We'd been married for two years. Settling into a new city and, after my husband completed grad school, a new job for him. I'd worked while he went to school for the past two years, so I was taking a break now for at least the coming summer. As it happened my aunt owned a beach house 70 miles from our new city. She spent little time there so usually rented it out. But the last tenants fairly trashed the place.
She was having contractors in, on and off for most of the summer, to set things to right. She asked us if we'd like to stay there and oversee the work until our apartment was ready. Of course, we both love the beach and jumped at the chance. Hubby had to be into work the first three days of the week, but the rest of the time we'd be mostly free to enjoy the shore.
We moved in at the beginning of June. It was still cool but the days were getting warmer and we were happy to be away from the stress of his grad work and my former job. He did have to spend a lot of Thursdays and Fridays working from his laptop. Still, it was pretty much a vacation. I often lay on the beach in either the mornings or afternoons, lazing and listening to the surf. It was not at all crowded yet on weekdays, so I usually had the beach to myself.
On a Monday morning, about a week after we moved in, the first of the contractors showed up. No sense in hanging around, so I was headed for the beach. I knew the workers were coming so I'd covered my rather skimpy bikini with a long beach robe well before they were due. I'm not exactly SI Swimsuit Issue material -- though I'm 5'3" and 110 lbs with smallish but high, firm breasts and (I'm often told) very nice legs -- but you know how guys are.
It was a particularly bright, sunny day. Outside of a middle-aged woman walking her dog, I was alone until about 11:00. A tanned blond man came jogging down the surf line. At first, I suppose because of his tan and very blond hair, I thought he might be a lifeguard. But the trunks he was wearing didn't appear regulation and the guards were stationed a good half mile up the beach. He was medium height and well-muscled, probably about my age. I could see he was thoroughly checking me out as he went by. I lay back and enjoyed the sun.
Maybe fifteen minutes later I sat reapplying sunscreen when I glanced up and saw the jogger returning. When he was just opposite where I was sitting he slowed to a walk and smiled at me. I smiled back without really intending to invite him over. He walked up to me anyway, "Do you mind if I stop for a minute?"
"No," I replied. "That's fine." Okay... I was 24 years old so, naturally, I'd had plenty of men try to pick me up. Still, I was fairly recently married and quite an uptight young woman. I was a bit leery of being alone with a good-looking stranger on a deserted beach, wearing very little. But he was polite, well-spoken and not too obvious about looking at my chest.
We talked easily for twenty minutes or so. I asked him if he was staying nearby. "Yes, with some friends, for just a few days." I was suitably vague about whether I was staying nearby. "Well," he said finally, "I should be getting back. I run most mornings. Maybe I'll see you here again." I occurred to me that I should decide right then and there to skip the beach for a few days.