By sunrise Lucinda got up and went for a jog on the beach. This time she could see Raif out in the water, so once she was done, she stretched her muscles on the sand and waited for him. In the distance she watched as he paddled out quickly and then charged each wave he saw. It was as if he was taking out his frustration, and she would bet her money on it being about Eaddie's pestering. After a while, he made it back to shore and sat down by her.

"You looked good out there," Lucinda said, leaning in to give Raif a kiss.

"No, I did terrible. I haven't been out there in days. There's just too much on my mind."

"I know."

With everything going on, Raif had become distant, despite promising to not shut Lucinda out. The man who rarely took a day off, had been leaving the Barrel Wave in Lucinda's hands throughout the weeks. Even when he was there, he went through the motions to get through the day and it was as if Lucinda was just an employee. When they did spend time together, Raif was often very quiet and deep in thought.

He wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her in. All he could think about was the how the weekend would play out. Not only was he bringing Lucinda and Merrill over to meet his parents, but Rachel had bumped introducing his son to him from Sunday to Saturday. Which meant that Raif would be meeting his son at the same time as everyone else. This made him feel even more of a nervous wreck than before.

"Thank you for being so patient with me." He kissed the top of her head.

She turned her gaze up to him and cupped his face. "I'm here for you, always."

Raif tilted his head down, meeting his mouth with hers and planting a long kiss. Afterward he rested his forehead against hers and took in a big breath with his eyes still closed. Lucinda studied him with their noses touching and she shifted over so that she was sitting on his lap. He tightened his embrace around her and drew his head back from hers. Looking into her eyes, he began massaging circles in her lower back.

"I'm so happy you ended up here, Lucinda. You've become the best thing in my life, the person I look forward to seeing each day and the one who brings me sanity, so please do me a favor and never leave me?"

Lucinda let out a soft chuckle. "That sounded so perfect that if I didn't know any better, I'd think it was a proposal."

"Oh come on, give me more credit than that. The day I propose to you I promise it won't be where a bunch of locals are half naked."

Lucinda's jaw dropped slightly as she stared at him, completely at a loss for words. Had Raif admitted that he wanted to marry her? Her chest was suddenly pounding and surely her eyes were the size of saucers. Raif cradled her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Wasn't it too soon to think about marriage? The voice in the back of her mind said no, because deep down, entertaining the thought of growing old with Raif as his wife had crossed her mind once or twice... or five times. Raif pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth, distracting her from her conflicting thoughts.

"So do you promise?" He pulled away and grinned. "To never leave me?"

Lucinda nuzzled his nose with hers. "Well, with those puppy-dog eyes you're giving me, it's hard to say no."

"Is that a yes?" Raif tickled her sides.

"Yes!" she squealed.

After they parted ways to get ready for the big day ahead of them, Raif was beyind frustrated with Rachel. He tried to arrange a meeting before the barbeque, but Rachel refused. She figured if Lucinda was going to be in Raif's life, then she needed to meet her son too. Raif argued it was too soon and would overwhelm their son but Rachel disagreed, stating they might as well get all of the introductions over with. Raif couldn't help but think how much Rachel was behaving like her mother, Eaddie. Nevertheless, he was going to try his best to not be agitated, and a nervous wreck. So he hopped into the shower to wash off the ocean salt and hoped that the steam would calm his nerves.

That afternoon, Lucinda was finishing the flower arrangement for Raif's mother as they waited for him. Merrill marveled at the beautiful colors on the petals of the hydrangeas, but was even more fascinated as Lucinda explained how the color of the flowers depended on the soil. From the same bag of flower seeds a complete rainbow of colors could bloom, if the seeds were spread around. This particular bundle had hints of blue, white, mint and purple. Then for a touch of fun, Lucinda added a few peacock feathers to tie in all of the colors.

"Well if his mother doesn't love it, then I'll take it home!" Merrill complimented. Lucinda looked at the arrangement and gave a half smile. "Don't be nervous kid. Just be yourself." Merrill winked.

"I think I'm more nervous for Raif. He's been on edge for so long and now he's going to finally meet this son he's had no clue about."

"It's definitely something out of a soap opera!" Merrill said, shaking his head. "But I suppose the older I get, the more complicated life gets for you youngsters. I've only had one lover in my life and that was my wife Louise." Merrill shrugged. "We lived a simple life... I still live it pretty simple but I understand that things aren't what they use to be. All I gotta do is look at my own kids to know that."

"Hey, you never updated me about them trying to sell your property." Lucinda remembered.

Merrill shook his head and sighed. "Sylvia has managed to keep my son at bay for now but he found out about my last trip over here and has apparently been hounding her for details." Merrill threw his hands in the air for emphasis. "If he wants to know whats going on in my life then he needs to call!"

Raif tapped at the front door and then entered Lucinda's apartment asking if they were ready to go. He definitely looked out of sorts as he gave a rushed pat on the head of Merrill's stray dog. Despite being nervous he managed to put together a nice outfit without Lucinda's help. Well, at least nice by Raif's beach-life standards where casual dressing was his favorite thing. He wore a grey button down shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows, jeans and flip flops.

"You smell good," Lucinda said as she leaned in for a kiss. "That's a nice shirt too, it almost makes your eyes look grey."

"Thanks. We should get going. Mom hates when I'm late." Raif turned around for the door and then paused. "Hey, um... thanks for doing this with me," he said looking over his shoulder.

"Don't be too nervous kid. It'll all be just fine." Merrill assured Raif with a hand on his shoulder.

Together they walked up to Raif's restored Volkswagen Bug. He opened the passenger door, and Merrill tried to get into the back, but Lucinda insisted he sit in the front. Raif tried to remain as calm as possible during the exchange so he helped Merrill get seated and then walked around to the driver's side, breathing out slowly.

Getting into the car he said, "I put together a playlist for our drive. I think you'll enjoy it, Merrill."

Turning the ignition, the radio came to life and the Beach Boys filtered through the speakers. Merrill lay his head against the headrest, a blissful glow spreading across his cheeks.

"Reminds me of Louise, my wife," he sighed. "We often danced to the Beach Boys in our kitchen. In fact, one of their songs was playing in the background during our first kiss."

Raif turned to him and rested his hand on the back of the seat. "Should I change the music? Will it make you sad?"

"No, no." Merrill shook his head. "I like it."

He closed his eyes with his head still leaning back and began to hum to the music. With that, Raif pulled away from Lucinda's apartment and began their drive. At first it was quiet as they made their way up to the coast but to break the strange silence, Merrill began to talk about his wife. He described the crystal clear waters of Maui during their honeymoon and drinking fresh juice out of a chopped open coconut. Listening to him speak eased both Lucinda and Raif as they listened to him go on about the happy times he and his wife had.

The drive was gorgeous as the road twined along the mountain coastline. Even though it was only fifteen minutes on the outskirts of town, it appeared like a completely new world. Parts of the road were through natural tunnels formed years and years ago. Merrill had the idea of holding their breath as they drove through the them and explained how he use to do it with his wife and kids. This also helped ease Raif, since it provided distraction and fun during the ride. He reached back and squeezed Lucinda's knee, which stretched an even larger smile across her face than the one she already had. Raif turned on his blinker, slowed the car down to a stop and waited for opposing traffic to clear. As he turned down a narrow dirt road, he announced they were just seconds away.

"This property has been in our family for years. This is our road. It only leads to the house and back out to the highway. My great, great, grandfather on my dad's side built it. Over the years tweaks have been made to the foundation and small additions as well. I'll show you my favorite part of the house, Lucinda. My grandfather built it. You're going to love it!" Raif said looking at Lucinda's reflection in the rear view mirror.

As they drove down the dusty path, a wooden fence ran along each side, holding in tall grass. The green blades swayed with the breeze and was tall enough to be waist deep if Lucinda wanted to run through it. Raif pulled the car into the driveway which looped around a large tree and parked. From the car Lucinda could see that the focus of the home was the wood-work. The wood panels that wrapped around the home had grain that swirled like marble and with a natural stain that looked like honey glistening in the sun. Vines of purple flowers twined around the carefully carved pillars holding up the porch roof, adding the only pop of color to the exterior of the home.

Raif opened the passenger door, helping Merrill to his feet and then reached for Lucinda's hand as she hopped out of the back seat. She quickly adjusted her strapless, plum colored maxi dress and took a deep breath. Lucinda could hear the distant crashing of the ocean waves and wondered how high up they were from sea level? Then as if they had been watching through the windows for their arrival, Raif's parents came waltzing out, martinis in hand and announced a friendly welcome.

"So this must be the Lucinda we've heard so much about!" Raif's father glided up to her, extending his hand and when Lucinda took it, he gave her a twirl. "Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. I'm Demetri and this is my wife Celeste."

"Thank you." Lucinda blushed with a hand to her chest. "Its a pleasure to meet both of you, and this is my friend Merrill."

"Ah yes, we've heard a lot about you too. Quite the surfer, according to Raif," Celeste said, with a warm smile.

"Well what do you say we go inside? I can make anything you like, martinis, beer, martinis?" Dimitri said as he headed up the three steps leading to the porch.

"Martinis it is!" Merrill replied.

Lucinda took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She was so happy Merrill was with her because so far he was easing her nerves significantly.

"Oh by the way," Celeste said turning to Raif as she entered the home. "Your aunt is here. She arrived about an hour ago."

"She made it? Its been at least six months since I've seen her!" Raif exclaimed with excitement and stormed through the front door while dragging Lucinda behind him as he took a hold of her hand. "Wait till you meet my Aunt she's hysterical!"

"Is that my baby boy!" a voice called out from somewhere inside the house.

Lucinda looked around wide eyed and her mouth practically gaped open at the sight of the interior of the home. Straight ahead there was an entire wall of windows which not only brought in an immense amount of natural light but it also exposed a view of the ocean. The ceiling had knotty pine with exposed beams and the walls were painted in very neutral colors with dark plank wood floors. The living room was a light grey with cream couches that adorned an oatmeal colored throw blanket, and plum colored throw pillows. Then the walls shifted into a cream color as they walked a couple of steps down into a dinning area where Demetri stood shaking up martinis behind a bar that looked very expensive. Nothing but top-shelf liquer choices from what Lucinda could see and they sat on glass tiers which were illuminated by glass sconces on each side.

The kitchen which was to the right, had ivory walls, light grey cabinets and a white granite counter top with swirls of grey in it. Everything was pristinely decorated and Lucinda now understood why Raif's home was so immaculate. He took after his mother! It warmed her heart to know that. As they rounded into the kitchen, the source of Raif's aunt's voice was finally found. There she stood, towel over her shoulder and chopping at veggies on a butcher block. She wore white skinny jeans, with a gauzy turquoise colored tunic and wedge sandals. She appeared to be quite opposite from Celeste who wore khaki colored slacks, a buttoned up lavendar cardigan, pearls and strappy flat sandals.

"There you are!" Raif exclaimed.

His aunt turned around, a smile spreading on her face and she embraced Raif.

"Well will you look at you!" She pulled away to admire him. "You just keep getting more and more handsome."

She embraced him again and lingered while Lucinda stood by patiently waiting for an introduction. Dimitri tapped on her shoulder to hand her a martini and then he downed the rest if his. Merrill stepped into the kitchen and was about to grab hold of the martini Dimitri was offering him, but nearly missed it as he stared at Raif and his aunt hugging.

"Well hello!" The woman's eyes shifted to Merrill as she let go of Raif and placed her hands on her hips. "So how's the dog?"

"Uh uh... um..." Merrill studdered.

"You must be Lucinda'" she said, shifting her attention and giving her a tight embrace. "I'm Audrey and this is...?" she asked, extending out her hand to Merrill.

"This is my friend Merrill. Have you two met before?" Lucinda asked with confusion.

"Yes he came into my Spa asking about the dog that was abandoned. I'm surprised he didn't rave about me," Audrey replied while fluffing her bright red hair and then bursting into a giggle.

Merrill's face was crimson as he stood there not knowing what to say until Lucinda elbowed him. "It mu-must have slipped my m-mind," he studdered, flustered.

"Oh relax, I'm just teasing," Audrey replied with a toss of her hands. "Let's go out to the patio so your guests can see the view, Raif."

Audrey linked her arm through Lucinda's and slipped her hand into Celeste's. She cooed how lovely Lucinda looked and then pointed out how both her and Celeste were wearing purple.

"That's good juju," she said and then winked at Lucinda.

The patio had matching wicker furniture like the ones Raif had in his back yard, except the cushions were cream colored. Lucinda could picture Celeste and Audrey shopping at Ikea together and the both of them bickering over who would buy Raif the matching set. It was clear their love for him was tremendous judging by the way they doted on him. They took a seat by a large fire pit with glass pebbles and to the left was a large grilling station. Dimitri disappeared into the house and then quickly returned with marinated meat. It sizzled as he placed it onto the hot grill and then Raif disappeared but returned with lobster tails and shrimp.

"Do you like surf 'n turf, Lucinda?" Dimitri asked as he now began sipping a beer. "How about your friend?"

"Sure. I'm not picky," she replied with a smile.

"Nor am I," Merrill answered. "In fact I'm a beach boy just like Raif. Grew up on the coast, I used to lifeguard during the summers."

"Is that so? I remember lifeguarding myself, back in the day." Dimitri admitted. "You wouldn't think it, but I was a wild kid. I sure enjoyed my summers! Skateboarding, rollerskating, bike riding... anything outdoors and I'd do it, but winters were all about my music."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, he still likes to think he's a teenager."

"Oh he's just like Rally, that's all!" Audrey exclaimed but then dropped her smile after seeing the look on Celeste's face.

Noticing how silent everyone had become, Lucinda looked at Raif and then Dimitri. They both had serious faces. Lucinda wasn't sure if she should ask but went ahead and did it anyway. "Who's Rally?"

It was silent for several more gut twisting seconds and then finally Raif cleared his throat. "Rally was my little brother..."

"Oh..." Lucinda blinked at him, shocked by the revelation. "I didn't realize you had a brother. Will I get to meet him today?"

"No." Raif shook his head. "Rally drowned several years ago."

"Oh..." Lucinda covered her mouth, wanting to completely insert her foot in it. "I'm so sorry. You've never mentioned him. I just thought..."

"We don't usually talk about him," Raif replied quickly.

Celeste cleared her throat and got up from the lounge chair to escape into the house. Excusing herself, Audrey went after her to make sure she was alright. Dimitri, however, turned to face the grilling station and began flipping the steaks over. They sizzled, filling the air as more silence followed. Just as Merrill began to open his mouth to spark up the conversation again, a woman appeared at the patio doors. Raif looked up, expecting his mother, but instead the color drained from his face.

"Hey Rache," he said.