Nine
NINE
SOLEIL
I slather more sunscreen on Dahlia’s face and legs for the second time since we've been at the beach. She wears a rash guard top, but her porcelain skin burns easily.
“Are you trying to make that child look like a vampire?” Kyle flips her glasses down, eyeing me over the top with judgement.
I place Dahlia’s hat back on her head and let her return to building a sand castle at the edge of our beach towels. “No. I’m trying to protect my precious daughter from skin cancer. Not everyone has tons of melanin and can look like we stepped off the beaches of Malibu like you.”
She smirks and pretends to throw her hair over her shoulder, moving into the glaring sun more. I, on the other hand, crawl further under the cover of the giant umbrella and my hat. You can never be too careful.
We grow silent, enjoying the crash of the waves and laughter as families enjoy the last few days of summer.
“Mommy. Can you come build with me?”
“Of course I can.” I push to my hands and knees and crawl over to where she sits.
I grab a shovel and bucket of my own and we work together to build her a castle fit for a princess. Well, we try to but the sand simply slips away every time we build a little higher.
“I think you may need some more water.” A deep voice has me snapping my head to look at the person whose shadow casts across us.
“Mr. Dare! You’re here?” Dahlia jumps up and throws herself at him.
He catches her with an umph and smiles. His eyes hide behind a pair of dark sunglasses but the rest of him is on display. Behind me I hear Kyle mutter, “Come to mama.” I wave her off behind my back and throw her a subtle finger.
My eyes trail up his body from his toned calves and thighs that disappear under his black swim trunks, to the muscled abs and chest and carved shoulders. His entire body is long and lean and unbelievably gorgeous. I swipe at my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling then stand, brushing the sand off of my butt.
Even though I wear a one piece swimsuit, I feel entirely too exposed. The mustard yellow floral suit ties around my neck and dips low to my belly button, connecting with the vintage style bottoms. The back is completely open and is quite sexy. It’s the whole reason I purchased it. I wanted to feel…something again. I’d been mourning the loss of my life, my husband, and coming to terms with the fact that my marriage was a sham and not the fairytale I thought it was.
“What a surprise finding you here,” Malik says, releasing Dahlia and propping his hands on his trim waist.
“We’re trying to get in the last bit of beach time before the warm weather fades. You must be doing the same,” I reply.
He adjusts his sunglasses, pushing them on top of his head and smiles. “Something like that.”
I hear the clearing of a not so subtle throat. “Mr. Dare. This is my best friend, Kyle.”
“Malik,” he says, winking at me then smiles at Kyle. “Nice to meet you, Kyle.”
She takes his hand and with a voice that makes her sound like a transcontinental actress from the fifties says, “Kyle Peralta. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I can’t help the eye roll that follows because that woman oozes sexiness like most people breathe. Naturally.
He quickly releases her hand and looks down at Dahlia. “So what are we building today?”
He plops down in the sand next to her and her face immediately glows. “Mommy and me are building a castle but it keeps fallin’.”
“Let me take a look.” Malik crouches down like he’s really studying the poorly built structure from all angles. “Just like I suspected. Your foundation is too dry causing it to crack, sweetheart. How about we get these buckets and go fill them with water. I’ll show you how to make an impenetrable castle.”
Dahlia scrunches up her nose and tilts her head. “What’s impennyerable mean?” she asks, fumbling over the word.
“Im-pen-e-tra-ble. It means nothing can break it. Just a fancy word adults use. C’mon. Let’s go. Or rather,” he turns to me, leaning over and looking like a cover model. “Is that okay with you if we walk down to get water? I don’t want to assume.”
“Of course. That’s no problem. She’d probably rather build a castle with her favorite teacher than her construction-impaired mother.” His smile lights up his face and sends a flurry of little fireworks exploding in my belly.
“Be right back,” he tells us, then takes Dahlia with one hand and a bucket in the other as they walk to the water.
“Oh sister. He wants to erect something with you and it ain’t a sand castle.” My head spins and I kick sand in Kyle’s direction. “Honey, I poured on the charm and he barely glanced in my direction. But you…he was already counting the ways to make you cu–”
“Don’t! Finish that sentence. I swear to the heavens, if you say anything to him and embarrass me, I will tell everyone that is not your real nose.”
She gasps and puts a protective hand over her nose. “You wouldn’t.”
I narrow my gaze at her and harden my features. “Oh, but I would.”
We stand in a silent stare off, eyebrows arching and lips pursing in response. “You’re an evil woman, Soleil Brooks.”
“Guess that’s why we’re such good friends, Kyle Peralta.”
“Touché. So,” she continues and pats the towel that I previously occupied. “What’s the plan?”
I sit slowly and look at her confused. “The plan for what?”
“For getting into that man’s bed. It’s time you get back in the saddle, baby girl. It might take a couple of rides, but it’ll come back to you.”
“Ky. Will you please stop? That man is–”
“Fine.”
“Dahlia’s teacher,” I correct. “I can’t get caught in a tawdry affair with him. I’d be shunned.”
“Okay Hester Pryne, by who?”
I throw my hands up. “I don’t know. By all the moms. All the women who lust after him. They’d come for my head. I do not need to be run out of another town. One in a lifetime is enough for me.”
“You were not run out of town. You left to get away from the woman who should have been the one leaving.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to push away the vivid images that still live in my mind of Gene and Meredith. It’s a constant struggle.
“Meredith emailed me again,” I mutter.
“Ugh. What vomit did she spew this time?” Kyle tips her glasses down her nose as she eyes Malik and Dahlia by the water.
“Same crap, different day. Family is important. Please help me fix things. Blah, blah, blah . I didn’t even finish reading it. It’s the same word salad tossed around.”
“She should’ve been the one hit by a car. That heinous twat.”
I snort, covering my mouth and nose, just as Malik and Dahlia come running up to us. They’re laughing and spilling water that sloshes up and over the sides of the buckets. I give Kyle one last warning to keep her mouth shut, and plaster on a smile for my girl.
“What’s so funny?” I ask them.
Dahlia releases her bucket and puts her hand over her mouth as she giggles. “Mr. Dare said a funny joke.”
“Oh yeah?” I turn to Malik who looks at me with the same lighthearted yet lustful smile. “Let me hear it. I’ll be the judge of whether or not it’s funny.”
Dahlia bounces on her toes, tugging on his arm and looking up at him. Malik looks a little embarrassed, but finally lays it on us.
“What did the ocean say to the beach?...Nothing. It just waved.” Dahlia falls to the sand in laughter, holding her stomach and kicking her feet as if it’s the funniest joke she’s ever heard.
I chuckle a little, then a little more as I continue to watch the way my daughter cracks up. It’s such a relief to see her acting like a five year old girl should. She had to grow up a bit too fast when her dad died. It was difficult for her to comprehend at first. But after a few weeks of him not coming home or calling or going to her Jiu Jitsu classes, she finally understood that he was gone and not coming back.
She wept for days upon days once it all clicked. And then moving her away from all that she knew really broke her heart. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I needed a new start. But now that she has taken to Malik, I realize that this is exactly what we both needed.
He meets my eyes and as best as I can, I tell him thank you for giving her the little extra that she needs.
“Alright chuckles. Let’s build this castle. My friends are over there.” He points to the left and I see two gorgeous men, who look more like sketch pads than human, standing with two equally beautiful women. “And that girl with her hair in braids, that’s Dagen. I bet she’ll want to help. She has a little brother and sister about your age.”
“She does? Can I be their friend?” Her little eyes sparkle and shine at the possibility of new friends.
“They live in Texas, but I bet they'll come for a visit. If they do, I promise to let you know.” Malik catches the attention of his friends and motions for them to join us.
I see the guys give each other a look that communicates that they are not in the mood for kids, and the women begin tugging on their arms, dragging them to where we sit.
“Hello. Sorry about crashing your beach day. Mal saw his favorite student and said he just had to see her. I’m Dagen, by the way.” I stand once again and shake her hand.
“Soleil. So nice to meet you and don't worry, you aren’t crashing anything.”
“I’m your favorite, Mr. Dare?” Dahlia has stars in her eyes and absolute joy on her face.
Malik holds his finger up to his lips and says, “Shh. Don’t tell the others.”
We get introduced to the others –Hendrix, Danté and Kinsley– and while everyone works on helping Dahlia build the best sand structure I’ve ever seen, we chat and laugh.
My smiles are genuine, and our laughter is boisterous. Every once in a while, Kyle passes me a look like she’s meeting a new woman for the first time.
I wonder if this is what healing feels like? If so, I want more of it.