“A boat ride?”
“Yeah. Mom said we could take it out on the water, and the temperature is gorgeous.”
“Okay. Sure. I’d like that. Let me get my suit. This hot streak of weather is great for swimming and sunbathing.”
“Great minds.” Jules grinned, pulling aside the strap of her sundress to reveal the strings of a bikini.
Erin chuckled as she got up and made her way upstairs to put on her bathing suit. Grabbing her tote, she threw in a beach towel and some sunscreen and headed back downstairs. She found her sister by the back door. “Ready to go?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Jules opened the door, and both women walked through and made their way down the path leading toward the dock and theSilver Bullet. Jules stood at the boat’s steering wheel while Erin untied it. When she was securely seated, Jules started the engine and steered it out to open water.
Erin held her head up to the sun, enjoying the warmth of it on her skin as the wind blew her hair out behind her. Tiny sprays of water brushed her skin, and the scent of the salty water infiltrated her nostrils.
“When did you learn to sail, by the way?” she turned to ask her sister.
Jules looked over her shoulder and smirked. “Aunt Drea taught me a few months back.”
“What, while you were pregnant?” Erin asked, surprised.
“Yeah. She thought it would help with the stress, and it did.”
“Well, more power to you. I’m glad you learned to sail because this is great. Being out on the water with you reminds me of how much I miss doing things like this together.”
“I’ve missed that too,” Jules replied.
Erin shifted her focus to take in the breathtaking panorama of the Olympic Mountains out in the distance. Even though the temperatures were steadily rising as spring approached its last third, the snowcapped peaks still stood out in striking contrast against the clear blue sky. She could just make out a few harbor seals as the boat zoomed across the water. The harbor seals were easily recognizable thanks to their large brown eyes and whiskered snouts just above the water’s surface. An osprey in the distance made an elaborate dive, disappearing from view before emerging with a fish secured in its talons.
Jules cruised along the coast of Camano Island, past many beachfront properties along the shoreline.
“I’m taking the boat around the south side. Aunt Drea said that’s the best place to swim, plus the water’s always the right temperature,” Jules informed Erin.
“Okay,” Erin replied.
The south of Camano was a more secluded spot as there weren’t any properties on that side, just dense forests and high cliffs. However, Erin could see that they hadn't been the only ones with the idea to enjoy the water and good weather this side. There were about three other boats a little way from theirs. The sound of music vibrated through the air toward them. Erin heard a scream. Alarmed, she turned to look for the source when she noticed a group on the ledge of a cliff, and they were diving into the water. She smiled, thinking that she needed to try that sometime.
Ready to take a dip, she peeled off her sundress to reveal her sleek one-piece. She turned to her sister. "Are you ready to go for a swim?"
"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Jules replied, rubbing her arm nervously.
"Why? What's wrong?" Erin stared worriedly at her sister.
"Nothing’s wrong, really. I just thought we'd be alone out here," Jules explained.
Erin looked over at the other boats, then back at her sister. "Jules, they're literally about a mile away from where we are," she reasoned.
"I know, but…" Jules didn't finish her statement; instead, her gaze focused on the arm she was rubbing.
Erin’s brows scrunched together in confusion. "Jules, what’s going on?"
Jules released a long, unsteady breath, her shoulders lowering as if a considerable amount of weight was on them.
“I guess I just don’t feel comfortable with how other people will see my body now. I know it’ll take time to get back to my normal weight before I became pregnant and had Becca, but I can’t help it. I just get so self-conscious when I think about the weight and the stretchmarks, and it feels like people are judging me.” She sat on the hard bench and sighed again.
Erin walked over to her sister and crouched before her. “You’re still beautiful, Jules,” she affirmed, cupping her jaw. “Nothing and no one should make you feel any differently. You literally carried a whole human inside of you. Whatever signs your body is showing of that, it’s also a testament that you are a superwoman.”
A grin finally broke through on Jules’s lips. “Thanks, Sis. I think I really needed to hear that.”
Erin simpered up at her sister. “Anytime,” she said, tapping her index lovingly against Jules’s chin. She rose to her feet then. “Now, let’s go for a swim.”
