Chapter Twelve
Chrissy closed her eyes and sprayed some extra sunscreen on her face. She used her hands to massage it into her skin, hoping she hadn’t missed any white streaks. It was too bad she hadn’t brought a mirror.
Sure, I’ll remember one the next time I go to the beach and watch my fake boyfriend play volleyball.She almost smiled at her sarcastic line of thinking. Most women might have a compact in their bag, but since Chrissy almost never wore makeup, it wasn’t exactly on her priority list. She applied more sunscreen on her arms and legs, being sure to cover any exposed skin. Once that was done, she tugged her sunhat back on and turned her attention to the game.
Wyatt, along with the other five members of his team, stood ready. Someone on the opposite side of the net served the ball, and everyone jumped into action. Chrissy wished she understood the rules of the game. All she knew was that someone served the ball and then everyone else tried to keep it from hitting the sand. Right now, Wyatt’s team was ahead by three points.
Of course, it’d been hard to concentrate on all aspects of the game anyway once Wyatt had shed his t-shirt. It wasn’t like he was the only bare-chested guy out there.
If she hadn’t stopped their kiss the other night, she would’ve known what it would be like to be held in those strong arms of his.
She shook the stupid thought from her head with frustration. She had no right to be thinking anything like that, not when she was the one who drew the line in the sand. Even now, Chrissy stood by her decision. She took her cell phone out and snapped several photos of the goings-on around her. She managed to get two of Wyatt, not that she was trying, including an action shot as he jumped into the air to block the ball.
Knowing her family would want to see more photo proof of her mini vacation, Chrissy took several selfies showing the sandy beach in the background. She sent one of them to Mom and Emma along with beach ball and umbrella emojis.
A shadow fell over her moments before someone joined her on the towel. Chrissy tilted her head to find Wyatt’s youngest sister, Bonnie, with a young baby in her arms. The little boy looked to be about six months old. Chrissy didn’t think Bonnie had children, but then she’d met so many people, she could easily be mistaken. Still, his red hair and green eyes didn’t remotely resemble Bonnie’s features.
Bonnie smiled warmly. “I was hoping I’d run into you. Are you having fun?”
“I am, thank you.” Chrissy adjusted her sunhat so that she could see Bonnie easier. “How about you guys?” The baby reached out and grabbed the brim of her sunhat. She laughed as she carefully worked it loose from his grip.
Bonnie kissed the little boy’s cheek and switched him to the knee furthest from Chrissy. “We are. There’s lots to see, isn’t there, Gunner?” She smoothed his hair back and shifted again to make sure he was in the shade her body created.
Chrissy got the umbrella out of her bag, opened it, and held it out.
“Thank you. I should’ve thought to bring one myself but having Gunner with me was a last-minute change.” The baby fiddled with the loop at the base of the handle. “I’m his nanny. I was supposed to have this weekend off, but his dad was called away to work, so I brought him with me. Although my parents weren’t thrilled.”
Chrissy wanted to ask Bonnie why her parents wouldn’t want her to bring the baby but figured it wasn’t her business. “It’s great you were able to make it.”
“I’m glad we could, too. It wasn’t easy, though. My car is in the shop, so I had to hitch a ride with Lucy’s family. They’re staying later Sunday than we can.” She cringed. “I was wondering, if you don’t mind, could we hitch a ride back to Clearwater with you and Wyatt? I have Gunner’s car seat in my room.”
“I can’t speak for Wyatt, but I don’t mind in the least.”
“Awesome! I appreciate that.” She nodded toward the volleyball court. “I don’t want Gunner to get sunburned or overheated, but we had to come down for a while and catch some of the action.”
They watched the volleyball game in silence until Wyatt’s team scored another point and cheered, giving each other high fives or fist bumps. Wyatt glanced her way, and their gazes tangled for a moment before a teammate spoke to him and pulled him back into the game.
Chrissy’s heart lodged itself in her throat. She cleared it and turned back to Bonnie. “Would you normally be out there playing volleyball, too?”
“Absolutely. Usually Wyatt and I are on the same team.”
“The team captain picked him first. Apparently he’s in high demand, and I can see why. He plays well out there.” Wyatt made another block, and Chrissy clapped with the rest of the crowd.
“If you think he’s good at volleyball, you should see him on a baseball field.” Bonnie tickled Gunner under the chin, eliciting an infectious belly laugh from the baby.
“I take it he was quite the jock in high school.”
“You could say that.” Bonnie flashed her another smile. “Good at sports, good at school, popular.”
“Was it hard being several years behind him?”
“Nah. He kinda paved the way for me.”
Chrissy suddenly wondered if Wyatt had met Ashley back then. Were they high school sweethearts? Or had they met later in college? The question was on the tip of her tongue before she swallowed it. Their relationship was certainly not Chrissy’s concern regardless of how curious she was.
The crowd erupted in another round of applause. Chrissy glanced up quick enough to see that Wyatt’s team had scored yet another point. The defeated look on the faces of the other team told her that they likely weren’t going to be able to come back from behind. Wyatt’s bright smile settled on her again, and Chrissy returned it without thinking twice.
Only then did she realize Bonnie was watching them with a crooked grin on her face.
