Summer Spirit

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Devin wore a look of confusion on her face. "Marc?"

"Dev, you look beautiful. Yes, that locket is terribly missed and you just unknowingly found its owner. Well, its owner's Daddy." He let out a breath.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"That's Kyla's missing locket. The one I thought was in the sand."

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Seriously?"

"Yes and I just now got the big sign I've been waiting for." With that, Marc lifted Devin into his arms, crushing her to his chest, and kissed her with a hunger and ferocity that had her breathless. "Come home with me."

***

"Marcus." Something had shifted in him. His energy felt lighter and yet more intense. Devin was confused by the change of events and needed to understand what was happening before jumping into bed with him. That was not anywhere in her itinerary. "You are acting a little strange. What is going on?" She pulled a little away to search his eyes.

"I gave that locket to Danae. We were so young and crazy in love. We threw caution to the wind and ended up with our baby. The locket was my promise to marry her when she finished school. I took time off from work to be a stay-at-home dad while she worked hard. We knew that if she stopped school then, she never would have gone back. Her mother had her young too and made her promise to finish school. She never had the opportunity and so Danae made the promise and had planned to stick to it." He explained.

"Did she finish?" Devin asked quietly.

"She did. I was so proud of her! I was picking up the engagement ring that morning. I planned an extravagant proposal for that night. That was the day she died. Kyla was only 9 months old." He gulped back tears.

"God, that's so sad. So horrible, tragic. I can't imagine. How do you do it? How do you get through each day?" She saw his shoulders hunch. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk anymore about it."

"No, I need to talk about it. It's time to break my silence. I've been grieving for many long years. If not for Dad's help, I'm not sure how I would have raised that baby alone. I had friends, family members help. I joined a Mommy and Me club; the only dad there, as you can guess. Kyla kept me going and knowing that Danae was with Mom helped."

In that moment, as Marc bared his soul to her, Devin came to four realizations. The first was that this was not the same hot-headed hottie she remembered from way back when. The second; she barely knew this man he had become. The third; something inside her urged her that it was time to reconnect and get to know him. And the fourth realization was the most shocking of all; she was indeed going to go home with him, if not tonight, then before the week was out.

Her phone was ringing and she picked it up. "Momma?" Shay's tiny voice squealed on the other end of the phone.

"Shaylee! How's Momma's girl? Are you having fun with Gramma and Grandpa?" Her voice hitched hearing her baby's voice.

"Yeah. Momma, go bye bye." The little voice said.

"Did you go to the park?"

"Yeah, dog dog."

"Is Grady being a good doggy?"

"Gway, gway."

"Oh Shay, you said Grady. What a smart girl you are. Mommy loves you and misses you."

The little voice started giggling and yay-ing exuberantly. "Momma, gway gway. All done."

The line went dead. She shook her head.

"She just said the dog's name for the first time," she told Marc proudly. He smiled.

Her phone rang again. Her Mom apologized for the baby hanging up on her. They were just checking in and she hoped she was having a great time. She asked if she caught up with any old acquaintances, any male acquaintances in particular. How did her mother know these things? She wondered. Of course, talking about him in front of Marc would have been rude, so she made a non-committal sound and her mom chuckled and said "good for you girl." Then hung up and turned to Marc.

"Marc I have to tell you something," she took his hand and tugged down to sit in the sand with her.

"What's that?"

"The hair donation that I did today was in your Mom's honor," she said quietly, looking at him to gauge his reaction. He blinked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I grow my hair out and every six years, I donate it in your Mom's memory. I first did it a year after we broke up. Your Dad told me about your Mom. I was hurt. You gave me no explanation. You just disappeared! When I learned the reason, I felt awful with how selfish I had been. It just felt right."

"Wow, I don't really know what to say." Marc replied. He looked uncomfortable and Devin knew that he needed time to absorb.

She changed the subject."So, what do you want to do now that the necklace is found?"

Marc answered by grabbing her hand, tugging her up, and pulling her along the sand. He found a big stick and she grinned wide.

"Would you like the honors?" He handed her the stick.

"Wow, does this bring back memories." Memories came flooding back.

***

Devin wore a flirty peasant skirt with her bikini top. Marc seemed to live in board-shorts. He had a larger variety of board-shorts than she'd ever seen before; various colors, patterns, even fabrics. She wondered if he secretly enjoyed shopping and decided she'd like to put him to the test.

The sun had already set and the moon was on the rise. They lay on a beach blanket in each others arms, gazing up at the sky. Marc was coaxing her soft lips apart when Devin abruptly sat up.

"What is it, baby?" he asked, his hands behind his head enjoying the view. She was staring out at the ocean.

"Look at the moon!"

He sat up and joined her. The moon was a huge orange orb that seemed to be floating on the waves like a boat. Neither had ever seen the moon that color or size before.

"That's unreal," he stated. She nodded her head. A bank of clouds was moving in fast, drifting across the face of it. They both watched, captivated by the sky as the clouds began to take shape.

"It looks like an island." He pointed out the different palm trees to her.

"Or a snow-capped mountain," she acknowledged. He nodded in agreement. The clouds changed shape again.

"It looks like --" He said.

"A ship." They said together, eyes meeting, and then quickly focusing on the peculiar cloud.

"I see portholes." He pointed them out to her.

"And people waving from the balcony."

"This is insane. Are we really seeing this?" he questioned.

"It's haunting," she breathed. "It looks like the Titanic."

"Oh my God, it does. But how?"

"I don't know, but I can almost hear the cries for help. Ugh. Kinda creepy." She moved closer to him, looking away from the eerie sky.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from the ghost ship in the sky," he promised as he wrapped his arm around her. The ship disappeared in the mist that had formed as quickly as it had appeared. A dark cloud took its place, blotting out the moon.

"I think that's our cue." Marc stood up, helped her stand, and picked up the blanket. They ran towards the boardwalk, arm in arm.

The rain came pelting down, steam rising from the still-hot sand. Sheets of water came down, making it difficult to see and to run. Lightning lit up the sky.

"What do we do?" she asked, a little panicked, knowing they needed to seek shelter soon. The boardwalk would leave them too vulnerable and his car was parked several blocks away.

"It came on fast, so likely it was will leave just as quickly. Summer storms can be tempests, but short-lived. Maybe we'll get lucky."

They'd made it to the ramp up to the boards.

"I'm not running across there." Devin shook her head. "We'll be the tallest things on the boardwalk," she said vehemently. "Do you think we'll be safe underneath?" She considered their options. While she loved rain, she wasn't a big fan of thunderstorms.

He let her go first. She crouched down and scooted under the shelter. He followed, carefully tossing bottles and cans away with a snort of disgust. With a snap of his wrists he spread the blanket back out. She watched him, curiously.

"It would make more sense to put the blanket on top of us, rather than under us." She said matter-of-factly.

"Are you afraid of a little rain?" His eyebrows quirked up.

"Well no, but it's hard rain and biting," she complained.

"The boardwalk will slow down it's path. Besides, I'll shield you from it." He smiled, his ocean blue eyes sparkling.

"With what?"

Her innocence charmed him. He sat down and gently took her hand and placed a tender kiss on the top. She sat beside him, looking up through the slats, rain dripping down her face. He leaned forward and licked a drop of rain from her cheek. Millions of butterflies beat their tiny wings furiously in her stomach.

"Um." He framed her face with his big hands. "Marc."

"With myself, darling." She wore quizzical look before realizing with delay that he was answering her previous question. "Relax. We're sheltered down here. Just you and me. I love you, Devin." He whispered softly in her ear as he pulled down her bikini strap to kiss her collarbone.

"You do?" She closed her eyes, sighing.

"I do, my fiery little siren. Have you forgotten how to be at home in all nature's elements?"

"I love the rain," she protested.

"You're afraid of the ocean," he pointed out.

"I told you, I was stuck in an undertow as a child. It really scarred me."

"I know what you told me. I have my own theories and my own remedies." His hands traveled down to cup her breasts. "You need to learn to live in the moment."

"Marc. What are you doing?" She tried to wiggle away from him. A loud thunder-clap startled her and she jumped.

"I'm helping you relax. You're so tense." His hands moved back up to her shoulders to massage them. "Haven't you heard the saying, it's just the angels bowling?" His hands rested at the the top of her skirt, then slipped inside the loose waistband.

"That's just silly. It's the collision of the hot and cold air, everyone knows that. I'm not a little girl anymore," she stated proudly, sticking her chest out in the process, right into his waiting hands. He dipped his head down to capture one of her nipples with his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, bringing his leg between hers.

"I'd say that's lucky for me, isn't it?" His eyes danced with mischief as his fingers walked up and down her back, making their way to the front to caress her flat stomach. Her stomach muscles twitched when he followed those caresses with kisses. She looked down to see her skirt was slowly being slipped down her legs.

The storm was moving away, the thunder not as loud, and the lightning farther off in the distance. The rain too, had gentled. She was hot and sticky and now wet and unsure of what to do with all the feelings running through her body.

He had just told her he loved her. Next week they would be going their separate ways. He would be returning to college for his last year and she would be beginning her very first semester. She looked at him. His skin seemed to glisten from the mixture of sweat and rain and he smelled too good. She knew that the chances of a long distance relationship working were slim to none, and didn't want to let any moment pass her by.

She returned his kisses and then crawled out of his reach, hiked her skirt back up, slipped the shoulder straps on, and then ducked under the boardwalk back into the open air. Rain kissed her skin.

"Come dance with me," she invited. He stood up carefully, as he was quite uncomfortable now, and followed her out.

She threw her arms out and twirled around in circles, letting the rain wash away the sand, the sweat, and the nerves. She swayed; she leapt; she ran with abandon.

Her sweet giggle was music to his ears. Watching her, Marc didn't participate. He wanted to enjoy this brief moment of freedom she allowed herself. He could see her walls coming down and was intent on bringing more down.

"Aren't you going to dance too?"

"I'll dance with you." He stepped forward and twirled her in his arms before drawing her body against his and swaying with her to the music of the receding storm. She tucked her head into his neck.

"I love you, too," she whispered. His hold on her tightened slightly. "I want to be with you. But, I'm not ready yet," she told him, nervously.

"Okay." He did his best to keep the strain and frustration from his voice. "It's okay. I'll wait. We can wait. I don't ever want you to feel rushed," he reassured her, stroking her hair.

"I want to assure you that I didn't tell you I love you just to get into your pants. I'm thinking about that of course, but that's not why I said it."

She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"I love you and I'm willing to wait," he promised her. The rain had stopped completely.

"Thank you," Devin said.

"I want to do something while the sand is still wet." She walked forward and found a thin piece of drift wood. She picked it up and he followed her. She began writing in the sand.

"D.B." He took the stick from her and wrote "& M.L," then gave the stick back to her. She drew a heart and he wrote, "In the moment."

***

The flashback ended and Devin looked down at the sand. Marc had taken over the writing, re-creating that moment they shared so long ago, but adding "found." Her eyes teared up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. I'm just thinking about if we had gotten to have that moment. If we had made love the end of our summer together. You know, if things would have happened differently." She said forlornly.

"I've wondered the same, Devin. Believe me, I've had a lot of time to think about things. But that was the past. Our past experiences shape us. Who knows, if things had been different, we wouldn't have our darling little girls. I think it's best not to dwell in the past." Marc handed her the stick and watched her toss it into the sea.

"By the same token, thinking about the future can be maddening and uncertain. Let's live in the moment, like you always used to say to me," she suggested.

"I like the sound of that. We'll think about here and now and not too far beyond." Marc took out a blanket and spread it on the beach, drawing her down to sit with him. They watched the sunset, side by side. He reach out where her hand rested on the blanket and curled his big one around it, just holding it.

**

Devin was surrounded by boys. Well mostly boys and a few men as well; if you could call them that. But she only had eyes for Marcus Lambardski. She learned that Marc's uncle's house was on the larger lagoon perpendicular to her own.

The house wasn't large, but it had an open floor design with a couple of bedrooms and two bathrooms. The thing that held her attention was moored to the dock; a very large, very loud, sleek, black speed- boat. Devin was used to the loud boats in her neighborhood, but this was by far the most impressive one she had seen yet.

She daydreamed about what it would be like to feel the freedom of that boat, the wind whipping her long curling hair around, and riding the waves. Not real waves, mind you. She was terrified of the ocean, but the bay suited her just fine and the boat would cause a wake to be just enough wave-like action for her.

Now she was about to get her chance. She noticed a huge jacuzzi off to the side of the deck, a seeming staple among lagoon homes. Currently in the jacuzzi were several boys and a few lucky, or unlucky girls who had gotten picked up on the boardwalk the night before. They all seemed to be nursing hangovers. A couple of the guys waved her over and she walked up to them.

"Hey you must be Devin. Marc told us about you," one guy said.

"What brings you over here?" another guy asked.

"You want to come in and join us?" A boy smirked at her. She glared at the cute dark-haired boy.

"Marc invited me to go out on his uncle's boat," she said flipping her hair and walking away, not seeing the response of jaws dropping and awe on the jacuzzi occupants' faces.

"Dude, did she just say Marc is taking her out on the boat?" she heard another boy ask.

"Hey, that's not fair. I've been around for a month and have yet to get on that boat," one of the girls grumbled.

"Babe, I've only been on it once and then I had to wash the bottom of it. It's all hype anyway. You want to ride something fast, you come for a ride on my bike. That'll make you smile." The couple agreed with each other and kissed noisily, moaning over the jets as he slid her suit top off, with no care for the rest of the people in the spa.

Devin rolled her eyes, still with her back to the spa. Then her eyes lit up as Marc walked out of the house, a large cooler in his arms, his hair tied back in a pony-tail. He wore a smile on his face as he grabbed a couple of towels and then her hand.

"Are you ready, darling Devin?" he asked, handing her up into the boat. She nodded and looked at the sophisticated controls on the boat's dash, hoping he knew what he was doing.

He saw the tension in her shoulders and brushed his hand down her arm before rooting around and finding a life preserver under the bench.

"For m'lady." He said, handing the flotation device to her.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I'm such a wuss," she blushed.

"It's okay. I'll take care of you though. Don't worry." He tapped her nose, indicated the seat she should take, then slid into the Captain's chair. Putting on the Captain's hat, he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "What do you think?"

"I think you are made for this," she said with seriousness. He smiled back at her.

"Sit back, and enjoy. We won't give this baby juice until we are way out in the bay. So just enjoy the scenery and the ride. Grab a beer or a water if you are thirsty from the cooler. I brought some vittles too." Marc sensed she enjoyed his word play and he was pleased as punch, because it wasn't often an intelligent girl, with a sweet face, cute body, and great personality took interest in him or his words. He was going to hold onto this one, for sure.

"Were you a Boyscout?" she wondered aloud.

"How did you guess?" he turned to look at her, with searching eyes.

"Oh I dunno, you seem ultra prepared in a Boyscout way."

"Yes, I made it to Eagle. But listen, don't tell anyone around here okay? I don't want flack for it." He nudged the boat along the lagoon.

"You should be proud of it. I bet you didn't think it was uncool when it helped you get a college scholarship," she fired back.

"What are you psychic?" He laughed.

"Nah, my cousin just got a Scout scholarship with his Eagle. I was a little bent out of shape because I was a Senior in Girl Scouts and there was nothing comparable offered to me." She huffed and then watched a Mama duck chase after a stray baby duck and smiled softly.

"So this is your uncle's boat? Some of the guys were talking about it. One girl had her nose out of joint about it." She was curious to know what the reactions of the other kids were about.

"Oh did she? That's funny. What did she say?" Marc was thoroughly enjoying this.

"Um something like 'I've been around for a month now and haven't been invited on that boat.' Then the boy she was with, replied, 'I've only been on the boat once and then I had to clean the bottom of the boat, it's all hype. Don't worry baby, come ride my bike.' Marc roared laughter.

"Ah, good old Jonathon. He's such a whiner and so is his latest fling. Thing is my uncle is the Captain and he is pretty picky about who he lets on the boat, let alone lets Captain her. This thing is an award winner," he said with pride, stroking the side of the craft.

Her eyes went wide. "Have you raced it?"

"I have once. I'm trying to prove to my uncle I can handle her," he said proudly. "Anyway."

"So, have you brought other girls out here?"

"To answer your first question, when my uncle isn't around, I've had a few friends out. But last week I wasn't around, and one of the knuckle-heads, drunken, got a hold of the keys. That is what the sirens were about, if you remember them from Friday night. I'm sure the entire neighborhood heard them."