Work Text:
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, 2010
“Mom, look, it’s Uncle Robby!”
“Uncle Robby! Uncle Robby!”
Robby, who’d been half-asleep on his beach towel, raised his head and saw the Evans girls - eleven-year-old Amy, nine-year-old Olivia, and six-year-old Caitlin - barreling towards him. Dana lagged behind, looking rather sour-faced for someone supposedly relaxing.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Robby called out jovially.
“We’re on vacation!” Caitlin proudly proclaimed.
Amy explained, “Dad and Jenny are over at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and they’re gonna come pick us up later for his week with us.”
Ah. That would explain Dana’s foul mood. She and her ex-husband were coparenting amicably, but things were less than amicable with the other woman.
Dana trudged up and somewhat sheepishly said, “Sorry, Robby, I-“
“Uncle Robby, can you help us build a sand castle?” Olivia interrupted.
“I would love to build a sand castle with you three,” he said, pulling himself upright. “Let’s find some good sand and let your mom take five, huh?” He winked at Dana as he and the girls headed closer to the water.
Robby explained the best types of sand for castle construction and listened attentively to the girls make up stories about dragon-riding ninja princesses who lived in the castle. Dana intermittently watched from her beach towel, spread out next to Robby’s, and read her murder mystery book.
When the castle had grown to a size fit for the grandest dragons of them all, Dana came ambling over. “Come on girls, it’s been two hours – time to reapply sunscreen,” she said, holding up the bottle.
“How come Uncle Robby doesn’t have to wear sunscreen?” Olivia pouted.
“He does,” Dana and Robby said in unison, then looked at each other with surprise.
“Jinx!” Dana squealed.
“What does that mean?” Caitlin asked.
“It means he’s not allowed to talk until someone says his name,” Dana said, smiling for the first time since he’d ran into her.
He sighed, folded his arms dramatically, and looked at her with a grumpy expression, causing all three girls to burst out laughing.
“Does that mean we can order him a pizza with anchovies?” Olivia giggled, as Robby made a disgusted face.
A grin spread across Amy’s face as she said, “And we can give him a makeover!”
“And make him clean his room!” Caitlin crowed.
“Hi girls,” a familiar male voice called out behind him.
“Daddy!” Caitlin yelled, and ran up to hug him. Amy and Olivia trotted over to him too, still not quite old enough to be embarrassed by their dad.
Robby waved and said, “Hello, Benji.”
“Hi kids,” Benji said, affectionately putting his arms around all three girls. “Jenny’ll take you to the car; I need a word with your mom and Uncle Robby.”
Jenny, a tall blonde twentysomething in a crop top and shorts that barely covered her posterior, waved at the girls and they all headed off to Benji’s Jeep Cherokee.
After the girls were out of earshot, Benji looked them both up and down and said, “So… how long has this been going on?”
Robby glanced at his watch, somewhat confused. “Uh… about four hours?”
“Cut the crap, Robinavitch. How long have you been fucking her?”
Robby started to respond, but Dana cut him off, yelling, “None of your damn business! You got a lot of nerve, asking us how long we’ve been together when you ran off with a goddamn college kid!”
Benji shouted, “It is my business when you’re taking me to the cleaners on child support! You expect me to keep paying that much when your new man is a doctor?! Shit, you should be paying me!”
“Aww, can’t afford Barbies for Jenny and your daughters? What a shame!” Dana snapped.
“Fuck you, Dana, you’re gonna hear from my lawyer,” Benji snarled, and stomped off.
Dana watched him leave, eyes welling up. After they heard his car drive off, she turned to Robby and said, “I’m sorry about all that.”
He pulled her in for a hug and said, “It’s okay.”
“I’m so embarrassed, first my daughters interrupt your vacation and then you get dragged into my divorce drama,” Dana said through tears, unable to look him in the eye.
“Don’t be,” he said, smiling at her kindly. “I had a good time – your girls are amazing. And it’s not your fault that your ex-husband is a jerk.” The next sentence falls out of his mouth before he can stop it. “And you’re a lot prettier than she is.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said, and kissed her sweetly.
She smiled up at him and said, “I think this trip just got a lot more fun,” and they departed, hand in hand.