popcorn and checkers, lasting until dinnertime and beyond.
After Nikki and the boy went to bed, Sinclair and her father
went back to the verandah and beers. Their laughter rang out
in the warm air until the sun blushed the Blue Mountains a
soft pink. Only then did their drooping eyes force them indoors for sleep.
In the morning, Nikki and Xavier lured Sinclair out with
the promise of showing her the sea. They took Victor's motorcycle. Nikki crushed her fire hair underneath a black motorcycle helmet, then put a smaller one on Xavier's head. Earlier
she had urged Sinclair to leave her hair plaited so now the
thick mass had no trouble fitting under the helmet Nikki offered.
"Hold on tight to me, Xavie." Nikki's soft voice fluted
gently into the late morning air.
"I remember, Mama." He hopped up and down with excitement at the thought of riding the noisy bike.
Nikki and Sinclair got on the bike first, then they squeezed Xavier between them. He giggled when Sinclair's fingers
floated over his ribs before settling firmly around Nikki's
waist. And off they went.
Nikki was a competent and cautious driver, honking the
horn as they rounded narrow curves in the road to let other,
larger vehicles know they were coming. The wind stung
Sinclair's eyes, making them squint and water. At first, the
speed and vulnerability of it frightened her, but she remembered her childhood when she'd been where Xavier was now,
safe between two people who loved her. Then she relaxed,
enjoying the push and pull against her body as the bike
slowed down for traffic then sped up again.
Their journey ended on the beach, a quiet area of white
sand and lulling waves with only a few other people wandering its length. Nikki parked in a grove of tall coconut trees
and took off her shoes before unstrapping a small bag from
the back of the bike. Sinclair and Xavier hopped off the motorcycle and waited for her.
"This is my quiet place. Not many people know about it."
She slung the bag over her shoulder and took Xavier's hand.
When the boy offered his other hand to Sinclair, she smiled
down at him.
"It's beautiful here," she said.
"Yes, it is."
The women walked toward the water with Xavier strung
between them like a twinkling Christmas light.
"Ah! Bird!" Xavier broke away from them to chase a flock
of tiny seabirds.
"Careful," Nikki called after him, but did not follow.
Sinclair watched her young stepmother, smiling at Nikki's
ridiculously young age.
"How old are you, Nikki?"
"Twenty-two. "
She was too busy watching her son to see Sinclair's expression. When she turned back to her stepdaughter, Sinclair cleared
her throat. "Do we have to be back at a particular time?"
"Not really." Nikki looked at the little Timex on her wrist.
"We have almost the whole day to play."
"Great."
They pulled bathing suits from the bag that Nikki carried
and quickly changed in one of the tiny huts that lined the
beach before all three of them ran into the warm lapping
water. Sinclair sank into the wet embrace with a laugh while
Nikki and Xavier circled her, splashing each other and laughing at their own childish antics. The sun was hot on their
faces.
It wasn't long before Sinclair, who wasn't at all used to exercise, stumbled out of the water with her limbs heavy with
exhaustion. She collapsed on the blanket, breathing in the
light scent of sunscreen from her own body and the intoxicating salt of the sea. A sigh and an unwelcome thought disturbed her contentment. Sinclair rolled over onto her belly
and cradled her face in sun-warmed arms. She wished the sun
could burn it all away-the pain, the humiliation, that clawing part of her that still wanted Regina back. Sinclair dozed
in the sun, only stirring when Xavier poked her with his toe.
"Mama says come back to the water."
She squinted up at him. "Why?"
"Because-" he looked behind him. "Mama! Why?"
"Because she doesn't want to spend her time on this beautiful place spread out on
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