The three lounge chairs were lined up side by side on the sand facing the bright blue water. The three women, all sisters-in-law, were in various stages of relaxation. A cool breeze ruffled the umbrella that shaded Meredith?s chair, while Eva and Katie soaked up the sun. The kids were playing in the water - three boys and two girls - and each of the women made a habit of glancing up from their books and magazines every few minutes to keep an eye on them.

Mason, Eva?s brothers, and their friend Gary had taken the boat out in the early morning to go deep sea fishing for the day leaving the women and the children on their own. It had been a leisurely morning thus far, and the kids were certainly excited to start playing in the water and the sand, the area already littered with plastic shovels and buckets.

Eva picked up a glass from the table beside her and sipped her mojito. She let the rum-soaked mint linger in her mouth before swallowing. Mmm. Perfect. She glanced over at Meredith and Katie. Even though it had only been a few hours, she missed Mason. She?d never had girlfriends before - that is until she?d returned to RhyDin. What were they supposed to talk about? And why couldn?t she be without Mason for more than a few hours? What had happened to her?

?Ella Finch was spotted with a new man.? Meredith flipped the page of her gossip magazine from Star?s End, then raised a brow. ?A younger man, by nearly ten years.?

Eva blushed a little, but didn?t say anything, flipping the page of her Gossip GangSTAR.

?The actress?? Katie looked at Meredith.

?Yup.?

?Easy for them to date younger.? Katie turned a page in her book, then glanced over curiously at Eva. ?Isn?t Mason younger than you?? She didn?t mean to make a point of it, she just genuinely didn?t know.

?Uh... well... yeah.? The truth was, Mason didn?t really know how old he was, but as best he could remember, he was in fact, about seven or eight years younger than Eva - a considerable sore spot for her.

Meredith raised a brow, looking up from her magazine. ?He is??

?Uh-hunh...? Eva looked out at the water, checking on the kids, trying to come up with a way to change the course of the conversation.

?How much younger?? Meredith wasn?t about to let it go.

?About... seven years.?

?Seven years!??

Both Katie and Meredith were looking at Eva now. Eva just kept looking at her magazine, even though she could feel both women staring at her. ?Uh-hunh.?

Katie waved a hand at Meredith. ?John and I are five years apart.?

?Yeah, but he?s older than you. Gus and I are almost ten years apart too, but he?s older.? Meredith sipped her strawberry daiquiri, then shook her head. ?I don?t think I could keep up with a man that much younger than me.?

Eva?s blush deepened. If she could crawl into the issue of the Gossip GangSTAR she was holding, she would. She had no trouble keeping up with Mason. In fact, their sexual appetites seemed well-suited to each other. Eva had been young and wild - both during and after her active drug use - but when she met Mason she was ready to focus all of her sexual energy on just one partner. She had no trouble keeping up with him.

But Katie took Meredith?s comment the other way. ?So you and Gus...?? She trailed off, suggesting that Meredith and Gus did not have sex that often.

Meredith shrugged. ?He?s out working in the fields at dawn, and I?m dealing with the kids all day... by the time we get in bed together, we?re exhausted.?

?That?s what weekends are for.? Katie grinned at Meredith.

Meredith laughed. ?Just wait ?til you have your second. Weekends don?t mean anything.?

Eva laughed softly, and Katie looked over in her direction. ?What about you? Are you and Mason a strictly weekends couple??

?Weekends? No.... no... no, I mean... we?re not scheduled or anything, but... yeah...? Eva was embarrassed. She reached to pick up her glass, enjoying the cool condensation in her hand. Who talked with their sisters-in-law about their sex lives? They were talking about her brothers.

?The way you?re blushing, Ellie, he must be good though.? Katie was teasing her.

Eva searched for a politic way to respond. ?Well... uh....you know.... we enjoy each other.?

Meredith tipped her head back and laughed lightly. ?Well said.?

Katie smiled and gestured with her drink over at Eva. ?And with your figure, no one could tell you were older.?

Eva smiled faintly and glanced down at her legs. She could see the changes in her body. The way her breasts hung lower, the way her stomach had filled in to a gentle curve, her hips and butt a lot softer. But that was mostly from Mason?s good feeding. All the running she did kept her muscles firm beneath.

?Yeah, well, you haven?t had any kids.? Meredith frowned, shifting her legs to make them look a little thinner in the shade.

Eva stared at her Gossip GangSTAR.

Katie glanced at Eva, then at Meredith. Meredith looked up from her legs and caught the look from Katie. And then she realized what she?d said. Meredith flushed, embarrassed. She couldn?t believe how insensitive she?d just been. She opened her mouth trying to find something to say to apologize to Eva.

Eva set her magazine aside. ?I think I?m going to go cool off.? She smiled back over her shoulder at them, and then headed towards the water line. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, a breeze rippling the calm water. Eva waded out into the sea, past her niece and nephews and their friends, until she was waist deep. Then she dove in and started to swim. She had no idea where Mason?s boat was. But maybe if she swam out far enough, she?d find him.