Emily dropped her bag on the blanket that was still in the spot it had been the day before and ran out into the surf. The water was shockingly cold at first so she just dove in head first getting lost in the thrill of no responsibility. When she came up was when she first became aware of the popping noise.
Next door on the court that seemed to float above the water was Parker and another woman seemingly trying to kill each other with a tennis ball. Parker was wearing a t-shirt and baggy shorts, but even that couldn't hide the raw power that wielded the tennis racket like it was a sword. Whoever her opponent was, she was holding her own in a volley that was as blistering as the unrelenting sun. Emily could hear a man's voice every so often barking out corrections. She felt happy all of a sudden in that Parker still looked like she had fun playing what was essentially just a game. It seemed to suit the young woman's free spirit.
"Natasha, hit them more toward the forehand please, Boris needs more work on that right now since the ball will bounce differently at the Open. Park, pay attention and lengthen the shots. We all ready know you're a big girl that can hit it hard, let's try finesse now, sweetheart," said Gary. The service stance swiveled a bit and the tall man found himself dodging the bullet Parker had shot his way. "Funny, Parker, funny."
Emily found herself laughing at Parker's playful side. The pilot was only twenty-eight but had lost that part of her inner child some time ago. It was refreshing to see someone take such gusto even when no one was watching. One of the lobs Parker sent up went over the fence and into the water making Emily think it was the downfall of the court's location, and also that Parker was getting tired to make such a mistake. Parker's order of, "Abby, go," told her differently.
The ball of fur that dove into the water was the biggest conglomeration of dog Emily had ever seen. It was just a big black blur that hit the water and swam for the yellow floating ball. He met Parker on the beach dropping the ball at her feet and shaking the water from his fur.
"You, big goober," Emily heard Parker's deep voice fuss at the surprise shower. So intent on her neighbor, Emily didn't hear Gail swim up behind her and jumped a little when the two arms wrapped around her waist.
"Hi, baby, I missed you." She pushed Emily's hair aside and kissed her neck making Emily stiffen momentarily at the move. Emily forced herself to relax and patted the tops of Gail's hands on her mid section. Gail turned her around and was about to kiss Emily when the barking from the shore scared them both apart. The black mutt was dancing from paw to paw with the wet ball sitting in front of him. Emily laughed at the thought that if Parker had been a dog, this would be it. He just wanted to play and his master had headed for the house.
"Come on, Abby, time to go, boy," they heard Parker's voice from behind the dunes. Abercrombie sat for a second and waved his paw in their direction then nosed the ball into the water as a gift before turning and running toward home.
"Get any shopping done?" The look on Gail's face let Emily know what she was in the mood for and thought, so much for talking about what happened yesterday.
"No I decided to come back for a swim after running into our neighbor. She invited us over for dinner tonight, I hope you don't mind but I accepted." With a little force she broke Gail's embrace and headed for the shore and on impulse picked up the ball Abby had left behind.
"Sure, whatever you want. How about a nap?" offered Gail. It was already four; they had a few hours.
"Sure."
An hour later Gail laid next to her, sated but frustrated at the same time. Emily touched her and made love to her but didn't want any return affection from her. It was happening with more frequency and Gail didn't know how to fix it. Did Emily just want to be conquered?
"We'll have to talk about this sooner or later you know," Gail told her not moving the arm that she had draped over her eyes. Emily just rolled out of bed and headed for the shower hearing the sigh behind her before she closed the door.
"I can't talk about something I have no answers for," she told her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Gail and Emily walked along the shoreline at six to get to Parker's house in silence. They both watched the undulations, which really couldn't be called waves, in the water as if they held the answers to what was wrong with them. Gail noticed the ball the dog had left in Emily's hand, the hand closest to her so that she couldn't hold it.
"You go out into that sand and I'm throwing you on the grill." The voice held no hint of teasing and Emily and Gail stopped in their tracks. "I mean it, Abby, it takes an hour to blow dry all that damn fur of yours," Parker finished. Emily could see him standing on the edge of the deck looking at her hand and quickened her steps not to get the pooch in trouble.
"Hey," Emily called up. Emily's greeting was followed by Abby's loud barking, alerting a ten-mile radius of the women's arrival.
"Hey come on up. Don't worry Abby's h-a-r-m-l-e-s-s," said Parker. Gail quirked an eyebrow at the spelling and thought this was going to be a really long night.
"Go on, Emily, obviously he's harmless." No sooner had the word left Gail's mouth Abby underwent a transformation. Like a cat his fur stood on end and his teeth were bared in a snarl.
"Abercrombie Princeton King, down," shouted Parker. The yell made the dog whip his head around and instantly sit. He looked up at Parker and seemed to wait to see how much trouble he was in. "She didn't mean it, boy, everybody knows you're the real King Kong around here," Parker cooed to the dog. The wagging tail was back and he was back to trying to coax the two women in the sand to join them.
"What in the hell was that?" demanded Gail. If the woman had some kind of vicious dog, she shouldn't have invited people over without locking him up first.
"Sorry Abby takes exception when people call him what you just did. Makes him feel like a weenie I guess. Say you're sorry, boy," ordered Parker. Abby walked to Emily first and offered a paw with his head bowed, which she accepted giving him his ball back. The dog offered the same to Gail but pinned the woman with eyes surprisingly like his master's.
"Hey I'm glad you came and I hope you're hungry." Behind Parker a formidable sized grill was burning logs of hickory down to coal, and next to it sat large steaks of salmon. Everything looked organized and within easy reach to an experienced cook like Emily. It was one of her hobbies that she didn't get to practice very often.