(http://www.imagechicken.com/uploads/1269707971020348700.jpg)<br/><br/>Abby Brennan slipped the key she held in her hand into the door of the beach house, stepping back as it swung open.  She let out a surprised gasp as she saw the place.  It was gorgeous, a little run-down, in that sandy, sun-worn way that beach houses get, but it was open and light,  a huge main room, two stories up to a glass ceiling, a gorgeous sunny kitchen.<br/><br/>She walked up the open stairs to look around the second story.  Several light, open bedrooms were arranged around a central railing that looked down into the main room.  Balconies outside allowed the sun and the ocean inside.  She couldn't imagine a more perfect place, and she couldn't fathom why Jimmy had let her have it so cheap.<br/><br/>Her boss, the owner of the Grub Shack, a funky little place where all the kids and beach rats ate, had told her he was leaving town.  Quick-like.  And she could have the house for a little of nothing, if she'd keep an eye on things.  She'd jumped at the chance, even though his idea of "a little of nothing" was far more than she could afford.<br/><br/>She'd advertised for a couple housemates, and had gotten two.  Both guys, which she hadn't expected.  She should have specified in the ad.  On the other hand, this was 1963.  She wasn't a prude.  So she'd agreed.  They'd be arriving today.<br/><br/>She stepped into one of the bedrooms, looking out over the sand of Malibu.  The house was in an enviable spot.  She could see the ocean, and the crowds of tanned bodies hanging out there, waiting for a wave, showing off their curves, dancing, playing their lives away.  She could get behind that.<br/><br/>Her parents still hadn't figured out where she was.  By now, they'd realized she hadn't come home from spring break, that she hadn't gone back to college.  She could still hear her mother explaining to her how a degree in Home Economics would help her catch a man.<br/><br/>She laughed as she pulled off her bikini top.  She was supposed to be bringing her luggage, but the sun was too much temptation.  She slipped off the matching bottom, her enviable curves visible to whoever was looking for only a second as she laid down on the wooden bench along the edge of the balcony.  The sun soaked into her waiting skin, and she closed her eyes.   This place was going to be perfect.