Landon gave Gavin a tense smile as he cleared some of the driftwood off of the beach so that it wouldn’t be in the way and glanced back towards the house to see if Claire was following.  He didn’t bother to hide is worry when he found that his friend was alone.  He still wasn’t certain that this was a good idea, and he likely wouldn’t be certain anytime soon.  It was very much a situation in which the ends would justify the means for him.<br/><br/>“I’m half expecting her to chicken out and stay inside,” Landon admitted quietly, as if he was afraid that their voices would carry all the way to the house.<br/><br/>He’d stripped down to just his shorts, his sandals and shirt having been left up at the house.  It left his scars visible, though he didn’t seem to pay much attention to them. In truth he felt slightly exposed, but the fact that it was Gavin and Claire put him at ease. He wasn’t embarrassed about his scars, but they were a daily reminder of what had happened, things he’d rather forget.<br/><br/>He noticed Claire well before she reached them and his self confident mask slipped over his face.  He let himself take one look at the scars that were visible around her swim suit, and then ignored them.  It wasn’t difficult.  He didn’t like the scars, but it wasn’t because they made her any less beautiful, it was because she’d been hurt.  There was guilt on his part that he hadn’t been around when it happened, hadn’t been able to fix it.<br/><br/>“There she is.  For a minute there I thought you were going to make me put up with him alone,” he chided with a nod towards Gavin.<br/>