Keep Me Safe

Chapter 24: Christmas on the Beach

Ezra threw another piece of wood on the small fire. The smell of smoke lingered in the cool air and the beach was silent aside from the playful banter of the group and the steady crashing of the waves.

"Momma?" Joshua whined. "I tired."

"It is 9 o'clock," Aria responded.

"How about we wait until the fire goes out?" Ezra suggested.

"Okay!" Ada Lynn cheered.

"Let's get started on these s'mores!" Spencer exclaimed. She carefully pushed herself off of Toby's lap, where she had been positioned for the last hour.

They had spent the whole day at the beach, building sand castles, taking pictures, telling stories by the fire. Spencer recognized this beach as the one displayed prominently on Aria's Facebook page. It was obviously the family's favorite hangout, judging by the countless "remember whens" from the children.

They had also checked out the hiking trail behind the Fitz's favorite cafe. It was tucked away in serene woods and featured many dips and turns. It came out by a busy seaside village, containing multiple ice cream shops. The group of six had obviously checked those out as well.

Spencer carefully plucked a graham cracker from the box sitting on the longboard-turned-table. She grabbed two marshmallows from the plastic bag and stuck them onto her skewer. She set a piece of chocolate on the graham cracker before handing the skewer to Ada Lynn and repeating the process for Joshua, Toby, and herself.

She sat perched on a cooler while she waited for the marshmallows to melt. She, being the Hastings that she was, made sure it was a perfect, golden brown before removing it from the heat.

She had taken one bite of her s'more when she spotted a dark figure walking towards them. The man was wearing a police uniform, his hand resting on top of his holster.

He stopped before them, giving each one of them a stern look before his gaze fell on Ezra.

"Mr. Fitz," he said.

{uh oh! It's the police! What do you think this is about? Sorry I'm not very active, as I am very busy with school and dance. I have most of the story mapped out now, yay! I promise they will be home and preparing for the wedding very soon. I just want these next few chapters to be fun and light before stuff gets real. Love y'all!}