by Dylann Crush
Robbie disentangled himself and caught her hand up in his. “Come on, let’s go somewhere we can talk.”
She batted long, thick eyelashes at him and giggled. “I sure hope you’re planning on doing more than talking.”
“Get a room!” Becca splashed some water at them. “Oh wait, you can have ours. Go on, lovebirds, get out of here.”
Robbie’s hand went to his face, and he rubbed his scruff. He glanced my way, his eyes crinkling at the edges, pulling his mouth into a scowl. I focused my attention on the bubbles breaking the surface of the water in front of me and tried to make sense of the internal war waging around the edges of my heart.
Of course I knew he’d been involved with someone. But Misty said she was gone for the summer, the idealistic teacher off doing a good deed. I pictured her as mousy, shy, and quiet with pasty skin and thick glasses…not a towering Jessica Simpson-lookalike. It shouldn’t matter to me what she looked like. After all, Robbie didn’t mean anything to me anymore. At least that’s what I vowed to keep telling myself. I had the restaurant and Parker to distract me.
Oh damn. My heart pitched into my gut, sloshing around with all those margaritas. I couldn’t count on the promise of a future with Parker to keep thoughts of Robbie at bay any more. Robbie and I had navigated through some rocky patches the first couple of weeks I’d been back in Swallow Springs, but we’d finally landed in the flirty friend zone. So what if he and Glamzilla were probably going to stay up all night and get reacquainted.
For a brief moment I let myself remember the feel of Robbie’s nose nuzzling my neck, leaning in for that stupid kiss challenge. The hum of anticipation coursing through my body made me weak in the knees and sent my heart into an erratic gymnastics routine. I’d been fooling myself. From the moment I saw the new and improved, grown-up version of him lounging by the pond, I knew I’d never gotten over him.
But it was too late now. Robbie represented my past. My future was in Dallas, even without the safety net of a relationship with Parker. I still had obligations I couldn’t walk away from. I just needed to keep reminding myself of that.
Sunlight poured through a crack between the mini blinds, a sliver of light falling right across my eyelids. I rolled over and glanced at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand. Why couldn’t I seem to sleep past 6:30 anymore? At least that damn rooster hadn’t woken me. A peaceful quietness had settled over the house, a welcome change from the late night antics of the evening before.
I’d been the first to turn in at one-fifteen and hadn’t been able to fall asleep for quite a while. The sound of laughter and chairs scraping on the hardwood floor above kept me up. I may or may not have strained my ears for any sound coming from the other downstairs bedroom where Robbie and Glamzilla had retired. All was quiet. They’d either fallen asleep or knocked themselves out by the time I went to bed. I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care. The mantra played on repeat in my mind.
Sleep…I should try to get back to sleep. God only knew what Misty and Jake had planned for today. I’d need all the strength I could muster to survive another day around Robbie and the Pork Rind Princess. But once I was awake, I could never fall back asleep. Trying would be useless. I flung the covers back and let my feet slide to the floor. My denim shorts sat on top of my duffel bag. I pulled them on and grabbed a clean t-shirt. May as well see if there was anything to cook for breakfast.
Twenty minutes later I’d made it halfway through my first cup of coffee. Using a griddle I’d found in one of the cabinets, I stood at the counter, flipping homemade banana nut pancakes.
Misty padded into the kitchen on bare feet. Her hair clumped on one side of her head and lines of pink and red streaked through her eyes. “Please tell me there’s coffee.”
“Yeah, let me get you some.” I filled a mug from the pot and handed it to her across the counter.
“You’re a saint.” She slumped onto a barstool at the kitchen island and put her head in her hands. “Don’t let me make margaritas today.”
“Too much fun last night?” The batter sizzled as I dropped it onto the hot griddle.
“Did I have too much fun? I can’t remember.”
“Why are y’all being so loud in there?” Scooter lifted his head from one end of the sectional sofa.
“Sorry.” I’d forgotten there were bodies all over the place.
I peered into the darkened living room. Ryan stretched out on the other half of the sectional and Jake sat upright in a sunken chair, his feet propped up on the ottoman, sound asleep.
“Did Jake fall asleep sitting up like that in the chair?” I asked.
Misty turned her head. “Yeah. He didn’t take a shower after swimming in the lake and he stunk, so I told him he wasn’t sharing my bed. He’ll be back tonight though.”
I lifted my eyebrows in question.
“We have kids. Usually at least one of them ends up in bed with us during the night. Poor Jake hasn’t gotten laid horizontally in almost a month. More coffee?” She lifted her empty mug toward me.
I didn’t ask if he’d been getting laid in other positions. Some things were better left unknown.
The puttering of a boat engine caught my attention, and I looked out the window down to the lake. Robbie sat behind the wheel, navigating a big blue and white boat toward the dock.
Misty stood up at the sound and walked over by the window. “Damn early bird. Why don’t you go help him tie up the boat? I’ll take over flippin’ flapjacks.”
I didn’t move.
Misty bumped me with her hip. “Go on. The two of you need to talk.” She lifted the spatula like she wanted to whack me with it.
Fine. As far as I was concerned, Robbie and I didn’t have anything to say to each other. But appeasing Misty would be easier than waking everyone up by arguing about it. I grabbed a pancake off the stack and slipped my feet into my flip flops by the back door. As I made my way down to the water, I nibbled on my breakfast.
“What’cha got there?” Robbie asked. The boat drew up next to the dock, coming in slow.
“I made pancakes. Where have you been so early?”
He pointed to a rope on hanging from the front end of the boat. “Grab that for me? Just hook it over the post there.”
I did what he asked and he killed the engine, letting the boat drift closer. It bumped the dock and he hopped off, securing the back end.
“I love to get out on the lake early in the morning before everyone else. Look how calm the water is.”
The surface barely rippled, except for the wake Robbie had made coming back to the dock. A small metal boat sat about fifty feet offshore to the right where a fisherman stood and cast his line. Movement to my left caught my eye and two ducks came in for a landing, splishing and splashing as their bodies hit the water.
My stomach had been so tied up in knots, I hadn’t let myself relax and just enjoy being close to the water. “You’re right. It’s beautiful.”
“Wanna go out for a bit?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Once everybody else gets up, we’ll load up the coolers and skis and head out for the day.”
“I left Misty flipping pancakes. I should probably go finish up.”
“You sure? I thought maybe we could talk.”
“About what?”
His hand rubbed at the back of his neck, the same move he’d always made when he felt uncomfortable. “About us, for one.”
Us? There was no such thing as us between me and Robbie. I shook my head, dismissing the ridiculous notion. “You’re my contractor. That’s all.”
He took a step toward me. “Dammit, Cass. That’s not all and you know it.”
I backed up, moving farther away on the dock. “No. For crying out loud, your girlfriend’s here. Just stop, Robbie.”
“Cassie, wait.” He took a step toward me.
“No.” I wheeled around and ran toward the house. Why had I let Misty talk me into coming down to the dock in the first place? Tha
t dumb game we’d played last night had stirred up memories. And watching Caroline stake her overt claim made me feel things I hadn’t let myself feel for a long time. The two of them belonged together. There was no room for Robbie in my life anymore.
His voice followed me, calling out my name. Only one thing would be able to ease my mind. I needed to bake.
Robbie
My shoulders slumped as Cassie headed back toward the house. What could be running through that gorgeous head of hers? It just about killed me when Caroline showed up last night. We were through. I’d told her that over a week ago, but it obviously hadn’t sunk in. Instead of staying away and licking her wounds, she’d flown halfway across the world to try to threaten me into getting back together.
No need to ruin everyone else’s weekend. If there was one thing Caroline Hayes excelled at, it was creating a scene. I’d managed to put her off last night, told her I was tired and didn’t want to cause any drama with a house full of people. She hadn’t been happy but after a couple of drinks, the combination of alcohol and jet lag took its toll and she crashed.
Hooking up with her the first time had been a huge mistake. I’d known that from the start. The only reason I’d even been interested was because I’d been so pissed off at Cass. The first time we got together was the summer after my freshman year of college. I’d spent the entire year trying to honor Cassie’s wish and leave her alone. If she wanted to move on, who was I to stop her?
For ten months I forced myself to pretend she didn’t exist. Between baseball and studying to keep up my grades, I didn’t have a lot of free time. What little time I had, I spent partying, trying to chase away the memories of the girl from my past with the soulful eyes and long golden hair. By April I’d had enough. I borrowed a car, skipped out on my classes and hauled ass down to Austin. I had to see her.
How I managed to find her among the thousands of other students, I still had no idea. I just stood in front of the admin building and asked every person walking by if they knew her. I’d almost given up when a group of girls told me which dorm she lived in. I parked myself on a bench outside and lost track of time while I waited. Could have been a few minutes or a few hours, but all of a sudden, there she was. Backpack slung over one shoulder, short flouncy skirt and bare tanned legs. Her hair was different, lighter and not as long as it had been the last time I’d seen her. All the tension and doubt of the past year eased away. Certainty seared me. I knew everything would be okay. She smiled and moved toward me. My body stuck to the bench. Seeing her again freed all the memories and feelings I’d tried so hard to push down. In that moment I knew I’d love Cassie Belmont till the day I died.
She skipped right past me. Threw her arms around some dork wearing a Rangers cap and jean shorts. What kind of d-bag wore jean shorts? He kissed her on the cheek and they turned toward the entrance of the building. Words filled my head but wouldn’t make it past my lips. My body shifted into lock down mode and went numb. Who was the d-bag now? That’s when I knew it was over. Really, truly, fucking forever over.
I sat on the bench until the sun went down. Finally, a security guard came up and asked me what I was doing there. I don’t remember what smart ass comment I made, but he told me I’d better move along. Seemed like a good idea, so that’s what I did. Moved right along, leaving Cassie Belmont in my dust and in my past.
A month later I ran into Caroline at a party. She’d been away at school with Heather. She was looking for a summer fling, and I was looking for someone to wipe my mind clean. I spent as much time as I could that summer buried deep inside her. By mid-July I knew it wasn’t working. I broke it off as best I could but she’d never forgiven me for being the one to end things. About a year ago she moved home to teach English at the high school. One thing led to another and we started seeing each other again. I knew deep in my heart she wasn’t the one for me. But for some strange reason Caroline had set her sights on me. With her dad’s promise of lining up a bunch of business, I’d been content to just let things play out. I figured she’d get tired of me eventually, and I wouldn’t have to break her heart again.
I’d tried to talk to Cass over the past couple of weeks, but she’d managed to avoid me. What would I say anyway? Tell her no matter how many other girls I’d tried to lose myself in over the years, I still couldn’t get her out of my mind? Yeah, that would go over real well. The thing is, before she showed up, I thought I finally had put her in the past. But since we’d spent so much time together, she’d ripped open old wounds and now they festered. If I kept this up it was going to take a lot more than just a bandage to heal my aching heart.
A few hours later, the wind blew across the stern of the boat as I steered toward a calm stretch of water, the perfect place for an afternoon of waterskiing. The sun had already climbed high in the sky, burning off the cloud cover and sending the temperature toward ninety. The nine of us had crammed into the six-seater boat, probably violating some lake safety violation.
I eased up on the throttle and the boat slowed.
“Who’s up first?” I asked.
“I’ll go.” Ryan stood and climbed over Heather and Becca to the rear of the boat. He grabbed a lifejacket then jumped overboard while Jake tossed the skis and tow bar over the edge.
“What kind of muffins are these, Cassie?” Scooter shoved another bite in his mouth, scattering crumbs all over the vinyl seat. “I sure like them a hell of a lot better than those weird fajitas you made last night.”
“Hey, be nice.” Misty swatted at Scooter’s leg. “She was trying out a new recipe on us.”
“Those folks in Dallas are whacked if they like soy sauce in their Tex-Mex.” Scooter snagged another muffin.
“They’re lemon poppy seed.” Cassie bristled on the stretch of bench directly in front me. No one else noticed, not with the giant sunglasses covering her eyes.
“When did you have time to bake so much?” Heather popped a mini blueberry muffin into her mouth.
Cassie shrugged. “I got up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Plus, it took y’all three hours to get ready to go skiing.” I reached over and grabbed a cinnamon streusel one from the basket. She’d gone all out. She’d better slow down or she’d spoil everyone senseless. Scooter was right about those fajitas, although I’d never admit it to her.
“He’s ready.” Jake clapped me on the back. “You wanna drive?”
“Yeah, I can do it for a while.” I eased the throttle forward. The boat picked up speed and everyone turned to see if Ryan could get his ass up out of the water.
“He’s down.” Jake yelled over the wind and I slowed, then circled back.
Twenty minutes later Ryan had yet to get up on skis.
“Why don’t you let someone else give it a shot?” Scooter stood, ready to take his turn.
“Boy, girl, boy, girl.” Misty elbowed past him and grabbed a life jacket.
Scooter threw his hands up in the air in surrender and nabbed another muffin before returning to his seat.
Misty got up on her first try, and I navigated the boat in a wide figure eight. Her arms must have given out and she let go after taking a nice, long spin. Scooter took his turn, managing to kick off one ski and hop the wake. Freakin’ show off.
Caroline insisted on going next. She stripped off her cover-up, revealing the tiniest string bikini I’d ever seen outside the pages of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. Ryan’s eyes just about bugged out of his head and even Jake took a long look before Misty smacked him on the chest.
Caroline dove headfirst into the water and came up next to Scooter. He helped her get the skis on then paddled back to the boat and climbed in. She gave a thumbs up so I eased the throttle forward, picking up speed. She managed to pull herself upright for a few moments then tumbled to the side. I circled back and she picked up the tow rope, ready to give it another shot.
“Want me to take over?” Jake nudged me from behind.
“Sure. Have at it.” I climb
ed over the cooler and made my way toward Cassie at the front of the boat. Jake threw the throttle forward sending me tumbling into Cassie’s lap. “Sorry.” I flopped down next to her on the vinyl bench. “You okay?”
“What?” Her hair flew around her head in the wind.
I yelled back, the speed of the boat and sound of the engine making it almost impossible to hear. “I asked if you’re okay.”
She nodded.
The bench we sat on might fit two comfortably. But with Cassie sandwiched between me and Ryan, I had to put my arm behind her and rest it against her shoulders to squeeze myself into the tight space. Her leg pressed against mine from hip to knee. She tried to shift over a bit to give me more space, but there was nowhere to go.
“Too tight?” I leaned toward her so she could hear me over the wind.
“What?”
I nuzzled my mouth next to her ear. Her hair blew across my lips and the scent of coconut tickled my nose. Damn, she still used the same shampoo. My nose remembered. So did my dick. Down, boy. As my lips rested on the shell of her ear, her body tensed. “I asked if you’re too tight.”
She whipped her head around to look at me before I had a chance to pull back and her mouth grazed my cheek. Her hand immediately went to her lips.
Heat flooded my face. Nothing like getting a hard-on while trapped on a boat with over half a dozen people. Damn those sunglasses. They shielded her eyes, making it impossible to see what she might be thinking.
Jake cut the motor, and I crashed into Cassie, tightening my grip around her shoulders to keep her from slamming into Ryan on her other side.
“Sorry y’all. Caroline took a tumble.” Jake shielded his eyes from the sun. “Misty, is she okay?”
Misty hung over the back end of the boat. “Looks like she’s crying. You’d better go get her.”
Jake eased the boat back to where Caroline bobbed up and down in the water. It was hard to tell if she was crying or just had water dripping down her face, but as we got closer we heard her sobs.
