He turns to look at us and begins to wave. Two seconds later, our missiles rain down around him, one hitting him square on the shoulder. We hear him shout something and watch Mutt sprint away from the water that's released when the other balloons hit the ground. Then Harmony and I run into the house, giggling all the way.
"I think I heard Uncle Seth say a bad word!" Harmony says, when we're safely inside and breathing hard from our getaway.
"What's going on?" Dad asks.
He's standing at the counter, cutting up apples and carrots for our snack.
"We bombed Seth with water balloons," I say casually.
Dad laughs and shakes his head. "I would have loved to see that."
A few seconds later, the screen door on the porch creaks open, and I know exactly who is coming inside the house. Seth enters the kitchen a second later, the right side of his light blue t-shirt soaked with water. Suddenly, I'm very aware that I'm wearing only a bikini.
"I'm looking for the people responsible for an assault by water balloon." His voice is deep and menacing.
Harmony scurries over and hides behind me, as if her giggling won't give her away.
"We don't know what you're talking about," I say innocently. "We don't have any water balloons. You can search us."
At my suggestion, Seth's eyes roam over my nearly naked body. I notice that he pauses at several significant places, and when our eyes meet again, he blushes at being caught.
He clears his throat and says, "I think there's enough evidence on the grass that water balloons were thrown, and you two were the only ones in the vicinity."
Harmony peeks out from behind me. "You can't prove those balloons were ours. Any fingerprints would be washed away by the water!"
"She makes a good point." I grab a carrot stick and snap it in half with my teeth.
Seth grumbles and looks to my father for support, but Dad knows better.
"I'm staying out of it," he says. "I didn't see a thing."
"I guess I'll let it go this time," Seth tells us. "But you guys better be careful. I'm out for revenge now."
I put a hand on my hip. "We'll be ready."
Seth's eyes travel down to that hand, then quickly up again, as if he knows he shouldn't be ogling me, especially in front of my father. Fortunately, Dad is so busy spooning hummus into a bowl that he doesn't have a clue about the sexual tension humming in the room.
Harmony breaks the spell by stepping out from behind me and planting her hands on her skinny little hips.
"You'll never catch us," she says defiantly.
"We'll see." Seth stretches out his arms, pretending to take a step toward her.
Harmony squeals with delight and races around the island, hiding behind my dad.
"Hmmm, I'll go for now," Seth says, "but you two better watch out."
He trains those beautiful brown eyes on me, and my face isn't the only part of me that's heating up. I give him my best scowl and make a motion to shoo him out the door. I'm not going to let those Neanderthal pheromones get to me.
After Seth leaves, we eat everything Dad has set out for us, and I realize that I'm sublimating, replacing sex with food. Last night's kiss combined with today's interaction with Seth has me horny as a teenager. I spend the rest of the afternoon trying to forget that look in his eyes as he checked out my body in this bikini. It's the same look he had in the barn right before he kissed me. There's nothing I want to do more than provoke him to give me that look again, but I know it's entirely the wrong thing to do so I break into the stash of chocolate in my room, instead.
* * *
Friday isthe final day of Grammy Camp, and Renata goes full tilt, taking Harmony to the Chapel Hill planetarium, the town swimming pool and the nail salon for a mani-pedi. In her attempt to wear out Harmony, Renata ends up exhausted. Harmony, on the other hand, arrives home fresh as a daisy and ready for more entertainment. Seth is called in to help this time, and he agrees to let Harmony sleep over at his place. She has been dying to sleep up in the loft area he built in his cabin so she's thrilled with the arrangement.
With Harmony gone for the evening, the house is quiet again, and I take up residence in my usual spot on the porch glider. I'm readingThe Color Purple, having finally given up onMrs. Dalloway, but after a few chapters, I admit to myself that I can't concentrate on my book. My mind keeps flashing back to kissing Seth in the barn, the feel of our wet clothing pressed against each other, his strong, warm hands running down my sides. When our lips met, it was like someone dropped a match in gasoline. I've never been so caught up in a moment in my life. From what was happening with his body, I know he felt the same.
I set my book aside and decide the best way to focus on someone other than Seth is to accept Rhett's invitation to join him on Saturday night. Maybe I can convince him to go somewhere other than Ricky's so we don't run into Seth again. Right as I'm texting him, Renata appears on the porch holding Harmony's favorite stuffed animal, a brown and white dog whose fur has been loved smooth.
