“I’m sure that’s from the sand.”
“That’s crazy.”
“No, not really. Think about it. Sand is coarse. Actually, it’s teensy leftovers of rocks and minerals.”
“That doesn’t help your toes shine.”
“Actually…” Maeve took three pieces of sea glass from her pocket and held them out for Hailey to see.
Hailey straightened to a stand. “Wow! They look like diamonds and rubies. What are the green ones, Mommy?”
“Emeralds.” Amanda glanced over at Maeve.
“Where’d you get them? At the jewelry store?”
“Nope.” Maeve shook her head. “They are sea glass, and they come in even more colors than that. I found them right out there on the beach.”
Hailey stretched taller as her body tensed with excitement. “Really?”
“Yes ma’am. Which one is your favorite?”
She mulled over the options before finally picking up a green one.
“Years and years ago, that was part of a broken glass bottle.”
“Like trash?”
“Yes, actually it was. This color could be as old as three thousand years ago but most likely is from the 1940s to the ’80s, when soda became popular. They used to bottle lemon-lime soda in bright-green bottles. That broken piece of glass starts out sharp, but when it’s in the sand, the water pushes it back and forth, wearing away all the sharp edges. Eventually, all the ridges smooth until it becomes frosted like this one.”
“That’s why your naked toes are so shiny like they are painted?”
“I suppose it is.”
Shock resonated from Hailey’s lips to her eyebrows. “Mom, I want to have naked toes from now on. Okay?”
“Fine by me. Maybe I’ll try that too. It does look pretty.”
“We can be as pretty as Miss Maeve.” Hailey’s head bobbed up and down.
“That is the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me. You made my day. Thank you, Hailey.”
“It was an accident, but you’re welcome.” Hailey flung herself into Maeve’s arms. “I’m glad I made you happy. I wasn’t even trying.”
11
Thank goodness Amanda had let the kids pick out a few extra books at the library this week. With the high temperatures and humidity, she’d become accustomed to a daily thunderstorm, and that was no problem. She’d started planning the indoor activities around the weather. Good thing, too, because it ended up being nearly three days straight of rain.
They were all beginning to have cabin fever. She’d done her best to keep them busy. They worked on crafts, colored, and even did a science project that turned out to be more of a magic trick with a balloon, water, and duct tape.
She stood at the screen door, the rain falling so hard that it looked like water boiling on the sidewalk. Thunder rolled across the sky.
An hour later, a stream of sunshine flooded the kitchen.
“Hey, guys, it’s raining with the sun out,” Amanda called to the kids. “I bet we can find a rainbow if we look.”
She heard their feet slapping the wooden floors as they ran toward the windows.
“It’s sunshining!” Jesse ran in circles in the house. “Beach!”
He belted it out with such enthusiasm that at first she wasn’t sure if he was hurt or happy. She raced to catch up to him, but his toothy grin was all she needed to see.
“I know.” She grabbed his hands and danced in a circle with him. “Finally. Hooray!”
“Can we go to the beach? Please?” Hailey ran down the hall. “The sun is back.”
“About time,” Amanda commiserated. “I think we’re overdue for a good beach day.”
“And shells!” Hailey threw her hands in the air.
Jesse ran toward his bedroom. “And fun!”
They changed into their swimwear and loaded up their beach gear. The dune was so much easier to walk over after the rain had packed it down. Amanda wondered how much it would cost to run her hose up the dune to water it down when it got so dry and deep that it was like tilling rather than walking. It was probably farther than it looked, but she’d spring for another hose if it would make a difference.
They made record time getting over the dune. It had helped that she’d figured out the bare minimum to bring and still be comfortable. She’d left her chair behind today, opting to sit right down on the sheet. One less thing to carry.
The turbulent waves churned from the storm, tossing white foam into the air. She wasn’t sure if it was the sunshine or the way the beach seemed to mute the waves when she was lying directly on the damp sand that lulled her body into relaxation.
A seagull swooped over. She heard its cries, like laughter, as it joined up with its colony near the water.
Hailey and Jesse danced in the sand, raising their hands toward the birds.
Amanda spotted Maeve walking down the beach toward them before the kids did.
Maeve waved and altered her path from the water to where Amanda was sitting. “Good to see you.”
“You too. I was beginning to think the sun was never coming back out.”
“Oh, July is like that sometimes.” She put her hand on top of her hat, shifting it back a smidge.
“Miss Maeve!” Hailey and Jesse raced across the beach, skidding to a stop near the sheet.
Maeve bent forward to get down to their level. “Well, hello there. How are you two today?”
“Better now that there’s no rain so we can come out and play.”
She raised a finger in the air. “But sometimes good things happen when you’re stuck inside.”
“We colored and read books.” Hailey folded her arms across her chest. “We took some naps, but the days were so long. It felt like forever.”
“Well, I made something for each of you.” She pulled her shell bag forward and dug into the front pocket. “One for you, and one for you.” She handed them each something.
Jesse held whatever it was in the palm of his hand, staring at it.
Hailey held hers by the fishing line tied to the top of it and let it dangle. “It’s Denali!”
“I’m glad you could tell.”
“It’s Denali
