Moonglass

Definitely good-looking. I decided to go along, and put out my hand to let him guide me back over the rocks.
    “Thanks,” I said once we were back on the sand and the watchful eyes of the lifeguard in the truck were gone.
    “No worries. Just don’t go out there again. Or else I’m gonna be pissed off that I have to run down here and peel you off the rocks.” He pointed at his tower fifty yards or so up the beach, then looked at me for a long moment. “I gotta get back up there, uh …”
    “Anna. I’m Anna,” I said, putting my hand out again.
    “Tyler.” He grabbed it firmly. “Stay off the rocks. Or wait until I’m off duty.” He looked at his watch. “Listen, I get off in a half hour, and the tide’s gonna go out farther. If you’re still here, we can go check out whatever you were looking at. You staying here?” He motioned up at the cottages that lined the beach.
    “Yeah. Actually, I am. Just got in last night. I’ll probably be out here a little while longer.”
    “Okay, then.” He turned and jogged back to his tower. “Maybe I’ll see you when I get off.” I smiled to myself, wondering how long I could go without him finding out who I was. It could be fun to be off-limits after all.

CHAPTER 4
    I spent the next half hour watching the late-stayers on the beach. It was the kind of perfect golden summer afternoon when you could tell people just didn’t want to leave, even though it was Sunday and most of them had to get back to the reality of their alarm clocks the next morning. A couple sat on a single towel nearby, tan legs mingled together. The girl absently scooped up handfuls of sand and let it sift through her fingers as she leaned over to whisper something into her boyfriend’s ear. He laughed, then lay back and pulled her over him for a long kiss that felt a little too intense to be watching. A peppy trumpet came from the Beachcomber, where the staff was lined up, saluting a rising black flag with a martini glass on it. Everyone cheered and clinked their glasses, a small burst of excitement before only the sound of the waves and an occasional voice drifted over on the breeze.
    Suddenly a tinny voice came from Tyler’s tower. I looked up to see him holding a megaphone to his mouth. “Attention on the beach. Lifeguard service is now finished for the day. Please exit the water or swim at your own risk. Thank you, and enjoy your evening.” With that he closed up his tower, climbed down, and headed my way. I turned my head in the other direction and pretended to check out the tide pools as he jogged over.
    “Hey, you’re still here.” He sat down and pushed his sunglasses up into the perfect waves of brown hair, which I appreciated. Nothing worse than talking to your own reflection. I saw his eyes again and figured he must have seen his fair share of girls who were more than happy to be “Rescued.” They were a kind of silvery blue and lined with thick, long lashes. Lashes that would sell mascara to those same girls.
    I leaned back on my elbows. “Well, I couldn’t turn down a guided tour of the beach. Plus, it’s perfect out here right now.” We both looked out at the water that sparkled gold as the sun made its way toward the horizon.
    He buried his toes in the sand. “So, you renting a cottage here with family?”
    “Yeah. well, just my dad.”
    “A little father-daughter trip? Nice.” He looked around. “Where’s he at?”
    “He’s around here somewhere. Actually, I haven’t seen him all day, which is kinda funny. He’s probably off on the other end of the beach somewhere, looking for shells.”
    “Huh. Good, because he told all of us to stay away from you.”
    I stopped abruptly. “What?”
    “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’ve just seen it before. Most dads don’t like their daughters hanging around with some guy they just met on the beach.”
    I laughed nervously and nodded. “Oh.” Then silence. A seagull cried out behind us. I traced a figure eight in the sand.
    “So. You wanna walk or something?” He grinned at me, and at that moment I would have thought anything he said sounded good. I tried to appear casual as I checked the beach for any sign of my dad.
    “Sure.”
    We walked a few quiet paces, and I racked my brain for something to say. Nothing particularly witty or charming came to mind, so I settled on small talk.
    “So how long have you been a lifeguard here?”
    He kicked a mussel shell out in front of us. “This is my second