2. Chapter Two #2
We carry on our conversation for a little while longer, Beth joining in every now and then as she works the counter. It’s not long until I decide to head back to the house to get ready for the beach.
I grab an old tote bag from the closet and toss in a beach towel and sunscreen. I retrieve my only swimsuit from the dresser and quickly change into it before sliding my shorts and T-shirt back over my body.
If I thought the diner was busy this morning, it’s nothing compared to how it is when I come back to meet Raquel and Graham.
There’s a line out the door and wrapped around the porch.
I get dirty looks from the waiting patrons as I squeeze past them to enter the restaurant.
I’m blasted again by the air-conditioning and see Beth in her heyday with customers but don’t bother her.
I spot Raquel behind the counter at the register cashing out.
“Hey!” she says excitedly as she sees me. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.” She offers a warm smile and it calms me.
I nod and go wait by the jukebox for her. I remember playing with it as a kid. I’m lost in thoughts of years past as another red-headed waitress comes on for shift change.
“Ready?” Raquel asks a few moments later, swinging her car keys around her index finger. Graham is following close behind her, carrying a surfboard.
“Hey, Thea.” He nods to acknowledge me, shaking his hair out of his eyes.
“Hey.”
The three of us walk out of the diner, Graham having to maneuver a bit more carefully around the crowd with his surfboard. Raquel digs around in her bag and pulls out a pair of oversized sunglasses. She’s in more relaxed clothes now, jean shorts and an oversized band tee.
“Do you guys want to take my car or walk?” She looks at me and adds, “The beach is about four or five blocks from here.”
“I’m good with whatever,” Graham says, “though walking would probably be better with my board.”
They look at me and I know the decision is mine. “We can walk,” I say, feeling the tightness in my chest start at the thought of getting into a vehicle with people I barely know. “I don’t mind.”
“Okay!” Raquel takes off and Graham and I fall into line behind her. She seems like a happy-go-lucky kind of girl and part of me is jealous of that.
I used to be like that but life has a way of knocking you down sometimes.
“How was the rest of your shift?” I ask them as we walk.
“Not bad,” Graham says. “I stayed busy. Helps the time go by quicker.”
“Honestly, your aunt could afford to hire a few more people,” Raquel says. “I love Beth, don’t get me wrong, but she could use more help. She needs a general manager that’s not her.”
I nod. She could use more employees and give herself a bit of a break sometimes.
“I did make pretty good money in tips, though,” Raquel adds. “So, at least my rent’s paid.”
“Nice. What about you, Graham?”
“Graham doesn’t have to stress about rent.” Raquel turns and grins at Graham.
“I still live at home,” he says, shuffling his surfboard to his other arm. “I help my mom out, so it just makes sense.”
“Have you always lived here?” I ask.
He nods again.
“The weather is gorgeous today,” Raquel says, breaking up the conversation. “It’s going to be a great beach day.”
She’s right. It’s sunny and seventy-five, near perfect beach conditions.
We reach the beach and the two of them take off across the sand.
I struggle to keep up with them, my feet sinking into the sand with each step.
There are families scattered all along the coast, no doubt the beginning of peak season for Driftbay.
We find a spot away from most of the crowd and start to set up camp.
Graham secures the umbrella for us while Raquel strips off her clothes, revealing her black bikini.
I shrug off my shorts and T-shirt and reach for the sunscreen in my bag. I slather my arms and legs in it and am just starting on my neck and face when I hear Graham say, “Here.”
I open my eyes and look at him; his hand is outstretched and he’s waiting for the bottle. I hand it to him cautiously.
“Turn around, I’ll get your back.” He squirts some of the sunscreen into his hands as I turn around.
“Thanks,” I say timidly, feeling goosebumps prickle my skin as his hands work over my back.
His fingers linger a second too long on my skin before he hands me back the bottle of sunscreen.
“Good to go,” he says.
“Thanks,” I repeat, unsure of what to make of this interaction. I notice Raquel giving us a sly smile.
Graham picks up his surfboard and heads out into the water to take it for a spin. I grab my sunglasses from my bag and put them on as Raquel leans down to smooth out her beach towel. A neon green frisbee comes flying out of nowhere and hits me right in the neck.
I’m coughing and sputtering as the frisbee hits the ground at our feet.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Raquel asks. “Who would even do that?” She looks around the beach to find the perpetrator.
I nod as I keep coughing, my hand to my throat.
“I’m sorry.”
We both turn in the direction of the male voice and see a dark-headed man jogging over to us.
Raquel is suspiciously silent as she hands me a bottle of water from her bag. I twist the cap off and take a drink as my breathing returns to normal.
“Sorry,” he repeats as he approaches us. “My buddies don’t have great aim.” He smiles and reveals a set of straight, pearly white teeth. “Hi. I’m Jake.”
I eye him from behind my sunglasses. If the frisbee had not taken my breath away, he definitely would have. He’s tall, like Raquel, has jet-black hair and striking green eyes. They remind me of my mother’s and for a moment, it’s like I’m staring into hers again.
Raquel coughs, bringing me back into the moment and away from thinking about my mom. Jake turns to her and smiles again.
“Hi, Raquel.”
“Hi, Jake,” she says politely. “This is Thea. Thea, this is Jake Osborne.”
“Thea,” Jake repeats. I like how my name lingers on his tongue.
“Pleasure to meet you. And again, sorry about the…” he trails off as he motions to his neck.
He bends down and picks up the frisbee, never once breaking eye contact with me.
He smiles and gives a little wave before tossing the frisbee to his group of friends and jogging back to them.
I stare after him and watch as he and his friends continue their fun.
“You good?” Raquel asks as she sits down on her towel and pulls out her own bottle of sunscreen.
“Uh, yeah,” I mutter, forcing my eyes away from Jake.
I lay my towel out beside hers and sit down while she coats her limbs in sunscreen.
Freckles splatter her entire body. We sit in silence for a few moments before she declares she is going to take a dip.
I hang back, digging my toes deep down into the sand.
I lay back on my towel and let myself relax, my fingers fiddling with my necklace.
I time my breathing to the sound of the ocean waves and for the first time in a while, truly feel at peace.
It’s in this moment that the voice in the back of my head verifies my decision to come to Driftbay.
I never would have found this kind of peace in Seattle.
I lay there for a while, feeling the warmth of the sun wrap around me like a hug. I run my hands through the sand and come across a few lone seashells. I sit up and push my sunglasses into my hair to get a better look at them before I toss them into my beach bag.
I watch as Graham walks out of the water, surfboard in hand. My eyes drift back to Jake and his friends as Raquel frolics along the tide.
I shake my head to physically move my eyes off of him. You don’t have the capacity for a relationship right now, I remind myself. I came to Driftbay to focus on myself and that’s how it needs to stay.
But hey, it never hurts to look.