Operation Heart

Sandy Secrets

The week had gone by much too quickly for Olivia's taste, and now she and Noah were getting ready to leave for the beach. The night before, she had filled a cooler with ice, water, and a couple of other drink options. She had also made some sandwiches and put them in the cooler, and put the cooler in the back of her SUV. Now Noah was running around the apartment, looking for shovels, buckets, and other beach toys while Olivia focused on the more important stuff, sunscreen, towels, and sunglasses. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top over her bikini when there was a knock on the door. Noah opened it and grinned when he saw Kathleen standing there, holding all of her beach stuff. "Hey, Noah, where's your mom?" She asked with a smile.

"My room! What's wrong?" Olivia called across her apartment as she searched for her Kindle, phone, both chargers, and her prescription sunglasses for reading on the beach.

Olivia was walking around the room, still packing while Kathleen walked through the apartment and flopped down on Olivia's bed, and then Noah flopped down on top of her. "Oof, my car wouldn't start this morning, and I don't want to take a cab all the way to the beach. Can I please ride with the two of you, Liv?" She then started tickling Noah, who was still on top of her.

"I don't even know if you'll fit in our car, Katie. Mom's packed so much stuff, you'd think we were leaving for a month," Noah teased his mom, though it was clearly affectionate by the smile on both his and Olivia's faces as he spoke.

"I've learned over the years with this family that someone always forgets something. So, I'd rather be overprepared than underprepared," she explained with a casual shrug. Kathleen nodded in agreement, though she knew that wasn't all that was causing Olivia to overpack. Noah ran off to make sure he had everything, and Kathleen sat up.

She watched Olivia pace some more. "Liv, tell me the truth. What's really bothering you? Is it dad?"

"What? No, Elliot didn't do anything, as far as I know. I just keep thinking about how things went down between me and him. Secrets don't stay secret, and maybe I should have told him the truth back then." Kathleen could see the anxiety coming off Olivia in waves, so she grabbed the older woman by the shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.

"You did what you felt was best, Liv, and not just what was best for you, or for dad. You did what you felt was best for me, Maureen, Lizzie, and Dickie, and you sacrificed so much. You sacrificed your own heart because you felt it was best for our parents to be together than divorced. And if dad ever finds out about that, I will stand by you. I love my parents, you know that. But dad died for a decade, and I haven't seen mom since we all thought he had died, I don't think my siblings have either. You and my grandmother were the only constant parental figures I had for years, so I will fight dad tooth and nail if he gets pissed at you."

Olivia hugged the younger woman tightly before they went out to the SUV with Noah and made everything, including Kathleen, fit into the SUV. "Can we listen to the Mamma Mia soundtrack?" Noah asked from the backseat as they started driving.

"One or two?" Olivia asked.

"Both," Kathleen and Noah said in unison, which made Olivia laugh as she nodded, passing her phone to Kathleen, who set up the music, allowing them all to dance and sing along during the car ride.

When they got to the beach it was already hot outside, and they saw a group of people already down at the beach. As Olivia parked Kathleen turned in her seat and looked at Noah. "Once your mom parks the car, run down to the beach and tell my dad and Dickie to come help us unpack our stuff, please." The boy nodded and practically jumped out of the car once Olivia put it in park. Olivia hadn't turned the ignition off yet, so Mamma Mia was still playing out of the stereo, and just as Angel Eyes started playing, the two Stabler men appeared, and one of them was shirtless.