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“Who ties a bow on a plunger?”

“These people do. Okay, so imagine this. It’s the middle of the night and I had to go to the bathroom. I got up, did my business, and flushed. And…nothing happened. I flushed again. The toilet bowl started filling up with water. I panicked and tried to use the plunger, but all I succeeded in doing was spilling a bunch of toilet water on the floor.”

“Ewwwwww!” cried Kate, wrinkling her nose.

“I couldn’t get anything to work! I kept plunging and flushing and ended up completely soaking the floor. I had no other choice but to go and wake up my hosts and ask them to help me. They were very gracious, but I knew they weren’t happy about being woken up in the middle of the night to deal with my toilet trauma. I’m pretty sure I completely ruined their rugs and towels.”

“I…I have no words.”

The three-hour car ride seemed to fly by, and before they knew it they had reached the beach house. Kate had been to the beach house many times with the Baileys, and had fond memories of the summer she spent there with Rick, Amy, and Brooke back in college. She loved the escape from reality that it provided. She breathed in deep and felt the clean ocean air flooding her lungs, immediately bringing a sense of calm over her.

The friends all grabbed their stuff and walked into the house. Kate wanted to head to the grocery store before she got too settled, because she knew that once she stretched out on a lounge chair on the front patio that looked out over the ocean, errands would be the last thing she wanted to do.

“I’m going to the store!” she yelled to no one in particular.

“I’ll come with you!” replied Brooke from the bedroom down the hall that Kate and Brooke were sharing. “I could use the walk after being in the car for so long.”

The girls set off on the short half-mile walk to the small grocery store up the road. Not even 25 feet away from the house, Brooke grabbed Kate’s arm and said, “Okay. Spill it.”

“Spill what? What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Oh don’t play dumb with me. I was in that car with you, remember? I saw how quickly you and Ben hit it off. The two of you completely ignored everyone else in the car because you were so engrossed in your conversation. What’s going on? Do you think he likes you?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Brooke. I literally just met the guy a few hours ago. And yes, he’s very nice and we seem to get along quite well, but that’s it.”

“You don’t fool me for one second, Katherine Violet Henry,” said Brooke with a grin.

Kate rolled her eyes and stared straight ahead. “Look. We both know that I’m not looking for a man right now. I’m perfectly content with my life, and quite frankly I don’t think I can handle another heartbreak since Ian. So yes, Ben and I had a great conversation on the car ride, but so what? It’s not like he’s going to ask me out or anything. I mean sure, there were several times when he reached up and touched my arm…and sometimes his hand lingered for more than a few seconds…but he’s probably just friendly, right? It doesn’t mean anything. I’ll probably never talk to him again after this weekend.”

Brooke nodded slowly, unconvinced. They walked in silence for a minute or two, and then Brooke stopped abruptly and grabbed Kate by the shoulders. “I think you’re scared.” When Kate opened her mouth to form a rebuttal, Brooke cut her off by putting up her hand. “Just hear me out. I know how hard it’s been for you to deal with the whole Ian thing. He hurt you, and you’re afraid to get close to another man because you don’t want it to happen again. Now I know you and Ben just met, and you’re right, it could be nothing. But don’t close yourself off to the idea that it might possibly be something. Just because Ian couldn’t love you the way you deserve to be loved doesn’t mean that you won’t find another man who can.”

They continued to walk, Kate deep in thought.
He can’t possibly like me
, she thought.
He’s just a charming guy who makes friends quickly. It’s nothing special
.

But then why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

~~~~~

Dinner that night was a casual affair – Kate’s famous chicken salad on croissants, a Caesar salad, and huge slices of fresh watermelon for dessert. After the dinner dishes were done, Amy darted out to the car to grab an armful of games that she had brought from home.

“Okay gang, we’ve got dominos, we’ve got Trivial Pursuit, we’ve got Monopoly, we’ve got Catch Phrase…”

“Catch Phrase,” said Ben and Kate in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

“Stop it, Miss Henry. You’re starting to creep me out.”

“I’m sorry! I can’t control it.”

“You know what else you’re not going to be able to control?” piped in Darren. “The feeling of loss and devastation that will well up inside you when the boys beat the girls at Catch Phrase.”

“We’ll just see about that, Double D.”

“Wait wait wait, Double D?” said Ben. “How is it that I’ve known Darren for 25 years and I’ve never come up with that gem of a nickname?”

“Kate Henry, if you wake up dead tomorrow, it’s because I killed you in your sleep,” said Darren.

The group played for more than an hour, yelling out answers and rejoicing whenever their team scored a point. It was a close game, but in the end the girls’ team claimed ultimate victory.

“We clearly let you win,” said Ben.

“Clearly!” repeated Darren and Rick.

“FALSE,” said Kate as she high-fived Amy and Brooke. “You are no match for the superior intellect of the female sex.”

After arguing for several minutes about the fairness of the game and who really possessed superior intellect, they decided to call it a night. Kate fell into a deep sleep in her bed next to an open window and was awakened early when she heard her phone buzzing on the nightstand. It was a text message from a number she did not know.

Good morning?
she read, puzzled.
Who would send me a good morning text at 7:30 am on a Saturday?

As if her phone had heard her question, it buzzed again and another message from the same number popped up.
It’s Ben. Got your number from Darren’s phone. He’s out for a run and everyone is still asleep.

A big grin stretched over Kate’s face as she quickly punched out a reply.
So your brother left you all alone and now you don’t know what to do with yourself, is that it?

Bzzzz.
Pretty much. I just made a big pot of coffee. Want to come keep me company?

She text back her reply (which was yes, of course) and gingerly got out of bed as to not disturb a sleeping Brooke. She slipped into jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, brushed her teeth, and put her hair up in a ponytail. She was about to head out the door when she turned around, rummaged around in her bag, and pulled out a small bottle of perfume.
Just in case
, she thought. She spritzed it once into the air and walked through the hanging mist to get just the right amount, then headed out the room and down the hall to the kitchen.

Ben was standing in the kitchen with two travel mugs of coffee in his hands. His hair was disheveled and he wore jeans, a wrinkled t-shirt, and that same charming grin she had seen the day before.

“Hey, you,” said Ben. “Want to go for a walk on the beach?”

Kate nodded and accepted the mug of coffee that he handed to her. They stepped out onto the patio and set out for a barefoot morning walk along the shore. The mood was light and fun. They talked about TV shows and sports teams, their favorite restaurants and stores, and argued over what makes up the perfect Sunday brunch meal. (“You’ve gotta have Eggs Benedict!” “No no no, Kate, it’s all about pancakes and bacon. End of story.”) They walked and they talked, Ben giving her a playful nudge every now and then, Kate responding with a lighthearted punch on the arm. He wasn’t afraid to tease her, and she wasn’t afraid to put him in his place. She could tell he was the kind of guy who was used to getting what he wanted, and probably rarely met a woman who could hold her own with him.

“I’ll race you to that lifeguard stand,” said Ben, pointing straight ahead down the beach.

“You’re on, mister.”

“Okay, on your mark, get set – hey! Not fair!” Kate had started running before Ben had the chance to say “go.” She ran as fast as she could, laughing as she heard Ben running behind her, still yelling about the questionable start of the race. His long legs quickly caught up to her and he reached out with both hands to grab her by the waist.

“Cheater!” he yelled, as they both tumbled to the ground.

“You’re a cheater!” She wriggled around in the sand to in an attempt to release herself from his strong grip, but he refused to let go. “No!” he cried, “tickling is the punishment for cheaters!”

“Ben, cut it out!” Kate squealed through her laughter. “Ben! Stop!”

Suddenly, Ben’s grip loosened and he reached up to tuck a piece of Kate’s hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her ponytail in the struggle. The two lay there in the sand, face to face, their gaze held by some unknowable force. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then sighed and closed it again.

“What is it?” asked Kate, who felt as though she could barely breathe.

“It’s just…you. I wasn’t expecting to meet someone like you this weekend,” he replied.

Kate blushed and began running her fingers through the sand in some random pattern.

“I think you’re incredible,” said Ben.

She looked up at him and stared into his eyes for several seconds, eyes so full of sincerity, before responding. “You do?”

“I do. I’ve never met anyone like you before. You’re so funny and witty and just plain amazing.”

“I…I think you’re pretty amazing, too.”

He hopped up from his perch in the sand and offered her a hand. He pulled her up from the ground and straight into his arms in an embrace. She fit so perfectly against his broad frame. They held each other in silence, neither one needing to speak. Just to be together was enough. Minutes passed, though no one was keeping track. He broke the silence by whispering, “You’re beautiful.”

Kate looked up at him and smiled. He grabbed her hand, and they began to walk back towards the house. Ben looked over at her and a wicked grin spread across his face.

“What?” asked Kate.

“Well, you are beautiful, but what’s going on with your hair?” said Ben, holding back a chuckle.

Kate’s hand flew up to her head, and she immediately felt that the ocean breezes and the tumble in the sand had taken their toll on her wild and sometimes unruly mane of hair. Sheepishly, she looked back at Ben only to find him laughing. She gave him a playful shove and they continued on their way, teasing and laughing the whole way back.

~~~~~

Amy and Brooke were in the kitchen making breakfast when Ben and Kate returned. “Oh good, there you are,” said Amy to Kate. “Help me make these waffles, will you?”

Brooke gave Amy a subtle nudge and nodded in the direction of Kate and Ben, who were still holding hands. Amy’s eyes widened, and the girls looked at each other and grinned. Ben and Kate were oblivious, because they were still poking fun at each other.

“Hello? Kate? Waffles?” said Amy with a sly smile.

She looked up. “Oh. Right. Sure. Waffles. Let’s make some waffles.”

“Ben, why don’t you go…go…take a shower!” said Brooke. “Let the womenfolk make breakfast for all of you men.” It was a poorly veiled attempt to get Ben to leave the room so the girls could get the scoop from Kate.