from her breakfast. “Can I meet him, Beff?”
Beth laughed. Six-year-old Melissa couldn’t pronounce the “th” sound, so it turned into an f. “Sure, Lissa.”
“What are you doing, anyway?” Beth’s mom asked.
“We’re just hanging out on the beach. We’ll probably pick up dinner somewhere. I wouldn’t expect us back until nine-ish or later. I want to get to know him. He seems really cool.”
“Okay, I’m glad you’re making friends. See? Florida isn’t as bad as you thought.”
Just then, the doorbell rang, and both Melissa and Beth bolted out of the room. Beth got to the door first, and she opened it to see Nick. “Hey. Are you ready?” she asked.
“Yep, I am.” He looked at Melissa. “Who’s this?”
“This is my little sister, Melissa. She wanted to meet you. Liss, this is my friend, Nick.”
Nick squatted down beside the little girl and smiled. “How old are you?”
“Six,” she whispered shyly. “Beff thinks you’re cute.”
“She does, huh?” Nick asked.
“Melissa!” Beth exclaimed, turning a deep shade of red.
“Mom, we’re leaving!” Beth called. She leaned down and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”
“I wuv you, too, Beff. Bye!”
Beth followed Nick out to his car. Even though the beach was basically their backyard, he said he knew of a prettier one. “So how do you like Florida so far?”
“It’s not bad. I miss Minnesota, though.”
“Did you leave a boyfriend behind?”
She laughed. “Yeah, right! I’ve had a rough time with guys…” she trailed off.
“Anything you want to share?”
“No, I’d rather not talk about it.” She quickly changed the subject. “Florida is pretty, though, and I really like the beach.”
They pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car. “Close your eyes. You’ll love this place.”
Nick took her hand and led her along. Eventually, they came to a stop. He watched as Beth opened her big emerald eyes and gasped. The water was a crystal blue-green, and the sky above it was cloudless. The sand was almost white. They were the only two people there. It reminded her of a picture of a tropical island. “Gosh, Nick, this is gorgeous!”
They spread their towels out, and Beth stripped down to her swimsuit. Her wavy brown hair fell just past her tan shoulders. She was wearing a pink swimsuit with short bottoms instead of bikini, not that she didn’t have the shape for bikinis. Nick couldn’t take his eyes off her. Luckily, she wasn’t paying attention.
She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and looked at him, snapping him into the real world. “I’ll race you to the water!”