“It’s not that late.”
“Right.”
“Well, you suggested it,” Emily said, and giggled. She
stretched her arms overhead, then bent her elbows and
dextrously worked at the kinks in her back and neck. “I could
use a good beach trip. I’ve been bent over for too long today.”
“I’d say so. You really could make this into a business if
you could paint like a machine every single day.”
“Oh. That’s the thing with being artistic. Sometimes you’re
inspired, other days you’re not and you just sit there for hours
trying to make things happen and they don’t. It’s very
frustrating.”
“I see.”
“So.” Emily bounced up onto her toes again. “Are we still
going to the beach?”
“I guess if we leave now, we could make it.”
“Beaches in the dark are kind of awesome too.”
Since she had suggested it, Dani knew she couldn’t very
well come up with a list of reasons not to go. That would just
look strange. It would disappoint Emily, who was obviously
excited. Dani just couldn’t do that. She couldn’t mutter
something about having to work instead and lock herself in her
room. So, apparently, she was going to the beach. With no
bathing suit. They’d make it before dark, but they’d be driving
in the dark, which Dani was okay with. It would be a late night
and she had to get up early for the store.
“My car has a full tank of gas. I could take us,” Emily said.
“My treat.”
Dani figured they could talk about Emily’s budgeting and
her family problems later. While they were getting sand up