Summer Desires

by Emily King

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’d been thinking of expanding and this will be a great way to do it.” She paused and smiled. “And I’m pre-approved for a loan.”

  Amy smiled back. “I think I’m going to like doing business with you.” She raised her glass, waiting for Aurora to do the same, and then touched her glass to hers. Everyone joined in the toast. Sarah leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek and it gladdened Amy that she was here to share in this good news with her.

  “I imagine everything will be settled by just about the time the junior lifeguard pier jump rolls around,” her dad said.

  She turned to him. “You remember the pier jump?”

  “Of course we remember,” her mother answered. “You were always one of the first ones off the pier. Scared us half to death each time, even though you always did the jump so well.”

  Her dad nodded. “The kids doing the jump this year are lucky that you will be the one to teach them how it’s done.”

  Amy smiled.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarah and Justin wound their way through the maze of beach chairs and beach towels of the crowd gathered on South Coast Beach, searching for an open space from which to watch the junior lifeguards participate in the rite of passage that was the South Coast Beach pier jump.

  “How about over there?” Sarah asked as she spied a patch of sand that still looked spacious enough to accommodate two more beach towels.

  “Good eye,” Justin said, hastening to the empty spot with her.

  Unfurling their towels, they took a seat and joined the rest of the spectators in looking toward the pier. The tall pier was lined with junior lifeguards in their signature red swim trunks or red swimsuits. Amy was up there, too, and with the other instructors, would be supervising the jumps into the water below.

  Sarah knew how thrilled Amy was to be managing her first junior lifeguard pier jump, and Sarah was thrilled for her. Amy had worked hard for her space up there as an instructor and Sarah couldn’t imagine her as anything else. Especially not as a general manager at an auto dealership. Thank goodness the worry about that was over, now that the sale of the dealership to Aurora was finalized. Going on the whale-watching private charter with Amy this evening was going to be a fun way to both celebrate and relax.

  “It’s going to be kind of scary to watch the kids jump from something that high,” Justin said with a shudder.

  “Yes, it really is high. Amy’s mom told me she was barely able to keep from covering her eyes when Amy did the jumps as a kid.”

  “And yet, some of these people around us were crazy enough to bring binoculars for a closer look.” He shook his head as if in disbelief.

  “I wish I had a pair of binoculars, because I know just who I’d zoom in on up there.”

  “Who? Peter?” Justin asked with a teasing grin.

  “No,” Sarah said as she swatted at him. “Amy, of course.” Just the thought of Amy’s toned body tantalizingly revealed in that red swimsuit of hers was enough to drive Sarah to distraction.

  “Oh, hey, I think they’re starting.” Justin pointed up at the pier, where two lifeguards were unlatching and removing a section of the pier railing. From this distant vantage point on the beach, it was hard to identify the individual lifeguards on the pier, but Sarah recognized Amy’s movements and watched as she and the other lifeguard motioned to one of the junior lifeguards to step forward.

  The crowd murmured excitedly.

  “I would be so terrified,” Justin said.

  “Me too,” Sarah said. But if the young girl who stepped forward was afraid, it didn’t show.

  Amy guided the girl through the opening and around to the remaining section of railing, where the girl positioned herself so that she faced out over the ocean with her hands grasping the railing behind her, just as Amy had the night she had leapt from the pier. Amy bent toward the girl to speak, and Sarah imagined that she was giving her some last words of advice and encouragement.

  After barely a moment’s pause, the girl jumped out and away from the pier. Sarah, Justin, and the rest of crowd gave a collective gasp of awe. In the air, the girl brought her arms down by her sides, keeping her legs together and slightly bent as she entered the water with a splash. She resurfaced quickly and Sarah and Justin cheered loudly along with the rest of the crowd.

  The jumps continued, with each jumper waiting for the previous one to swim safely from the area. Hannah, Mandy, and some of her other students and some of Justin’s students were among those who would be jumping, and Sarah was proud of all of them. Some kids took a few moments longer than others before making the decision to jump, which Sarah found completely understandable, but most jumped without hesitation. They were all impressive kids, and Sarah hoped that some of them would grow up to be talented lifeguards like Amy.

  Justin turned to her with a smile. “Looks like your lifeguard taught these kids well,” he said, clearly thinking similar thoughts about the poise and skill of the junior lifeguards during this feat.

  “Yes,” Sarah said. And this time, she felt no uncertainty in response to Justin’s use of the phrase “your lifeguard,” because after her summer together with Amy, Amy did feel like hers now. And Sarah was really looking forward to their date after the pier jump was complete.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Do you think we’ll see some whales?” Sarah asked Amy as they walked down the dock in the late afternoon light toward the small yacht that was to be their private charter for their whale-watching excursion.

  Amy chuckled. “I think I might have heard a question a lot like that on the drive here.” She put her arm around Sarah and pressed a kiss to her temple.

  “Yeah, you might have,” Sarah admitted. She knew she was overly excited about the cruise.

  “The cruise is two hours long, so I think we’ll have a good chance of seeing something,” Amy said.

  They reached the yacht, a sleek white boat that had plenty of windows and that looked like it would give a smooth, comfortable ride on the ocean.

  “Welcome aboard,” said a bearded, gray-haired man who introduced himself as the captain and then introduced his crew members. One was a woman named Nancy who was a marine naturalist. From the extra-welcoming smile she gave them, Sarah had the impression she was family, which made her feel immediately comfortable aboard the yacht.

  Before they left the dock, the captain gave them a brief overview of the boat or “vessel” as he called it. The interior of the boat reminded Sarah of that of an upscale motorhome she had once seen on TV, with high quality and cleverly arranged cabinetry and seating, all of which was firmly fastened in place. She and Amy settled into comfy, built-in, sofa-style seats at a table.

  As the boat got underway, Nancy took a seat near them, telling them about the whales and other marine life they might see. Sarah exchanged excited glances with Amy, even more hopeful that they would see something. After Nancy finished her chat, she excused herself and left the table.

  “Would you care for some refreshments?” The other crew member brought a cheese and cracker plate and then returned with two wine glasses and poured them each a glass of cabernet sauvignon.

  Sarah took in the thoughtfully provided drinks and snacks on the table, the panoramic view of the sparkling ocean and sunny coastline through the windows, and the woman she loved beside her. “I already love this cruise no matter what we’ll see.”

  “I’ll drink to that. I love being here with you.” Amy touched her glass to Sarah’s, and they sipped their wine.

  “Would you like to go out on the rear deck if it’s not too cold?” Amy asked.

  “Yes, it would be fun to feel the breeze for a little while,” Sarah said. She had worn a jacket for the boat ride. Amy had worn a thick, navy blue, quarter zip pullover sweater with a stand collar that looked nice and warm. Not to mention sexy. It brought out her agate-colored eyes and made Sarah want to run her hands through her short, sable brown hair and then kiss her senseless. But she could wait to
do that, for a little while at least.

  They carried their wine outside and took a seat on one of the two small, cushioned seating areas. The breeze was invigorating but not uncomfortable. Amy put her arm around her and Sarah leaned close. The boat must have reached the desired distance from shore, because it was now cruising parallel to the coast. Sipping their wine, they watched the vast sea and endless shoreline.

  Amy turned to Sarah and sighed a happy sigh. “I haven’t felt so relaxed and carefree in a long time. I’ve been so anxious about finding a buyer for my dealership in time to let me keep my job as a lifeguard that I have been worrying for months. But now that the sale is taking place, I don’t have to worry about any of those things any longer.”

  Sarah laid her hand on Amy’s back and caressed her to comfort her. “I imagine it feels like a weight has been lifted from you.”

  “It does,” Amy said. “I thought I might not even get to be there with the junior lifeguards during the pier jump. And I worried that this whale-watching excursion with you might be our last bit of fun this summer before I had to give up being a lifeguard and go back to work at my dealership. Worst of all, I was worried that I would become so unhappy having to go back to my dealership job that my discontent would scare you away like it has other girlfriends.”

  “If things hadn’t gone the way you wanted, I’d like to believe that I wouldn’t have been scared away. I love you too much.”

  “I love you very much, too.” Amy squeezed her hand and looked at her tenderly. “You’ve been by my side during so much of this tough time. I know all of it’s been a stressful experience for you, too, even with it working out. But you believed in me and you stayed.”

  Sarah smiled at her. Things had been stressful, but their relationship was stronger for it. She sipped her wine and then stared contemplatively at it. “You know,” she said, “my friend Justin has a habit of comparing wine and relationships.”

  “Oh?” Amy asked.

  “Yes.” Sarah held up her glass of cabernet sauvignon. “For example, he thinks the cabernet sauvignon of relationships is serious and robust. I’d like to think that our relationship is like that.” She smiled at Amy.

  “Hmm, I like the sound of that,” Amy said. “You know what I’ve heard about a red wine like cabernet sauvignon too?”

  “What?” Sarah asked.

  “That it’s good for longevity,” Amy said with a smile. “I’d also like to think our relationship will have that.”

  Sarah touched her glass to Amy’s. “To longevity.” She took a sip.

  Amy took a sip of her wine also. Then, setting her glass down and collecting Sarah’s glass to set it down as well, she reached for her, gently cupped her face in her hands, and kissed her.

  Sarah savored the kiss and the depth of emotion behind it; the kiss felt like a promise. She was so caught up in it that it took her a moment to register the sound of a large splash some distance from the boat. Amy broke the kiss, clearly registering the sound as well. “Look!” Sarah cried, jumping to her feet and pointing. A whale was rolling playfully in the water, one of its huge flippers sending up a spray of water every now and again.

  “Oh, wow!” Amy stood, too.

  “And there’s another one! See that giant puff of mist?”

  “Yeah! That must be from its spout.” Amy turned to Sarah. “I have my phone with me. Do you want to take some pictures of them?”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll remember all of this with you.”

  “I will too.” Amy smiled.

  Yes, Sarah would remember everything about this summer. And as she gazed at Amy and thought of all the summers and years they would share together, summer felt infinite.

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