A Summer Affair

Once he re-surfaced, brushing his wet hair back, he smiled and said, "Come on, let's go out a little further." With my hand in his, we walked out a little more. At least until my feet sank into something awful, like gooey quicksand squishing between my toes, that felt like it was sucking at my feet, pulling me down, and I freaked out. When I yelped, and started wriggling around, trying to get away from it, Ewan looked over at me and said, "What's wrong?"

Panic stricken, without even thinking I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He caught me, sliding his hands under my butt to hold me against his chest, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as tight as I could and hung on. Finally, I told him, "I just stepped in something icky like quicksand, and it felt like it was trying to suck me under."

Holding me tight against him, I could see the amusement in his eyes. "Well, then I'd better walk us away from it, so you don't get pulled under and disappear on me."

I wasn't sure if he was teasing me or not, about the being pulled under business, but I knew one thing; I sure did like being wrapped around his nice hard body, chest to chest. As he waded around in the water, holding me close, he looked down at where he was walking until he could see that the bottom was nice and sandy.

Then the way he looked at me, once he lifted his head and stared into my eyes, I felt goosebumps erupting all over again, and I wasn't even cold anymore. When his gaze dropped and he began to study my lips, I could feel my heart pounding, wondering if he was going to kiss me -- really hoping he would.

But he just gave me a playful brush of his nose against mine and said, "It's sandy here, so you should be okay."

I slid off of him, feeling a little silly about being such a girl and squealing over a patch of soft sand. But at least he hadn't teased me, like my ex-husband would have.

Then he said, "Spread your legs, open them up wide." I actually blinked, since that was something I never dreamed of hearing him say.

And before I knew it, he was down on the bottom, swimming between my legs. Then he circled back, came up behind me, got in between them again and lifted me onto his shoulders out of the water. I squealed and laughed as he stood up with me wrapped around his neck, balancing me on his shoulders with his hands on my calves to keep from falling. Then he said, "Okay, now dive off me." When he bent his neck, I held my hands over my head, slid off him and dove under. And god, it was fun. We played together like kids, laughing the whole time as he kept coming out of the water, over and over again with me sitting on his shoulders and then diving off.

Then he surprised me when he just picked me up and tossed me back into the water, with me squealing and laughing like crazy. When I resurfaced, doing my best not to laugh, I narrowed my eyes on him and splashed him right in the face. And when he growled and came after me, chasing me around in the water, I screamed and laughed so hard as I tried to get away from him, until he finally caught me. And then he wrapped his arms around me from behind and held me against him, with my back to his chest, and I could feel my heart pounding. And lordy, when I felt his lips nuzzling my neck, I just stood there and shivered.

And I was so glad now that we'd come out to play, especially with all the touchy feely that was going on.

Then I guess to pay me back for splashing him, he picked me up again, put me on his shoulders and tossed me back into the water. I came up laughing, brushing the hair out of my eyes, and saw that he was laughing just as hard.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd this much fun. It just felt so good to be playing like this with the sun beating down on us, laughing while we splashed around teasing each other, like we didn't have a care in the world.

I don't how long we swam around, chasing each other like that. But was I was ever glad that we'd bumped into each other, or I'd just be hanging out by myself.

Eventually we decided to head back to shore. And I liked that he slipped his arm around my waist as we waded back. It felt really good to be so close to him, like we'd made a little connection.

Standing together back on the shore, we didn't have any towels, but the heat of the sun was doing a good job of drying us off.

I picked my shorts up off the sand where I'd left them, and decided not to put them back on since my bikini bottoms were still wet. Then we stood smirking at each other in our bathing suits, trying to decide what we should do next.

And I really hoped that this wouldn't be it for us. Because now that I knew how much fun he could be, I was kind of hoping we could even just hang out together -- or, maybe a little more than that, if I was lucky.

Then I heaved a little sigh of relief when he said, "You want to have dinner together tonight?"

I nodded, thrilled that he wanted to keep seeing me. "Sure, I can make us something."

"Actually, I was thinking of taking you out. Do you like seafood?"

"Sure, I love it."

"Well, there's this place that does fresh caught local pickerel that's really good, but it's nothing fancy."

I looked down at myself. "Well, all I have to do is get a quick shower and change, and I'll be ready whenever you are."

"How about I walk you back to your cottage, and I can see where you're staying, so I can pick you up."

We walked together chatting, skipping a few stones in the water along the way, and then out of nowhere, Ewan startled me when dove in front of me and caught a soccer ball that was sailing through the air right for my head, and I didn't even see it coming.

Two little dark haired boys, looking contrite walked up to us and said in one voice, "Sorry."

I just laughed. "It's okay, guys. I should have been paying attention and I would have seen it and ducked. Ewan smiled at them, shaking his head as he tossed them back their ball.

"That's the second time you've saved me today," I said, giving him a little nudge with my arm. "First you saved me from being sucked into the bottom of the lake with that quick sand, or whatever it was, and now with that ball that could have rearranged my nose."

He chuckled, looking across at me as we walked. "We wouldn't want that, not when you've got such a pretty nose."

I could feel myself blushing. It had been such a long time since I'd been paid a compliment, even one as lighthearted as that, that I wasn't sure how to react.

I noticed a colorful patch of wildflowers growing at the edge of one of the paths. And when I stopped to look, I said to Ewan, "When my boys were little they used to love to pick wildflowers for me. And I'd put them in a vase and water them every day, to let them know how much I enjoyed them."

Then together we picked a few daisies, a couple of black-eyed susans and some Queen Anne's lace to fill out my bouquet. Ewan smiled and handed me the bunch he'd picked, and I thanked him.

Just up ahead, we started walking up the path toward my sister's cottage, and the moment he looked up and saw it, he remarked, "Wow, nice place."

I nodded and agreed. "It is." It was a very nice tall, grand two story cedar cottage with floor to ceiling windows, a big wrap-around deck that overlooked the lake, and a walk out basement with a huge patio, and a built-in barbecue. "It's a really nice summer home. But to be honest, to me it doesn't really feel much like a cottage. It's got everything; hardwood floors, central air and heating, even a garbage disposal. So I always feel like I've got to be careful not to mess anything up whenever I'm here."

"Well, my place is nothing like this. It's pretty basic, but I like it that way." He tipped his head and looked at me. "So, how about I pick you up on the road side in say half an hour or so, is that enough time?"

"Sure, that's plenty. I'll watch for you."

A half hour later, when Ewan pulled his shiny black Acura into the driveway, I liked that he got out and held the car door open for me. But even more, I really liked the way he was looking at me with his brows raised as he watched me making my way down the stairs. I'd decided on a flirty little pale peach sundress with thin straps that criss-crossed my back, and with my cutest beige sandals -- that I'd decided to pack at the last minute -- just in case I had anywhere special to go.

"Wow, you look nice," he said, smiling into my eyes as I approached him.

And so did he; in a short sleeve navy shirt, that him fit him like a glove with perfectly fitted beige khakis, and his hair a little askew, fresh from the shower -- oh, and that sexy hint of a beard to top it all off. No small wonder he had every mother in the school drooling over him, he was just so good to look at.

And now, I was going out with him -- on a real live date.

EWAN

I couldn't believe that I was actually going out for dinner with Carly Mathison. I had planned to take my time and not rush into anything with her, but damn she was just so much fun to be with. Like when we were out in the water and she jumped me when she felt the soft soil under at her feet. I was so tempted to kiss her when I had her plastered against me with her butt clutched in my hands, and those breasts, so warm and soft against chin. But I knew if I did, I wouldn't have been able to stop at just one kiss.

I also decided when I was holding her in my arms that the shrinkage business from the old Seinfeld episode did not apply when you found yourself with a beautiful woman wrapped around you. Even submerged in cold water I could feel I was getting hard.

Aside from finally getting a chance to hold her, I'd had the best time ever with her today, and I hated to see it end, which was why I asked her out for dinner.

So, now we were going out together on an actual dinner date -- which would be the first for me in almost twenty years.

No pressure, though.

But I forgot about everything the moment I saw her stepping out of the cottage in that pretty dress and sexy strappy sandals. I had to suck in a breath, she just looked so beautiful.

And now, lucky bastard that I am, she was going out with me.

After I took her hand and helped her into the car, I ran around to my side and tried to play it cool, though I could feel my heart nearly beating out of chest.

As we neared the restaurant, I stopped for a minute on a dusty concession road and pointed at a crumbling stone foundation, sitting in the middle of on an overgrown farm. "That was where my McKenzie ancestors had their homestead when they first came to Canada."

Carly turned in her seat so she could see it better over her shoulder. "It's a little sad that that's all that's left of it, though, isn't it? And it looked like it would have been a fair sized house."

I nodded. "It was pretty big. They had at least seven children. My four times great grandfather Duncan McKenzie and his wife Annie came here from the old country around 1800, and they were given a land grant, and all they had to do to keep it was build a dwelling on it." I looked around, like I always did. "They should be buried around here somewhere, but I've never able to find their graves. And I'm hoping if I ever do find them, there might be something on their tombstones that could help me figure out exactly where they came from."

"Oh, I forgot you're into family history, aren't you?"

I laughed, because that was a pretty big understatement. I could spend hours searching the web, or leafing through records at a library or wandering from row to row in a graveyard trying to discover all I could on my family. When they were younger my boys used to groan whenever I'd stop the car at a cemetery, but eventually they got into to it, and they'd get really excited when they found something interesting that was connected to the family. "It's one of my passions. I've traced a lot of my lines back hundreds of years. But it's frustrating when I get to a dead end, especially on my direct line, like this branch. If I could just find out where the McKenzies came from in Scotland, I'd be able to go further back, maybe even another hundred years or more. Unfortunately the name's pretty common, so it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, made up of nothing but McKenzies."

She smiled. "I remember when you taught my boys. For a history assignment they both had to work on their background to create a family tree. And I helped them with the research. But we never got too far on either side. Still, I found it really interesting. Hopefully one day I'll get busy and try to learn a little more about where my people came from."

I turned to face her, tipping my head. "So, what was your maiden name?"

"Sullivan."

"So, your background is Irish?"

She nodded and started to smile. "Yes. That and a few other things, I'm a bit of a Heinz 57. My mother's family were French Canadian on her father's side, the Bouchards, and English on her mother's. And I've got Scottish, German and a few other things in my background, too, from what I've been told."

"Well, if you want I can look into it with you. French Canadian roots are usually really good to trace. Their record keeping was amazing, and in most cases the mother and father's names were recorded as well. So you should be able to get pretty far back on your mother's side."

When she just nodded looking thoughtful, I decided I'd better start up the car before her eyes glazed over from listening to me babble.

But then about a mile up the road, she said, "Wait, Ewan. Stop!"

When I turned to look, all I could see was another overgrown lot. She pointed. "Look in there. Can you see them? It looks like headstones a little ways back. If you look just beyond those bushes, you can just make them out. And it looks like there's a few of them in there, too."

I could feel my pulse picking up, wondering if this could possibly be Duncan and Annie's final resting place, because I'd never noticed those headstones before, though I'd often driven down this road. I probably missed them because I was always the one driving and couldn't see what she'd just seen from the passenger side.

I pulled over and parked on the shoulder of the road, and we both got out. But when I noticed how overgrown the property was, covered with weeds and saplings and a lot of fallen trees -- it looked a little dangerous for someone with sandals to be walking around. So I turned to her and suggested, "How about I go take a look. With you in sandals and a dress it might be hard for you to walk around without scratching up your legs."

Her green eyes sparkling with excitement, she shook her head. "I'm willing to risk it. Now you've got me curious, and I want to see if it's them."

I shook my head and chuckled, pleased to see she was interested, I took her hand and we started to walk in. But as soon as we stepped onto the property, I had to pick her up to help her get over a fallen tree. Gradually we made our way through the bramble, till we were standing in front of a few dozen old headstones. It looked like a family burial plot, since there were no remnants of a church around.

Then I looked at the stone in front me, hardly able to believe my eyes.

Staring me in the face was a big solid, red granite headstone that read:

Duncan McKenzie

Born October 6, 1826

Invershiel Scotland

Died December 5, 1896

His Wife Annie McGregor

Born May 12, 1827

Ratagan Scotland

Died October 8, 1899

Holy crow, it was like finding the Holy Grail! I turned and looked at Carly and she looked as choked up as I felt, as she murmured, "It's them, isn't it?" I just nodded, not sure if I could talk. I'd been searching for them for so long, it felt like a lifetime. And now, thanks to her, I had finally found them.

Suddenly, I felt so giddy I started laughing, wrapped her in my arms, picked her up, and spun us around. It had to be kismet. I'd just told her about them, and then she noticed the tombstones tucked away in here, where I'd probably never have seen them.

It just felt so incredible after all the years of searching to finally be standing looking at my ancestors last resting place that thankfully, as I'd hoped, showed where they were born. And I knew that now, I could check the Scottish records online and go back even further.

I looked into Carly's eyes, and her chest was heaving as my gaze fell to her lips. I leaned in, till we were only a breath apart. But then I shook my head, when reason took over and I pulled back and told her, "The first time I kiss you, is not going to be in a graveyard."

She grinned. "But what about if I kiss you?"

Before I could answer, we both turned our heads when we heard something big crashing through the bush that sounded pretty close, just off behind us.

Carly gasped and her eyes shot open and we both froze. "There aren't any bears in these woods are there?"

My pulse kicked up. I had to get her out. I had to get her in the car. "I'm not sure. But just in case, I think we'd better go. Hang on tight," I told her as I lifted her off her feet, clutched her to my chest and high-tailed back to the car, hopping and jumping over everything in my path like a crazed high jumper who could barely breathe, with her arms squeezed tight around my neck.

Once we were safely inside, I locked the doors and started the engine and both of us let out nervous laughs, after our near escape as we drove off without even looking back.

I glanced over and saw that she was shivering, probably just from nerves. But I still turned on the heat. She looked over at me and blinked. "This has been quite a day. You've saved me from quicksand, a possible disfiguring ball injury and now from being attacked by a bear."

"Or maybe a just deer," I said, chuckling. I patted her leg. "I think we'd better go and get some dinner before a tree falls on us, what do you think?"

She nodded, blowing out a shaky breath. "Good idea."

We'd just been seated outside on the covered patio, overlooking a small sandy beach, admiring the spectacular warm orange-red glow of the sun setting on the horizon, when my phone pinged with a text. When I looked and saw that it was my son Dylan, I told her who it was. I laughed after I read it, and handed her my phone so she could see it, too.

'Hey, Dad. We're in this awesome place called Catania and it's really pretty at night, all lit up. Right now we're looking at Mount Etna, that's so close. And the locals said it could erupt at any minute. Isn't that coolest thing ever?'

Carly winced after she read it. "Yikes."

I just shook my head, smiling at her. "I wonder if I should tell him to google what happened in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted, to see if he still thinks that an erupting volcano would be cool."

Instead, I just took a second and texted back:

"Sounds very cool. Glad you're having a good time. Keep me posted."

"Kids are funny, aren't they?" Carly remarked, as I put down my phone. "I got a call last night from my son Caden. It seems his dad decided to spring his latest girlfriend on them unannounced, on what was supposed to be a father, son bonding trip. And from what he said, they're not exactly thrilled with her. He told me she was his dad's type, though, because she's really hot, and looks like a Barbie doll with about as much grey matter between her ears. According to him, she's dumber than a bag of rocks, and probably has an IQ of about 10.

"They're in Bath right now. And while they were on a tour of the ancient Roman Baths, she whispered to Caden, asking when the Romans would be coming out to take their bath, because that's what she looking forward to the most -- and not looking around at all the old stuff. And of course I just laughed. Oh, and she also wanted to know when they'd be meeting the queen, seeing as they were in England and all. And she told them she'd bought the cutest hat, because she knew the queen was really into hats. Luckily for them their father told them that she was only popping in to join them for a week of their trip. And Caden said she couldn't pop out fast enough for him."