Page 44 of Callow

“Sorry,” the man muttered before walking off into the clubhouse.

“But we should probably get going anyway,” Callow admitted, letting go of me reluctantly. “Do you have everything you need?” he asked.

“Oh, my jacket,” I said, rushing back to the SUV to grab it off of the passenger seat, and slipping it on.

“Probably a good idea,” Callow agreed as he led me over to a black SUV with windows so tinted that he had to get pulled over constantly about them.

He opened the door, waited for me to try to get in at least somewhat daintily, then slammed the door before making his way around the hood.

“So, do I get to know where we’re going yet?” I asked as we both clicked our seatbelts.

“I think it’ll be more fun if I don’t tell you until we’re there,” he said as he reversed out of his spot. “It’s only a ten-minute drive.”

We drove it in silence. But the music on the radio kept things from feeling awkward as we made our way up the highway toward the shore.

“Are we allowed on the beach at night?” I asked, then cringed at how goody-goody that sounded. What happened to the girl I used to be? Who once went skinny dipping in the ocean at night with a bunch of friends? Boys and girls?

“Nope,” Callow said, shooting me a mischievous grin as he pulled the SUV into a spot and parked.

“But… crap. Isn’t that a cop?” I asked, looking over as someone pulled into the lot behind us.

“Yep,” he agreed, but was still smirking as he climbed out of the car, then walked directly over toward the police cruiser.

Leaning down, he talked to the cop like he was an old friend. Before reaching into his pocket and producing something from his pocket, then handing it to the cop.

With that, the conversation seemed to be over, and I climbed out of the SUV as Callow made his way back.

“Did you just pay off that cop?” I asked, lips curving up.

“Sure did,” he agreed, reaching into the backseat to pull out a, of all things, picnic basket. “How about you carry this?” he said, passing it to me. “Let me do the heavy lifting,” he added.

Then he was reaching toward the roof of the car. And I remembered the kayak strapped there.

“Are we going kayaking?” I asked, mouth falling open.

“We are. In the bay,” he clarified. “Figure we can head out to the little island for a picnic,” he added as he hauled down the kayak.

“That is…” I started, pausing, trying to think of the right thing to say. In the end, I went with the first thing that popped into my mind. “That’s the coolest date idea ever,” I said, beaming at him.

“Thought you might get a kick out of it,” he said, giving me a nod as he started to walk out of the lot.

This time of night in the off-season, there were no cars on the road save for the cop parked a ways down. Either doing a speed trap or maybe just keeping an eye out so no one hassled us now that Callow paid him off.

After crossing the street, we made our way down the wooden path onto the bay.

During the summers, my friends and I used to hang out on the bay more than the main beach because it was so much lesscrowded. Sure, the sand wasn’t as nice and the horseflies were a bitch, but when you are young and being dumb, what you cared about most was privacy.

“I’ve never been in a kayak,” I admitted as Callow removed the paddles from the side of the kayak before setting it at the edge of the water. Reaching out, he grabbed the picnic basket, storing it toward the front of the vessel in the footwell where I imagined my feet would be going.

“I’ll get in first,” he offered, putting the paddles inside, then carefully climbing in. The kayak wobbled ominously, but didn’t capsize. “Come on. I got you,” he said, holding a hand out toward me, then helping me slowly get into my seat with no small amount of rocking of the kayak.

“Do we have to do this in unison?” I asked as I took my paddle.

“Yes,” Callow said. “You set a comfortable pace and I will follow,” he told me. Then, placing an arm over my shoulder, he pointed out to a dark patch in the water. “That’s where we’re headed. Just go in that direction.”

I struggled at first, but Callow seemed suitably skilled and managed to keep us on track until it started to go more smoothly.

It was a gorgeous night. The sky was clear and dotted with a blanket of stars. And it felt like we were all alone in the world.