The Kid, the Boss, and the Incorrigible Nanny

Part Twenty

The air was wet and hot. Kid loved the way it felt when the sea breeze slapped her in the face.

There was something so surreal about standing on the beach with her feet in the sand, to smell salt in the air and a pull from the sea. She felt drawn to lie down in the sand and soak up the sun, caught in a lazy haze, and wonder at how the waves rolled ever closer to the shore, then crashing toward her before ebbing away. What adventures could be in store out there on the horizon? Her imagination was out there somewhere, whipping back in forth in the currents.

One moment she was a fish, darting to and fro. Perhaps she was a sea crab, scuttling across the ocean bottom. No, now she was a bird. The salty air danced in her wings.

"I fish!" Aiden shrieked, pulling her out of her reverie.

"You're a fish?"

"I a fish!" He clasped his hands together, a grin parting his cheeks, and waved them in a motion like a tail fin.

Her heart surged. Their imaginations, it seemed, were running in a similar vein.

"He doesn't know how to swim." Adrian laughed behind her.

She jumped slightly. How had he known where to find them? She had been disappointed when they had separated in the hotel lobby. CJ and Sam had to go in search of a swimsuit for the girl — though Kid had a feeling that CJ was mostly looking to get a head start on some shopping — while Adrian and John had been called away immediately into a meeting, leaving Kid and Aiden to settle in to their suite by themselves. Kid couldn't wait to see the ocean, so they had changed into their swimsuits immediately before running down here.

"I guess it makes sense that he wouldn't know how yet." She had to blink a few times to get her eyes to focus on him. There had been so much to take in, she was sure her eyes were as big as saucers.

"There are classes this weekend. They bring in all kinds of vendors for this conference. That way the families won't get bored." He frowned. "Wasn't this on the itinerary I gave you?"

Ah, yes. The itinerary. Kid was sure she'd kept track of it. In fact she was almost positive she knew where it was — at the bottom of her bag in the hotel. She became aware that she was making noise. "Uhh."

Between them, Aiden was jumping into the wet sand by the water's edge and stepping back to see his footprints.

Surprisingly, her reaction didn't seem to frustrate him. "No problem. I can get you another one. You and Aiden are free to enjoy the weekend however you want to. Though swimming lessons are probably a good idea for him."

If it were up to her, Kid would spend the whole trip on the sand. Or even better, she'd go parasailing. Maybe scuba diving. Hold on, she told herself. Slow down. Aiden wasn't likely to be interested in laying on the beach or flying over the water. He probably wasn't old enough to do much of anything except, well, learning how to swim.

And making sand castles! She smiled to herself. She'd always wanted to build one of those.

He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hello?"

She felt her cheeks warm. Her inner monologue had been rambling. "Sorry, what?"

He cleared his throat."I said, John has invited the three of us to share dinner with them this evening. Would you be interested in that? Or, if you'd prefer, I can take Aiden and you can have the evening to yourself."

"Dinner sounds like fun!"

...

There he was.

He was always at these conferences. Michele had known she'd be running into him at some point in the next few days. She smiled at the sight of her friend. He looked rather out of place standing there on the beach in his long sleeved shirt and pants and with his tie tossing in the wind. He was carrying his shoes and socks in one hand.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him out here on the sand. A memory of a younger version of him danced in the back of her mind; shirtless and dark and a smile that said he was looking for trouble. She had missed that version of him, though she admitted to herself that he was even more lovely to look at now than he had been then.

He was smiling now. Not that same smile she'd known so well before, but still nice to see. It had been a while since she'd seen him smile genuinely, no matter how much she had tried to bring it out of him in the past.

And who was the recipient of this oft sought after and seldom viewed upward turn of his cheeks? She slid her gaze off of him and spotted a pale shoulder. A woman?

He hadn't gotten married. She would have known immediately if he had even been showing interest in someone. So it couldn't be a wife then. Was it that other woman who John was married to? Was it CJ? She couldn't remember the name.

Her eyes stilled on him once more. He looked tired. He always looked tired these days. But there was something else there. His body language was... focused but relaxed.

She thought about approaching him but didn't. She knew she'd be seeing him again soon enough.