by Susan Wiggs
At that moment, Mason and Donno arrived with a bunch of gear—floaties and foam noodles, inflatable rings, life jackets. “We’re about to find out.”
Mason didn’t look all buttoned-down and businesslike the way he usually did. He had on board shorts and a blue T-shirt, flip-flops and a pair of Ray-Bans. Mom said he and Alice needed family time together. He seemed okay with the plan, although Cara guessed that his girlfriend, Regina, wasn’t too happy, because she called him and texted him all the time. She had her own ring and text tone, so Cara could tell.
“Come on in,” Bree yelled. “The water’s great.”
Donno waved at them. “On our way.”
“Do you need some help?” Mom asked, paddling toward the ramp attached to the dock.
“We’ve got this,” said Mason.
Donno’s mother, Banni, helped Alice out of her swim cover-up. Her suit was adapted to accommodate the catheter, and Mom had gotten everything done in advance.
Donno stripped off his shirt. His body was ripped like a professional athlete’s. He was naturally brown and looked amazing, like a surfer from the South Seas.
“Wow,” said Bree. “Who’s the guy?”
“Usually he’s Alice’s driver, but today I guess he’s my sister’s swim coach,” Cara said as Donno leaned down and fitted a flotation vest on her little sister. “His name is Donno, and he comes from Bali. The whole family lives here, helping out Mrs. Bellamy.”
“Eye candy,” whispered Bree.
Mason said something to his mother. Then he, too, stripped off his shirt, one-handed over his head, and set his sunglasses on the table. He carefully reached down and scooped Alice into his arms, holding her like a firefighter rescuing someone. His muscles went taut as he carried her toward the ramp. Her legs looked kind of normal. They lacked muscle tone but they still looked like a woman’s normal legs.
“Ready?” said Alice.
“No,” said Ruby, clutching the flotation vest and Donno’s hand. “I changed my mind.”
“We had a deal.”
“But—”
“No buts. Let’s be brave.”
“Brave. Yeah, okay.”
“We’ll go together. Donno is an expert. He used to dive for pearls in Bali.”
“Are there pearls in the lake?” asked Ruby.
“No, but according to legend, there are diamonds,” said Alice. “Seriously. There was a stash of them thrown into the lake at Camp Kioga one winter, or so I hear. Put these goggles on so you can look around underwater.”
“Okay,” Ruby said again. She clung to Donno like a monkey.
The four of them waded down the ramp and into the water. Mason still had his mother in a rescue hold, and Donno had taken Ruby by the hand.
“It’s cold,” Ruby wailed, tiptoeing into the shallows.
“It’s supposed to be,” Alice said. She let out a sigh as Mason lowered her into the lake.
“You doing all right?” he asked her.
“Yes, it’s fine. Let’s go all the way in.”
Mason gritted his teeth comically as he got in up to his waist and then went lower. Alice floated, and she let out a laugh. “It’s wonderful,” she said.
“You look great,” Cara told her, paddling close. “How does it feel?”
“Strange. Most of me can’t feel the water, but I feel less...paralyzed, I suppose.”
Mason had put an inflated cervical collar on her, along with some shoulder floats. “Still all right?” he asked.
“Sure,” said Alice. “Ruby, you’re going to love it. Donno will show you how to swim to me.”
“I can’t reach the bottom.” She squirmed and kicked, on the verge of panic.
“Easy, little one,” Donno said. “Don’t fight the water. You won’t win. Just let it boost you up. Come, let’s go and say hi to Missy Alice.”
He reminded her to practice the flutter kick they had been working on all week in the pool. When Ruby caught on to how it propelled her, she laughed with the triumph of discovery. “It’s working,” she said. “It feels like flying. Mom, look. Are you looking?”
“I sure am,” said Mom.
Cara heard a slight catch in her mother’s voice, and she knew why. Mom was wishing Dad could be here to see Ruby’s first swim.
The kid did all right. She made it to Alice, who was floating near Mason, all by herself, with a blissful smile on her face.
“Good job, Ruby,” she said.
“We’re doing it, Alice. We’re facing our fears! I can’t touch bottom and I’m not scared.”
“The key to facing fear is simply doing a thing over and over again. The first time is always the hardest.”
“You doing great, Missy Alice,” said Donno with a huge smile.
“We’re swimming. High five.” Ruby took Alice’s hand and gave it a kiss. “I’m going to practice my kicking.”
“That’s a good plan. Practice is hard work, but it’s the only way to get better at something.”
* * *
“Last one in is a rotten egg!” Faith yelled the age-old challenge and ran to the end of the dock, Cara and Bree hot on her heels. Faith hit the water first and then surged to the surface with a fist pump of triumph. “First,” she said to the two girls. “And therefore not rotten.”
“We tied,” Bree said. “We’re both rotten.”
Faith treaded water near them, watching Ruby playing in the water, with Donno never far from her side. The little girl was so proud and happy to be swimming at last. It seemed like a small step, but to Faith, it was huge. “I’ll tell you what’s not rotten,” she said, indicating Ruby.
“I know,” Cara agreed. “I’m really glad she’s finally turning into a swimmer.”
Alice caught Faith’s eye and sent a broad wink and a smile. Faith mouthed a thank-you. Then Alice turned to Mason. It was fantastic that she could maneuver herself a little in the water. “Stop hovering,” she said to her son. “I’m not helpless.”
“No, Mom, you’re definitely not helpless.”
“Then stop hovering,” she repeated.
Faith shook her head at their bickering. Then she lowered her swim goggles and said to the girls, “Ruby’s in good hands. I’m going for a nice long swim.” She struck out, away from shore, loving the silky feel of the water over her skin and scalp, and the momentary sense of freedom and weightlessness. She and Cara were known for their lung capacity. It was just a thing with them. Faith dived down and explored the lake bottom, watching a fish weave its way amid the sun-dappled rocks. Just for a moment, she forgot the whole world.
The moment ended when a large male hand grabbed her arm and yanked her violently to the surface. She kicked back in confusion, breaking the surface with a gasp. She found herself face-to-face with Mason Bellamy. “What the hell?” she demanded.
“You were underwater so long, I thought you were in trouble.” He floated back, rubbing a livid red mark on his rib cage. “You pack a mean punch, woman.”
“It was a kick.”
“A mean kick, then. You’re just mean. I thought you needed saving.”
“You thought wrong. I was minding my own business, exploring the lake.” She splashed water at him. “Sorry about your ribs.”
“That makes two of us.”
Removing the goggles, she said, “Let me check. I want to make sure something’s not dislocated.”
He folded his hands behind his head, floating back. She placed one hand under him and gently palpated the reddened area.
“Jeez,” he said through gritted teeth, “you’re killing me.”
“Really? Does this hurt?”
“Tickles,” he said. “Christ, you have to stop. Nothing’s dislocated. Nothing’s broken.”
She put up both hands, palms o
ut, then resumed treading water. “All right. I’m sorry for kicking you.”
“You’re forgiven,” he said, still floating.
It was hard to take her eyes off him. He had the best-looking abs. And somehow, floating next to him on this perfect summer day made everything even better, gilded by sunshine. The thought unnerved her, and she paddled backward, away from him.
“I was looking for the diamonds,” she said, to change the subject. “The ones your mother mentioned. Did someone really throw them off a dock at Camp Kioga?”
“So they say. We should check it out.”
She sighed, swirling her arms across the water. “A cache of diamonds,” she breathed.
“What would you do with them?” he asked.
“God, what wouldn’t I do? Send Cara to any college she wants. Get the high-tech insulin pump for Ruby—”
“You don’t need diamonds for those things,” he pointed out. “You need a loan.”
“Right. Banks don’t lend money to people with no money. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“You don’t need a bank. You have Bellamy Strategic Capital.”
“Oh, hell, no.”
“So if you find the diamonds, you’ll need to spend the money on yourself.” He paddled easily, smiling up at the sun.
“Finally get those red Fendi sunglasses I’ve been hankering for,” she said.
“I get the impression you don’t treat yourself enough, Faith.”
“If my girls are happy, then I have everything I need. And don’t look at me like that. I mean it. You’ll see one of these days, when you have kids of your own.”
“Big assumption there,” he remarked. “Kids? Of my own?”
“Good point. That would mean you’d have to grow up yourself,” she teased.
“Hey.”
“Waterskiing, kiteboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing...and that’s only the first week you were here. You play all day, Mason.”
“That’s it,” he said, surging toward her through the water. “You’re going down.”
She dived to the bottom, but couldn’t outswim him, and he grabbed her playfully and dragged her to the surface. They both came up laughing, their faces close. Too close. She could see every detail of his lips, his teeth. His eyelashes, and the color of the sky in his eyes. A terrible and misplaced wave of longing overtook her, and she paddled away, out of reach.
“You know I was kidding,” she said. “Honestly, you’ve been great with your mother since you got here. I don’t know if she’d admit it, but she’s really grateful you came.”
He held her gaze for a moment. She could tell he was about to say something and then changed his mind. “Look how far out we drifted,” he said. “We’d better head back to shore.”
* * *
Cara paddled around on the stand-up paddleboard. She could see her mother treading water next to Mason. They were out a ways, but they looked as if they were having a pretty intense conversation.
Oh, man. Could Mom have a crush on the guy? That would be weird, but weirder things had happened. Cara’s mom had never had a boyfriend. After Dad was gone, she went out every once in a while, but the guys never stuck around. Some ran for the nearest exit when they found out Mom had two girls. But mostly, Mom just wasn’t that into them. Certainly she’d never given a guy the kind of attention she gave Mason Bellamy.
It was strange to think about Mom liking some guy. Maybe the strangest thing was seeing her turn into a brainless heap of hormones like any charged-up teenager.
Of course, Mason Bellamy was off-limits. He had a girlfriend or fiancée or whatever the hell Regina was. Plus, he was a rich dude with nothing at all in common with Mom.
But still...
“My turn on the board,” said Bree, her head popping up like an otter’s.
“Get on,” said Cara. “Let’s try going together.” It was pretty easy, but half the fun was falling in and screaming. Bree, who was something of an expert at yoga, tried some crazy poses, like a headstand while doing the splits.
Two guys on Jet Skis sped by. One of them slowed down when he saw Bree on the paddleboard. “Is there room on that for one more?” he yelled, curving back toward the girls.
“Leighton Hayes,” said Bree. “Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe he’s stopping.”
Cara couldn’t believe it, either. She paddled over, treading water near the Jet Ski. A puff of exhaust made her cough.
“Hey, Leighton,” she said supercasually. She tried to act as if the school’s hottest guy made a practice of stopping to visit.
“Hiya.” His trademark grin was as bright as the sun as he favored first Bree and then Cara with his attention. “This your crib?” he asked, indicating the house and grounds of the Bellamy place.
“Not mine, but I live here,” she said.
“It doesn’t suck,” he said.
“No,” she agreed. “It doesn’t.”
“Looks like you’re having a party.”
“I’m not.”
“Which one of you wants a ride on this?”
Bree paddled backward on the board. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
“I’d love to,” Cara said.
“Well, climb on,” he said. “Let’s take this for a spin.”
“Cool,” she said, and hoisted herself onto the back of the Jet Ski. She made a big production of donning the spare life jacket so her mom could see she was being careful. Bree lay back on the paddleboard, and they shared a conspiratorial grin.
Don’t yell at me, Cara silently urged her mother. For the love of God, don’t yell.
At which point her mother said, “Young lady, what in the world do you think you’re doing?”
Cara made a face. “My mom...”
He grinned and waved in her direction. “Just taking a little ride, ma’am.”
Her mom yelled something else, but the objection was drowned by the mad-hornet sound of the Jet Ski’s gunning engine.
“Let’s go check out Spruce Island,” Leighton said, turning his head to the side so she could hear.
“Sounds great,” she yelled back.
He twisted the throttle again and they shot forward. Cara grabbed on to him and laughed with the thrill of it. It was a total kick, speeding across the water. He made a beeline for the small green island near the north end of the lake. The whole area looked vibrant with activity, as if everyone in the world had come out to enjoy this idyllic summer day. They passed catboats and canoes and little skiffs. In the distance she could see a floatplane tethered to a dock.
The Jet Ski rounded the island, and they flew past the shoreline of Camp Kioga in all its summer glory. The resort had a swimming platform with a high dive, rows of cute wooden cottages, families playing volleyball and croquet on the lawn, people lounging in the sun and reading books.
Cara wished every day could be like this—sun-drenched, relaxing, worry-free. She felt a little self-conscious about the noise the Jet Ski made, but it was still the coolest thing ever to be skimming along, watching the scenery go by, actually hanging out with Leighton Hayes. It was like being in a dream. All too soon, they returned to the Bellamy place, and he cut the engine.
“Thanks,” she said. “That was my first time on a Jet Ski. It was awesome.”
“Cool,” he said, turning to take the vest from her. “We’ll do it again sometime. I could grab some beer from my parents’ fridge. We could get fucked up and take this baby out at night.”
He had to be kidding. “And we should do this...why?”
“Because it would be a kick in the ass.”
Okay, so the hottest guy in the school was not necessarily the smartest. “I’m not fond of getting my ass kicked,” she admitted. “Hey, we’ve got a picnic going on,” she said, gesturing at the laden table. “The
re’s no beer, but do you want to grab a bite to eat?”
“Sure. What’s your name again?”
Seriously? “Cara McCallum.”
He trolled slowly to the dock, taking in the scene at the water’s edge. At that moment Milo Waxman showed up, wheeling his bike across the lawn, waving a greeting at everyone.
“What’s Waxman doing here?” Leighton asked.
Cara shrugged, cursing Milo’s timing. “Don’t know.” Great. She was finally about to make friends with Leighton Hayes, and Mr. Save-the-Kittens showed up. It was just her luck, she thought, her cheeks warming with a blush of embarrassment. Then she noticed the huge grin on Milo’s face. He was so damned eager and harmless that her embarrassment turned to guilt.
Shading his eyes, Leighton slowly surveyed the scene from the picnic area to the ramp leading down to the lake. “Whoa, what the hell is going on here?” His narrowed gaze focused on Milo, with his awkward walk and awkward grin. Then he checked out Alice floating with her paralyzed legs behind her and roaring with laughter, Bree doing yoga poses on the paddleboard, Ruby squealing as she attempted to swim, Mom clapping and encouraging them both while Donno yelled, “Attack position, little one. You can do it!” in his thick Balinese accent.
“What’s going on here?” Cara echoed. “Looks like your typical swim party to me.”
“Looks like a goddamn freak show to me.”
As the sarcasm rolled off his tongue, Leighton Hayes didn’t look so good to her anymore. His face was hard with superiority, his sneering mouth an ugly twist.
“Hey, I changed my mind about the picnic,” Cara said. “You’re not invited.”
And with that, she grabbed on to the dock ladder, pressed her foot against the side of the Jet Ski and gave it a shove.
“Guess you fit right in with this freak show,” Leighton said, and gunned the engine. He was gone with a roar like a chain saw, leaving a rooster tail of water in his wake.
Bree paddled up beside her. “I just witnessed an act of social suicide, didn’t I?”
Cara laughed, feeling oddly liberated. “Probably, yes.”
“Are you nuts? He was totally into you. I bet he was going to ask you out.”
“I saved him the trouble.” Cara grabbed a towel. “He’s not so hot.” She joined the others as Mason and Donno were helping Alice out of the lake. Mom brought towels and a robe for Alice, and Cara noticed something curious. When he didn’t think anyone was observing him, Mason seemed to be checking out her mom. Maybe that crush Cara had noticed earlier was mutual.
