Ethan and Laura walked hand in hand toward the funnel cake kiosk.
“This is so amazing,” Laura said, looking around the park. She was so used to waiting in lines for each ride that the idea of having the place to herself felt like the most extravagant thing she could imagine. “Thank you.”
“You haven't even seen the best part yet,” he said. “You ready?”
“You mean renting out this whole place wasn't the best part?” she asked.
“Not even close,” he said and began walking a little faster. “Hey, kids! Hold up a second. There's something I want to show you.”
The kids stopped skipping and turned around, running back up to Laura and Ethan.
“What is it?” Ivy asked. “We're ready to go swimming.”
“Oh, then you're going to love this,” Ethan said.
He led everyone past the kiosk and turned to the right.
Laura had been to Water World a couple of times in her life, but it had been years since she had gone. The last time she'd gone was in high school, so she expected some things to have changed. However, even though it had been so long, she knew something was different as they approached the wave pool. Where there was once just cement along the water's edge, there was now white sand.
The wave pool looked like a legitimate beach. The sand was silky smooth, and there were four outdoor lounge chairs situated in the center, complete with a giant umbrella. It looked like paradise.
“What do you think?” Ethan asked.
“This sand,” she said, shaking her head. “This was never here before.”
“I know,” he said, walking toward it. “Feel it.”
Laura followed him and kicked off her flip flops, letting her bare feet sink into the sand. It was already warm with the morning sun. It was so soft and fine compared to the sand she was used to.
“I couldn't take you to the beach,” Ethan said, motioning to the white sand. “So I brought the beach to you.”
“Ethan, you did this?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He shrugged and managed to look a little bashful. “I mean, I promised you and the kids that you were going to see the beach and I wasn't about to break that promise.”
She ran toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him right there, overwhelmed with happiness.
“How on Earth does someone bring in enough sand to make a real beach?” she asked, as soon as she'd broken the kiss.
Ethan shrugged. “I just made few phone calls and got in touch with some friends who owed me a couple of favors.”
Laura glanced over, to see that Ivy and Dallas were already busy playing in the sand. They'd found some plastic toy shovels and were clearly in the process of making a sandcastle.
“I can't believe this is real,” Laura said, reaching down to touch the sand. “It's magic. Thank you. For everything.”
“You are very welcome,” he said. “Just wait, though. Any second now, the waves should start.”
Just like that, the wave pool whirred to life. Laura turned to face the water, watching as it lapped against the sandy shore. If she didn't know that she was standing in a water park, she would have believed that she was on a real beach.
“How is it not cold?” Laura asked. It was still only mid-May. It wasn't unheard of to get snow this time of year, yet she was perfectly comfortable in her swimsuit. Warm even.
“Infra-red heaters,” Ethan replied, motioning to tall iron palm trees. “They put out heat.”
Laura stared open mouthed at him. He had thought of everything.
“Laura, look what Dallas and I are building,” Ivy called to her. She had to shake herself to walk over. She strolled along the sand, feeling it squish between her toes to see their sandcastle. They already had a pretty decent start.
“This place is so cool,” Dallas said. “When you were a kid, was this your favorite place to go?”