Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  It was a quiet night and the sky was totally clear. Stars were starting to speckle against the navy blue backdrop. She sat on the dock for a few minutes, alone with her thoughts. She remembered wanting to sleep out on the dock when she was little but her parents refusing. Looking back at the danger of it, she kind of felt a small inkling of satisfaction knowing that they actually cared enough to protect her.

  Sometimes she wished there was evidence of that while she was now an adult.

  She slid into the water and held her breath as the cold surrounded her. But it seemed to feel better than worse and she took a few strokes to leave the dock. Floating on her back a little, she studied the sky. It wasn’t long before a gorgeous deep voice humbled the lovely night.

  “You okay?” Gabe asked.

  She flailed from being startled, and then tried to see him in the dark. She could barely catch his silhouette standing on the dock, but her first thought was to wonder if he had on a shirt or not.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.

  She took a deep breath and a few breaststrokes toward the dock. “Maybe you shouldn’t have silent footsteps.”

  He was quiet for a second and then answered, “Not possible. It’s a part of me now.”

  That piqued her interest as she grabbed the bars on the side of the dock and stepped up the ladder. “What’s a part of you?” she asked. She made her way toward him and realized he was holding out the towel for her, even with it open so she could step into it. She thanked him as he wrapped it around her, not sure if she shivered because of the cold water or because he was close to her.

  When she turned around to face him he finally answered with one word. “Army.”

  She raised her eyebrows even though she knew he probably couldn’t see. She wasn’t surprised, but maybe she was more curious. She considered the reason for why he’d be used to sneaking up on someone and sort of made an assumption.

  “Is everything handled in the house?” he asked.

  She was just about to ask him about his military experience and he caught her off guard. “Oh, uh, yeah, it’s fine. Dipshit went home and took his skanky girlfriend with him.”

  She heard him scoff with amusement and realized she could see him a little better now. The moon had crept out from the trees and offered a nice enough lamp. He did have a shirt on, but she wasn’t disappointed. It was similar to his shirt from earlier—slim-fitting and yummy.

  “I take it they were uninvited guests?” he asked.

  “Definitely. I mean having house guests this week was kind of sprung on me in the first place, but that was totally not okay with me.”

  “Good,” he replied.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, I mean good that you’re glad they’re gone. I just reacted when I heard the commotion and looking back wondered if I made things worse. I came to apologize if I did.”

  “No, you didn’t make things worse at all. In fact, I was so glad that you showed up because… I had no idea how long it was going to go on and what else was going to happen. So thank you. I owe you one.”

  “You don’t own me anything,” he replied, and he seemed to mean it. She could see his eyes in the moonlight and there was something about them that struck her as odd. For such a tough guy, she wondered if she detected a hint of insecurity.

  She shivered again.

  “You should go inside and warm up,” he said.

  She slowly shook her head. “I was just going to sit outside for a bit. I love it out here at night.”

  “Did you want me to get a fire in the pit for you?” He turned for the house but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “No, that’s okay,” she said. “I like it in the dark.”

  She wondered if that sounded really perverted at first, and realizing that she still had her hand on his forearm, she removed it.

  “I mean I like sitting in the dark outside,” she added quickly.

  His chuckle was deep and it sent a tingle up her spine. “I kind of assumed that’s what you meant.”

  She smiled, torn between feeling uncomfortable and amused by the light moment.

  “I’ll leave you to your peace and quiet,” he said as he stepped away.

  “You can join me,” she said, hardly conscious about what she was saying. He was silent so maybe she’d crossed the line.

  Finally he asked, “Are you done swimming?”

  “Huh?”

  “Are you done swimming or are you going back in the water?”

  “Oh. Um, I think I’m done. I just wanted a quick dip.”

  He nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you then. I just didn’t want you out here swimming alone. Goodnight, Ava.”

  She tried to consider what that meant. Was he afraid she was going to drown or something? She didn’t want him to leave, and she was almost tempted to lie and say she planned on maybe going back into the water.

  But she watched him walk away, clear until the light from his front door spilled out and then it disappeared when he shut it behind him.

  She sighed and sat down in a lounge chair. Her thoughts kept her occupied until she heard movement on the upper deck. “Ava, you out there?” Chelsea called into the dark.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  She paused for a second. “Everything okay?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks. I’ll be in shortly.”

  “Okay.”

  Ava heard the door to the deck close and she smiled. Yes, best friends always knew where to find each other.

  ***

  Something nudged her, and maybe spoke. She’d somehow fallen asleep on the lounge chair, wrapped up in her towel. She was freezing though, and her bathing suit was still wet from her swim.

  “Ava?” she heard Gabe’s voice.

  She sat upright, another chill rippling through her.

  “Your skin is really cold,” he said, and she realized his warm hand was on her knee. “You should probably go inside.”

  He was knelt next to the chair, and when she moved to put her feet on the deck, she was sitting right smack in front of him. “I guess I fell asleep,” she said, her voice hardly carrying.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He was close enough that she could see his face clearly. It kind of unnerved her that he hadn’t moved out of her way, but at the same time, she could feel the heat from his body just by being close to him. Or maybe that was her body heating up in reaction to his.

  “Here, I brought you a blanket,” he said, and he took her wet towel from her before she could object. The blanket was soft and warm, almost like he’d heated it up for her. He most likely just had it against his hot body.

  “Oh, thanks,” she mumbled, her heart racing from him wrapping it around her. She was shivering, and he pulled her into a standing position. Just his touch made her dizzy.

  “Whoa, are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m-I’m fine,” she stammered. “I’m just not too quick on my feet after I’ve been startled awake.”

  He seemed amused. “Well it was either that or let you freeze out here. I thought maybe you had when I didn’t see you move for a while.”

  “You’ve been watching me?” It came out sounding like she was offended, even though she wasn’t. She was actually just surprised.

  “Now and then,” he replied, seeming a little defensive. “Like I said, I just didn’t want you swimming by yourself.”

  “I’m not five,” she joked.

  But he didn’t laugh. She understood why when he replied, “Anyone can drown. My brother was sixteen when he did.”

  There was complete and utter silence surrounding them, and she immediately felt awful. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

  “Anyway, you should probably go inside,” he said abruptly. “I need to get to bed.” He turned and left her, adding a “Goodnight, Ava,” while he disappeared into the dark.

  Again she watched the light from his front door appear and then vanish, and when she’d convinced hers
elf he was done with her for the night, she made her way back to the house with reluctance.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “This isn’t fair, it really isn’t,” Adam said with a smile. He shook his head again and picked up the volleyball to toss it back to the girls on the winner’s side. Chelsea picked it up to serve the match point to the guys’ six.

  “Chicks are to volleyball like guys are to beer,” Trent shrugged good-naturedly. “We should’ve known.”

  Ava was standing by the net, Adam on the other side, and he quietly said, “And you,” he shook his head. “You are merciless. And mean. You have no idea how emasculated I feel right now.”

  “Oh really?” she chuckled. “And how do you think I would feel if this were football? Or basketball. Or anything else you could kick my ass at.”

  He smiled. “All in turn, Ava. I’ll gladly take those challenges against you.” She laughed again and he added, “How about golf?”

  The ball was served, but neither of the two even moved. Trent couldn’t return it, so the girls very easily won their third game straight.

  “Golf? I know the ins and outs of football… I can even play a little basketball. But Golf? I’m terrible. My parents made me take lessons when I was younger and I hated it because I sucked. If I tried again, I’m sure I’d fail.”

  “Nah, don’t say that,” he said, ducking under the net to be on her side. “It’s easily a sport that size or gender doesn’t matter. In fact, I think you could be pretty good at it.”

  She grunted playfully. “Until you see me lose the club on my first swing.”

  He laughed out loud as they walked to the porch together. “Funny to picture, but no, I have more faith in you than that.”

  “Hm, well I’ll think about the offer.”

  “Offer?”

  They sat down on the porch steps at the same time. “Yes, you just offered to teach me how to play golf.”

  It was bold, but she had to try.

  He slowly nodded. “Yes, yes I did. So when do you want to start?”

  She considered it for a second. “I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to you, I guess. I’m sure your schedule is packed with hours of golf a day. Just let me know when you want to dedicate a round to a bloopers reel.”

  He laughed again. “Well now, that’s not the attitude I want for my student. And I see you at the club each week. You can just join a game when you’re already there. Just let me know.”

  He’d seen her at the country club before? That was news to Ava. She didn’t recall seeing him there before, even though she knew he played there once or twice a week.

  They both watched the others start up another game, two on two. No one bothered to invite them since it was an unspoken answer already.

  “I’m pretty hot,” Adam said, fanning himself with his shirt. “Do you wanna go swimming for a bit?”

  “I’d love to,” she agreed. She’d been thinking the same thing, especially when they started the third game and the sun started to get warm.

  They entered the house, got their swim gear on, and met on the back deck. Ava saw Gabe as they were walking down the steps and he barely acknowledged her with a glance. He had a bag of trash in his hand and he was walking toward the dumpster.

  “I think there might be a body in that,” Adam said.

  It made her laugh, especially because Adam was smiling. But she glanced at Gabe again and felt a twinge in her chest.

  “You know him well?” Adam asked.

  It caught her by surprise but she answered, “Um, no I don’t. He’s new here. Or, at least, new since I was last here.”

  They made it to the dock and dropped their towels on a chair. “Race you off the end,” she challenged, and she took off on a run to the end of the dock. Adam caught up to her about five feet from the end and they both launched into the water at the same time.

  When she surfaced, he was nowhere to be seen. She saw the ripples from where she’d just come up, but nothing else. Then she felt hands on her leg that tugged her under. She screamed before her face immersed again. He’d done it gently so she came right up, and when he popped out of the water next to her, she lunged for him to dunk his head under. If he hadn’t grabbed her ribs she would have been able to hold her own, but she was so ticklish that it made her scream and suck in a bunch of water.

  She was coughing and sputtering when he came up again.

  “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, treading water next to her while she coughed.

  Ava swam a few strokes to the dock. “I’m okay. Really. Just snorted some water.”

  “Man, you are ticklish,” he chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that.”

  She gave him a playful glare. “Watch it, buddy. I’m good at finding weaknesses, too.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that. And I’m already gonna be watching my back from now on.”

  “You’re afraid of little ol’ me?” she teased.

  “Pssh, it’s the innocent ones that are the feistiest.”

  She pretended like he was right and started to swim away from the dock again.

  The other four joined them about ten minutes later. They spent time in the water for an hour and then Chelsea and Ava made sandwiches for lunch. They were bringing them out to the lower deck when she saw Gabe come out of his cabin again. He saw them so she waved, but all he did was offer a slight nod.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told Chelsea. She hollered at everyone that lunch was ready, so Ava made her way across the yard to Gabe. He was headed somewhere but stopped when he realized he was her destination.

  Ooh. She liked the sound of that. My destination.

  “Wanna eat with us?” she asked. She motioned behind her where everyone was gathering to have lunch.

  He glanced at them for a second and said, “No thank you.”

  She paused, trying to determine whether he wasn’t hungry or if he just didn’t want to join her group. She assumed it was the latter.

  “I’d like it if you joined us,” she was bold enough to say. “In fact, I made way too much, assuming that you wouldn’t be rude and turn me down.”

  He barely cracked a smile at her ploy. “Well I appreciate the thought, but no thank you. I’ve got some work to do.”

  She was disappointed, but what could she say?

  “Take a sandwich then,” she tried, holding out the plate that was still with her. “If you don’t, I’ll know it’s my cooking and sandwich making skills that turn you off.”

  He stared at her. Like, really stared at her. It made her feel completely naked, and not just because of the swimsuit and sarong she was wearing. He wasn’t looking anywhere except directly in her eyes and she felt completely exposed.

  Finally, in a voice that was a little huskier than usual, he said, “I assure you that I’m not turned off in the least bit.” And then he grabbed a sandwich from the plate and walked away with it, casting a “Thank you, Ava,” over his shoulder.

  She felt a hot burning sensation roll through her body. Had she just hit on him? She hadn’t meant for the comment to sound like that. Did he think she was trying to turn him on? But wait…did he actually flirt with her in return?

  “Ava, round two!” someone called from the group. She had no idea who it even was or what they meant as she turned around to bring the rest of the sandwiches to the picnic table. She was thankful that nobody noticed how completely overcome she was as she sat down to join them.

  Later that day, Ava was standing up on her balcony. They’d gone boating after lunch and now Gabe was down below performing some basic maintenance on the boat. He’d parked it in front of the cabin and so far she’d watched him remove everything from the inside of it, including towels that had been left behind and the lifejackets that always remained on board unless they were drying out.

  Gabe glanced up and saw her when he hopped out of the boat. He literally stopped and looked at her for several seconds, and she wasn’t sure if she actually smiled or just felt the thrill on the inside. Then
he turned away and tossed someone’s sunglasses onto one of the towels on the porch, and would you believe it, he took his damn shirt off! He was facing away and just reached back with one hand to yank it off his body.

  Ava’s jaw almost hit the deck rail but she shook her head with a bit of admiration. He was teasing her and he knew it!

  She didn’t even look away. She made sure she kept right on staring, so when he finally looked up again, she was still watching. It made him stop again, but she saw the smirk on his face before he turned away. That made her smile and she continued to stare.

  It became a little game. He would do something totally basic, but made sure his muscles flexed just right. At one point he returned the lifejackets to be stored in the seat and over-exaggerated shutting it. It looked like he was doing a couple of pushups against it and it made her cover her mouth to laugh.

  Or it may have been to keep the drool in.

  He looked up and flexed his shoulders back, like it’d been quite a workout. Her stomach tightened in funny little knots. She was leaning on the railing with her chin resting in her hand when she heard soft throat clearing behind her.

  Adam was standing in the doorway and she whipped around like her hand had been caught in the cookie jar. She was sure she turned beet red, but if he noticed what had been going on, he didn’t act like it. He couldn’t see Gabe from where he was standing, but she still felt embarrassed.

  He did, however, come across the deck a few steps when he said, “We were going to start a fire in the pit and roast marshmallows. Does that sound good?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great,” she lied. She really wanted to stay where she was so she could finish watching the show.

  “Okay,” he smiled. “Let us men go chop down a tree or two first.”

  Ava chuckled. “Okay then,” she teased. “Be careful.”

  “Sure, sure. Don’t you worry your pretty head over us. If we could hunt, butcher, and cook up those steaks earlier, we’ll be okay.”

  She laughed again as he re-entered her room, and she watched until he was for sure already headed down the stairs.