The kids were so excited you’d have thought Paul had put Santa inside the tent too.
“She’s back! She’s back!” Hailey yelled as she ran from the front gate, where she’d been posted on lookout.
“We’re ready.” He gathered them and they all three sat inside the tent. It was starting to get dark, so the twinkle lights were beginning to really show up.
“Would you look at this!” Amanda came around the corner and stopped short of the tent. “This is beautiful. Look at how busy you were while I was gone. Wow!”
“Do you like it, Mommy?” Jesse danced at her side.
“I do. I think you’re going to really like what Paul had me pick up too.”
“What is it?” Hailey asked.
“Guess,” she said.
Paul watched their interactions with pleasure.
“Turtles?” Jesse looked hopeful.
“Nope.”
“More lights. Colored ones!” Hailey’s guess should’ve been no surprise.
Amanda lifted up the shopping bag, then tugged out a giant bag of marshmallows. “S’mores!”
“No way!” Hailey clenched her hands into fists. “Oh my gosh. This is the best night ever.”
“We collected sticks for a fire and everything,” Jesse said.
“Okay, and there’s still more.” Paul went inside and brought the yellow bag out with him. “When it gets dark, we’re going ghost crabbing.” He handed out headlamps and buckets with matching shovels to everyone. “Amanda, you can be in charge of the net. It even has a light on it.”
“My. This is quite an adventure.”
The kids raced around the yard, wearing their headlamps, and Paul and Amanda sat in the tent.
“This is a lot of work. Thank you. It’s really nice.”
“You seem off. Did something happen while you were out?”
“Yeah. It’s stupid.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know why I’m letting it bother me.” She let out a huff, then looked him square in the eye. “I ran into one of the wives from base at the store. She’s here vacationing for the week. She made a comment about us spending time together.”
Paul grimaced. “I mentioned it to Scottie when I saw him. He must have said something. That got around fast. I’m sorry.”
She lifted her hand to stop him. “No. We’re friends. It’s fine. It’s just the way she said it. I felt so…”
The look on her face weighed on him. Why did people have to be so judgy? And what if they were more than friends? It’s what he wanted more than anything. Please don’t shut down on me now. “She’s a pot stirrer. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Maybe.” Amanda shrugged, but the mood still hung over her. “What would Jack think? I wonder.”
“I think he’d be glad you’re smiling. Or you were. I think he’d be glad we’re renewing a friendship that meant the world to all three of us. He’s not here to take care of you. I think he would trust me with this.” He hated the fact that one little comment had made Amanda second-guess things.
“Is it duty? Honor? Is this some kind of secret Marine code, you being here?” Her jaw pulled taut. “You don’t have to do that.”
“No, no. You’re my best friend. I want to be here. You make me happy. Don’t let this ruin our night. Come on. We all need this. Life is good.”
“It does feel good, but does that make it right?”
“Something brought us back together. I think this is meant to be.”
“What is this?” She gestured between them.
“I don’t know. I know what I want it to be, but I don’t want to scare you away.”
“I’m already scared.”
“Don’t be. Please don’t overthink it.” He took her hand. “Relax. It’s time to ghost crab.” He turned on his headlamp, then reached over and flipped on hers too. “Let’s gather the troops.”
Her smile sent an encouraging rush through him.
“Fall out, woman!”
Amanda scrambled out of the tent, and Hailey and Jesse ran over, almost out of breath. “Are you two ready to go?”
“Yes. Gather the pails. The net. Onward to the beach!” Paul bellowed.
They marched in single file over the dune to the beach. “Left, right, left.”
For an hour they ran and danced in the damp sand, watching for the crabs to pop out so they could swoop them up and put them in the buckets. As it turned out, Hailey was better at it than any of them. Finally, they dumped all the buckets and watched the crabs scuttle sideways across the sand for safety.
“That was fun! I was the best!” Hailey cheered.
“You were very good. A natural.” Amanda placed a pretend crown on Hailey’s head. “Miss Ghost Crab.”
Hailey curtsied. “Now what?”
“S’mores time,” Paul said. “Back to headquarters.”
After s’mores, the kids wanted to bring their pillows and blankets out and sleep in the tent.
He pointed at the fabric stretched overhead. “This is really more of a picnic tent to keep the mosquitoes off us while we play. I tell you what. I’ll bring my sleeping tent over someday and we’ll do a campout. Deal?”
“Okay.”
Amanda tucked them in, and he waited outside by the fire.
She came out to sit with him. “Jesse was asleep before they finished the prayer. It was a pretty awesome day. Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I had fun too.”
He put another marshmallow on the roasting stick, twisting it over the flames until it was golden brown, and offered it to her.
“Thanks.” She pinched her fingers around it and bounced it in her hand. “It’s hot.” She blew on it, then nibbled at the crispy edges. “Some things are yummy no matter how old you get.”
“I know.” He puffed the flames off another marshmallow and ate that one himself. I can’t leave here with you second-guessing us. I want to be more than friends. Fear knotted in his gut as he sat there staring into the fire, hoping for the right words. After a long silence, he put down his stick and grabbed Amanda gently by the hands. “I’m sure this seems abrupt, but we were so close before.”
“We were.”
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you all along. I wish I’d fought to stay and help even
