It was a little after three in the afternoon when everyone gathered up their belongings and climbed the trail back to the car. It had been a good day. The sun, the steady breeze, and warm sand had been therapeutic. The elements had eroded away some of the melancholy that clung to them.

The girls scampered into the back of the Infinity, fighting for window seats. Charlie being the youngest, lost. Jessie was about to trade with her when Michael reached across and fastened first Charlie's then Jessie's safety belts settling that issue. Within several minutes all three girls were fast asleep cuddled up with arms and legs entangled and their heads pressed against each other. They reminded Grace of a litter of kittens contently sleeping, all the energetic wiggling put to rest for a few minutes.

Reggie lay down resting his head on Grace's lap.

Grace looked over at Michael and smiled, "Thanks, today was just what we all needed."

"You're welcome. I know this is going to be a difficult adjustment for you so if there's anything you need, anything at all, please let me know. I want to help, okay?"

Grace nodded. Again he was caught up in the depths of her blue eyes. Her beauty was a distraction, to say the least.

"Thank you. You've been a great help to me. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you and Rosa."

They rode in silence the rest of the way back home, content in each other's company. The soft breathing of the girls as they slept, along with the deep gold hues of the setting October sun, were all that remained of what had been a perfect day.

After getting settled in at home, Grace began to fix dinner. She warmed some leftover ham and scalloped potatoes while Alex helped set the table.

"Where did you get this?" Alex asked turning the yellow envelope in her hands.

"It was in the picnic basket. I think it had a gift for your mother in it. Your dad must have given it to her when they were on an outing."

Alex looked perplexed. "This wasn't from my dad. It was in our mailbox when we got back from the park last month."

Now it was Grace's turn to be confused. She remembered the note, it did say 'love'.

"My mom got upset when she opened it. I remember her telling my dad about it."

"Did you see what was in the envelope?"

"A necklace. It was gold with a blue stone," Alex said, looking sad.

Grace realized it was hard for her to talk about her parents. She reached over and put her arm around her shoulders. It was time to change the direction of their conversation.

After dinner, Alex helped Grace set out the girls' clothes for school. Finally, everyone was bathed and ready for bed. Michael suggested he make lunches for Alex and Jessie. Charlie went for half day and would be home for lunch.

Grace was surprised to discover that she actually enjoyed the chaos of rushing to get the girls ready for a new week of school. She even took the time to make sure she had everything to fix a nice breakfast to get them started.

Michael had to be at his first job site at 7:00 am so he and Reggie retired shortly after getting the girls to bed. Grace enjoyed a cup of tea and a little solitude before locking up. The house seemed larger at night; strange sounds came at her from every corner as she went around checking to make sure the doors and windows were locked. She began to relax as she pulled the covers up over herself. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

She dreamt she was walking along a golden beach. The water crawled over the sand and lapped at her feet where she stood to dip her toes in the white froth. She raised her face up towards the warmth of the sun's rays. She felt calm and at peace with her beautiful surroundings. The cool water on her feet felt good. Glancing down she wiggled her toes digging them into the wet sand. Noticing that there was a slight pink tinge to the foam, she lifted one of her feet out of the tide. The pinkish water dripped around the edges of her slender foot. Setting it back down she saw that the water had turned almost red. A new layer washed in, surrounding her feet in a deep crimson color. She gasped as she tried to back up away from the tide. The water had changed its consistency, becoming like syrup, clinging to her and making it almost impossible to move. Beginning to feel her own desperation, Grace looked up and saw her sister and mother floating face down a few feet away. Her mother had a gold chain wrapped around her hand and it floated on the surface, sometimes catching the sun's rays. Grace thought it seemed to be flashing an SOS.

She jerked awake, feeling paralyzed by the nightmare. She lay in the dark cold room with her eyes wide open, trying to control her breathing. She couldn't remember ever feeling such fear. Glancing over at the clock she was relieved to see it was about time to get up. Throwing the covers aside she slowly climbed out of bed as a deep shiver enveloped her, due only in part to the chill morning air.