First Love, A Second Time Around

One of the Best Days

Ally

Ally woke the next morning bright and early as always. She let the dogs out, grabbed her coffee, and sat out on the patio while they played. The sun was already getting warm, and she knew it would be a hot day. The Fourth of July was the following weekend, and usually after that, the summer stayed pretty warm. The mountains did provide some shelter from the sun, but not a lot.

Summertime for Ally usually meant lots of outdoor time with friends and her dogs. Someone was always having a barbeque, or a bonfire, or a beach party. Ally also took a week and went home to see her parents during the summer. She looked forward to that trip every year. Her parents usually came during the holidays, and then again in the spring. Ally went to them in the summer, and then again, during one of the long weekends from school.

Today, she and Jason were going to have a "day date." Ally knew it was his day off, so she didn't want to call too early, but just as she had the thought, her phone rang.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said. "How is your morning so far?"

Ally smiled and replied, "Pretty good, but better now that you called. I was waiting to call you since I knew it was your day off."

"It is, but I still had things I wanted to get done before we have our date, if that is still on?" Jason asked.

"Of course it is! What did you have in mind?"

"Well, do you want to have a picnic on the beach? You could bring your dogs, we could relax, talk, take in some sunshine." Jason replied.

"That sounds perfect, Jason. Do you want me to pick you up this time?" Ally asked.

"No, I'll swing by and get you. You are closer to the lake than I am. Your dogs won't mind riding in the truck, will they?" He asked.

"Nah, they've rode in trucks before. Not quite as big as yours, but they are young and could get into the cab easy peasy." She replied.

Ally was about to say goodbye when she remembered something Jason said last night.

"Hey, do you want to bring Micah along? This might be the kind of day outing that could tire him out for his mom."

"That's not a bad idea! Are you sure you don't mind?" Jason asked.

"Of course not! Like I said, he's a good boy, and I am positive Bonnie and Clyde will have so much fun with him!"

"Um... Bonnie and Clyde?" Jason asked as he chuckled.

"Well, yeah. I work for an animal rescue occasionally, and they came in as a bonded pair. Bonnie is three, and Clyde is two. The rescue thinks that Bonnie may be his mom, but they aren't sure. Those are the names the rescue gave them, and when I adopted them, it just kind of stuck." Ally said.

"Well, it's definitely unique. I'll probably pick you up around 11, unless you need more time?" Jason asked.

"Oh no, all I need to do is take a quick shower and pack the bags I bring for the dogs and I." Ally replied.

"I'm going to bring a cooler with some water, soda, and juice. I'm going to get some sandwiches and chips together as well. " Jason said.

"I'll just throw the dogs' stuff together and pack a bag for myself. Oh, if you have some fruit, can you throw it in? Otherwise, I will grab some and toss it in the cooler." Ally said.

"I have some, I will just put in in the cooler. See you at 11 beautiful." Jason replied, and Ally smiled as she hung up.

Ally went upstairs and took a quick shower. She went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a tank top. Ally debated on putting on a bathing suit and then opted for a one piece that she put underneath her shorts and tank top. She pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail and found her sandals and her wide brimmed hat. She grabbed her sunscreen, beach blanket, and beach towel and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, she put the blanket, towel, and hat into an open top tote bag. She put on the sunscreen in a thick layer, knowing it needed time to sit on her skin to be effective. She packed a soft sided cooler with extra water for the dogs and a couple of sweet teas for herself. Sweet tea was an addiction/weakness of Ally's. She would drink plenty of water during the day, but when it was warm outside, she wanted her tea too. She put dog treats that were double bagged into the cooler as well. In the backpack she used for the dogs when they went on hikes, Ally made sure that their portable water dishes were there as well as their harnesses and a couple of microfiber towels to dry off with.

Ally let the dogs outside to use the bathroom one more time before they left. The sun was getting higher and hotter, the perfect beach day. Ally's phone buzzed, and it was the girl who cleaned up Ally's backyard from the dogs' "bomb." She was also her dog sitter, and when Ally was in school, she would come by once during the day and let them outside. If the weather was nice enough, she would also take them for a walk. The dogs loved her, and it was nice to know that they were in capable hands when Ally went back east to visit her family. Julia, the pet sitter, was just letting her know she was coming by this afternoon to do her weekly cleanup. Ally told her that she wouldn't be there, but she would leave the gate unlocked for her.

Calling the dogs inside, Ally noted it was almost time for Jason to pick them up. She grabbed the bags, and she and the dogs went outside to sit on the front porch to wait. Shortly after, Jason pulled up in the driveway, and she could see Michah in the back seat waving happily from his carseat. Jason got out and took her bags.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, kissing her cheek. Ally blushed. She could hear Micah in the truck yelling "OOOOOO" because his uncle kissed his former teacher.

Ally and Jason walked around to the passenger side of the truck, and Ally opened the back door.

"Hey Micah! How's summer going?" she asked.

"It's going great, Miss Stevens! I've been playing all day long every day! I even get to play in my pool in the backyard!" Micah said excitedly.

"Wow, that does sound pretty great! So Micah, these are my dogs, Bonnie and Clyde. Do you think they could sit back there with you?"

"Are they friendly?" Micah asked nervously.

"They are so friendly that you might not have to shower with all of the kisses they are going to give you!" Ally replied.

The dogs jumped up into the back of the truck, and sure enough, they got to giving Micah tons of kissess. Micah laughed and squealed while trying to pet them both. Ally shut the back door and climbed into the passenger seat up front.

"Bonnie, Clyde sit." she said, "Micah, they are just going to be still while we are driving, ok?"

"Ok, Miss Stevens," Micah said. The dogs were still as can be, but both had their heads near Micah so they could keep getting pets from him.

Jason pulled out of the driveway and started toward the beach. Ally took a quick peek at his profile. He was so handsome, with his smooth caramel skin and light eyes. His jawline was well defined but relaxed at the moment. Ally remembered them dancing the night before and what it felt like for him to hold her, and she got butterflies in her stomach all over again. At that moment, he looked at Ally and smiled, and she blushed because she was caught checking him out. Jason just winked and reached over and squeezed her hand.

At the lake, Jason pulled into a parking space near the beach area. He got out and pulled the bags and his cooler from the truck bed, then looked at Ally with a helpless look on his face.

"How are we going to get the bags and the cooler, the dogs and Micah all down to the beach?" He said.

"I have an idea. Grab the dogs' harnessess and their leashes out of their bag. I'll have Micah "help" by leading the dogs down to the beach. He loves to help, and the dogs are well trained. They will just follow him, and we can take the bags and walk behind them." Ally said. She opened the back door and called Bonnie and Clyde out.

"Miss Stevens, can I get out too?" Micah asked.

"In just one minute, Micah. I have an important job for my best helper. Do you think you can help me?" Ally asked.

"Yes, Miss Stevens! I can help! I can help!" Micah said excitedly, bouncing up and down in his carseat.

"Micah, this is a very important job. I need you to walk Bonnie and Clyde down to the beach. With all the bags to carry your Uncle Jason and I need the very best helper to make sure that they get to the beach safely. Can you do that?"

"YES, I CAN!" Micah shouted and excitely tried to get out of his carseat.

"Hold on one second, buddy. We have to get them on their leads, and then we'll get you out, ok?" Jason said.

Jason and I put the leads on the dogs, and he then unhooked Micah's carseat and lifted him out. Micah excitedly made his way to Bonnie and Clyde. Both dogs looked at him and happily wagged their tails. They loved little kids. I frequently brought them into class whenever I could. This year, I was not able to because a child in the class had a severe allergy to dogs.

"Miss Stevens, which one is Bonnie, and which one is Clyde?" Micah asked as he pet both dogs on their heads.

"Well Bonnie is the lighter dog. See how her fur is really pale, like she has blonde hair? She also has a purple harness and lead. Clyde is a little darker than Bonnie, and his fur is longer. His harness and lead are green," I explained.

Both dogs lay at Micah's feet, waiting for their next adventure. Micah sat on the ground and pet the dogs on their heads, whispering in their ears that only the dogs could hear. Jason looked back at them, then at Ally and smiled.

"How did you know exactly what to do?" Jason asked.

"Well, most children act out when they are bored. Giving them "jobs" makes them feel important. Giving clear directions, one at a time is good for them. They learn responsibility and accountablitly, though they don't know that yet." Ally explained.

By now Jason and Ally had the items for the beach day unloaded and the bigger, heavier items were put in a wagon that Jason had in his truck bed. Micah's mom gave it to him to use, knowing that there would be a lot of stuff to carry. Ally grabbed the lighter items and they were ready to go.

"Alright Micah we are ready to go. Now first, you will tell them "up". They will understand that they have to stand.," Ally said.

"Bonnie, Clyde, up!" Micah said, and both dogs stood next to him. Micah clapped his hands.

"Next, you're going to say "Bonnie, Clyde, come. This tells them you are going somewhere, and they should go too." Ally explained.

"Micah walk between Miss Stevens and I" Jason said.

All three started walking. The dogs walked slowly by Micah's side. Micah kept looking down at them, making sure that they were with him. The beach wasn't very full at this time. Jason picked a spot close to the water's edge so they could keep an eye on Micah when he played near the water. If he went into the water, one or both of them would go with him.

They spread the beach blanket out, and placed the cooler, the wagon and other heavier items on the corners of the blanet so it would not fly away with any breeze. Ally then set up an extra large beach umbrella to provide shade for them. Micah continued to hold the leashes, determined not to let the dogs run away on his watch. Little did he know that Ally had them so well trained they would not go anywhere without commands.

Once the beach items were out, Ally produced some sand toys that she had for sand play in her classroom. Jason shook his head and smiled.

"You really do think of everything, don't you?" he said.

"Lots of practice being a teacher," Ally said with a laugh.

"I think some of it is just you. You seem to know exactly what everyone needs all the time." Jason said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Ewww!" Micah said, dramatically covering his eyes, "You just kissed a girl!!"

Jason picked him up, rubbing the top of his head playfully. "One day, you'll want to kiss a girl too!" he said.

"No way! I don't like girls enough to kiss them! Girls have cooties!!" He said, then looked at Ally, "Well of course Miss Stevens doesn't."

"You know Micah, since I'm not your teacher anymore, how about you call me 'Miss Ally' instead of 'Miss Stevens'? That way it sounds like we are friends." Ally said.

"Really? That's so cool. 'Miss Ally'" he said, trying her 'new' name out.

"Ok, so the last thing we have to do Micah is take the leads off of Bonnie and Clyde. They love to swim, and they listen very well at the beach. Let me show you how to unhook them. We'll leave their collars on though." Ally said.

She and Micah unhooked the dogs and they both sat in the sand, waiting for someone to command them. Ally then put a generous amount of sunscreen on him. Even though his skin was darker in color, he still could get a sunburn, and Ally did not want that.

"Can we go down to the water now Uncle Jason pleeease?" Micah begged, "And can we take the dogs with us?"

"Of course bud." Jason said, holding his hand out. Micah looked at the dogs then looked at Ally.

"How do I get them to come with me?" He asked.

"Just say their names, then say 'Come'." Ally explained.

Micah did what she said, and clapped his hands, jumping up and down when the dogs obeyed. He and Jason got to the water and then Jason picked him up and ran into the water. Micah squealed while he splashed his uncle, both of them laughing. Ally took her place under the umbrella and reapplied the sunscreen she had on earlier. She wiggled out of her shorts, which earned her a playful cat call from Jason. Ally just looked at him and stuck her tongue out.

Ally sat on the blanket watching Jason and Micah play in the water, and Micah playing happily with the dogs. She smiled at the relationship that Jason and Micah had. Boys needed all of the strong good male influences in their lives, and Jason was definitely one for Micah. Jason wasn't afraid to act goofy and playful and in return Micah looked at Jason like he hung the moon.

Ally was lost in thought when she heard Micah say "Miss Ally why don't you come and play too?"

"Oh Micah, Miss Ally gets sunburned very easily. Its better that I stay in the shade." she said.

"I think Miss Ally just doesn't want to get her hair wet. What do you think Micah?" Jason teased.

"I think so too Uncle Jason," Micah laughed.

"Well I can fix that!"Jason said.

Before she knew what was happening, Jason ran at her, picked her up and ran back to the water, jumping under so Ally would get wet too.

"That was so unfair!" Ally said, but she was laughing while she said it.

They all stayed in the water for a long time until Micah announced he was hungry. All three of them and the dogs headed back to their blanket. Ally took the dishes out for Bonnie and Clyde, filled the water dishes and then put some food in their other dishes. Jason reached into the cooler and handed Micah a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. He pulled out a bottle of tea for Ally, a turkey sandwich and an apple. For himself, he pulled out two ham and cheese sandwiches, an apple, a bag of chips and a bottle of water.

They all ate in silence, all of them super hungry. Once they were done eating Ally noticed that Micah's eyes were getting droopy.

"Are you getting tired buddy?"She asked.

Micah nodded his head in return. "Why don't we get packed up and head back home? I bet your mom is missing you." Jason said, giving him a side hug which made Micah cuddle into his side.

Ally gave Micah a towel to dry Bonnie and Clyde off while she and Jason packed up their things. She then attached the leads to the dogs and asked Micah if he wanted to walk the dogs to the truck. He perked up for a minute and took the leads from Ally.

They made their way to the truck and Jason loaded Micah into his carseat while Ally put a towel down for the dogs to sit on. They loaded everything into the truck bed and then got into the truck. Ally smiled when she looked back and saw that Micah was already asleep. She grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture.

"He looks too sweet not to grab a picture of him," Ally said, "let me send it to you so you can show your sister."

Jason laughed when he saw the picture on his phone. "I don't think I have seen him look so peaceful." Jason said.

"A little playtime, some important "jobs" and just running around being a kid do wonders. Water play always tuckers them out too." Ally said.

In no time at all they were back at Ally's house. Ally grabbed her things and called the dogs quietly out of the truck. Jason turned the AC up a little and closed the door so Michah would not get overheated while he walked Ally to the door. She unlocked her door and let the dogs in and set her things just inside.

"I had a great time today Jason," Ally said.

"So did I. Thank you for including Micah on our day date. I know his mom appreciates it. So do I. You are amazing." Jason said.

Jason leaned down to kiss Ally. At first it was just like the sweet kisses they've shared, but then Jason began kissing her more intimately. Ally opened her mouth and Jason't tongue slipped inside, deepening the kiss. They kissed like that for several minutes, and as the kiss broke apart with more sweet kisses Ally smiled.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. You're just so beautiful. Seeing you with Micah today and how patient you are, it just stirred something inside me." Jason said.

"No need to apologize. I am on the same page. Seeing you with Micah, watching your playful side and how much he clearly adores you stirred something in me as well. I have these feelings that I haven't felt in such a long time, and that is such a good thing." Ally said smiling.

"Well, we'll have to talk about our feeling the next time I see you. I have to get him home to my sister. He'll nap for a while." Jason said kissing her forehead. "I will call you later."

"Alright. I will talk to you later," Ally said.

Jason smiled then turned to go to the truck. He climbed in and with one more wave to Ally, he backed out of her driveway and drove off.

Ally closed the door and let out a sigh. That was probably the most fun she had in a while. Everytime she went out with Jason seemed like the most fun she'd had in a while.

Ally put the beach gear away and fed the dogs. Then she went upstairs and stripped out of her sand-sticky clothes. She took a long warm shower, and to her surprise, not one spot on her body cried out with the warm water, which meant she had no sunburn. She washed her hair twice to make sure the sand was out completely. She then dried off, wrapped her hair up in a towel and left it there while she moisturized and did her skin care routine. After that she threw on a pair of pj's, grabbed her e-reader and headed downstairs.

The sun was setting when Ally got downstairs, which was the best time to sit outside and read while the dogs ran around the yard. Today though they just wanted to lie at her feet. Seems they were just as tired as Micah was from all of the water play.

Once the sun was really low in the sky Ally headed inside. She locked the patio door and pulled the long blinds shut. She then grabbed herself a bottle of tea and an apple and made sure the front door was off at the porch light was on. It was a pretty safe neighborhood, and all of her neighbors knew each other, but you can never be too safe.

She curled up in the corner of the couch and began reading. It wasn't long before her eyes began to droop and the words were getting blurry. She decided it was time to go to bed. She called for the dogs and went upstairs. Settling into her bed, she felt sleep coming quickly. As she fell asleep, she smiled thinking of the day she had. Then she fell into the best sleep she's had in forever. What a great day.