At least their hesitance gave me a moment to shove my notebook and pen back in my backpack so I could unfold their towels and hold them open for them. I’d made sure to bring ones big enough to engulf them from neck to ankles and quickly wound one around each of them as they stepped from the surf.
“That was so much fun,” Murry declared as I rubbed his arms.
“Were you warm enough?” I asked.
“Right until the last few minutes when the wind started picking up,” Murry said. “By then the sun was so low I knew we were close to done, so I didn’t let it bother me.”
“Still, let’s get you guys dried off and dressed so we can grab some supper,” I said. “Are you too tired to dine in, or would you like to actually eat at a restaurant tonight?”
“I’m not tired,” Raleigh said.
“Neither am I,” Murry replied. “We can eat at a restaurant; that way no one has to clean up afterward.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I said as I helped dry them and remove their caps and fins.
I’d set up a changing tent for them when we arrived, so while they ducked inside of it to change, I loaded everything else back in the van and thanked Coby for yet another stunning collaboration.
“They make it easy,” Coby said. “You be sure to hang on to them.”
“I have no intention of letting them go,” I replied. “Every day with them is a reminder of how empty my life was before they came dancing into it.”
“Speaking of which, have you run the idea of an erotic dance shoot in full gear past them yet?” Coby asked.
“Sure did,” I said. “We discussed it on the drive over. The only reason I didn’t mention it was because they want to go through the gear, work out some pairings, and design dances specifically for each set. As soon as they’ve got their routines ready, I’ll shoot you a text, and we can set it up.”
“Perfect,” he replied. “Let me know what gear they chose so I can go through my backdrops and pull some out to bring over.”
“Will do.”
“I’m glad they were excited about the idea,” Coby said as he finished loading his gear in his jeep. “I couldn’t get it out of my head after seeing them dance together on the runway. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”
“You’re not the only one.”
It took no time at all to collapse the tent frame and fold up the fabric after my pets finished changing, then we waved goodbye to Coby and headed down the coast to a crab shack I knew and loved. My seafood-loving pets had rapidly reawakened my love of shellfish, and there were snow crabs dancing through my mind as I pulled into the parking lot.
“Have you ever been here before?” I asked.
“No, sir,” Murry replied. “But it smells delicious.”
“That it does,” I said. “And just wait until you have the chance to taste everything. They bring the food to the table in buckets, with warm butter and options to mix and match your refills when you reach the bottom of the bucket.”
“Wait, they refill the buckets?” Raleigh said. “Like, with more seafood?”
“They call them never-ending seafood buckets,” I explained. “Basically, it’s all you can eat.”
“Umm, Daddy,” Murry said, tapping me on the shoulder. “Do you think it’s wise for us to do another all-you-can-eat night after last time?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it was wise, but I’d like to think we arewiserand not as ravenous as we were last time after all the snacks we had today, so I’m confident that we can show restraint even when faced with steaming piles of snow crab legs. Or at least, I hope we can.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Raleigh said as he got out.
Okay, so in hindsight, maybe this wasn’t the best choice of restaurant tonight, given our last seafood experience and the way we’d lain on the couch like bloated slugs for the rest of the night, but we were here now, so in we went. As it always was, the place was packed, but we were seated after just a small wait that my pets spent staring at all the fish in the aquarium in the entryway. The joy on their faces as they pointed the different ones out to one another was more than worth the momentary pause to the evening.
“Do we have plans for tomorrow?” Murry asked once the waitress had taken our drink orders.
“I thought we’d head downtown to the street fair,” I said. “From what I hear, they’ll have the place packed with vendors and food trucks as well as music and entertainment going on at different spots. With the way everything has been work, work, work lately, I figured it would be nice to take a true day off that didn’t involve lounging around on the couch.”
“Yes!” Raleigh cheered. “That’s what we were going to suggest.”
