by Charli Webb
“Sure.” She smiles, but it doesn’t get anywhere near her eyes.
~***~
I flash my pass and pay for Skylar’s admission into the pool before she can dig her money out of her backpack.
She frowns at me and shoves a fistful of dollars at my chest. I hold my hands up, palms out. “How many times did you grab the tab at Red Robin’s or pay for our movie tickets and popcorn when we were kids?”
“That was different. I was using my mom’s credit card.”
“Yeah, well, now it’s my turn.”
“Rowdy.” She draws my name out and narrows her eyes at me.
I press my lips together to keep from grinning. She’s about as ferocious as a wet kitten. “Go get changed. I’ll meet you out on deck.”
I rinse off in the historic bathhouse then wait by the exit for Skylar. Someone below shouts my name. I shade my eyes and squint. Anna waves at me.
I lean over the rail. “I thought you had to work the morning shift.”
“I couldn’t sleep last night so I took a personal day.” She motions for me to join her on the sun deck next to the slide. “I need help getting sunscreen on my back.”
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But after Boone’s comments last night, and Skylar’s today, I feel a little weird about smearing lotion over Anna’s bare back. I nod towards the dressing rooms. “I’m waiting for Skylar.”
Anna lifts her shoulders then lets them fall dramatically. I swear I can hear her sigh over the noise of the crowd. “Fine. Come join me when she’s done primping.”
I chuckle and shake my head. Skylar doesn’t primp. Her idea of makeup is Chapstick and eyelash goop. At least, it used to be. I have no idea what her makeup routine is anymore. For all I know, she could be in there for another half hour. My smile fades. What am I doing? This is going to be so much harder than dating a stranger. We both need to scrape away the veneer of what we think we know about each other before we can start over.
“What are you frowning about?” Skylar’s cold, damp hand snakes around my waist.
I shiver and grab her wrist. “Damn, woman. Your hands are cold.”
“So is the shower. I hope the pool’s warmer.”
“You know better than that.” I can’t help grinning as I notice the only makeup she’s wearing is a faint, grey smudge under her right eye. I swipe at it with my thumb. “You look like a one-eyed raccoon.”
Skylar grins at me as she bats my hand away. “I didn’t know we were going swimming so I didn’t use waterproof mascara.”
“They make that stuff waterproof?”
“It looks fake and it’s hard to remove so I don’t use it unless I plan to get wet or think I might cry.” She rubs her middle finger under her eye then examines it. “Did I get it all?”
“You look great.” I grab her hand and lead her towards the stairs. “Anna saved us a couple of spots on the sun deck.”
Skylar puts on the brakes and gives my hand a hard tug. “I thought she had to work today.”
“She decided to take a personal day.”
“Did you tell her we were coming here?”
“I didn’t even know we were coming here until this morning. Is it a problem?”
“She’s already made it crystal clear that she doesn’t like me.” Sky’s eyebrows draw together, puckering the skin above her nose. She rubs her thumb over the back of my hand. “Besides, I want to spend the day with just the two of us.”
“She’s already seen me. We can’t leave without hurting her feelings.”
“Fine. But if she acts bitchy, I’m putting her in her place.”
“If you would just tell her why you disappeared—”
“It’s none of her damn business.”
“Why are you being this way?”
“I’m not exactly proud of the fact that I had to go into WITSEC because my mom’s boyfriend is a criminal.”
“Did you forget how Anna and I are related? Her father is serving a life sentence for murdering my mother.”
Skylar gasps. Her eyes widen. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking—”
“No. It’s okay.” I shouldn’t have brought that shit up. “I’m not trying to force you to tell Anna anything. But if you want her to forgive you, you need to tell her why you disappeared.”
“I don’t care if she forgives me or not. I just don’t want her to come between us.”
“She helped me get through the shittiest time of my entire life.” She’s still helping me, but something tells me confessing that to Skylar isn’t a good idea. “She watched me go through it all—the grief, the disbelief, the insane hope that you’d come back, and finally the devastating acceptance that you were gone forever.”
Skylar wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head against my chest. “I’m so sorry.”
I pull her closer and kiss the top of her head. It’s an ingrained reflex. If someone throws a ball at my head, I catch it. If they throw a fist at my face, I dodge it. If Skylar needs comfort, I give it.
“Hey! Keep it PG up there.” Anna’s shout is like a bucket of cold water straight from the spring. “This is a family place.”
I kiss Skylar’s forehead then take her hand and lead her to the sun deck below.
Anna’s got two beach towels spread out. There’s room for all three of us, if we squeeze in, but she’s lying in the middle.
I nudge her shoulder with my foot. “Hey, scoot over.”
She peers at me from over the top of her sunglasses. “I’ve already got this spot warmed up. There’s room on either side.”
“It’s ninety-eight degrees and you’ve got sweat pooling in the middle of your back.”
Skylar snorts then covers her mouth with the hand that’s not clinging to mine.
Anna presses her sparkly, pink mouth into a fine line. Her nostrils flare as she sucks in a quick breath. She pastes a huge, fake smile on her face as she unties the back of her bikini top. “I don’t want to risk flashing anyone.”
Skylar squeezes my hand. “It’s too hot to lay out in the sun. Let’s go get wet.”
I don’t know if Skylar’s trying to turn me on, but her choice of words sends my mind to places it shouldn’t go, especially when I’m wearing form-fitting tri-shorts.
Anna’s smile fades then turns predatory. She holds her top against her chest with one arm and reaches for her sunscreen with the other. “Do my back before you go, please?”
Skylar lets go of me, leans over, and snatches the bottle out of Anna’s hand, quicker than an eagle grabbing a trout out of South Boulder Creek. “Sure. No problem.”
Anna’s mouth falls open.
Skylar kneels beside her and squirts a line of thick, white cream from the base of Anna’s neck to the top of her ass, using at least half the bottle. She smears the goop around with one hand then wipes the remainder on Anna’s towel next to her face. “There ya go, sweetie. That should last the rest of the day.”
I know I shouldn’t laugh. Hell, I shouldn’t even smile, but I can’t help it.
Anna’s face is bright red. Her eyes look like golf balls. And her back looks like someone greased it with an entire can of Crisco. I cough into my fist to cover the grin I can’t suppress.
Anna lasers me with a death glare, but all that does is trigger a full on belly laugh. My shoulders shake with the effort of holding it back. Finally, I give up and let it out.
Skylar tugs on my hand. I back away from Anna, shaking my head and laughing. I manage to choke out a feeble, “sorry,” but know I’ll pay for it later. Anna’s going to kill me.
I follow Skylar up the ladder to the slide. Her swimsuit covers ten times as much skin as Anna’s but damn, Sky’s ass looks fine. We hang out in the pool until I notice Skylar’s nose is turning pink. I’m pretty dark, naturally, but even I get burned at this altitude if I’m not careful. I press my finger against the tip of her nose. She cringes and jerks her head back.
“Did you put sunscreen on?”
�
�That’s what took me so long in the dressing room. That, plus waiting in line for a bathroom stall to change in.”
“Why do you change in a stall?”
“I don’t do public nudity. Not even in a dressing room.”
“What SPF is your sunscreen?”
“Thirty. And it’s supposed to be waterproof.”
“There’s no such thing as waterproof sunscreen. Water resistant, but not waterproof.” I gently lift the shoulder strap of her swimsuit. Now it’s my turn to cringe. “We need to get you out of the sun.”
“But we just got here.”
I glance at the clock over the bathhouse. “We’ve been in the water for over two hours.”
“Oh, crap.”
“Come on. I think Wade’s got some lavender and aloe back at the house.”
~***~
There’s a strange, yet slightly familiar car in the driveway. My stomach sinks when I recognize it. Goddamnit. What’s Cherri doing here? I didn’t give her my phone number, much less my address. How the fuck did she find me? Skylar’s going to throw a shit fit. I just told her I never brought girls home. She’s going to think I’m lying.
“Hey, isn’t that Wade’s car?”
Cherri’s car is parked right behind Wade’s SUV. I heave a huge, totally obvious, slightly suspicious, sigh of relief. “Yeah. And it looks like Cherri followed him home.”
“Oh, I hope so. She was so sweet last night and I really need a girlfriend.”
“Are you sure about that?” I wink at Skylar. “I hear they’re a lot of work.”
The tip of her tongue flicks over her bottom lip. “Really? I heard they come in handy when you’re horny.”
I choke on my own spit. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Like what?”
“Are you into girls?”
“No, I’m into you.”
My heart kicks into high gear. “Are you saying that if you were my girlfriend, you’d come in handy?”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. All last night, too.”
“God, Skylar. You’re killing me.”
“I’m not ready to have sex, but I don’t want to set you up for failure either.”
“My imagination’s running wild over here. Can you be a little more specific?”
Skylar’s gaze drops to the bulge in my shorts. “I think we need to continue this conversation in your room.”
I’m ready to toss her over my shoulder and haul her upstairs, caveman style, but she’s sunburned. “We need to get the aloe and lavender oil from Wade first.”
“As much as I’d like to see Cherri again, I don’t want her to see you.” Skylar nods at my very hard dick. “At least not like that. Why don’t we go upstairs? I can call Wade from your room and ask him to bring it to us.”
“Why do you have Wade’s number?” I suck in a quick breath and hold up a hand. That came out a lot louder and harsher than it should have. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so…”
“Jealous?”
I nod.
“Rude?”
I frown.
“Obnoxious?”
“Hey. At least I didn’t smear so much sunscreen on him that he looks like a greased pig.”
Skylar’s eyes light up as she laughs. “Greased pig?”
“If you tell Anna I said that, I’ll deny it.”
Sky pulls her phone out of her backpack and aims it at me. “Say it again.”
I roll my eyes and open my door. “I’m not as stupid as I look.”
Just the thought of Anna finding out I called her a greased pig deflates my stiffy. “Let’s go see what Cherri and Wade are up to and take care of your sunburn.”
Cherri, Wade and Derek are sitting around the kitchen table playing Hearts. Cherri tosses the Queen of Spades onto the pile. Derek groans and reaches for the cards. “Damn it, Cherri. That’s twice you’ve stuck me with the bitch.”
Cherri laughs then looks up and notices us. “Hey, Rowdy, Skylar. How’re you feeling, hon?”
“I’m fine.” Skylar smiles, but her voice is strained. “Nice to see you again, Cherri.”
Cherri bites her lip. “I didn’t sleep with him.”
“What?”
Cherri nods at Wade, whose face is a dark shade of crimson. “We fell asleep on the couch, but we didn’t have sex.”
“Okay…” Skylar arches her eyebrows.
“I’m not the kind of girl that goes after another woman’s man, even if she’s got more than one.”
“Wade’s not my man.”
“So…you don’t care if we hook up?”
“Pff.” Skylar flicks her wrist. “Have at it.”
Cherri grins and stands up. Her chair scrapes against the cracked linoleum.
By now, Wade’s face is almost purple. He scoops all the cards together and shuffles the deck. “We aren’t finished with the game yet.”
Derek laughs out loud and punches him in the shoulder. “Dude. What’s wrong with you?”
Wade doesn’t talk about religion. He drinks beer occasionally, but I’ve never seen him get drunk. He dates lots of different girls, but this is the first time he’s ever brought one home. He hasn’t gone to church since I’ve known him, but he wears a gold cross around his neck, keeps a Bible on his nightstand and a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall over his bed. I’m pretty sure it’d be hard for anyone, even me, to get laid with the Son of God watching.
I narrow my eyes at Derek then shift my attention back to Wade. “Skylar got sunburned this morning at the pool. Can we use some of that lavender and aloe stuff you mixed up for burns?”
“Sure.” Wade jumps up then bolts down the hall to his room. Cherri’s flip flops slap the bottom of her feet as she follows him.
Derek laughs again. “You’d think he’d be ready to punch that V card by now.”
“Leave him alone.” I keep my voice down, so Wade and Cherri can’t hear me, but I make sure Derek understands I’m not going to stand by while he ridicules Wade for his beliefs. No matter how strange they are.
~***~
I wait outside my room, on the landing at the top of the stairs while Skylar changes clothes. She opens the door dressed in her running shorts and tank top but no bra. Her nipples harden under my gaze. Holy fuck.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “The worst of it’s on my face.”
“That makes sense.” I squirt a little of the cloudy mixture in my palm then dab it on her nose with a fingertip. “We were in the water most of the time.”
She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. Tears leak out of the corners of her eyes.
“I’m sorry. Maybe you better do it.” I hold out the bottle of aloe and lavender.
“You’re not hurting me. In fact, it feels wonderful. It’s just the lavender smell. It reminds me of Aunt Lori. She used lavender oil straight out of the bottle whenever she burned herself.”
“Which was pretty much every day.” I breathe in and the sharp, sweet aroma takes me back, too.
Sky smiles and nods. “Did Boone keep her glass studio?”
“Boone kept everything.” He locked off the master bedroom as well as the basement where Lori made intricate glass beads and tiny little dragon figurines she sold online.
“Aunt Lori was teaching me how to make beads before I had to leave. I wonder if Boone would mind if I used her studio.”
“Boone’s pretty touchy about his parents’ stuff. Besides, I saw the beads you made.” Lori gave them to me after Skylar disappeared. I still have them. They’re in an old cigar box in my top drawer, along with Mom’s wedding rings, half a dozen friendship bracelets Skylar made and every letter she ever sent me. “You should stick to photography.”
“There’s nothing wrong with those beads.”
“They’re lopsided with sharp, pointy ends that cut through even the toughest hemp.”
She squints and cocks her head to the side. “How do you know?”
Shit. I tried to string three of them on
a cord so I could wear them around my neck, but I don’t want Skylar to know that.
“Answer me. How do you know my beads cut through hemp?”
I get up and fetch the frayed necklace out of my drawer then drop it into her open palm.
She presses the fingers of her other hand against her lips.
I want to tell her the stupid necklace doesn’t mean anything to me. I want to say that I just never got around to throwing it away. The vulnerability in her eyes stops me. This…whatever this is between us…is hard for her, too. But she’s not hiding her feelings from me. Skylar’s already admitted she wants to revive what we once had. It’d be easier to resuscitate a five hundred pound heart attack victim, but damn it, I want to find what we lost, too. I want it so bad it hurts. I’m already in pain, there’s no point trying to run away from it. Besides, only a coward would try to protect his heart by hurting someone else. Especially someone as honest, sensitive and trusting as Skylar.
“Can I have it?”
My mouth is suddenly so dry I can’t swallow. It feels like I’m giving away a part of myself, but I just smile and nod.
She closes her fist over the misshapen beads and frayed string then presses it against her chest, over her heart. She sits perfectly still, clutching the simple necklace while I slick the tops of her shoulders with aloe and lavender. I recap the bottle then toss it onto my bed.
“What did you mean when you said that you didn’t want to set me up for failure?” My face heats up. What the fuck? Am I actually blushing?
Skylar rolls one of the beads between her thumb and forefinger, studying it intently. “Do you remember some of the stuff we used to do?”
“Hiking, rock climbing, swimming, biking—”
“I mean the physical stuff. Making out.”
“Yeah, I remember.” We started out with closed-mouthed, dry kisses at the beginning of the summer but progressed to tonsil hockey and dry humping by the middle of July.
“We could do some of that.”
“I’m afraid that would only frustrate us.”
“You didn’t always go home frustrated.”
My damn ears are on fire. I used to come in my jeans when we were making out, but I always thought I’d managed to hide it from her. I even wore tighty whiteys under my boxers after it happened the first time. “You knew?”
