Rick.
Still sitting, I turned my head up and to the side to look at him. He looked down at me with no sign of emotion. It was just an empty gaze. I on the other hand, was finding it really hard not to stare at his bare chest. Since he wore nothing but his swim shorts, it was incredibly hard to avoid.
“Hi,” he said flatly.
“You must be Jill,” I said, leaning into her and ignoring Rick’s pitiful greeting. “I’m Amy.”
“My brother talks about me?” she asked quickly. Then cut herself off. “Amy is going to Jet Ski with me.”
“Is she?” He returned her enthusiasm. He stretched out his arms, helping his sister up, and wrapped them around her shoulders from behind her. The top of her head didn’t reach past his chest. I’d seen him with kids before, but this was a new kind of warmth—and it nearly made me melt on the spot.
I stood. “I didn’t really say that.” Although thinking back at my words, I could see how she would have misunderstood it.
“This one was stung by a jellyfish when she was nine and refused to set foot in the ocean since. Especially her left one.” He shook his sister lightly. But he didn’t sound like he was talking to me.
I nodded. “I had a feeling it had something to do with a sea creature.” I nudged her on the arm lightly and bent down to pick up my bag. I stepped around them to make my way back to the beach, fearing that dawdling would only make me look weak—that, and increase the chance of slipping my eyes to his body.
“You won’t take me today?” The disappointment in her voice was eating away at me.
Why wasn’t he saying anything to object? I opened my mouth, still trying to figure out what I was going to say. “Uhh…if it’s okay with your brother.
“It’s okay with me. Although I’ve never seen you on a Jet Ski before. Can I trust you?”
“How hard could be?” I winked at him. “I know what I’m doing.” As long as she didn’t freak out and jump off, we’d be fine.
“Jill, you sure you’re ready for that? I mean we could just go for a swim closer to shore.”
“That’s actually being in the water, Rick. At least on those things, I’ll be above it.” She pointed to the lineup of Jet Skis along the side of the pier.
“Good point,” Rick surrendered.
Jill and I boarded the cruiser. I hopped on first, and Jill sat behind me.
“Where are the seat belts?” she asked as I put the key into the engine.
“There aren’t any. Hold on tight.” As soon as I felt her grip tighten, I pressed my foot against the pedal and took off. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rick wave at us. Then he walked backward a few steps to sit on the beach.
I slowed us down to take a breath and make sure Jill was okay. She was breathing heavily, but I still felt the excitement in her. I looked for Rick on the beach. I didn’t see him, though. I looked in the same spot where I thought he’d settled. Seeing more clearly now, I noticed he was still sitting in the same spot. I hadn’t spotted him right away because I was looking for a guy sitting alone. Rick wasn’t alone now. A tall, thin redhead was sitting next to him.
Haley.
I felt my heart sink and land somewhere in the pit of my stomach. My knees went numb, and I feared I couldn’t operate the machine much longer. I had to get back before I tipped us over.
No.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to take back control of what was happening to me. I turned to Jill. “You ready for another round?”
She nodded once, and I swooped her around once more through white-water splashes, this time with a little extra force. I glanced back every few seconds to make sure she was okay. By the looks of it, she enjoyed every jump, crash, and swerve. Finally, I slowed the Jet Ski to a float and motioned Jill to hop off. She ran off immediately to her brother.
“Rick! Rick! Did you see us out there?” she cried.
“Jillie, I was watching you the whole time,” he cheered, matching her excitement.
Rick was looking at me with kinder, grateful green eyes. I caught a glimpse of a smile playing on his face as I loosened the knots in my hair with my fingers.
“Hi, Amy,” Haley said with a sweet smile that I saw right through. She looked a hell of a lot better than I did at that moment. She wore a white-knit bikini top and a sheer pink skirt. Her hair was redder than ever in the sun, and compared to the wet mop I was displaying on my head, she looked ready for a photo shoot.
“It was great meeting you, Jill. That was really fun.” I smiled at Rick and Haley, although most would confuse it with squinting from the sun. “See you guys.” I picked up my bag and made my second attempt to leave.
