Chapter 3: Sunset Silhouettes

Jesse had a lot of spare time on his hands, that first month back in the States. After resigning from his post at a drug rehabilitation facility in Bulgaria, the move from Europe to California had taken less than two weeks. The last of his furniture would be arriving at the end of the month, as would the pile of invitation letters and job offers from all along the west coast and some ambitious ones from New York and Pennsylvania. In the meantime, he visited friends and spent time with his mother and his grandmother.

He was grateful for the time he had to catch up and reconnect with his loved ones. When the time came to return to work, he knew he wouldn't be so fortunate. Being a doctor meant giving up your time with people you care about to care for people who needed your time. So Jesse's days of late were filled with coffee dates and video calls. Today, neither prospect appealed to him very much, so he began with a run down to the beach, a few miles away from his place.

The road wasn't very busy and he didn't pass too many people on the sidewalk. He supposed given the neighbourhood he lived in and the time of day, there wasn't anything too unusual about that. There was a slight breeze in the air and the sun wasn't quite high enough to be scorching and relentless so Jesse's pace was faster than a lazy jog and he had no problem keeping it up as he ran down the tree-lined street and the occasional pedestrian. In the distance, he could see the endless expanse of the ocean against the horizon. With a spurt of energy he picked up his pace, as if the distance between him and the ocean had to be breached more quickly than he'd going so far. Reaching the water's edge, Jesse took a deep breath of satisfaction and looked around for the lifeguard.

He found her walking along the nearly deserted shore, binoculars around her neck, body board in hand.

"Good morning," he called to her when he was a few yards away.

The brunette in the black and red jacket smiled. "Hi, there. Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I've a favour to ask of you." He fell in line with her as she walked back to her post, feeling the sand shift under his feet and the wind tousled his hair a bit.

Turning to look keenly at the man beside her, the lifeguard smiled. "What can I do for you, hottie?"

He chuckled at how forthcoming she was. It wasn't the first time a woman had expressed appreciation for his looks, but he found it odd when they did it while at work. "I was wondering if you would allow me to stash my shoes and watch with you. I'm coming from a pretty impromptu run and am now inspired to take a dip."

She looked at the stranger with the hazel green sparklers and friendly smile. "I don't think that's too much to ask… just don't make a habit of it! We have little lockers and boxes for fellows like you. You can rent one to keep your property in when you swim or spend time on the beach."

"Oh! I didn't know. Thanks!" he said, leaning over to untie his shoes. "I won't be out for long." As an afterthought, he took off his shirt too.

She smiled back at him, liking his personality and his physique. "Take your time. Ignore the initial nip and it'll feel great in no time."

He headed back to the office with her and she opened the door and pointed to a corner near the lockers she had mentioned outside.

"Thanks so much," he said, tossing the smaller items into his shoes before folding the t-shirt and placing it on top.

Jesse swam for under an hour, cutting easily through the water as if he'd been swimming in the ocean his whole life and then returned to the outpost. He found the female life guard hanging up her jacket in different type of locker behind the counter. She was now wearing a full length gypsy skirt and tight t-shirt. There were two men in the office now.

"Hi, there," one of them said.

"Hello, how's it going?"

"Great! How was the water?"

It was Jesse's turn to grin, "Great. It reminded me of Europe."

"Is that where you're from?" the other guy asked. "I detect an accent."

"I guess you could say. I did go to school in the UK and the Netherlands but my father travelled all over Europe and Asia."

"Military parents?" the girl asked, poised near the exit but obviously more interested in their visitor than leaving.

"Not at all. Academic father. He travelled to do research for papers and government projects."

"Cool," the first man with curly brown hair said. "I hear you might be looking to rent a locker?"

Jesse nodded and listened to the procedure for acquiring keys to a locker. He promptly filled in a registration form.

"As easy as that," the lifeguard named Kip said, taking back the papers and pen.

"Great. I'll be back tomorrow around this time."

"No problem, Dr Murray."

"You can call me Jesse. I'm off duty."

"So am I," the girl said pointedly to her colleagues. "Guys, I'm out of here."

She and Jesse left at the same time, walking side by side yet again. She looked up at him again, still liking a lot about the way he looked.

"My name's Jill. Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"Nice to meet you, Jill. Just to the end of the road will be fine, thanks."

"Hop in."

"How often are you on duty?" he asked her before he got out of her Polo.

"Four days a week- I don't work weekends or Monday."

"See you around then."

Jesse swam in the ocean every day that week. On Saturday, he got dressed for a barbecue on the beach that Jill had invited him to. She said they held them frequently and the crowd was always changing. He decided it would be interesting to see.

By the time he arrived, there was already a blazing fire, spits were set up and an iPod hooked up to powerful speakers played some contemporary music. A game of beach volleyball was about to start and somehow he got roped into playing on the ladies' team.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover his team was surprisingly efficient and the finish was a close call but the men won, inevitably by brute force. A tall blonde guy spiked the ball into the sand with determined finality to end the match.

After the customary display of good sportsmanship, Jill brushed sand off her bare belly and led Jesse away from the crowd of enthusiastic females and they sat down. He chuckled at the way they called her a man hog because she immediately retorted, "So bring your own next time!"

"Friendly atmosphere you're creating there, Jill," he said.

"What?" she said, momentarily confused. Then her face cleared and she laughed too. "They know I don't mean it. Good natured ribbing."

He nodded and looked around him, liking the way the different groups interacted and exchanged words from lounge chairs and beach blankets. The voices and the music blended into one happy soundtrack to the perfect end to a fun day on the beach. Jesse smiled as a familiar song began to play.

"A-ha!" Jill exclaimed, jumping up again. "No backing out now. I saw that smile and you are going to dance, Dr Murray." She reached for his hand and pulled.

"Hell, why not?"

They danced to a few energetic tunes until Jill announced how hungry she was. Heading to the grill, the pair bumped into her fellow life guards and joined their crowd, several of them greeting Jesse personally, recognising him from his frequent visits to the beach.

As the evening sky darkened, everyone gravitated towards the fire. Franklin, one of the lifeguards, offered Jesse a spot on a bench and Jill sat down at his feet, her back resting against his leg.

People were still dancing and the drinks were flowing but Jesse was pleased that the crowd was obviously mature and relatively sober. No one seemed to be drowning their sorrows or shooting up illicit substances. As a doctor, it made him more comfortable, relieved that he could really enjoy himself without needing to keep an eye on everyone. He probably shouldn't have worried, seeing as he was with a team of equipped life guards as well, but it was second nature to care; he couldn't help it.

Looking beyond the fire, he noticed a dark haired figure lounging on a beach chair. The bright flames sent shadows over her as she stared off into the ocean with a slight smile on her face.

At that exact moment, seconds after spotting the girl, Jill grabbed his knee and brought his attention back to those around him on the other side of the fire. By the time he was able to look back across the beach, the person he'd seen was gone. But he remembered all he'd glimpsed in that short time.

The shape of her face and a peach tinged complexion that made his breath catch in his throat. She'd been in a pair of cut off denim shorts and a green t-shirt and Jesse had never seen Pearl look so sexy. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and the girl next door look suited her to perfection.