11. Lara
”Amanda!” I scream and run.
Dylan gets to her before I do and pulls her upright. ”She”s okay!”
Amanda gets her feet under her and wipes water from her face as I reach their sides.
”The shoes made me slip!” she cries.
”They do that when you take off like a banshee,” I say, wading into the water. ”Be careful. What do you think Mother will say when you get bruises all over?”
Dylan flicks water on me.
”Was that really necessary?” I ask, brushing the droplets off my arms. ”I”m trying to prevent my sister from drowning.”
He splashes me again. ”It”s okay. She”s okay.”
”Playing hero again, McClintock?”
Parker stands on the beach behind us, and I turn to him to divert the attention away from Dylan.
”You coming in?” I ask. ”Let”s get in and cool off.”
”Nah.” He sits on a rock. ”I”ll hang here for a while.”
I frown at him. After making sure Amanda is with Dylan, I wade back and sit next to Parker. ”What is it? Why don”t you want to come swimming?”
”I would, but I don”t want to spend time with your buddy.” He nods toward Dylan.
”He”s busy with Amanda. Besides, don”t you want to swim with me?”
Parker is silent for a few seconds and then lets out a huff. ”Fine. Let me go change.”
I smile and give him a peck on the cheek. ”See you soon.”
I wade back into the water.
”Parker not joining us?” Dylan dunks his head, reemerges, and shakes his hair back. ”That”s a shame.”
”He”ll be back,” I tell him defiantly. ”Don”t worry.”
”I wasn”t.” Dylan looks at Amanda. ”Were you worried?”
She giggles and doggy paddles further out. There”s another group of kids swimming and floating on rafts, and as I get closer, I see Dylan”s sister, Juliet, and his cousins, Mina and Tanner.
”Should we plan our meeting spot for later?” Dylan whispers and bumps my arm with his.
”What meeting spot?” But I know what he”s referring to.
”I”d invite you into my tent, but Carter and Tanner are bunking with me.”
I roll my eyes and send a splash his way. ”You can”t say things like that.”
He just smiles and swims off to join his cousins and sister.
Parker wades toward me. ”Hey.”
I grab his hand. ”Let”s play a game with everyone.” We swim to the group. ”You guys want to play Marco Polo?”
”Wouldn”t that be kind of hard?” Tanner asks. We”re not in a pool.”
”We”ll set up rules,” I tell him. ”Like, you can only go from the end of the picnic tables to the tents down that way.”
Everyone looks toward the shore to see the bounds.
”Okay,” Dylan says. ”I”ll go first.”
”Great,” Parker mutters.
”No cheating, Dylan!” Carter calls. ”I”ll know if you open your eyes.”
Dylan closes his eyes and starts counting to ten.
We spread out and wade away from Dylan as quickly and quietly as possible. He”s going to cheat, but the last thing I”m going to do is let him catch me easily.
Parker wraps his arm around my waist.
”You can”t hold onto me,” I whisper. ”I need to move freely so I don”t get caught.”
”Just making sure he can”t get you,” Parker says.
I want to roll my eyes, but I don”t. Instead, I turn my attention to Amanda. She”s my focus.
”Marco,” Dylan calls.
Seven voices call Polo in unison.
Dylan dives underwater and heads toward Mina and Amanda. I try to wave her over to me, but Dylan pops up close to the girls and moves his arm in their direction. Amanda slaps a hand over her mouth to stop from squealing.
”Marco,” Dylan calls.
”Polo!” we all cry out, scrambling as Dylan takes another dive underwater.
”This game is lame,” Parker says, swiping water from his face. ”I”m going to grab something to eat.” But just as he starts to swim, Dylan grabs him by the shoulder.
”Gotcha!”
Parker glares murderously as Dylan opens his eyes.
Oh lord, here we go.
”You can”t leave now,” I tell Parker. ”Might as well play your turn.”
”Fine. I”ll do the stupid thing.” He turns and starts to count.
I keep hold of Amanda and Mina and swim as far away as we can within the bounds. Of course, Dylan swims next to us.
”Did you tag him on purpose?” I whisper.
”I couldn”t see, remember?”
”Bullshit,” I tell him, making sure the girls can”t hear me.
Dylan gives me that sly smile. ”He was sticking pretty close to you, I saw.”
”Because he”s my boyfriend. That”s what couples do.”
”Pity, then, that I broke you up.”
”You didn”t break us up,” I hiss, knowing the girls can probably hear me now.
”I”m talking about the game, sweetheart,” Dylan says cooly.
”Uh-huh. Go over there. You”re gonna get me or the girls caught.”
He winks and swims toward his cousins. Once he gets to them, he runs his hand through his hair and smoothes the strands away from his face. Damn, he looks good, all wet like that.
”Marco,” Parker calls, swinging his arms aggressively in the water.
”Polo!” The rest of us shout, thrashing around to miss Parker”s reach. Most of us get away, but Parker grabs Juliet”s foot, and she”s the next to be it.
”I”m getting out now,” Parker tells me. ”You coming?”
”Can”t leave Amanda,” I say. ”Especially with her history in the water.”
He swims away without a second glance, and the rest of us play a few more rounds before everyone gets tired and wants drinks and snacks.
”Where”d Parker go?” Amanda asks, grabbing her jean shorts from the tent and pulling them on. ”Did you make him mad?”
I grab my shorts. ”No.”
”Then why”d he get out of the water?” she asks.
”His fingers were getting pruney.” I slip my shorts on.
We walk to the picnic area, and I grab a couple of sodas from a cooler and hand one to Amanda. The party is starting to grow.
There”s a volleyball game going on—a game of horseshoes. And a couple of kids are kicking around a soccer ball in an open area behind the picnic area. As Amanda and I sip from our cans, we wander to the tables and find food. We load up on cheese, crackers, grapes, oranges, and cookies before heading to some shade.
As we nibble, I look for Parker, but I find Dylan heading toward me with his plate.
Please don”t sit here. Please don”t sit here.
”This seat taken?” he asks Amanda, indicating the space between her and me.
”Nope.” My sister smiles at him. ”Did you get hungry, too?”
”I did.” He slides between Amanda and me and grabs a piece of cheese from my plate. ”Where”s your boy toy?”
”Don”t know.” I glance at the tents.
”Hey!”
I jump as Parker plops down right in front of me.
I giggle to cover my nerves. ”You scared me.”
”Sorry.” He grabs a cookie from my plate. ”How”d Marco Polo end?”
”Good,” Dylan speaks for me. ”I didn”t get caught once.”
”You almost did,” Amanda says and grins at him. ”I almost caught you.” She giggles.
”You know what?” Dylan whispers to her. ”You did. But don”t tell anyone.”
”So… was that your kind of game, McClintock?” Parker asks Dylan and bites into a chocolate chip. ”Marco Polo?”
Dylan snorts. ”Nothing wrong with Marco Polo, bud.”
Parker lets out a chuckle. ”If you”re five.”
Oh, God, these guys!
”What types of games do you play then, Parker?” Dylan asks.
Parker shrugs. ”Horseshoes?”
”Next round, then?” Dylan asks. ”You and me?”
”All right.” Parker stands. ”I”ll put our names on the list.”
As he walks away, I stare at Dylan. ”What just happened?”
”Your boyfriend challenged me to a game of horseshoes. And he”s gonna lose.”
”Men.” I let out a groan. ”You and Parker play all you want. I”m going to read a book and take a nap.”
Dylan leans close. ”You”re telling me you won”t watch your man play?” He leans closer. ”Or, your men?”
”Shut up.” I look around Dylan to my sister. ”Come on, let”s go to the tent and take a nap.”
”But I want to watch them play horseshoes,” she whines.
”Then you can do what you want, but I”m getting my book and relaxing.” I walk away, annoyed by Parker”s competitiveness with Dylan. I get he”s mad at Dylan for the kiss, but why not leave him alone and not talk to him? Why does he have to one-up Dylan in some odd way? And now, instead of spending time with me, he”s playing horseshoes with the one person I can”t get out of my head.
After I grab my book and find a shady tree to sit under, I soon can”t concentrate. I spend about twenty minutes rereading the same page before throwing the book in my lap. I want to check on Amanda, but I want to avoid going to the horseshoe pit. I don”t need to know that Parker is smoking Dylan”s ass or how Dylan is ruining Parker”s reputation with all the points he”s scoring.
I couldn”t care less.
I deliberately picked a spot under this tree that looked distant from them, but I still hear the distinct ping of the horseshoe hitting the metal stake every other minute, and I can”t get them out of my head.
It”s enough to drive me insane.
Unable to stop, I look around the tree. There they are. A group of people gather to watch Dylan and Parker play, and Amanda is sitting in the grass nearby, making daisy chains with Juliet.
I should go over.
But I don”t want to.
But I do want to.
Isn”t it time for lunch yet?
I toss my book inside the tent, unsure why I brought a book to begin with… too distracting to read with everything going on.
I grab my sunglasses, slide them on, and walk to the horseshoe pit, trying my best not to look interested. I sit next to my sister and Juliet.
”How”s it going?” I ask.
”Dylan is winning,” Amanda says casually. ”And I think Parker is angry about it. He”s asked for a rematch twice now.”
I casually reach my feet and walk to the pit with crossed arms.
Sweat runs down Parker”s face, and he looks ready to put Dylan on the spit and roast him over a fire instead of the pig.
I flash a flirtatious smile at Parker. ”Why don”t we go for a walk now?”
He shoots me a look. ”Not now, babe. We”re in the middle of a game.”
”But don”t you want to spend time with me? Alone?” I reach for his hand, but he picks up a horseshoe instead.
”We”ll go later.” He wipes the sweat from his brow. ”Just sit over there and watch.”
Wow.
I huff back to Amanda and Juliet, ensuring I angle away from the game. I spot our dad by the picnic area, talking to Mister and Missus Caldwell. I should say hello and thank them for putting on the feast, but I”m too mad. I just gave Parker the guaranteed opportunity to go off alone with me, but he”s not having it. And if he thinks I”m just going to wait until he”s done, he has another thing?—
”Hey.” Dylan sinks next to us girls on the grass.
”I thought you were playing horseshoes?” I ask, blinking at him.
”Just beat Parker for the third time. So now he”s playing some chump to cool off.” Dylan picks up one of the daisy chains from the ground and puts it on his sister”s head. ”Can you make one for me?”
”Amanda can,” Juliet tells him with a giggle. ”She makes the best ones.”
Dylan leans so he”s an inch from my face and stares me right in the eyes with his cool blue ones. ”I would”ve gone on a walk alone with you in a heartbeat.”