The girls shrugged, laughing, and jogged toward the water, their footsteps kicking up sand. The beach stretched out around us, golden and shimmering under the scorching sun, the turquoise waves lapping gently at the shore.
I reached into the cooler, the ice sloshing as I pulled out a cold beer, the bottle sweating in my hand. Popping the cap, I took a sip, the crisp bite cutting through the heat. I fished my lighter from my pocket, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Leaning back on one elbow, I grabbed my phone from my swim trunks, checking the security app for my house. No alerts, no motion detected, Cora hadn't tripped anything. The new lock and camera were holding strong. Good.
"Last thing I need is water on this thing and a repair bill," I muttered, tossing my phone into Jasmine's mesh bag, where it landed safely among the frisbee and paddles. I took another drag, the cigarette glowing as I watched the girls in the water.
