Page 39 of Songs of Summer
“Today’s a beach day. Renee is bringing down a whole setup soon. Tonight, I’ll be making my mom’s famous paella for the neighbors and out-of-towners, which I was excited about, but will now be annoyed about, no doubt.”
“Why?” he asked, already guessing the source of her pending annoyance.
“Because it’s so much work, and when my mom would make it when I was growing up, Veronica would cry at the sight of the langoustine eyes and disappear to her room to get out of helping.”
“Well, I’ll help you. It’s nice of you to make a special dinner for Renee and Jake. I look forward to meeting them.”
“I hear you talking to me like I’m about to break. You can stop, I’m fine.”
“Yes, you said that.”
This time, he risked a smile. Luckily, she laughed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug, even though the arm of the chair dug into his side as he did so.
“I got you,” he reassured her.
“Thanks. I know that.”
She perked up.
“Tomorrow night they’re showingMamma Mia!on the Bay. Saturday night, the wedding; Sunday, brunch.”
Her phone dinged.
“It’s Renee. She’s sending Matt’s girlfriend down with beach blankets—I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.” She looked at Paul curiously.
“Well, I certainly didn’t know.” Paul laughed again.
From her seat by the shoreline, Bea caught sight of a young woman struggling with a pile of blankets at the top of the stairs. She jumped up to help her.
“Want me to come?” Paul asked.
“I guess another set of hands would be helpful, sorry.”
“It’s all good.”
The two did a quick dash across the sand, both wishing they had thought to grab their flip-flops.
“We’re coming to help,” Bea called out when they were just a few feet away. The pile of blankets was blocking the girl’s sight line. Bea grabbed the first few to reveal her face. The young woman looked surprised, as though she had never seen the ocean before.
“It’s beautiful, right?” Bea smiled, acknowledging the young woman’s look of awe.
“It truly is,” the woman agreed.
Paul followed, grabbing more than his share of the pile while Bea jubilantly declared, “Follow me—and keep those flip-flops on!”
Bea and Paul ran across the sand like they were traversing hot coals while the girlfriend walked easily behind them. They both plopped down in their chairs for relief. Bea smiled as the young woman caught up to them.
“I’m Maggie,” she announced, awkwardly reaching out her hand.
“I’m Paul.” He made a feeble attempt to rise back up from the beach chair, leaving Maggie to respond with the requisite “Don’t get up.”
“And I’m Bea. We live catty-corner to Matt and Renee. First time here?”
“Yes,” Maggie answered, still standing, and holding her pile.
“You two are in the same boat,” Bea said, motioning to Paul. “Paul has never been to Fire Island either.” Bea took a towel from her beach bag and laid it out in the sand. “Have a seat. We need a few seconds to regroup.”
She sat, pulling her knees into her chest, and wrapping her arms around them.
