Merrill and Lucinda woke up early the next day, ready to get the morning started. They drank a protein shake and then made their way down to the beach for some exercise. As they stretched, they waited on the sand for Raif while he slowly made his way toward them. He was still sleepy-eyed and had two surf boards in hand. He yawned as he set them down and then leaned into Lucinda to give her a kiss good morning. The early fog lay low on the ocean, creating a cast of gray to the sky, but the sun was forcing its presence behind the clouds. Merrill took a seat, crossing his leggs on the sand and began waxing his board. Raif nestled down next to him and stared at the waves, while Lucinda continued doing some yoga stretches.

"It's a beautiful morning," Merrill said as he squinted his eyes against the overcast sky.

"Hopefully it stays that way," Raif sighed.

A shout from somewhere behind them caused Raif to turn around, where he spotted Rachel standing by her Mercedes. She waved to him frantically so he would know just how urgent whatever she needed was. Seaguls were screeching above the parking lot, swirling in a circular patter as they searched for food and he secretly wished they'd poop on her. He turned his head back and sighed again while catching Merrill's eye, who in turn gave him a sympathetic look.

"Her majesty awaits..." Merrill joked.

"Care to brave it with me, Lucinda?" Raif turned to her.

"Sure. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I left you to battle a beast on your own?"

"Hollar if you need some back up," Merrill laughed.

Raif got to his knees, dusted off his wetsuit and offered a hand to Lucinda to help her up. Hand in hand, they went off to Rachel's car to face her hurricane strength wrath, together. As they approached, they could see Gavin sitting in the passengers seat with his arms crossed and listening to his music again while Rachel stood outside.

"I wasn't going to bring him but he begged me," Rachel said with arms crossed, mirroring her pouty son. "It's too dangerous out there. The water isn't safe for kids and it's going to be foggy all day but he threw a fit, locked himself in my parent's spare bedroom and refused to come out. He even called me a witch with a capitol B."

Raif chuckled, but then immediately stopped as Rachel glared her eyes at him. "Sorry," he muttered.

Rachel let out a huff. "He can surf with you but do not, I repeat, DO NOT let him out of your sight."

"Rachel, I've been surfing all of my life, trust me, he'll be fine."

"I mean it Raif!" Rachel snapped. "This boy thinks he's invincible. You should just see the complaints I get from school. He thinks he's a dare-devil."

"Rachel, it'll be ok. If the water is too rough or if I see he's having a hard time, then we'll call it a day. Plus Merrill will be right there helping me. Ok?"

"You're not going out there?" Rachel directed to Lucinda.

She shook her head. "No, I'm going for a jog."

"Figures. You're so slender..." Rachel said with folded arms, which made Lucinda unsure whether to take it as a compliment or insult? "I want him back in one piece. Call me when you're done so we can make arrangements on where to pick up or drop off."

"Sounds good to me," Raif replied.

Rachel opened the driver's side door and instructed Gavin to be safe, to be respectful and to listen to Raif. Out the boy hopped with a small bag in hand that looked as if it contained a towel and perhaps a change of clothes. Rachel moved around to the passenger side of the car where he stood and kissed the side of his head.

"I love you. Be good."

"I will!" he said with a whiny irritation.

"Alright come on buddy," Raif said with a hand on Gavin's shoulder. "I've got an old wet suit that might fit you."

Rachel watched as Raif, Lucinda and her son walked away. She sat back in the car and continued to observe until Lucinda jogged away and Gavin came back from putting on the wetsuit. As soon as she drove away, Gavin suddenly came to life, asking if there were sharks in the water and went on to talk about gruesome shows he watched during Shark Week.

"His skin looked like string cheese?" Merrill exclaimed as he helped Gavin wax his board.

"Yeah the shark bit off the man's leg muscle, the one down here," he said pointing to his calf. "It missed his bone though, but the man still had to have his leg amputated."

Merrill shivered. "And you still want to go out there? Now I'm having second thoughts..."

"Is that how your brother died?" Gavin asked Raif. "Mom says you had a brother who died in the ocean when you were a kid."

Catching Raif by surprise, he paused from waxing his board and froze as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Um... no he wasn't killed by a shark, he... um, drowned. Which is probably why your mom is so scared for you to go out there."

"No. She's just being bossy. That's why her last boyfriend broke up with her. He told her she was too bossy," Gavin replied.

Raif let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "Yeah your mom has always been hard headed, but she has a strong will. She always wanted to do things on her own."

"Yeah..." Gavin replied with his voice trailing off as he stared at the water.

"Hey. Is everything alright?" Raif asked with his full attention on Gavin. "Are things ok with you and your mom?"

Gavin looked down at his surf board and replied, "She's just been mad cause I got in trouble at school on Friday. It wasn't even that big of a deal," he said, now looking up.

"Well, tell us about it." Merrill suggested as he sat back with palms in the sand as if saying he had all the time in the world.

"I was skateboarding. We're not suppose to do it on campus cause the Principal says its dangerous. So me and my friends went off campus, just down the street," Gavin emphasized. "We just wanted to practice new tricks, but we got caught and suspended for ditching class. It was recess!" he exclaimed. "How can it be ditching class if it's recess?"

"Well, you got a point there," Merrill replied, which seemed to please Gavin.

"I suppose there's nothing much I can say, since I used to cut class all the time, but I was older," Raif said as he leaned back in the sand. "The first time I cut class I was a sophomore in high school. In fact, I ditched with your mom."

"What?" Gavin exclaimed. "Mom has never told me that! She grounded me for two weeks! That makes her a hypocrite."

"It's not that simple," Merrill chimed in. "Your thinking changes a lot when you become a parent. You realize that everything you do now affects the life you brought into the world."

"Yeah well, I don't think my mom really cares. Ever since my dad left, she's had a bunch of new boyfriends. She acts different around them."

"How so?" Raif asked.

"First she's really nice to them and some of them have tried to be my friend, but then she treats them bad and they get tired of it." Gavin began making circles in the sand with his finger. "Her last boyfriend I actually liked. He would cook for us and he threw a graduation party for me during the summer. He bought me an iPod."

"Is that the one I see you listening to?" Raif asked.

"Yeah. He was really nice, but my mom started being mean to him. I don't know why she does that."

"I'm sorry, Gavin. Sounds like he was a good guy," Raif replied. "So, your Dad, does he keep in touch with you?"

"Not anymore." Gavin sniffled. "The last time I saw him was when I got in trouble in fourth grade. The school couldn't get a hold of my mom so he ended up picking me up. He told me it was ok that I stood up for myself. That bullies need to be put in their place or else they'll walk all over me and then he took me out for ice cream. My mom was really mad. She yelled at him and told him he didn't have a right to give me advice cause he wasn't my real dad." Gavin looked away and wiped his nose on his shoulder. "He yelled back at her about how she shouldn't have lied to him for so many years. He was so mad he even started to cry and he shouted, 'how could you watch me be his father all of these years and then take it all away'?"

As Gavin began crying into his hands, Raif got to his knees and threw his arms around him. He held him tight and whispered how sorry he was that he had to go through that. Merrill wiped his own eyes as he watched them. He thought about how fortunate his grandchildren were to have loving parents in their lives. As much anger as he had for his son, Aaron, he couldn't deny that he was a good father to his girls.

"Hey," Lucinda announced as she approached them on the sand. "You guys done surfing so soon?"

"We never got started," Merrill replied. Then he pointed at Gavin who had his head buried in Raif's shoulder and mouthed, he's upset.

"Well, I decided to cut my jog early," she said as she took a seat. "It's kind of chilly today. I couldn't even get warm by running. What do you say we all go back to Raif's and I'll make us breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me." Merrill slapped his knee enthusiastically. "What about you two?"

Raif pulled away from Gavin and looked him in the eyes. "What do you think?"

"Breakfast sounds good..."

"Then breakfast it is!" Raif pulled Gavin into another embrace and then roughed up his hair before letting go.

Together they all got up, collected their belongings and made their way down the beach to Raif's backyard. He lingered behind with Gavin and he felt an overwhelming sense of floating as he placed his arm around his son's shoulder as they walked. It felt surreal, but even more so due to Gavin being so open with him. Raif never expected that, a quiet and sometimes angry boy, would express how sad he was with a stranger, let alone allow that stranger to comfort him. He was realizing that perhaps more than anything, Gavin just wanted to have a stable father figure in his life? Maybe he craved it and perhaps it was the reason behind him getting into trouble in school? Maybe he thought that at some point his father would show up, give him advice and take him out for ice cream again?

When they walked into the kitchen, Frank was barking uncontrollably and he wouldn't stop, until Raif walked in.

"What's gotten into you buddy?" Raif asked. Frank wagged his tail wildly while walking back a few steps. He barked some more, then stepped back again and barked some more. Sensing his odd behavior, Raif knew there had to be a reason. "What are you trying to tell me bud?"

Frank spun around, and darted down the hall, then stood at the bathroom door barking. Raif followed, but stood by with precaution. Just as he was about to bang on the door, it swung open to a frightened Audrey who's leg was now being attacked.

"Ahhhhk," she shrieked. Which caused Lucinda, Merrill and Gavin to crowd into the hallway in a panic.

"FRANK!" Raif yelled. "Heel!" The dog quickly retreated from Audrey's leg and sat by Raif's feet. "Are you alright?"

"Well, he bit me, but it didn't hurt," Audrey said as she lifted her pant leg to examine the area. "I used your spare key to get in. I thought I'd surprise you guys with breakfast but this guy chased me all over the house!"

"Aw I'm sorry Aunty, he doesn't know you yet. I promise he won't do that again."

"Well, it's not his fault, he's just being a good guard dog," she replied and began fanning herself. "Let me sit down and catch my breath."

Audrey walked past Raif and into the kitchen where she sat down on a stool, catching her breath. Merrill took a seat next to her, while Lucinda fixed a pot of coffee. Just as he was about to begin conversation, his phone began ringing. At first he fumbled for it as he tried to fish it out of his pocket, but when he brought the screen up to look at the caller ID, he excused himself to step outside. Lucinda proceeded to pull eggs, bacon, butter and a few veggies out of the fridge. She chopped away with a smile still painted on her face from seeing how scared Audrey was. She tried her best not to laugh, but let out a giggle anyway.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Audrey asked.

"Nothing..." Lucinda replied with her back turned as she tried so hard to not burst into a belly chuckle.

"Oh come on. You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

"No, I swear." Lucinda shook her head, biting back a laugh.

"You are, admit it, I must have looked hysterical."

"Well you did look funny," Gavin chimed in.

At that point Lucinda couldn't hold it any longer and exploded into laughter, then Gavin and then Audrey did too. Raif stood bye with a smile on his face and very pleased with the entire scene. For a moment he forgot that his life had been tossed upside down. It just felt so natural having Lucinda cooking in his kitchen, with his son sitting at the breakfast bar and he knew he could get used to the idea. Maybe even adding in a little brother or sister for Gavin? He pictured Lucinda with a pregnant belly, and couldn't deny the fluttering that stirred in his heart with that thought. For now, he would keep it to himself.

Merrill returned from his phone call and sat down with a plop onto the stool again. He seemed a bit removed as the morning carried on, barely touching his plate and not really taking part in the conversation. Lucinda knew something was off. It wasn't like Merrill to become so quiet. Nevertheless, she figured it would be better to wait until they were alone to find out what was on his mind.

After breakfast they all decided to go out and wander the farmers market. The morning fog had lifted, but the grey cast in the sky remained. A gentle breeze was blowing, sifting around the scent of the sea while they strolled. Lucinda and Audrey walked side by side, gazing at Raif and Gavin's backs as the two of them looked practically identical in stride. Even their body structure was similar, tall, lean, straight posture and broad shoulders, except that Gavin's was temporarily in a smaller package.

"I tell ya, that boy is going to be the spitting image of Raif, but with a touch more handsome," Audrey said appraisingly.

"He really is a handsome boy," Lucinda agreed. "Those green eyes of his and those long, bashful lashes... girls will probably fall all over him."

"Hopefully those eyes are the only thing he inherited from his mother. Otherwise lord help us." Audrey shook her head.

"Is Rachel really that bad?"

Audrey shot Lucinda an, are you kidding me? Look. "That woman is the devil in a blue dress! She's the kind that knows how to manipulate a man by using her charm and good looks. Then you got a hopeless romantic like my nephew, and he's putty in her hands. So you keep that man close to your hip or else Rachel is bound to talk him into handing over his cafe, so to speak."

"You really think so?" Lucinda asked, her concern starting to build up in her knitted eyebrows. "Raif said that Eaddie is the one pushing for child support, but that Rachel is refusing because she knows his business has its luls and she makes enough money anyway."

"Oh yes, Rachel, the saint!" Audrey scoffed. "Always thinking of others." She rolled her eyes. "I never liked her for Raif, but he always saw the good in her. One time I overheard them arguing about Rachel flirting with another boy at their sophomore homecoming dance. I could just hear the hurt in Raif's voice as he told her that he didn't appreciate being ignored half the night. Apparently she spent a lot of time dancing with some hot shot soccer jock, and then that little harlet had the audacity to make Raif feel guilty for not trusting her. Oh please! Who goes to a dance with a date and then spends half the night dancing with someone else? But like I said, a few pouty frowns from her and a makeout session later, Raif was back to being her puppy dog."

"It's hard to imagine Raif that way. He seems so level headed all the time..."

"Oh he is. He definitely is, Lucinda." Audrey paused and touched her elbow gently. "He grew up over night when his brother died. Taking care of Celeste and keeping on a strong face for his father... for once Rachel took the backseat while he took care of his parents, cooking, cleaning, running errands. He just..." Audrey paused again, her emotions catching in her throat. "That whole situation was terrible, but he handled it so well and without complaints. That's the man that Raif is today and I'm just so proud of him. I mean, look at how well he's doing with this child that Rachel dropped into his lap!"

Lucinda looked ahead at Raif as he stood with Gavin at a dairy station. He had an arm around him while pointing to a questionably-blue, block of cheese. Then he took a couple of samples, from the farmer and offered one to Gavin. Raif held up three fingers and counted down before they both popped the cheese into their mouths. An echo of laughter followed, along with their glowing expressions as Raif roughed up Gavin's hair. It was as if they had just developed an inside joke and Lucinda couldn't help but feel warm all over as she watched them. Raif was a good father and she could picture the three of them being a family together.

Off to the side she noticed Merrill next to a produce stand as he was looking down at his phone again. Something was definitely up, because whatever name he was seeing on the caller ID had his face completely red with anger.

"Busy man this morning," Audrey commented as she followed Lucinda's gaze and then they proceeded over to the produce stand.

"It's probably just his daughter checking in on him," Lucinda replied.

"Oh? He has kids?"

"Yeah and grandchildren. Although I've never met them."

"Interesting..." Audrey responded.

Lucinda looked Audrey over and it clicked. She didn't see it before but now she did. Audrey was interested in Merrill!

"How about you, Audrey? Any kids? Grandkids?"

With a sigh, she replied. "No. Unfortunately no. I've been married twice. First husband was a military guy so we hardly saw each other and then one day we realized that our love just fizzled. I cared for him deeply, but we never had a real marriage. Everytime he came home from a tour I had my own life going on. So... we divorced. It was for the best."

"That's too bad," Lucinda replied and moved over to stuff a few avocados in a bag.

"Eight years later I got married again and to a man who, lets just say was financially stable. He spoiled me rotten!" Audrey chuckled to herself. "I could've loved that man forever but we found out that I couldn't have children and that wasn't going to cut it for him. We separated, he moved out, found a new girlfriend and then he passed away suddenly. A rare heart condition we didn't know about." Audrey stopped and looked at Lucinda. "But I inherited ALL of his money. Boy was his girlfriend ticked offt! We were still married when he passed away and he never changed his will, so I got it all. I bought a house in Berryville where Celeste and I grew up and opened a business."

"Wow," Lucinda replied.

"Yeah, but if you ask me, I'd rather have Henry back. He had his faults but he was also a good person. He could make me laugh like no one else and well, he was a wild one in the sack." Audrey bobbed her brows.

Lucinda gasped and covered her mouth, but Audrey only laughed.

"Oh come on." Audrey nudged her again. "I know you know what I'm talking about! He was one of those men that STILL gives me chills just thinking about him. Ever had one of those?"

Lucinda's face flushed red as she thought of her times with Raif. Her ex had been wild in the bedroom, and for the longest time it excited her, but he was also a little too rough at times. Maybe a little too pushy for her to try things she wasn't comfortable with. Raif, however, was gentle, tender and considerate in wanting to please her. Yet he also behaved in a way that was raw, as if he had a craving for her that couldn't be quenched so easily. In turn, Lucinda wanted to do things for him and explore new ways of doing them. She trusted her body with him.

"It's ok." Audrey elbowed her again. "If it's Raif then you don't need to embarrass us both by telling me. I shouldn't have even asked. I'm such a ditz sometimes!"

Merrill joined them back up, saving them both from the conversation which had gone sideways. He continued to have a far away look, which caused Lucinda to become even more concerned. She pushed it aside as Raif approached them and suggested stopping by the Barrel Wave. As much as he trusted the new employee that Lucinda hired, Jake, he couldn't stay away from his business for too long, so off they all went.

Once there, they found Chuck sitting at the counter reading the newspaper and nibbling on a breakfast sandwich. His eyes gazed up from the paper in his hands every once in a while to watch the new employee work.

"He's got fast hands," Chuck announced as Raif gave him a pat and asked about his day. "If you ever get tired of him, send him on down to the bar. I could use fast hands as soon as tourism picks up."

"Not a chance bud." Raif smiled with a childlike grin as he walked behind the counter to check the register.

"There he goes. Can't stop working," Chuck said to Lucinda and then noticed Audrey. "Well hey there stranger. What brings you over here?"

As if old friends, Audrey plopped her bottom down on the stool next to him and began chatting away. Meanwhile, Raif invited Gavin to help him out with a few customers. Feeling that it was probably a good time to speak with Merrill privately, Lucinda turned to him and started to whisper. "Is everything alright? You seem funny ever since getting those calls."

Merrill twisted his mouth to the side with a bit of a frown and then spoke, "Well, first Duncan called to say my son dropped by. Then Sylvia called saying how furious Aaron was that I was gone again. She said he was really foaming at the mouth this time. I wouldn't put it past that piss-ant to be at my house when I returned."

"I'm sorry," Lucinda replied with her hand on Merrill's shoulder. "Well, this may or may not cheer you up but I think Audrey is interest in you." She bobbed her brows.

"Oh come on Lucinda! Don't be silly." Merrill blushed.

"Merrill, it's ok if you find her attractive. She's pretty and spunky. I like her." Lucinda grinned.

"She's too young for me... I'm old. I need to just die a widow."

"No you don't!" Lucinda exclaimed loudly, causing Audrey to turn her head.

"You don't what?" she asked.

"Oh, Merrill here thinks he'll be bored tonight while I do inventory," Lucinda replied. Merrill quickly pulled on Lucinda's arm like a child trying to stop their parent from embarrassing them. Lucinda simply smiled wider and continued, "I figured I'd give Raif some alone time with Gavin and put in a couple hours of work tonight. Buuut, that would leave Merrill all alone."

"Well hell, I don't mind keeping him company!" Audrey replied. "It's too quiet at Celeste's house and it makes me anxious. I could fix us up a good dinner and we could watch a rented movie. What do you say?" Audrey asked.

Merrill stuttered. "Uh... umm."

"I'll take that as a yes!" Audrey cheered as she bounced off of her chair. "I'll just need to get a few more things at the farmers market then. Tah tah..." she waved her fingers and off she went.

Merrill didn't even have a chance to protest.

"Well that was quick," Chuck laughed.

"What was?" Lucinda asked with a knowing smile.

"Setting Merrill up with Audrey."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lucinda insisted, grinning.

"I don't need a girlfriend Lucinda. Now I'm stuck having to entertain her," Merrill said with hands on his hips. "She's too young for me."

"What are you so worried about? Besides, I think you look great for your age. If I didn't know any better I'd guess sixty," Lucinda encouraged.

"Actually." Chuck wagged his finger. "Audrey hides her age well. She's sixty four... just don't tell her I said that."

"See?" Lucinda nudged Merrill. "That means you're only eight years apart."

"Relax old sport. Audrey is harmless," Chuck laughed and then returned to his breakfast.

As they all chatted on, the time seemed to fly by in an instant and next thing they knew, it was time for Rachel to pick up Gavin. The group left the Barrel Wave, along with Chuck so he could go help Isabel at the bar. The rest of them walked Merrill back to Lucinda's home so that he could unwind before his big dinner with Audrey... which he was still refusing to call a date. Once there, Merrill introduced Gavin to the stray Pit Bull as soon as they entered the duplex. Gavin immediately sat on the floor and let the old girl lick his face and commented how his dad had a Pit Pull when he was much younger, but that he got hit by a car and died.

"Mom didn't like the dog anyway and she won't let me get another," Gavin concluded.

"Well, dogs are a lot of responsibility," Raif replied. "But I tell you what, if you can take good care of my dog whenever you visit, with walking him, feeding him and bathing him, then I'll try to talk your mom into getting a dog for you. Deal?"

"You'd really do that?" Gavin asked as he looked up at Raif through his long lashes.

"Of course. Every kid should grow up with a dog."

With that, Gavin shot to his feet and wrapped his arms around Raif. "Thank you! And I promise, I won't let you or Frank down! He's in good hands."

"I know he is, bud," Raif replied as he roughed up Gavin's hair and then looked at his watch. "Well, I think it's time to go so that Merril has a chance to relax before my aunt gets here."

Merrill checked the time on his watch too and sighed. "Yeah, I could use a nap. Maybe even call my daughter."

"Alright, see you later then?" Lucinda asked with a caress of his arm and he nodded, yes.

From there they walked back to Raif's home again. They strolled without a care, enjoying the slow descent of the sun as it began kissing the horizon. For a moment Lucinda could vividly see the family picture again. Her, Raif, Gavin... it all felt so natural. The three of them together. Except that bubble was quickly popped as Rachel sat in her Mercedes in Raif's driveway, waiting and earlier than expected.

She seemed less than thrilled as they approached, her gaze flicking to their laced hands and claimed she needed to speak with Raif privately regarding their son. As much as this boiled Lucinda's blood, she tried to portray herself as the cool and understanding girlfriend.

"Sure, I'm heading back to the Barrel Wave anyway to do inventory," she explained.

"Don't work too hard." Raif winked as he leaned into her for a kiss.

As they pulled apart she gave Gavin a high-five, but could see that he had reverted back to being closed off. His eyes barely met hers and he kept trying to shrug Rachel's hands away from his shoulders. Lucinda couldn't help but become saddened over the way his body language changed whenever Rachel was around.

Something just wasn't right.