Better If He Goes (Always You Book 1)

by Allie Everhart

  "Unless your cousin has a girl, in which case you need to get lost."

  He rolls his eyes. "Great. Then I guess I'll be hanging out with Aunt Kathy. We can do crafts together."

  I laugh, imagining Brad and my mom doing crafts together. She'd love that. She's always looking for someone to do crafts with her. That someone used to be my sister until she moved away.

  "See you guys out there," TJ says, walking away.

  I check the time. "We need to get ready. We have to be out there in five minutes."

  When we get to the pool, Kent and Kendra are there. They're twins and worked here last summer. They both have short dark hair and short stocky bodies, so from the back it's easy to confuse them. I did that a few times last summer to Kendra, confusing her for Kent, which was really embarrassing, but other people have done it too.

  I walk up to them. "I didn't know you guys were working here this summer."

  "It's the last time," they both say in unison.

  Kendra kiddingly hits her brother. "Stop doing that."

  He ignores her and says, "We're moving after the summer. She's going to Texas and I'm going to Nevada."

  "You're splitting up? That'll be a change," I kid.

  "I know," Kendra says. "But it had to happen sometime."

  "Why the move?"

  "We're both engaged." Kendra smiles at Kent. "He found Shira and I found Simon. On the same night!"

  "Really?" Brad says. "That must've been quite a night."

  "It was our friend's engagement party," Kendra says. "Love was in the air."

  They weren't engaged last summer, which means they fell in love and got engaged in less than a year. Maybe the same thing could happen to Riley and me. I already love her, and if we start dating soon, maybe we could be engaged by next summer, or even sooner.

  "I'm Brad," I hear him say. "Nate's cousin."

  "Sorry," I say. "I should've introduced him. He's here for the summer. Going to med school in the fall."

  TJ's voice booms from a megaphone. "Gather around everyone. Let's get this thing started."

  "I hate when he uses that thing," I say to Brad.

  Next to TJ is a lanky guy with a dark tan and bleached blond hair. I'm guessing that's Johnny. Just behind him is a girl with dark hair, dark olive skin, and a whole lot of curves. That must be Giada. Shit, she's gorgeous. If she's single, Brad should definitely ask her out.

  When I look over, I see him staring in that direction. He slowly smiles as she approaches.

  "Sorry I'm late!" I hear Riley say. She's right behind Giada, walking fast, her red swimsuit covered in a long white t-shirt, her hair up in a messy bun, her oversized purse falling off her shoulder.

  She's a mess, but I love her. God, I love her.

  Chapter Seven

  Riley

  I stop next to Nate, trying to catch my breath after running from the locker room.

  Nate leans over to me. "Glad you could make it."

  I turn to him. "Am I late? I thought he just started."

  "I was kidding." I pull her into my side. "You're not late."

  TJ sets the megaphone down and picks up a binder from one of the lounge chairs. "Let's start with roll call."

  "Is that really necessary?" Nate asks. "You can see who's here."

  TJ looks at all of us. "Then introduce yourselves. Not everyone knows each other. Nate, you start while I figure out my notes."

  "Hey, I'm Nate." He waves at everyone. "But most of you already know that."

  "Ditto for me," I say.

  "Your name's Nate too?" Brad jokes.

  Everyone laughs.

  "I meant that most of you already know me. But for those who don't, I'm Riley."

  "And I'm Brad," he says, "who most of you don't know. I'm Nate's cousin."

  We continue with the introductions, then TJ does his usual welcome speech and goes over all the rules. Next is the first aid lesson, which I've heard multiple times, but it's always good to hear it again.

  "I know you're all certified in CPR," TJ says, "but I want you to see it demonstrated again today as a refresher." His eyes bounce between us. "Which one of you was the doctor?"

  Brad's hand goes up. "I'm not a doctor yet, but I was pre-med in college."

  "Good enough. Come over here." He motions for him to stand beside him. "Riley, you get over here too."

  "Me? Why me?"

  "You're going to be the victim."

  The victim? As in the person needing CPR? The person Brad is going to put his mouth on? With Nate watching?

  "Go ahead," Nate says, as if this is completely innocent, which it would be if I didn't have a huge crush on his cousin.

  My heart races as I slowly walk over there. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Lay down." Brad points to the ground.

  As I sit on the hard concrete, I look up at Brad, who seems calm and collected, like this isn't a big deal. After last night, I thought he might feel differently. We had such a great time together. And with all the flirty comments and touchy-feely moments, it really did feel like a date. He even walked me to my door at the end of the night. But the way he's acting now, it's like we don't even know each other. He didn't even say hi to me when I got here.

  "Wait," Brad says as I lay down. He grabs a towel and kneels down to put it under my head.

  "Good reminder," TJ says. "If you're able to, put a towel under the head to protect it. I once had a kid cough up water so hard he banged his head on the concrete and needed stitches. So protect the head if you can. Okay, Brad, go ahead."

  Brad remains kneeled beside me and positions his hands over my chest. My heart is beating so hard I'm starting to feel lightheaded. I close my eyes and take a breath.

  "You okay?" Brad asks.

  My eyes pop open. "Yeah. Just tired."

  "You can keep them closed if you want. Take a little nap."

  I smile. "I'm good. Go ahead."

  "Make sure you have your hands positioned right," Brad says to the other lifeguards. "You don't want to go too high or too low."

  "What if you can't feel the breastbone?" Johnny asks. "I once had this guy who was so fat I wasn't even sure he had one."

  "You press down until you find it," Brad says. "Even if that means pressing hard. A little bruising later is better than having the person die." He moves two fingers slowly down my breastbone, causing sensations to erupt in places that should be feeling nothing right now. I close my eyes and focus on this gross guy who liked me in high school. The image of him immediately shuts down my arousal.

  But it quickly returns when I feel Brad's fingers press just below my boobs. "You want to make you're at the end of the breastbone where the ribs meet." He finds the spot and presses softly with two fingers. "On Riley, it's right here. So now that I've found it, I position my hands." He looks at TJ. "Am I going over too much? Everyone already knows this so—"

  "No, keep going," Giada says. "This is good. It's better than the class I took."

  Everyone nods in agreement.

  Brad looks back at me. "Still doing okay?" he asks with that gorgeous smile.

  "Yeah." I smile back.

  "You were drowning. Don't look so happy," he kids.

  I kill the smile and return to victim mode.

  "Okay, once you find the spot, put the heel of your hand over it. Then place the heel of your other hand on top and lace your fingers together." He demonstrates, then does some light compressions. "See how I'm only using the heel of my hands? You don't want the fingers involved. Keep them up and out of the way. For compressions, you want to do a hundred a minute." He continues with the light compressions and I beg my body not to react to the feel of his hands on me. But it doesn't listen. I'm back to being aroused as I stare up at his handsome face, that broad chest, those muscular arms. Of course he has to be shirtless, which makes this even harder.

  "You're not giving her breaths," Kent says.

  I tense up, thinking I might actually need CPR if Brad puts his mouth on mine
in front of everyone.

  "I think we all know how that works," Brad says. "The thing to remember is one breath every six to eight seconds."

  "Go ahead and show them," TJ says.

  Brad looks over at TJ, then back at me.

  "Anything you want to tell me before we do this?"

  "Like what?" I ask, wondering if he thinks I have some contagious disease.

  "Favorite color? Favorite movie? Your thoughts on solving world hunger?"

  "What?" I ask, confused.

  "I feel like I should know a little more about you before we do this. We haven't even been on a date." He smiles.

  "It's not a kiss," I remind him, lowering my voice to a whisper. "And last night was like a date, even though it wasn't."

  "It wasn't?"

  I'm not sure if he's kidding. It's hard to tell with him. He's always smiling and joking around, so you don't always know when he actually means what he says. I think just now he was kidding.

  "What's taking so long?" Johnny calls out, and when I look over, I see him taking a seat on one of the chairs.

  "I was talking to my victim," Brad says. "She's alert now and doesn't seem to need mouth to mouth."

  TJ sighs. "Would you just hurry up and show them? We need to move on."

  "I can show them," Nate says, stepping up beside Brad.

  Wait—what? Now I'm going to kiss Nate? I know it's not technically a kiss, but it's two mouths touching, which is very similar to a kiss.

  I don't want to kiss Nate. He's like a brother to me.

  "I got it," Brad says to Nate.

  "Just let him finish," TJ says.

  Nate steps back.

  Brad looks at me again, an intense gaze that makes me think he's just as uncertain about this as I am.

  "Blue," I say.

  "What was that?" he asks.

  "My favorite color is blue. Favorite movie is Fast and the Furious. The first one, although the other ones are good too. As for solving world hunger? I'll have to get back to you on that."

  A smile lights up his face. "Good to know. Maybe we could grab another beer sometime and you could tell me more."

  Wait—did he just ask me out? On a date? Maybe he really was flirting with me last night.

  "We'll bring Nate next time," he says.

  Well, that clears it up. He wasn't asking me out. He just confirmed it by including Nate.

  "What the hell's taking so long?" Johnny says.

  Brad gets back to business. "So let's assume I've done the chest compressions and it's time to give her a breath. You want to hold the nostrils closed, tilt the head back, and lift the chin to open the airway."

  As Brad demonstrates on me, I close my eyes, just wanting this to be over. It's so awkward lying here on the ground, my mouth open, with everyone watching and Brad about to kiss me.

  It's not a kiss, I remind myself. It's a first aid procedure.

  "You only do this when necessary," I hear TJ say. "We'll go over when you should and shouldn't do this. It's also in your booklets."

  Would he just stop talking and let us finish? A bee's going to fly in my mouth if we don't finish this.

  "So you want to take a deep breath," Brad says, "then seal your mouth around theirs."

  I'm thinking Brad will just let his mouth hover over mine to demonstrate without actually doing it. But then I feel his lips touching mine and the warmth of his breath. I'm sure it's only a second, which is how long the breath should last, but it feels much longer than that.

  My eyes blink open just as he pulls away, and from the look he's giving me, I know that wasn't just a demonstration. He kissed me. I give him a slight smile, then quickly hide it so nobody notices.

  "Then do one more," he says, "also lasting a second."

  He leans down and does it again, and this time I feel his tongue swipe over mine. Okay, that was definitely a kiss, but way too short. I want more.

  Brad backs away. "That's basically it."

  "Good job," TJ says.

  Brad stands up and offers me his hand. I quickly get up, then walk over to Nate.

  "That was embarrassing," I whisper.

  "You did great," he says. "Sorry you got stuck with Brad. I tried to save you."

  "It was fine," I say, brushing it off like it was nothing, even though it was definitely not nothing. I can't stop thinking of Brad's mouth on mine, his hands on my chest. l'm trying not to look at him, but my eyes keep finding their way over there.

  "Everyone turn to page ten in your booklets," TJ says. "After we review that section, we'll go over using CPR on young children. We have a dummy for that. Brad, you can demonstrate."

  "No problem," he says, going to stand between Giada and Kent. Why'd he move over there? Does he not want to stand by me?

  The orientation continues with TJ reading from the booklet. It's so boring, nobody's listening.

  "Okay, everyone in the pool," TJ says, setting the booklet down.

  "Why?" Johnny asks, yawning as he stretches his arms out.

  "Because none of you can seem to stay awake. I want ten minutes of laps. Timer starts once everyone's in."

  Everyone groans and complains as we strip down to our suits. Brad was already stripped down, wearing just his swim trunks and flip flops. Was he just trying to get some sun on his chest or was he showing off his muscles? He doesn't seem like a showoff. He's confident, but doesn't seem conceited.

  I notice Giada watching him as he dives into the deep end. She saunters over there and takes off her t-shirt, revealing her large boobs and curvy hips.

  Nate comes up beside me. "What do you think? Brad and Giada. Think they'll hook up?"

  "Hook up? They just met!" I say in an angry tone.

  "Why are you getting so upset? Don't you think they make a good couple? Look at them. She's super hot, and he's annoyingly good-looking."

  "You think she's hot?" I glance at her. "Why? Because she has big boobs?"

  "Riley, what is going on with you? Are you jealous of Giada?"

  "No! I just..." I stop, lost for words and wishing I'd just kept quiet.

  "You have nothing to be jealous of. You're way hotter than her. I mean, sure she has big boobs but believe me," he glances down at mine, "you definitely compete with her in that category. Yours are—"

  "Okay, stop," I say, pushing him away. I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm not jealous. I just think it's too soon for your cousin to be hooking up with someone. He just got here. And he's supposed to be spending his summer with you, not Giada."

  "I don't expect Brad to spend all his time with me. In fact, I don't want him to. I want to spend the summer with you, not him."

  Giada laughs, drawing my attention back to her. She's standing at the edge of the pool, sticking her chest out.

  "Get ready to save me," she says to Brad. Then she dives into the pool. It's a perfect dive, and Brad compliments her on it.

  "She's good," Nate says.

  "Yeah, well, I bet I'm a faster swimmer than her."

  "Riley, seriously, why are you acting like this? Did she do something in the locker room to piss you off?"

  "No." I sigh. "Actually, she was really nice. She gave me a hairband because I forgot to bring one."

  "Then what's the deal?"

  "I don't know. Guess I'm just tired and cranky."

  "Maybe you should stay home tonight. Get some rest."

  "I can't. Dave has tonight off, which means he and my mom will be doing it all night."

  "Tell your mom to go to his place."

  "She won't. He has a dog, and she's allergic. Besides, I don't want to be home tonight. I'd rather go out with you and Brad."

  "The way things are going, I'm not sure he'll be joining us." He points to Brad, who's talking to Giada. She's smiling and leaning back against the edge of the pool, putting her boobs on display.

  "You really think they'll hook up?" I ask.

  "Maybe not hook up, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went out tonight."

  "Huh. We
ll, I guess we'll go out without him then." I force my eyes away from Brad and see that everyone else is now in the water. "We should get in."

  Nate and I walk to the side of the pool and get in the shallow end. I look up and notice Brad watching me. Giada is now swimming toward us, but Brad remains in the deep end, leaning against the wall, his eyes locked on mine.

  What the hell is he up to? Just minutes ago he was flirting with Giada and now I feel like he's flirting with me. Is he just some player who wants to sleep with as many women as possible before the end of summer?

  "Riley, you coming?" Nate asks.

  I look over and see him lined up against the wall. Everyone else is lined up too. I swim over to him, and when I stop, I feel a rush of water go past me.

  "Hey!" Brad pops up from the water, wiping it from his face. "Want to race?"

  "Not really," I say, annoyed with him.

  "I will," Nate says. "Riley, switch places with me."

  We trade spots and I end up next to Giada.

  "Hi!" she says, smiling at me. "Nice day."

  "Yeah, it's great. Oh, thanks again for the hair elastic. I can't believe I forgot to bring one. This is the first time that's happened."

  "I have plenty if you ever need more. So how long have you worked here?"

  "This will be my fourth summer. I also work at the salon on Main Street."

  "Really? Maybe you could do my hair. I really need a cut."

  "I'm not a hairdresser. But my friend April is, and she's really good. She could do it."

  TJ blows his whistle. "Timer starting...now!"

  The guys take off, racing each other.

  "Guy are so competitive," Giada says.

  I look at her. "You wanna race?"

  She smiles. "I knew I'd like you."

  "Ten laps. Starting now."

  We take off, and damn, she's fast. I've always been the fastest girl out of all the lifeguards, but Giada's making me work to keep that title. When we finish the first lap, she's ahead of me.

  To be fair, I haven't swum since last summer. I'm out of practice and I am really tired from being out last night and having to be at work early this morning.

  At lap five, she's still got the lead, but not by much. I could catch up if I really pushed myself. Lap nine I give it my all, my arms and legs going as fast as I can make them go. As we enter the last lap, I'm right next to her. I push even harder and touch the wall right before she reaches it.