“Obviously.”
Knox walks over and gives me a loving kiss on the head. “You look beautiful today.”
“I just rolled out of bed a few minutes ago.”
“You wake up beautiful.”
“Gag me with this spoon,” Lizzy teases, pressing her spoon into her mouth.
“Give it to me,” I say, holding out my hand.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“You would like it, wouldn’t you?” Knox laughs.
“I’m going to take a shower as well. Get all this sand and sweat off me.”
“Or don’t. I think it’s kind of sexy.”
Lizzy makes another gagging noise, and I cut my eyes at her.
“What? Y’all are so cute it’s sickening.”
“Why did I invite you?”
“Beach please. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”
“You’re right. What was I thinking?”
“Obviously you weren’t.”
EVERLEE - STRAND FEEDING
Aftertheboysgetshowered, we meet back downstairs and decide to take a walk to the end of the island to see if we can find the dolphins strand feeding. It takes us close to forty-five minutes to get there, and we wait about twenty minutes before we decide they aren’t coming. We get three steps towards the house and several people start excitedly whispering, so we turn back around and see several dorsal fins peeking up through the water.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited. The little girl in me is screaming and jumping for joy. Dolphins! It isn’t the first time I’ve seen a dolphin, but that doesn’t matter. Every time feels like the first time. They are so magical. The way they dip under the water, gliding along effortlessly.
There's at least five and a baby! I about scream and melt into the sand when I see its little fin pacing its mother. Following the lead of others, I sit down on the beach and just watch the dolphins come into the little inlet and swim around for a bit. I’ve never seen a strand feeding before, so I don’t know what to expect, but fortunately I sit near an older woman who must live on the island or has been out here many times. She's whispering to a little girl about what the dolphins are doing.
She's telling us, well her, the complete process from start to finish and says we're sitting in the best place. I'm shocked to find the boys are also sitting on the beach, knees brought up to their chest, arms wrapped around them. They look like my bodyguards, close enough to know me, but not close enough to be intimate. Lizzy, Tony, Beckett and Will walk further into the inlet and watch the dolphins swimming at the other end.
“Here they come,” the lady whispers excitedly, pointing. She stands up and takes a few steps back, so I follow. “We don’t want to move around a lot or speak.”
We’re standing about twenty feet back from the strand and the guys quietly walk over to stand beside me. I reach out and grab a hand and realize it’s Jax’s. He looks at me and gives my hand a little squeeze, almost like it’s an apology for being so quiet last night and this morning. I pull his arm, and wrap it around me and wrap mine around him, resting my head on his shoulder. He plants a soft kiss on top and we just watch and wait.
“They’re getting ready,” the woman whispers. A small crowd has gathered around her, and Lizzy and Tony walk back over and stand behind us.
The dolphins are circling, getting more aggressive, swimming faster and faster.
“They’re lining up,” she says.
And then whoosh! They press forward, all in unison, and push an enormous wave of water and fish onto the strand. Their bodies lay on their side as they eat the fish, then wiggle back into the water.
“Holy sh-irtballs,” I correct and whisper, seeing the little girl in front of me. “That was amazing.”
The dolphins circle again, rounding up the fish and a few minutes later, press them onto the beach again. They do it one more time, then swim further into the inlet.
The older woman tells the little girl they are done for now. They’re going to swim around for a bit, then head back out to the ocean.
