He laughed and went back at it, playing even harder and rougher, elbowing Damian in the stomach at one point to get past him and score his eighth and then ninth point.
Greg’s team scored another that I really couldn’t block, and then Mateo kicked the ball to Renata, who kicked it well back to him when he ran past Greg. He turned and, with a perfect kick, scored the tenth point. All the girls except me cheered.
“Pay up, boys!” Mateo shouted. He went to the blankets and popped open a beer.
I felt myself trembling.
Damian and Ernie looked at each other, laughed, and walked toward the water. I crossed over quickly toward our blanket. Greg, his head down but his face red with frustration and rage, walked toward me.
“Where you going, Greg?” Mateo called.
Greg paused and looked at him.
“We had a deal. You go in bare-ass.”
“Yeah,” Greg said, and smiled. “But you didn’t say where or when.”
He reached for me. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“That’s bullshit!” Mateo screamed.
I took Greg’s hand, and we started away.
“That was dumb,” he said. “The whole thing is dumb.”
“You said you did it, though.”
“I guess I’ve grown up.”
I tightened my grip on his hand, and we walked on, the others screaming insults at us.
Some clouds had moved in from the west, so the sun wasn’t as intense.
“Still think Mateo’s harmless?” I asked.
“Not when he drinks too much tequila. He’ll sober up and calm down.”
He paused and turned, so I did, too, and we could see Ernie and Damian run into the ocean bare-ass. The girls were screaming and laughing.
“I guess I’ll have to pay up, too,” Greg said.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back to the girls and Mateo. “Hey!”
They looked our way. Greg slipped off his suit with his back to me and ran into the water. They screamed at us, Mateo waving his arms and crying that it didn’t count. I slipped off my cover-up and walked to the edge of the water. Greg started toward me. I held out my dress and looked down. He rushed out and took it and began to dry himself off, his teeth chattering.
“That’s like swimming in a refrigerator,” he said. “Thanks.”
My heart was pounding. A warmth came over me that took my breath away for a moment. I think he sensed it.
He put his suit on quickly, looked back at the others, and reached for my hand. I saw the look of satisfaction on his face and smiled to myself. He had done this because of me, because I was here, because it was important to him that I think well of him. Maybe it made him feel better about himself. It certainly did that for me.
We continued our walk. The breeze felt good against my face. When I closed my eyes, I heard the sound of the sea and the terns. It was easy to imagine they were calling to us.
“Nothing gets you in shape better than walking and running on the beach,” Greg said.
“Mateo is very good at soccer.”