"Thank you. For letting me have the kids all summer."
"Look. Just because we're divorced doesn't mean I don't care. They're my kids, too, remember? I want them to have a great summer with their mom. So go. Have fun. And don't be afraid to meet new people," he told her.
"Oh, so you can feel less guilty about having met someone new?" she teased even though it still stung seeing her ex-husband with another woman even after being divorced for two years.
"Okay, that might make me feel a little better, but mostly, I really do want you to be happy, Michelle. It's been two years, and while I don't keep tabs on you, I don't think you've gone on a single date."
"Yes, I have!" she said somewhat defensively.
She was defensive because the grand total of dates she'd gone on was one. She wasn't going to bring it up because it had been an unmitigated disaster, but she had gone out once.
"All right. Fine. It's none of my business anyway. But you're still a very attractive woman. Just be open to the possibility, okay? The kids tell me all the time you're not happy, and maybe finding someone would help," he said in such a kind way it moved her.
"They say that?" she asked now feeling even worse if her kids could tell how miserable she was most of the time.
Michelle Harris tried her best to put on a good front for the sake of her children, but the divorce had really been hard on her. She hated that it bothered her as much as it did, but it still ate at herβa lot. She knew she was a good mother, and she'd done her best to be a good wife. But no matter how hard she tried, her now ex-husband had never seemed satisfied.
She'd learned since the divorce he was the kind of man who would never be happy with one woman, and a part of her wanted to warn this new, younger girl he was dating. But she was an adult capable of making her own decisions, and unless something drastic happened, she'd have to learn about Nathan Harris the hard way just like she had. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any children the next time around to get hurt the way hers had.
Both of their children had always been a little shy, but since the divorce, their 11-year old son, Teague, had become even more withdrawn. He lacked self-confidence and seemed afraid to try anything new or even make new friends. That's why Michelle hoped the summer camp she'd signed him up for while they stayed at the beach house they were renting for the month would be a real boost for him in that regard.
Nine-year old Emma was also shy, and Michelle knew she missed her father a lot. She'd been a daddy's girl all her life, and when Nathan moved it out, it had been just as hard on her as it was on her brother, but for very different reasons. Emma lost her best friend and Teague lost his male role modelβsuch at is was.
"Well, we better get going," Michelle said to her ex. "Maybe you should say goodbye to the kids."
"Oh, right," Nathan said. "Hey, guys! Come here!"
Both of them ran up the steps onto the front porch and gave their father a big hug.
"Can you come visit us at the beach house, Dad?" Teague asked nearly showing signs of excitement.
"Oh, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," he said trying to let his son down easily. "But you'll back in a month, and we'll spend a lot of time together then, okay?"
"Okay," Teague said quietly.
"Daddy? When will you buy us a dog?" Emma asked after her hug.
Nathan looked at his ex-wife who was shaking her head 'no'. He'd promised several times, but never followed through, and now was definitely not the time.
"Well, you see, we need to wait until you get back. At least. We can talk about it again then, okay?"
"You always say that," she told him trying her best not to cry.
"I'm sorry, honey. We'll see, okay? Come on, give me a smile!"
Still too little to resist his charms, Emma finally gave in.
"That's my girl! Okay, you two be good and listen to you mother!"
"We will!" they both promised as they got into the SUV and headed out for the nearly three-hour drive to Copalis Beach on the far-western shore of Washington State that lay ahead of them.
August was by far the nicest month of the year there. It was almost always warm, dry, and sunny, with the occasional hot spell every few years where temps hit the mid-90s for a few days. Even then the mornings were pleasantly cool and just about the only time one might need a jacket or sweatshirt.
The sun was out and it was a gorgeous day as they drove west then south then west again to reach the beaches on the Pacific Ocean's easternmost edge.
The beach house Michelle had rented was as beautiful as the weather, and as one might expect, decorated with a very beach-flavored kind of theme.
"We have bunk beds! Awesome!" Teague said as the kids quickly explored the small, two-bedroom house which was really more of a cottage.
It was actually half a house that was technically a duplex as there was a mirror-image set of rooms separated by a single wall that comprised the entire unit on the other side of that wall.
Michelle was surprised but happy to see there was no other vehicle in the driveway when she pulled in. She loved her privacy, and she needed virtual silence at night in order to sleep. As she went out onto the deck of the second floor, the only sounds she could hear were the cries of seagulls and the occasional crashing of a large wave making her even more certain she'd made a great choice.
"This is going to be perfect!" she said to herself as the kids came tearing up the stairs from the outside and onto the deck.
"Can we go to the beach, Mom?" Teague asked already pleading.
"Can we?" Emma chimed in.
"Um...how about as soon as we get unpacked?" their mother offered.
"Yes!" Teague said as he and his sister went in via the sliding glass door.
Fifteen minutes later they made the 100-yard walk to the beach and the largest ocean on earth.
"The water isn't warm!" Teague shouted after wading in.
"It never gets very warm around here, buddy. This is about as good as it gets!" Michelle called back.
It was around 3 pm, the warmest time of the day, and that made the chilly ocean water bearable as the kids splashed and played while their mom laid out on a large towel and caught some rays.
Having lived in the Seattle area her whole life, Michelle had no real concerns about skin cancer. In fact, the lack of harsh sunlight was one reason she still looked so youthful at 36. Like most people from the western side of the state, she was very, very white to the point of being pale, and a little sun would do her a lot of good.
The fact that no one else was anywhere around made it all the more enjoyable, as Michelle was very insecure about the way her body looked. She'd once been a size 4 but had only recently gotten back into a 10 after struggling with weight and other self-esteem issues since the birth of her second child.
She lost it all within a year after Teague was born, but this time, the extra weight stuck to her like glue, so even though she still looked better than most women her age, she felt like a beached whale laying out in the sun. Wearing a bikini was out of the question, and even in a modest one-piece suit, she still felt very self-conscious.
After an hour, the kids were bored and wanted to go back to the house, so Michelle packed up the few things she'd carried with her and they headed 'home'.
"There's an outdoor shower at the back of the house. Make sure you rinse off all that sand and salt water!" she told them as they ran ahead.
"I got the one on the right!" Teague said as he arrived first letting his sister take the one on their side of the beach house.
Michelle left each of them a towel then said, "Wash all that gunk off then come upstairs and we'll get something to eat, okay?"
She set her things down upstairs then realized she'd left her phone on the table out back when she was handing the towels to her kids. As she walked back down to get it, the kids passed her on her way up. She saw the phone laying right where she left it and walked straight to it and picked it up, grateful no one else was there to take it.
"You shouldn't leave that laying around," she heard a deep male voice say.
Michelle was so startled she yelped.
"Oh, my God! You scared me to death!" she said as she whipped around.