At the house, Brian was watching golf on television and Deanna was reading a novel with a picture of a young, handsome lawyer on the cover. Deanna looked up from her book.

“How was the beach?”

“it was great. The sun felt wonderful, but the water kind of shocks you when you go under.”

“It always does. I don’t see how people can stand to be in it for more than a few minutes.”

Theresa hung the towel on a rack by the door. She spoke over her shoulder. “How’s the book?”

Deanna turned the book over in her hands and glanced at the cover. “Wonderful. It reminds me of how Brian used to look a few years back.”

Brian grunted without looking away from the television. “Huh?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Just reminiscing.” She turned her attention back to Theresa. Her eyes were shining. “Are you up for some gin rummy?”

Deanna loved card games of any kind. She was in two bridge clubs, played hearts like a champion, and kept a record of every time she won a game of solitaire. But gin rummy had always been the game that she and Theresa played when they had time, because it was the only game that Theresa actually stood a chance of winning.

“Sure.”

Deanna folded the page with glee, put down her book, and rose from her seat. “I hoped you’d say that. The cards are on the table outside.”

Theresa wrapped the towel around her suit and went outside to the table where they had eaten breakfast earlier. Deanna followed shortly with two cans of diet Coke and sat across from her as she picked up the deck. She shuffled the cards and dealt them. Deanna looked up from her hand.

“it looks like you got a little color in your cheeks. The sun must have been pretty intense.”