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off, strolling hand-in-hand
near the breaking waves.
    “Lord, I hope a sneaker wave doesn’t catch
them,” she muttered worriedly.  “And Ike, do you see?  They’re holding hands. 
They’ve only just met.  They really shouldn’t be holding hands.”
    “Honey, they’re holding hands.  It’s not as if
they’re…”
    “Ike!” 
    He chuckled.  “Honey, take it easy.  Give them
some credit.  They were both raised right.”
    Suddenly, it registered with her…  He had called
her honey .  The term of endearment gave her pause.  She hadn’t been
called ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’ or any other term of endearment for so many
years.  The word warmed her, and for the life of her, she couldn’t help but
wonder why.  She wasn’t some young, impressionable girl who swooned when a man
sweet-talked her.  She was seventy-five, for Pete’s sakes.
    Ike sensed the shift in her mood.  “Liz,
everything is fine.  The kids will be fine.”  He searched her face, and then
spread his hands expansively.  “We’re going to be fine.” 
    “Oh, I know,” she said, forcing a smile, as she
turned to watch the kids again.  She gave a sudden gasp.  “ Ike, they’re
kissing! ”
     
    ***
     
    Brady had brought Amanda to a stop on the
beach.  He glanced up at the boardwalk and his eyes narrowed.  “They’re up
there, watching us,” he said, smiling ruefully.  And then, to her utter
surprise, he pulled her against him, laced his hands through her hair, and
kissed her soundly on the mouth.
    Taken by surprise, she gasped, but soon she
found herself responding to the kiss.  His lips were strong, but soft,
searching but decisive.  Lord help her, she was drowning in sensation—adrift in
that delicious kiss.
    Brady seemed slightly disoriented when he pulled
back, as if he’d forgotten their grandparents were standing on the boardwalk
above, watching their every move.  He stared into Amanda’s face for a moment,
and then surprised her yet again when he claimed her lips in a second kiss.   
    When he pulled back, Amanda watched him in
stunned surprise.  “Why did you kiss me?” she asked, and cleared her throat. 
Her voice sounded squeaky to her own ears.
    He grinned.  “They’re up there watching us.”
    “Yes, okay, they’re watching us.  Why the kiss?”
    “If they think we’ve hit it off, maybe they’ll
head back to the retirement home,” he explained.
    “One kiss would have sufficed for that purpose,”
she said drolly.  “Why the second kiss?”
    He gave a shrug.  “Because I really enjoyed the
first one.”  He cocked his head in thought and then took a step toward her.    
    Her eyes widened in confused surprise and she
took a step back.  How was she supposed to respond to that declaration?  The
truth was, she’d enjoyed the kissing too.  But why was he coming even closer? 
She gave a shake of her head, to clear the cobwebs.  “Okay, so you know, my
grandmother is very old school.  You mark my words, she wasn’t happy to see us
locking lips.”
    “I’m confused,” he said, grinning.  “I thought
this was a setup.”
    “Well, yes, but if you practically ravish me on
the beach, she’ll be down here clocking you over your head with her handbag.”
    “Well, come closer then.  We can save some time
here.”
    She gave him a perplexed glance.
    “When she takes a swing at me, you grab her.”
    She pinned him with a look, biting back her
laughter.  She could see by the twinkling in his eyes that he was teasing her. 
“Okey dokey,” she said, chuckling, as she glanced up at their grandparents
again.
                She
noted her grandmother was leaning forward, staring out and across the beach. 
It was clear by her stiff posture, she had seen them kissing and that she
hadn’t liked it one bit.
    Amanda turned to confirm to Brady that the older
couple had been witness to the kiss, when he abruptly wrapped an arm around her
waist and pulled her closer.  He