Wait for the Rain (14 page)

KC adjusted her baseball cap, this one purple with “NU Soccer” embroidered in white across the bill. She clapped her hands together and began to twist her torso back and forth as Daphne was laying out a large beach towel on the warm sand—and wishing she could lie there with it.

KC pointed about thirty yards down the beach. “Let’s start with some light stretching, and then we’ll do some easy shuttles from here to that rock. Sound good?”

Daphne stood up straight, gave her beach towel a yearning glance, then lifted her arms out to either side. “We’ve already established that I don’t have much of a choice in this particular matter, so I think that’s a superfluous question.”

KC squinted at her. “What’s
superfluous
?”

“Unnecessary. What’s a shuttle?”

“Just a light jog. We’ll do ten up and back, no break in between.”

“Does up and back count as two?”

KC laughed. “No. Now let’s get these vibrant bodies of ours moving. Did you put sunscreen on? Your skin looks a little pink.”

Daphne adjusted her ponytail. “Trust me, I practically took a bath in the stuff. And for the record, I prefer
rosy glow
over
pink
.”

KC grinned. “Okay, just checking. The sun is a wonderful life force, but it can be dangerous. I’m liking that your argumentative side is making a comeback, by the way.”

Daphne smiled as they began to jog.
I’m liking it too
.

Forty-five minutes later, Daphne feared her legs were going to give out. She felt the sweat dripping down her face as she jogged in place, tapping her palms to her knees as KC counted out loud. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this exhausted. In addition to the shuttles and running in place, they’d done multiple sprints, squats, sit-ups, planks, and lunges.

She looked over at KC, her breath heavy. “Are we almost done? I think I might actually collapse in a heap, right here on the sand.”
At least I wouldn’t be sobbing this time.

KC grinned at her. “Almost done, pal. Just twenty more. Come on, you can do it. Watch me. Knees high, knees high.”

Daphne lifted her tank top and used it to wipe the sweat off her face. “I feel like we’re in one of those commercials they show for exercise videos at three in the morning. Not that I watch TV at three in the morning, of course.”

KC laughed, but didn’t stop. “That’s it, just like this. Keep it going, keep it going.”

Daphne did her best to imitate her diminutive friend, who never seemed to run out of energy. “How can you be so cheerful right now? I’m dying!” she squeaked out.

KC didn’t slow down. “You’ll get the hang of it. That’s it, knees high, knees high. Count down with me now, we’re almost done.”

Together they counted backward from ten, then KC clapped her hands together. “That’s it, Daphne; you did it! Nice job!”

Daphne immediately put her hands on her hips and began to walk in small circles, trying to catch her breath. “Oh my God, I’m so glad that’s over.”

KC trotted over and put a hand on Daphne’s shoulder. “Seriously, Daphne, you did amazing. You’re in much better shape than I expected, given the way you were talking.”

Daphne gave her a look. “You think I’m in
shape
? I think I just almost died.”

KC laughed. “Says you. It will be easier tomorrow, I promise.”

“Tomorrow? Are you crazy? There’s no way I’m doing that again tomorrow. I’m already afraid I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow.”

KC shook her head. “I wasn’t planning for us to do
this
tomorrow. The key to staying fit is to mix things up so you don’t get bored. So we can do another workout like this again later in the week. Tomorro
w . . .
I was thinking we could go for a nice run along the beach, or maybe a hike.”

Daphne began walking back toward the house. “Are you trying to kill me? Is that your plan? I always had a suspicion that you never really liked me.”

KC quickly caught up to her and pinched the flesh above her hip. “You finally figured that out, did you? But really, you did great just now, and I love how it’s brought out the fiery side of you.”

“Just think what a bitch I’d be if we lived in the same town.”

KC laughed and adjusted her baseball cap. “I’d have you playing soccer before you knew what hit you. Now let’s go see if Skylar’s done with her call. I’m dying for a smoothie!” She picked up her beach towel and shook it out, then rolled it into a log and trotted ahead toward the house.

A half hour later, Daphne, Skylar, and KC were sitting on a bench at the smoothie place—officially named Bananarama, to Daphne’s delight—each with a fresh, cold drink in hand.

“Delicious,” KC said as she took another sip. “I have zero idea what’s in this, and you know what? I don’t care.”

“What’s yours called?” Daphne asked. “Skylar and I both got a Mango Madness.”

“That’s island speak for
no leaves
,” Skylar added.

KC licked the side of her cup. “Mine is Taste Explosion
.
That’s a pretty accurate description of what’s going on in my mouth right now.”

Skylar studied her mostly orange-colored smoothie. “Can you imagine if these had alcohol in them? Maybe that’s another business we should explore along with the mango sangrias.” Then she looked at Daphne. “So you survived the workout?”

Daphne groaned. “
Survived
being the operative word. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Please, you did great.” KC lightly punched Daphne’s arm.

“Ouch.” Daphne covered the spot with her hand. “I’m fragile, remember?”

KC laughed, then looked at Skylar. “Maybe you can go for a run with us tomorrow?”

Skylar shrugged. “We’ll see. I may have another conference call.”

“For real?” Daphne asked. “Or are you just avoiding the torture chamber?”

“I take offense at that,” KC said.

Skylar sipped her smoothie. “Depends on what I hear from a few people on my team later today. But I’d rather not think about work right now. I suggest we go back to the house and relax on the beach for a while, then shower and head to the center of town for some lunch and shopping.”

“Shopping?” KC did not look thrilled. “What about our deal that was declared null and void?”

“C’mon, tomboy, throw me a bone, okay? I promise it won’t be that bad. Plus, we’re going dancing tonight, remember? Maybe you can find something fun to wear. And I
definitely
want to see you in something girlie for Daphne’s birthday dinner. I’m thinking pink. And flowers. Maybe even a bow. Although I’m kidding about the bow.”

KC ran her fingers over the bill of her baseball cap. “Can I wear this with a dress?”

“Only if you want to be eating alone. Daphne, what say you? You up for a trip into town?”

Daphne nodded. “Sounds good to me, although just to warn you, I may need to sit down on a bench at some point, or maybe lie down when we get back. My body is already rebelling from what I just put it through.” She put a hand on her lower back and grimaced.

Skylar smiled and stood up. “Lying down is what the
beach
is for, my dear. Now let’s get a move on. The golden tan I don’t have is waiting for me to claim it.”

Together they headed back toward the house, flip-flops in hand, their feet ankle deep in the clear water. The sun was hot but not unbearably so, a cool breeze dancing across the shore. There were a fair number of people sunbathing on the soft sand and frolicking in the gentle waves near the smoothie hut and neighboring area, but the farther they got from the hotels marking the center of town, the less crowded the beach became. For a stretch it was just the three of them, and they strolled in a brief yet comfortable silence. As she admired the quiet beauty surrounding them, Daphne thought about what had happened as they’d covered the same route after dinner, how she’d finally opened up—and the sky didn’t come crashing down.

She glanced up at the handful of clouds swirling above them. Were they due for another rainstorm soon?
I hope so.

“Any word from Emma?” KC asked Daphne.

“I got a text. Sounds like she’s having fun, although it makes me nervous that she’s in a different state without me.”

“Try not to worry so much. She’s with her
father
, not a gang of convicted felons. It’s not like she’s going to get into any trouble,” KC said.

“I know, but still, it’s hard. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, when it comes to Emma, I’m kind of a worrier.”

“I can’t believe you have a teenage daughter,” Skylar said. “Did you freak when she got her period?”

Daphne coughed out a laugh. “You have no idea. I’m still a little traumatized.”

KC gestured toward the ocean. “Remember how traumatic going swimming used to be before we started using tampons?”

“I’ve never used anything but tampons,” Skylar said.

KC looked at her. “Even in the beginning? In the beginning I was way too scared to try them.”

Skylar shook her head. “I have older sisters, remember? From day one they refused to let me use a pad, said it was like straddling a surfboard.”

Daphne laughed. “That’s a pretty accurate description. A little too graphic for my taste, but accurate.”

“My sisters don’t sugarcoat things,” Skylar said. “Hard as it may be to imagine, I’m the soft one in my family.”

“Hey, check it out.” KC pointed down the beach to what appeared to be a game of touch football.

The trio came to a stop about thirty feet away from the action, which looked a little rowdy and not all that organized, yet quite fun. A pair of wireless speakers set on a beach towel played reggae music, providing a tropical, low-key backdrop that belied the very American competition playing out on the sand.

“Babe alert,” Skylar said under her breath.

“Which one?” KC asked.

“Take your pick,” Skylar said with a little whistle.

Daphne scanned the group. Of at least a dozen men running here and there, none caught her eye until she spotted a familiar face.

It belonged to Clay Hanson.

She immediately smoothed a hand over her ponytail and found herself wishing she didn’t feel quite s
o . . .
frumpy. Skylar was wearing a pretty green sundress and looked as put-together as ever, but she and KC were still in their sweaty workout gear. She knew it was silly to care about her appearance, but she did.

Sure, Clay was a few years younger than she was, but there was just something about him that made her want to loo
k . . .
attractive.
Or at least more attractive than she felt right then.

She glanced at the tote bag she was carrying. It contained sunscreen, two bottles of water, her wallet, a visor, a pair of sunglasses, and a beach towel. As always, she’d brought an assortment of practical items with her,
mom
items that were of absolutely zero use to her right now. No lip gloss or blusher, not even a hairbrush.

“Now
that
guy’s hot,” Skylar said in a hushed voice.

Daphne looked up from her bag and wondered which one Skylar was talking about. Her eyes surveyed the section of beach the group had carved out as their playing field. A dozen or so shirtless men running across it, barefoot on the sand, most of them appearing to be in pretty good—if not extremely good—shape. Only a couple of them had any trace of a beer belly, and just one of them appeared to be losing his hair. She wondered which ones were married, or if any of them had children. By the time Daphne was in her late twenties, she had a daughter in school, but she knew that wasn’t typical.

The guys were playing seven on seven, all of them horsing around and clearly having a ball, acting like overgrown versions of the kids they weren’t anymore. They were using a bright green Nerf ball, the likes of which Daphne hadn’t seen in years, and which brought back a few childhood memories of her own. During her elementary school years, flag football with a Nerf ball had been a popular lunchtime activity, right up there with Red Rover, dodgeball, jump rope, and marbles. She’d never been very good at flag football or dodgeball, but she’d
dominated
at marbles.

“If they were playing volleyball, I’d swear we’d died and gone to heaven,” Skylar said.