Chapter 11 #2
Sienna and Scarlet climbed into the rainbow-colored tandem kayak where it sat on the grass. Nova dashed to the blue-green one.
“Girls, Miss Presley didn’t give you permission to get in her kayaks.”
“They’re fine,” Presley said, coming up behind me.
“You’ve been busy since I left,” I said.
“You probably passed the delivery truck on your way home.”
“Lake Life Outfitters?” Jagger asked, joining us.
“Yes. They gave me a great deal on the third one.”
Jagger stepped closer to the boats and looked them over.
“Sorry to drop in unexpectedly,” I told her. “The girls love going by the hotel. You’re on the way home.”
“I was doing a test drive,” Presley said.
“Did you figure out how to ‘drive’?”
She laughed. “I learned how to paddle a kayak on YouTube. In theory. Work in progress.”
“Miss Presley, can we go in the water?” Scarlet called out.
Presley met my gaze as if wanting me to weigh in.
“Not tonight, Scarlet. We can’t just drop in on Miss Presley and expect a boat ride. Besides, the sun’s going down soon, and our captain for our other boat ride might leave us.”
“Uncle Jagger would never leave us,” Scarlet said with every bit of faith in the world.
Jagger straightened from where he’d been inspecting something on the tandem kayak and sent me a smug look.
“You’re right, Scarlet,” Jagger said. “Uncle Jag would never leave you three angels. I might leave your dad though.”
“Then we could have a sleepover at your house,” Nova said.
“Oh, you think so, huh? I’d make you eat veggies for your bedtime snack,” Jagger teased.
“I like veggies,” Sienna said.
“She doesn’t like meat,” Scarlet informed him, and I sighed at this trend that wasn’t dying down.
“You have a vegetarian?” Presley asked me.
“That’s where she seems to be heading,” I said. “I can respect that, but it’s throwing a twist into meals.”
“I can imagine,” Presley said. She strode toward the twins in the tandem boat. “Ladies, how big are your muscles?”
Scarlet flexed a skinny bicep as Sienna climbed out of the back seat, apparently done with her imaginary boat ride. Nova bounced over and said, “Miss Presley, I’m the strongest.”
“You are not,” Sienna said. “You’re too little.”
“Am not.”
“Girls,” I said sternly.
“I have a rack for my kayaks,” Presley said, pointing up at her patio, “but this double one is pretty heavy. You think you girls could get on one end and help me carry it up there?”
They each answered affirmatively, rising to Presley’s challenge with differing amounts of enthusiasm and confidence.
I held myself back from jumping in and taking over for my daughters, seeing how they felt important being asked to help. They managed to lift their end and work with Presley to get that boat up the hill and onto the rack.
“Look at those muscles,” I called out.
Jagger came up to me and said in a low voice, “Those boats are Kevlar. Lighter than your average kayak. Also pricey as hell.”
“Sounds about right.” I went over to the pink and purple boat, lifted it to my shoulder, and headed up the hill after them.
Jagger did the same with the blue-and-green one, and within a couple minutes, we had all three kayaks in their places.
“Thank you, ladies,” Presley said to the girls.
“Welcome,” Scarlet said.
Presley came over to Jagger and me and said, “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”
“Not a problem,” Jagger said before I could.
“Watch me, Miss Presley,” Nova called out.
Before any of us knew what she planned, she lay on the grass and rolled barrel style down the gradual hill.
“Stop before you get to the lake,” I called out.
Within a few seconds, the other two were doing the same.
“They have so much energy,” Presley said.
“Tell me about it. Bedtime will be fun tonight,” I said. “Actually between the swimming and the boat ride, odds are at least one of them will pass out on the three-minute drive home from the marina.”
Jagger laughed, and I was pretty sure it was at my expense. “It never gets old,” he said.
“Your day will come,” I told him. To Presley, I said, “We’ll get out of your hair. Thanks for welcoming my three little tornadoes.”
As Jagger headed down the hill, calling out a challenge to the girls to see who could get to the dock first, she flashed me a heated look and said, “Anytime. If they ever want to kayak in pretty boats, let me know.”
“As many boats as you bought today,” I told her, “we’d still be one short.”
“I can fix that.” She said it with a challenge accepted tone.
“Don’t you dare,” I said, unsure whether she was serious, but I could easily imagine her trekking back to Lake Life Outfitters tomorrow and picking up yet another kayak.
We got the kids on board and said our goodbyes. As Jagger eased the boat backward and the girls chattered in the seats at the bow, I watched Presley pick up her paddle and make her way up the hill in the waning light of dusk.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” Jagger said. “You didn’t mention your client looked like that.”
“Why would I?”
“The bigger question is, why didn’t you?” He said it as if that meant something.
Which, if I was honest with myself, it did, but honesty with oneself might not always be the best policy.
The thing I couldn’t hide from though? The one that was maybe even more alarming than how much I was physically attracted to her?
I liked how kind she was to my daughters. I liked that she called them the smart-girl brigade. I liked that she could handle the chaos of an impromptu visit with grace and friendliness. I…
Fuck.
I just plain liked her.
It would be so much easier if I didn’t.