Something's Brewing

Chapter 7: Celebrations

Alec stood at his wardrobe, wearing only navy blue loose cotton pajama bottoms, examining the contents. Ninety percent of it was suits, dress shirts, and ties. Normally he wasn't bothered by this, but something about his new budding relationship with Ellie made him feel more self-conscious than usual about what he should wear. He stared at the clothes like he stared at a suspect in interrogation, as if somehow the clothes would give him the answer to what he should wear if he glared hard enough. After another few moments, he huffed and grabbed two hangers.

A while later he came out of his bedroom into the living room where Daisy, who was already dressed and ready for the beach, sat with her legs propped up on the couch. She looked up from her phone and smiled. Her father was wearing khaki trousers, a white dress shirt with the top few buttons undone, and he had the new sunglasses she had just bought for him last week atop his head. "Wow, Dad. I'm actually going to give you an A for effort, you must really like her." She hopped up off the couch and came over to him, adjusting his collar a bit.

He grumbled, "I don't look like an idiot?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, Dad. You look fine. Nice, even. C'mon, the party starts at eleven and we need to stop by the shops and pick up the drinks and crisps. You've got the present, right?"

Alec held up the gift bag and she smiled. As they headed out the door she picked up a oversized beach bag that was stuffed full. "How can you possibly need all that?" he asked.

Daisy ignored his grumbling as she walked ahead of her dad out the door. "You'll thank me later when I have a blanket for you to sit on while you complain about sand getting everywhere. And sunscreen so you don't turn into one big freckle, Dad."

-*-*-

An hour later, Ellie and Beth were setting food out out a blanket when Beth looked up and gasped. "Oh. My. God. I thought all he owned were suits. Bloody hell, the man actually looks attractive—you know, without a tie, and not on the verge of death."

"What!?" Ellie looked at her friend who she had thankfully made amends with after her ex-husband's trial, and saw her staring off towards the end of the beach. She looked in the same direction and almost choked on air when she saw Alec Hardy walking towards them, beach bag in tow. "Oh."

Beth turned to watch Ellie, deciding her best friend's reaction was even better. She chuckled. "El, you may want to close your mouth before the sand blows in."

Alec had his sunglasses on now, the reflective yellowish-orange shade of the aviator shaped glasses hiding his eyes, which were examining the scene in front of him. Fred and Tom, along with Chloe and Lizzie, were down at the water, looking at the sand for what he assumed were seashells or small creatures. Mark was helping Ellie's father set out several beach blankets. His eyes lingered when he reached Ellie, who had stopped setting out food on the blanket in front of her and stood up straight, watching them approach. She was wearing a white cover-up top over a swimsuit, and a wrap-around skirt that was a mix of various shades of orange. Alec wondered how she managed to continue to look more gorgeous every day, and was glad he had time to take a deep breath before they got closer.

"Fred, look who's here!" Ellie shouted towards the group of kids and Fred turned around quickly.

"Awec!" Fred squealed and came barreling towards the man.

Alec dropped the bag down and knelt just in time to grab Fred in his arms and pick him up. "There's the birthday boy! I don't know if I'm going to be able to call you 'wee' Fred anymore! Getting to be such a big boy!"

"Yes! It's my birthday! Awec come and look at shells with me?" the young boy pleaded as he rubbed the scruff on Alec's cheeks between his hands.

Alec gently set the boy back down on the sand. "Give me a few minutes, to see if I'm needed to help, then I'll come and look at shells. Okay?"