Class was fun, and everyone was in a goofy mood for some reason. We had a lot of laughs, did some yoga, and everyone left with a smile on their face.
River’s video call came in just as I was shaking the sand off my shoes.
“Hey, what time is it there?” I asked. She was three hours behind.
River yawned, and I could tell she was calling me from bed.
“Too early. But I could tell you needed a friend,” she said, giving me a bleary look.
“What would you think if I stayed here? Made Castleton my home base.”
River smiled slowly. “I would say that’s the best decision you’ve made in a long time,” she said, and yawned again.
“Thank you. I just needed to hear that from someone else,” I said, closing my eyes and listening to the crash of the waves.
“That’s what I’m here for. And when I come in September you can show me all around your new home. And I want to meet your woman,” she said.
“You will. It’ll be great. Okay, I’m going to let you get back to bed.”
We exchanged goodbyes and I drove back to the farmhouse for a quick breakfast and a change of clothes and headed over to Piper’s.
“I feel like I live at the beach now,” I joked as we packed up Piper’s car with beach chairs and umbrellas and toys for Preston.
“That sounds like a good place to be,” Howard said, smiling as he shoved a soccer ball into the back of the car. Piper got Preston in his seat and I was with her in the front with Howard and Arthur and Preston in the back.
“I’m gonna catch a shark,” Preston said, and I couldn’t help but laugh as Howard and Arthur debated different methods of shark catching.
“Well, if you’re catching a shark, I’m not cleaning up after it,” Piper said. “It will be your responsibility.” That was directed at Preston.
“I ‘sponsible,” he protested.
I smothered a laugh and Piper winked at me.
It was a job to get the five of us and our stuff onto the sand and then get everything arranged.
Preston wanted to go right for the water with his little bucket to try and catch a shark, and Arthur took his hand and said he’d take him as Howard, Piper, and I settled into our beach chairs to rest after the effort of dragging everything around.
“Before I forget, I wanted to ask you for a favor on behalf of your cousin, Hayden,” Howard said, adjusting his sunglasses.
“I haven’t heard from her in a while, what’s up?” Piper asked. I’d heard Hayden’s name before. She wasn’t really biologically Piper’s cousin, but her parents and Hayden’s parents had been best friends for decades, so they were chosen family.
“Well, she’s ready to be done with her apartment. The lease is up this fall and her roommate moved out and she’s finding it hard to find someone to help with the rent and was barely making ends meet as it is. She works remotely, so what would you think about having her stay with you this fall, just for a few months until she can get back on her feet?”
I looked at Piper and she nodded. “Of course she can stay. I’d love to have her.”
I didn’t say anything. It would be strange having another person at the house with us, but it was Piper’s house. Besides, I was used to having lots of people around.
Howard let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you. That really means a lot. Can you reach out and let her know that she can stay with you? She didn’t want to impose, but I promised her parents I would ask anyway.”
“No problem,” Piper said, typing out a message on her phone. She got an answer a few moments later and then was busy with her conversation.
“What’s Hayden like?” I asked no one in particular.
“Oh, you’ll like her. She works remotely for an accounting firm, but she’s really fun, I swear. She also has a little shop where she sells custom tie-dye clothing and accessories. People send her shirts, she tie-dyes them, and then sends them back. It’s really cool,” Piper said, not looking up for her phone.
“Oh, that does sound cool. Maybe she can do some of my merch,” I said. Custom tie-dye yoga tanks would sell like hotcakes. I could do a limited run of them to go with my Back-to-School Challenge release, and maybe give some away.
“You’ll get along, trust me,” Piper said, looking up and gazing at me through her sunglasses. She took my chin and kissed my lips and my toes curled in the sand.
“Mama, Kenna! I caught a shark!” Preston said, trying to run with the bucket full of water and slopping it everywhere.
“Ohhh, let me see,” Piper said, giving me a look.
“Tiny shark,” Preston said, pointing to the minnow in the bucket.
“Ohhh, yes, I see. Very tiny shark,” I said, looking up at all the adults who were trying not to laugh.
“What are you going to name him?” Piper asked.
“Bruce,” Preston said.
“Of course,” I agreed. “That’s the right name.”
Eventually, we told Preston that Bruce the “shark” needed to go back to his family because he was missing them and we released him back into the water and gave him a dramatic goodbye, complete with Arthur humming TAPS, and Howard saluting.
“That was beautiful,” I said, pretending to wipe a tear.
After the “shark” adventure, everyone was hungry, so we ate lunch, and then I took a walk through the waves with Piper as Preston napped on under the umbrella and Howard and Arthur both read books.
The sun got higher in the sky, and we all decided we’d had enough sun, so we packed up the car and headed back to the house.
“I’ll get him,” I told Piper as I unbuckled Preston from his seat. He was just waking up when I pulled him into my arms.
“There we go,” I said, carrying him into the house. He was still covered in sand, but we could get him in a bath later.
He sighed against my shoulder and snuggled into my neck and my heart was so full that tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
“I’ve got him,” Piper said, taking Preston from me and sitting down on the couch with him.
“We’re going to head back to the cottage and get cleaned up and be back for dinner,” Howard said, gathering his and Arthur’s things.
“Okay, Preston, do you want a bath?”
“Yes,” Preston said, blinking his eyes open, but not taking his thumb out of his mouth.
“This looks like a two-person job,” I said, following them both up the stairs.
While Piper got Preston in the tub and took off his bathing suit, I got him a new outfit and brought it in.
“My son, I don’t know how you have sand in so many places,” Piper said, staring into Preston’s ears.
“Sand, sand, sand,” Preston sang as he splashed in the green water. He wouldn’t have a normal-colored bath now, Piper told me. She’d ordered extra bottles of food coloring online and stored them in the bathroom cabinet.
Piper got him all washed up, as much as possible, and I wrapped him in a towel and made him laugh as I rubbed his arms.
He squealed and darted out of my arms.
“Hey, get back here, little naked boy,” I yelled, chasing him with the towel as he ran and laughed.
“Get over here,” I said as he huddled on his bed. Of course, I had to tickle his belly and make him laugh even more before Piper arrived to help him get dressed.