by Krista Lakes
He smiled a little. “I’m five. My birthday is next month, and I’ll be six then.”
“Well then, happy early birthday, Tyson,” Bonnie told him.
The boy risked a quick glance up at her before returning his gaze to study the rocks in front of him. He had the longest eyelashes.
Bonnie wasn’t sure exactly what question to ask. Many of the kids at this camp were in the foster system, and all of them had a different story. Instead of simply asking “What’s wrong?”, she decided to go with a gentler question.
“Are you going swimming, Tyson?” Bonnie asked, keeping a friendly smile. “I was going to get in the water, but I’d love to have someone to play with. Would you like to join me?”
The little boy’s brow scrunched as he thought about it. He swallowed hard and kept looking down, never meeting her eyes.
“I don’t know how to swim,” he said quietly. “The other kids just want to jump in.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Bonnie replied. “I was just going to go in the shallow end anyway.”
Tyson fiddled with the string of his hoodie. He looked over at the pool, his eyes focusing on the pretty blue water and then filling with tears he tried to blink away. He obviously wanted to swim but was afraid of something.
“Would you like me to teach you how to swim?” Bonnie asked. “I used to give lessons, and now I teach kindergarten. I can give you my resume if you want.”
Two brown eyes flickered up to look at her for a split second. They were the biggest, most beautiful eyes Bonnie had ever seen on a child. The sadness in them broke her heart, and all she wanted to do was scoop up the boy and hug him until his eyes sparkled with joy rather than tears.
“Are you going to make me go underwater?” Tyson asked. His voice was uncertain. “I don’t like the way it feels on my ears.”
“If you don’t want to, then no,” Bonnie promised. “You get to be in control of the lesson the whole time.”
The boy thought for a moment. “Okay.” He wiped at his nose again.
She stood up and stepped over so the boy could walk beside her on the path back to the pool. Together they headed toward the water. It was then that she noticed that someone was now swimming laps at the far end.
A someone with a great male body. And dark hair. A someone named Dylan.
The idea that he was going to see her in her swimsuit made the color rise in her cheeks. She was glad she’d worn the suit that made her feel pretty. He probably wouldn’t even notice, she told herself, so she decided to ignore him.
She slipped out of her sweatpants and jacket as Tyson took his jacket off and left it on the chair next to hers. She offered her hand, and he took it as they walked to the edge of the water. He held on tight, betraying just how nervous he felt about this.
“Okay, are you ready?” she asked, the boy. “We’re going to jump into the water and make the biggest splash we can. Do you think you can make a bigger splash than me?”
A flicker of a smile crossed his face. “I’m gonna win.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and made a big show of jumping into the shallow water. Since it was a graded beach entrance, she only landed in about six inches of water but managed to make a decent splash. She was pleased to find the pool was heated to a comfortable temperature. “Beat that.”
Tyson let out a whoop and used every ounce of his small frame to propel himself up and into the shallow water. His splash was messy, but he grinned as he looked at her. He wasn’t so afraid. She was going to make sure he kept this new confidence.
“That was awesome!” she told him. “I think you beat me. Are you sure you don’t know how to swim? You seem like a natural.”
He smiled wide and shook his head.
“Okay. Let’s go a little deeper.” She took a couple of steps until the water lapped at her mid-thigh.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Dylan stop at the end of his lap and take his goggles off. His eyes were a warm heat on her back, and she tried not to let it fluster her. Just because he was looking didn’t mean anything.
“Come to me, Tyson,” Bonnie encouraged. She dropped to her knees, so the water hit her upper stomach.
Tyson’s smile faded a little with every step into the deeper water, but he made it to her. The water lapped at his chest. He smiled weakly as he came to a stop.
“You’re doing great,” she told him. “The next step to swimming is to blow bubbles. Like this.”
She took in a dramatic breath and put her mouth and nose in the water and blew out a steady stream of large bubbles.
“See? And my ears didn’t go in the water.” She showed him her dry ears. “Your turn.”
Tyson frowned, but he took a deep breath and put his chin in the water. Immediately, he pulled up and away from the water. “I can’t do it.”
“Are you sure? I think you can,” Bonnie replied. “What if we just made little bubbles first?”
“You can do it because you’re a girl,” Tyson told her, crossing his arms. “It’s harder for boys.”
“Oh. So you need a boy to show you how it’s done?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He looked pleased with himself, thinking that he had found a way to keep from doing something difficult.
“Okay.” Bonnie turned to the lap lane where Dylan was watching the two of them work. “Hey, Dylan? Will you come blow some bubbles with us?”
Dylan grinned and ducked his head under the lap lane rope. He quickly crossed the length of the pool to join them in the shallow water. He knelt next to Bonnie. She had to tell herself not to stare at his chest and abs. He definitely worked out, and it showed. She was just glad that most of him was underwater.
“So, we’re blowing bubbles?” Dylan asked. “I’m a bubble master.”
He took a deep breath and put his mouth in the water and blew an impressive stream of bubbles. Tyson watched him, but his worried expression didn’t change.
“See? Boys can totally do it,” Bonnie told him. She watched him for a moment and remembered that Tyson didn’t like water on his ears. “Are you scared of the water getting on you?”
“What if it gets in my eyes and I can’t see?” Tyson asked. “This water hurts my eyes.”
“I bet Dylan will let you borrow his goggles,” Bonnie told him.
“Of course,” Dylan said. He pulled the goggles off is head and helped Tyson put them on. “Plus, these are magic goggles.”
“Magic goggles?” Tyson asked. He looked like an adorable water creature with big eyes wearing Dylan’s goggles.
“Yup.” Dylan nodded solemnly. “They let you hold your breath for three seconds longer underwater. I got them from a mermaid.”
Tyson felt the goggles with his fingertips and grinned. “Okay.”
He took a deep breath, hesitated and then touched the goggles before putting his face in the water and blowing. Bubbles came fast and short, but he managed to get bubbles under the water before quickly standing again.
“Fantastic!” Dylan and Bonnie both praised him. “Do it again!”
Tyson grinned, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Okay!” His confidence was multiplying, and Bonnie was pleased.
This time, Tyson didn’t hesitate. He blew a great stream of bubbles into the water, his fear lessening with every second. He lifted his head, pride at his bubbles radiating of his small frame.
“You’re doing great,” Bonnie praised. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen better bubbles.”
“Tyson?” Elena called from the edge of the pool. The two boys who were jumping in earlier were wrapped in towels next to her. “Are you ready to come get some dinner?”
Tyson looked over at Bonnie and then to Dylan. “Um... no.”
“We got him,” Dylan said, putting his arm around Tyson. “We’ll make sure he gets to the cafeteria for dinner.”
Something about the way Dylan said, “we” made Bonnie’s insides flutter. She liked being a “we” with him.
“Okay. We’ll
see you guys there. Thanks, Dylan. Bye Bonnie.” Elena waved and then began to guide the two boys with her toward the kid’s cabins.
“How’d they get Tyson in the water?” one of the boys asked Elena as they walked. “He’s scared of it.”
“I don’t know,” Elena replied. “But isn’t it great?”
“Yeah,” the other boy replied with a grin. “We need another person to play Marco Polo with. It’s no fun with just two.”
Their voices faded as the three of them got further and further away from the pool. Bonnie turned back to focus on Tyson. He looked so happy with his goggles taking up most of his small face.
“So, bubbles are how we talk to the fish of the pool,” Bonnie explained. “Next, we have to work on catching them!”
Tyson giggled. “But there’s no fish in the pool.”
“Are you sure?” Dylan asked, looking around and pointing to invisible fish. “You don’t see them? I see a rainbow fish and a dinosaur fish. I’m going to catch a... hippopotamus fish!”
Tyson laughed, getting into the game. “Okay. How do we catch a hippo-ta... a hippotatumus... hippopotamus fish?”
“Like this.” Bonnie put one arm out in front of her and dove it into the water, repeating the motion on the opposite side. It was basically the doggy-paddle. “You try.”
Both Dylan and Tyson mimicked her motions, with Dylan splashing as much as possible.
“I’m going to catch a Tyson fish!” Bonnie called out, moving to tickle Tyson. The boy giggled and used the new swimming motion to move away from her.
“I’m going to catch a Dylan fish!” Tyson yelled. He moved his arms through the water and Dylan let him catch him. He ducked under the water and then came up, his dark hair wet. With an easy motion, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and Bonnie had a hard time not looking at the way his biceps flexed when he did it.
“Bonnie fish!” Tyson and Dylan yelled at the same time. She tried to get away, but they both caught her and dunked her. She came up laughing.
They played this game for a while. Dylan and Bonnie took turns going underwater if Tyson caught them, but they never dunked him. They had him blow bubbles and practice putting his face in the water, but they didn’t push him past what he was comfortable with.
Bonnie loved it when Dylan caught her. His hands on her shoulders as he pushed her into the water were strong and gentle. He didn’t force her, but rather guided her down. She was enjoying having him touch her. It was a long time since anyone had touched her, even as a friend and it felt nice to be close to someone.
“Okay, who’s hungry?” Dylan asked, coming up after being caught. “It’s time for dinner, and I’m hungry. Tyson fish and Bonnie fish are fun, but I need food!”
Tyson retreated slightly. He wasn’t about to give up on this game without a fight. “I’m not ready to eat yet. I’m having fun.”
Bonnie glanced at her watch. It was almost past when Chef made food. They needed to get Tyson to the cafeteria soon if he was going to eat tonight.
“How about another lesson tomorrow?” she offered.
“Promise?” Tyson asked. He pushed the goggles from his eyes and onto the top of his head. Red rings circled his eyes like a raccoon’s markings, somehow making him even cuter.
“Promise,” she replied. “Same place, same time.”
“You too, Dylan?” Tyson asked, turning to the man next to him.
Dylan looked up at Bonnie and grinned. “If you want me to, I’m here.”
“I want you to come too,” Tyson told him.
Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted Dylan to come too.
“Then I’m here,” Dylan told him.
“Okay.” Tyson nodded, handed Dylan his goggles and got out of the pool without further pushing. He wrapped himself up in his towel and looked at the two of them like they were crazy for still being in the water.
“Are you two coming or what?” Tyson asked, slipping on his sandals and starting to walk toward the cafeteria. “It’s dinnertime.”
Dylan looked over at Bonnie and laughed. “I guess he’s hungry.”
Bonnie chuckled as they both hurried out of the swimming pool to catch up with Tyson.
Chapter 11
Dylan
Tyson took the seat next to Elena and happily dug into his grilled cheese sandwich. The boy ate like he was starving, and given the way he’d been swimming, Dylan wasn’t surprised. The boy gave him a grin and a wave before concentrating on his meal.
“You did great with him,” Bonnie said as the two of them headed toward the kitchen to get their own dinner. Her sweatpants had the distinct wet outline of her swimsuit on her ass and chest. He was having a hard time not staring at those beautiful wet spots.
She had made sure Tyson had changed into dry pajamas before coming to dinner, but neither Dylan nor Bonnie had changed out of their wet swimsuits yet. They wanted to get Tyson to dinner first. Dylan was trying not to enjoy the fact that it made Bonnie’s assets very apparent in spite of her concealing sweats.
“Thanks,” he replied, navigating around a table full of kids. “You’re the one who did most of the work. I’m impressed.”
She chuckled. “A lot of these kids have come from tough situations, but this kid seems easy to work with.”
“That’s not exactly true,” he told her, shaking his head.
She stopped and looked at him. “What do you mean? He did great. True, he was a little intimidated by the water at first, but he did great.” She paused. “Do you know something that I don’t?”
Dylan shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. They’ve been trying to get Tyson into the water for the past three days,” Dylan informed her. “He wouldn’t get in for anyone. Whatever you did today was magic. Ask Elena how many times she’s tried to get him to swim with her.”
“Really? I just asked him to swim with me.”
“You’ve got kid magic,” he told her, holding open one of the double doors to the kitchen so they could go get their own meal.
She blushed at the compliment as she passed him. She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear and gave him a shy grin that nearly made his knees give out. Good lord, she was stunning. She had no idea the effect she must have on men with that smile.
Not only was she kind, smart, and great with kids, she had a smile that made his mind do happy somersaults, and his body want to follow. It had been a long time since he’d found someone that made him feel all those things at once.
He wanted to ask her out. He wanted to ask her to come back to his place so he could take those wet clothes off her and see the rest of her beauty, but he kept his mouth shut. Not only was that too fast, but she was also on the run from an ex-boyfriend. The last thing in the world she would want is another guy in her life.
Chef turned as they approached and her face fell as she looked at the two of them.
“Oh no. You two haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Chef asked.
Bonnie shook her head. “No, but the chicken smells amazing.”
Chef’s shoulders slumped, and she stepped to the side. Scattered behind her all over the usually clean floor was tonight’s chicken dinner. It looked like someone tripped and knocked the container over, spilling it everywhere.
“I don’t have any more,” Chef said sadly. She shrugged. “I can make you a grilled cheese, but that’s all I’ve got for dinner now.”
“It’s not a problem, Chef,” Dylan assured her, an idea coming to him. “We’ll go to Sandy’s.”
The more he thought about it, the more the chicken falling on the floor was a blessing in disguise. He could take Bonnie out to dinner, without having to actually ask her out. He wanted to find out more about her. He wanted to spend time with her and see her smile again. This was a great option.
“We will?” Bonnie asked, turning to look at him.
“Oh, you should definitely go to Sandy’s,” Chef told her, nodding emphatically. “I make a good burger, but Sandy’s is out of this world. And the chee
se curds? To die for. Go to Sandy’s.”
Chef gave Dylan a wink. She’d been trying to set him up with a “nice girl” since he’d shown up on the ranch. He was just glad that Chef had decided that Bonnie was a nice girl. For once, he was glad for her help.
Bonnie looked back and forth between him and Chef. If she suspected something, she stayed quiet. She shrugged. “Okay. I’ll need to change first, though.”
“Wear something cute,” Chef advised. “It’s not fancy, but cute is always good.”
Bonnie nodded slowly at her. “Okay.”
“I’ll meet you outside your cabin in ten minutes,” Dylan said. He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her out of the kitchen and away from Chef. He didn’t want the motherly woman to get too pushy and scare Bonnie off of dinner.
“Okay. Sounds good.” Bonnie flashed him a smile and waved to Chef before heading out of the kitchen to change. Dylan watched the wet spots and knew he was a lucky man.
“Make sure you get her the cheese curds,” Chef told him, pointing her wooden spoon at him like an extended finger.
“You know, the saying is ‘the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’,” he teased her.
“It’s really a gender-neutral thing,” she assured him. “Food makes everyone fall in love. That’s why fancy restaurants and date nights exist.”
Dylan laughed. “Oh, Chef.”
“I’m serious about those cheese curds, though Dylan.” Chef pointed her wooden spoon at him. “This one’s a keeper.”
He looked out the small kitchen window to see her walking through the early evening sunshine, and he had to agree.
I just hope she wants to be kept, he thought to himself.
Chapter 12
Bonnie
Bonnie changed her shirt twice and put on more mascara than usual. She was nervous.
This felt like a date. Only, it totally wasn’t. At least she didn’t think it was. They were simply going out to a restaurant because the ranch didn’t have any food. That was it. He was being a good co-worker. There was nothing romantic about it.