Life has a Plan of its Own

"Do you have a better suggestion than Coligny Plaza?"

He shrugged. "Nope. We can eat and then take a walk on the beach."

I eyed him warily. I had suspected that he'd go off by himself to do whatever, but he was suggesting we walk on the beach...together. Maybe I'd probe.

"Listen, Bo. I'm sure you can find more exciting things to do than walking the beach with me. We're working together, but we're not tied together at other times. I have some reading I wouldn't mind taking care of. Maybe Cutie would enjoy spending time with you."

He laughed. "Eh, I don't know. Let's just get some dinner, and we'll see."

We did just that and were seated in Cutie's area. She recognized us.

"Hey, you two. I'm glad you came back," she said, focusing her attention on Bo, probably remembering last night's tip.

We duplicated last night's order.

"I'm paying tonight since I couldn't argue about it last night."

Bo's eyes met mine, and he smiled. " You're a cute drunk."

"What does that mean?"

"It's plain English. You're a cute drunk."

"I don't trust you again, Bo."

"I suppose I deserve that. But all those giggles, the way you look, the blushes."

"And my boobs hanging out?" After that was said, I wished I could take it back.

"Yes, seeing the non-engineer Lisbet was very stimulating."

I closed my eyes...and our food arrived. Very little was said while we ate. Cutie was surprised when I asked for the check, I think worrying about her tip. While I was digging out my credit card, Bo headed for the restroom. The card was handled, and I signed the slip. As Cutie walked away, she passed Bo, who stopped her, and they talked for a moment.

"So, did you get the date?"

"No. She debated about standing up her boyfriend but decided against it." He looked defeated.

"You tried."

I caught him looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"I didn't ask her out. I thanked her for the good service. I hope you gave her a nice tip."

I hated the grin I was getting as I glared at Bo.

"Ready for a walk on the beach? It'll help settle your food."

Maybe, if the beach was deserted, I could drown him. But then I'd have to do the show alone.

"Sure, let's go."

It was a short walk to the beach, and it was still nice and warm, with a gentle breeze that carried the smell of the ocean with it. Once there, I slipped off my shoes and stowed them in my faithful backpack. Of course, the beach is about the ocean, and I headed down to the water, walking along on the wet sand as the waves gently lapped at my feet. Bo stayed away from the water, content to keep pace with me without getting wet.

I'd been to the ocean a few times and loved just walking along, listening to the sound of the waves, feeling the sand shifting under my feet, and losing myself in a reverie of peace and tranquility. It was heavenly.

"Take off your shoes and get in the water," I said enthusiastically.

"I'm good," he replied.

"This is the beach and the ocean. You need to experience it."

"I am," he answered, smiling at me.

I couldn't resist jumping and splashing a little, trying not to soak my slacks, but only partially successful.

"It's getting dark. We better head back." The sun had just dipped below the horizon.

"Spoilsport," I said, hands on hips.

"Just being practical."

Reluctantly I turned around, and we headed back up the beach and to the car. When we reached the pavement, I stopped, my feet still wet and sandy.

"Give me your foot," Bo said, extending his hand.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Just do it," he said, almost grumbling.

Finally, I did, and he brushed the sand from my foot and reached for a shoe. I found it in the backpack, struggling to keep my balance with my foot in his hand. He carefully put the shoe on my foot and gestured for the other. The process was repeated, and I thanked him. We walked to the car.

Back in our room, we separated to watch different TV shows. I did some reading and climbed into bed when Bo knocked. He took care of his end-of-the-day bathroom things, bid me good night, and left the room. We were developing a comfortable routine, and I was constantly reminded that I had dreaded our being together, but it was working out well.

*****

We'd had two days of intermittent rain, but it hadn't affected the show goers in the least. We were busy all day.

At last, it was Friday evening, and the show had been a huge success for us. We had more inquiries than we could have imagined, and people were ready to finalize deals and purchase our new product.

"What are your plans for our free days," I inquired.

"I haven't decided yet. How about you?"

"I want to head to the beach and read a little."

"And turn that pale skin a little darker?"

"I've got sunscreen. I don't need to be neon red."

"I'm going to explore Savannah for the day. Hope you don't mind."

"Sounds cool. I can walk home from the beach if I need to."

After five days, we had our nighttime routine worked out fairly well. I slept soundly and barely awoke on Saturday morning when he came through the bedroom and closed the bathroom door.

"See you this evening," he said softly as he left the bedroom, to my answering grunt.

With no alarm to wake me, and no more Bo tapping on the door, I slept until eight-thirty. I was anxious to take my shower, get some breakfast, and head to the beach. I had a new book I was anxious to read, the old-fashioned kind with paper pages and words printed on the paper.

I put on my modest two-piece, packed the book and some 50 SPF sunscreen in my backpack, and added the beach towel I'd optimistically brought along. I had two pancakes for breakfast, sugar-free syrup, thank you, grabbed a couple of bottles of water, and was off.

The walk to the beach was only fifteen minutes, and I spread the towel very carefully, slathered myself with the sunscreen, and lay back to read. After five minutes, I knew that wasn't going to work. I saw two youngsters digging in the sand in a futile attempt to build a fort.

"Hey, you two. Would you like to help me out?" I waved to their mother, who was instantly at the ready.

"What do you need?" the boy asked.

"I saw you guys digging, and I came here to read, but I have to lay flat., see." I lay back on the towel. "If I give you five bucks to spend on snacks, would you shovel up a pile of sand that I can use like a pillow?"

"Five bucks?"

"That's too much," mom called.

"I'm miserable like this, so it's worth it."

I moved the towel, and they began shoveling, first the loose dry sand, then the wetter stuff. I was at the edge of the high-tide line, so I had plenty of time. The boy and girl worked diligently, building a sizable pile of sand. I checked my sand pillow.

"Great job, guys," I said to two big smiles.

I dug in my backpack and found a five-dollar bill.

"Thanks so much, you two." The boy took the bill and smiled.

"Thank you," mom yelled as she stood, ready to escort the pair to the snack bar.

I spread the towel and lay back down to read. It was perfect now and well worth the five dollars.

I read for a while, made a trip to the snack bar and a trip to the restroom. The book was as good as advertised, and I didn't want to stop reading.

Suddenly something crashed into my leg, and I dropped the book, losing my place.

"So, so sorry, ma'am," called a good-looking hunk who bent over me, retrieving his soccer ball. "Are you okay?"

I eyed the widening red spot appearing on my leg. I wanted to be angry, but the concerned look on his face as he knelt to check my leg distracted me.

"I hope that doesn't bruise," he said, his baby blues twinkling at me.

"I don't think it hit me that hard."

"I'd hate to damage a nice leg like that."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine," I said, one of my eyes half-closed, which he didn't seem to notice.

"Let me get you a bottle of tea or something to make up for this." His finger touched my leg.

I took off my sunglasses and eyed him sternly. "Why don't you just join your friends for some more soccer while I try to find my place in this book," I said as I shook the sand out of the pages.

He stood. "Enjoy your book, but with a body like yours, you need to show it off in a bikini."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't have a response. He winked and jogged off to his soccer friends.

I decided it was a good time to cool off in the ocean. I snugged my ponytail and headed into the water, surprised at how cool it seemed. Splashing around by myself wasn't very entertaining, so I squatted until I was submerged to my neck, counted to ten, and headed to my towel. I patted myself dry, reapplied the sunscreen, spread the towel, and lay down.

I found my place in the book but quickly realized I was losing the battle to keep my eyes open. The gentle breeze, the sound of the waves, and the warmth of the sun were too soothing to fight, and I drifted off.

I dreamed of being asked the same question about the new product over and over and giving a different answer each time until I heard a noise. I opened my eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

Bo shrugged. "Savannah is boring when you're alone." He stretched out on the sand beside me.

"No Ms. Cutie to keep you company?"

"I had lunch in a nice restaurant and tried my best moves on the very pretty server. All I got were frowns."

I wanted to laugh but somehow restrained myself. I knew Bo wasn't used to having that kind of response from his flirtees.

"How'd you get sunburn on that one spot on your leg?"

"An errant soccer ball."

"I didn't know you played soccer."

"Very funny. I hope it doesn't bruise."

Bo leaned in close. "Don't see anything yet," he said, pressing on the spot.

"You and the college guy."

"Huh?"

"He played with that spot too."

"Well, it's a great leg."

"He said I should be wearing a bikini."

"How'd you answer that?"

"I sent him back to his soccer buddies."

"What if I tell you the same thing?"

"Since I don't believe much of anything you say, no harm, no foul.

"I think you're afraid."

"That isn't going to work either, Bo." It was pretty much true, but I wasn't going to admit it.

"It's true, isn't it?"

I just glared at him.

"Here's the deal, Lis. Right up there on the corner is a shop that sells, among other things, bikinis. You find one you like, and I'll buy it for you."

I closed one eye. "And then what?"

"There's plenty of afternoon left, so you can wear it to the beach."

The smug look on his face was screaming, "chicken, chicken, chicken," and a part of me was rebelling and fighting those words.

"You think I won't do it."

He shrugged. "The offer stands."

I gritted my teeth. "Let's go, Asshole. You're buying me a bikini."

We gathered my gear and headed for the shop, right where Bo had said it was. He held everything while I searched. There were plain-colored ones, flowered, and a multitude of patterns. How could I choose? I knew that white ones could be dangerous, so I ignored them.

I spotted one I liked. It was pink with white hearts and white trim, not the skimpiest one I saw, but people would see a lot more skin than I was used to showing. It was $44.99 and wouldn't break Bo's bank.

"Try it on," he encouraged a little too enthusiastically.

I put it on in the dressing room and nearly gasped. I felt like I was three postage stamps from being naked. A second look suggested I was exaggerating about the postage stamps, so I slipped out of the small room to where Bo was waiting.

"Ho-ly shit," he said. "Best money I've ever spent."

I knew my face and chest were closely matching the bikini.

"You saw me in my underwear that first day, so this is no big deal."

"Believe me, Lis, it's a BIG deal," he confirmed, looking at my chest.

"Let's get to the beach." I was having trouble dealing with all the air touching my bare skin. Bo took hold of my arm.

"What did you have for lunch?"

"I haven't had lunch yet."

"Let's go, then."

"Look, I bought in to going to the beach, not to parading my bikini-clad body all over town."

"Bikini-clad body. Do you know how sexy that sounds, Lis?"

I should have known this wouldn't turn out well. I took a deep breath and just looked at him.

"If you're too timid, we can just go to the beach."

He was playing the chicken card again. But my mind had gone off on a tangent. We were in Hilton Head, where no one knew me. I could do what I wanted, threaten Bo with castration if he breathed a word to anyone, and trash the bikini if things didn't go well.

"Pfft," I said. "Lead on, and don't drop any of my things."

We found our way out of the shop, dodging the incoming customers, and headed along the sidewalk toward several small restaurants. The sidewalk was crowded with people, and I did notice that a number of the women were in bikinis, although several of them had cute little cover-ups that I decided I'd need to look into.

No one seemed to be staring at me, and my smile was returning. Bo's had never left.

At one particularly crowded spot where everyone had bunched up together, I felt a squeeze on one of my butt cheeks. I tried to spin around to check but bumped Bo in the effort. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a guy intently looking in the window of a T-shirt shop.

"What's wrong?" Bo asked, grabbing my arm.

I wasn't about to tell him what had happened. "I just stumbled."

Behind me, I heard, "Come on, Johnny. Catch up." I turned to see a young woman beckoning to the T-shirt watcher.

What the hell was going on? Nerd engineer Lisbet Waterfield just had her ass squeezed by someone's boyfriend while walking along a sidewalk on Hilton Head Island wearing a bikini.

I hoped his squeeze hadn't left a mark, but I couldn't keep from giggling to myself.

"So, how's it going?" Bo interrupted my reverie.

"Good so far."

"Want to eat here?"

"Fine with me," I answered. I could see some empty tables through the window.

It was five past two, and I wanted to get some more beach time. The SPF 50 stuff had done its job since I had no tan lines, but thought I might like to get some. I wasn't sure who I'd share them with except perhaps Aimee, who'd be totally shocked. I'm sure my pervert brother would like to see them too. A few minutes in a bikini, and I was already getting weird.

Since I was at the beach and bikini-clad, I needed to order beachy food. Rather than a pepperoni pizza, I opted for Hawaiian.

"Trying to eat healthy?" Bo snickered as he grabbed a slice of my pizza.

"Hey," I said, trying to retrieve it.

"I'm paying, so I can have at least one piece."

"You're not paying." Here we go again, I thought.

"I have your backpack, and you obviously don't have any money hidden in that little piece of cloth you're wearing, so, yes, I'm paying."

I don't know why I was so fussy about Bo not paying for my food. We were both on an expense account, so it wasn't like it was his money. I hadn't argued much about him paying for the bikini, and that should be from his money. I guess it was because a man paid for a woman's food when they were on a date, and I didn't want even a hint that we were on a date.

Back at work, that would be the laughable story of the day. Bo and Lis on a date. I'm sure they'd guess that was more likely to end in a homicide than in a kiss. Kissing Bo? He was eying one of the servers and her very short shorts.

I could see his lips, though. I took another bite of my pizza.

"You want to go back and show your bikini body on the beach?"

I shook my head one more time. "I just want to go back to the beach and read and get a little more sun."

"If you want some sun, skip that 50 stuff."

We finished my lunch, Bo grabbing one more slice of the pizza to my quiet protests. I'd never admit it, but I was glad he did, as I was too full to finish the whole thing. We headed to the beach, and, this time, I found two chairs that we could use. I'd used the public shower in an effort to get rid of the sunscreen.

I had my book, and Bo was on his phone, checking I had no idea what.

"Plane leaves at four tomorrow."

"I was going to check my ticket, but thanks."

"What are you up to for the morning?"

My antenna was suddenly up and alert.

"Haven't really thought about it." I watched him from the corner of my eye.

"Something to think about. How about a morning swim, lunch, and then a couple of hours in Savannah cruising the shops along the river?"

"With you?"

"Who else?"

Despite my hesitation, it made sense.

"Okay, that sounds reasonable."

"Here's something else that sounds reasonable." Now he was looking at me, and his voice had a different tone to it.

"You can refuse if you want, and it would make sense, but I hope you don't. I'd enjoy taking you to dinner tonight, and it would be a date."

My body trembled just a touch as he finished saying that. A date? Our eyes were locked, and it was a question of who would flinch first.

It was me.

"Okay." Somehow the smile that crept across his face seemed warm and friendly.

"Thank you," he said simply.

"Did I surprise you?"

"A little, I guess."

"I surprised myself as well."

"I understand that, and my hope is that neither of us will be disappointed or sorry."

This was definitely a different Bo than I was used to. Did the skimpy bikini cause that much of a change? I hoped that wasn't it. We had sniped at each other all week in one way or another, but there had never been anger or malice that I could detect. In a way, it had been fun.

"I hope that too, Bo, and I'm not at all concerned about it."

"I have only one humble request," he said, bowing his head toward me.

"And that is?"

"That you wear that fuchsia dress."

"Wish delightfully granted." He'd even remembered what the color was called.

"Again, a thank you to the..." Bo paused and held my eyes with his. "To the beautiful lady," he finished.

If Bo thought I was beautiful, maybe I was. I knew he had always been free with words and compliments and just plain bull. But today, he sounded sincere, and his eyes seconded it.

Buoyed, I stood, kicked off my flip-flops, and strode tall and confident down the beach to the water. I waded in till it was nearly to my waist, then dove under the water. When I stood again, it was nearly neck deep. Cooled off, I headed back to the chair, squeezing the water from my ponytail as I walked.

When I stopped, Bo was gazing at me and gently shaking his head.

"You have always been right there in the office. How the hell could I miss seeing you all this time? At least miss seeing the real Lisbet. With your wet hair, the water beaded all over your body, your gorgeous bikini body, I swear you are the sexiest female I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and knowing."

If blushing could produce tan lines, I'd have them galore. And I had no idea how to reply to that other than just staring at Bo.

"Does it bother you that I said that?"

"I don't know that bother is the right word, Bo."

He chuckled. "I know I have a reputation as a bullshit slinger, but what I just said to you are probably the most sincere words I've ever spoken."

"It's immensely flattering. Bo, because I've never thought of myself that way." I decided to share. "I didn't tell you, but when we were walking along on the way to lunch, a young guy squeezed my butt."

"Lis, why didn't you tell me? I'd have knocked him all the way to get-some-sense-ville. No one squeezes my girl's butt."

"Do you realize what you just said?"

"That I'd pound anyone who squeezed your butt?"

"No, the last part."

"The last part." He thought for a moment. "Oh. Shit. That was kind of cheeky, wasn't it? He lowered his head. "I apologize."

"I wish I had a recording of you saying it to play for the office."