4: Her port in any storm.
The tide had turned, with the sea lapping at our bare feet as we walked hand in hand along the shoreline towards the stone jetty, where children played and boats were moored.
Rick stopped and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun as he looked across the horizon to where the white swell of crashing waves burst upon the rocks off Church Point. "One day," he promised, "I'm going to live in a place like this. Away from everything."
"You are such the romantic," I smiled as I snuggled in close to him, still clasping his hand in mine. And he was. And that was what I loved most about him. It was always about the small things. The things he did without thinking that made you smile.
"What about you?" he asked.
I twiddled my toes, enjoying the feel of wet sand beneath them, "Hmmm, what about me what?"
"What's your 'one day when'?"
To be with you, silly. I go where you go. Isn't that obvious?
"It doesn't matter where I am, what I'm doing, so long as I'm happy," I replied. Life would take me wherever she meant for me to go. He just looked at me and smiled. I was happy now, so, maybe, I had already arrived.
There were groups of people, mostly families with children, spread out along the beach as we just wandered on our way. As we passed them by, some of them began to notice me and look in my direction, pretending not to stare. Men and boys of all ages and I had to bite my lip as so many of them automatically sucked in their guts and stuck out their chests when they saw me glance their way.
"Thank God, you're not wearing a bikini," Rick whispered in my ear, "There'd be a riot."
I gave him a stern look and we both laughed as we walked on.
*
A stiff onshore breeze suddenly caught us by surprise and we twisted away from it, with my summer skirt billowing up around my thighs. I laughed and shrieked as I grabbed at it and tried to pull it down as he let go of my hand and stood back, smiling at my little adventure.
I gave him a look as it exposed my upper thighs, crotch, and backside to all and sundry. "Well, don't just stand there!" I laughed, trying to not attract attention to myself more than there already was. I imagined several onlookers were already reaching for their binoculars or fiddling around trying to find zoom on their mobiles.
He held up his hands. "I'd rather just admire the view," he grinned as I splashed and paddled around bare footed in the shallows.
"Oh, you!" I gasped, finally managing to cover my modesty as I ran up the sand to stand there with one hand pressing down my skirt and the other holding on to my floppy white hat.
Our eyes met and that easy loving warmth passed between us. The way he looked at me made me feel so many wonderful things. I stared boldly back at him as he followed me up the beach to where we had left our basket with our sandwiches and drinks in it.
"Did you like that?" I whispered, teasing him as I sat down on our blanket.
He stood over me, looking down. The sun was high behind him and to me, he was a giant, silent silhouette. I slowly lifted my right leg and ran my big toe up and down his lower left leg suggestively, "Do you like what you see?"
He crouched down and took my bare foot in his hand. He gently rubbed the instep with his thumb as he continued to look at me. "You are magnificent," he said suddenly.
Oh. Oh, now that is absolutely the right thing to say right now. I glowed all over at his words, knowing that he meant every single one of them. I just nodded, feeling slightly, blissfully awkward. That delicious wave of being wanted and belonging washed over me again.
"The other day," he began, "That first time in your bedroom. When we..." he paused, "when we did that thing. Did I do it right?"
That thing. You did far more than just doing it right, Buster.
