Mountains of Dawn

"Jeff, how could I mind? It's your cottage."

* * *

At the cottage in Wasaga Beach, a cool breeze lifted a lock of Vanessa's hair and played with it, winding it across her cheek. "Any news of Tanya?" she asked. She brushed the hair behind her ear and leaned back on the blanket she shared with Eleanore Moore.

"No, not really. I haven't had a chance to talk to Kevin, and I didn't ask Jeff if Kevin talked about her."

"You wouldn't, by any chance, know her astrological sign, would you? I'd like to check and see if they're compatible."

"Since when have you been interested in astrology, Vanessa? But anyway, I think Kevin said her birthday was in the first week of June. The seventh, if I remember right."

"Ah, a Gemini! I wonder if a Gemini and a Virgo go well together. I'll have to look it up." She stood and brushed the sand from her shorts. "Guess we should be getting back. Sunday morning breakfast sounds wonderful to me about now." She smiled, picked up the blanket from the sand and shook it. "Astrology: an interesting subject, really. I feel as if I've missed out on so much, not knowing about it in the past-"

The two women left the beach and headed back to the cottage.

"Brisk and beautiful," Vanessa said with a glance outside. "I really enjoyed our little jaunt on the beach this morning, but I still need a walk to work off some of this breakfast. Any takers?"

"No, I think I've had enough, thanks. Let me settle in with my novel and digest my breakfast," Eleanore said.

"Not me," Jeff said. "Sunday is a day of rest, and that's just what I have in mind."

"Kevin?" Vanessa asked. "I'd really hate to go alone. It's too beautiful not to be able to share it with someone."

Kevin shrugged. "Sure, I'll come." He watched her as she removed the multi-patterned scarf from around her neck and tied it over her corn-silk hair. She looked cool and elegant to him, the sensuous silk of her pantsuit whispering against her long legs as she walked, the lavender color a compliment to her deep blue eyes. She gave Kevin a coy glance from beneath her thick, dark lashes, then left the cottage to descend to the beach. He followed.

She slipped her sandals off and dug her toes into the sand, then skipped toward the gentle roll of the surf. "I've missed you more than I ever thought possible," she said with a faint smile. She stared out to sea and watched the gulls dip and dive into the water to come up with small fish.