11. RJ
RJ
D id I want Summer to catch me in the shower? Yes. Yes, I did. I’ve left the door unlocked every morning when I shower after my run, but she’s usually fast asleep when I emerge from the bathroom. But today I didn’t see her in the bed. I didn’t know she was already in the bathroom.
I was hoping she’d join me, but when she didn’t, I felt like an ass.
Until I caught the look on her face right after I came.
She may try to play it off like she’s unaffected, but every now and then I catch glimpses of her letting her walls down.
We really need to talk, but this game of cat-and-mouse has given me a chance to prove how reliable I can be.
When I walk out of the bedroom, all the kids are sitting quietly in the living room eating what looks like bowls of cereal, and there are empty boxes and a milk jug on the counter.
Sophie walks up to me, swipes the milk, and puts it back in the fridge. “Sorry, I meant to put that away.”
I wave a hand in the direction of the kids. “You did this?”
“Uh, yeah. I heard them playing in the hall and I was about to get up anyway, so I brought them down here and made breakfast. No eggs. And Logan said he normally checks his levels an hour after eating, and I figured you guys would be up by then.”
Who is this kid? I blink at her in part disbelief and part pride.
She crosses her arms. “I know you think I don’t pay attention because I’m on my phone all the time, but I do. I can multitask. Plus, I miss babysitting our neighbor’s kids back in New York.”
“Thank you.” I pull her into a hug. “I’m going to set up a fishing trip today. Wanna join?”
“I do!” Logan calls from across the room.
“Me too!” Lucas adds.
A smile lights up my face as I raise an eyebrow at Sophie.
“I’ll pass. Lana and I are painting our nails today. I need a fresh coat, and this island has no salons so we’re doing it ourselves. Right, Lana?” Sophie looks over her shoulder.
Lana walks into the kitchen, setting her bowl in the sink. “Yeah. What colors did you bring? I’ll show you mine!” she squeals as she runs upstairs.
I point a finger at her. “She’s only ten. No penis talk.”
Sophie waves at me over her shoulder as she follows. “I know. Go have fun.”
——————
I was able to book a two-hour shore fishing excursion with Captain Tony for the boys.
True deep-sea fishing is an all-day activity, and I didn’t think Summer would be okay with Logan being out that long, especially after the incident on the boat yesterday.
I have her Logan bag, and I assured her that everything and everyone would stay on the boat.
The boys keep calling it deep-sea fishing since the water’s deep, and I don’t have the heart to correct them.
Once we get to our fishing spot, Tony drops the anchor and cuts the engine.
“Did you know that crabs have tastebuds on their feet?” Lucas says, reading over Logan’s shoulder.
“No, you’re saying it wrong,” Logan corrects him. “They have tiny little hairs on their feet called chemoreceptors,” he sounds out the last word slowly as he reads. “And those hairs help them find food and navigate their surroundings by tasting the ground as they walk.”
Lucas crosses his arms. “That’s what I said.”
“Did you know that stargazers are poisonous?” Logan asks, peering up from his book and changing the subject.
“What’s a stargazer?” Lucas asks.
“It’s a fish. And they camouflage themselves in the sand so they can eat. And if a predator approaches, they have these barbs that can sting you and have poison in them.”
“Cool! Can we catch one?”
Logan looks back down at his book as if he’s double-checking himself before speaking. “Actually, they live closer to the shore. And they can hurt really bad, so I dunno if we wanna see one.”
“Do you have to pee on it like a jellyfish sting?” Lucas asks.
“You aren’t supposed to do that. I’m not sure how that got started. You’re supposed to rinse the area with vinegar, then soak it with hot water,” I say.
“He’s right.” Captain Tony tilts his head toward me.
“According to my book, that’s what you do with stargazers too, except you don’t need vinegar.” Logan squints, covering his eyes to shield from the sun as he looks up at us.
“What about stingrays?” Lucas kneels on the bench to peer over the side of the railing. I slide closer to him and tug on his shirt, nodding for him to turn and sit, smiling when he listens.
“Oh, that’s a bit trickier. You should definitely see a doctor for that one. We get a lot around the island, but I’ve never heard of anyone getting stung by one,” Captain Tony says.
Lucas frowns in disappointment. “What about manatees? Will we see any of those?”
Captain Tony opens his mouth to speak before Logan cuts him off. “Manatees live in warmer waters near the shore, and the best time to see them is in the winter. And you’re not allowed to touch them. Like at all. It’s illegal.”
“Kid’s right. We don’t get any around Broccoli Bay. They’re mostly over near the springs in some state parks,” Tony adds.
“Do you think we’ll see the dolphins again? The humping ones?”
Laughter bubbles out of me. “Do you mean they have humps? Those are dorsal fins.”
“No, Logan said they hump for fun like people do.”
I bite my lips, waiting for more information.
“I did not. I said they do it for pleasure.” Logan frowns, flipping through his book like he’s looking for that information.
Lucas pouts. “Same thing.”
Captain Tony and I make eye contact. He shakes his head motioning for me to drop it, so I do. If we call attention to it, they’ll keep at it.
“Caught a seventy-five-pound tarpon yesterday,” Tony says, changing the subject.
“What’s that?” Lucas asks as Logan thumbs through his book.
“Did you know tarpons are older than the T-Rex?” Logan says.
“Can we catch one?” Lucas’s eyes go wide, his excitement palpable.
Captain Tony shrugs. “Maybe.”
He walks us through all the steps, and not ten minutes in, Lucas has something on his line. He’s battling with all his might, and I debate stepping in to help, but before I can, Logan’s hollering and tugging on his line. No tarpons, but we do catch several groupers and snappers.
I snap a few pictures of the boys with their fish before we release them, then I send them to Summer.
Me
[Pics of Logan and Lucas holding up fish.]
Summer
RJ?
Who else would send you pics of your kids?
Captain Tony?
Sorry, I didn’t know you had my number.
Raven gave it to me.
The dots appear and disappear as I wait for her response. I don’t like how much time this is taking.
Oh
I wonder what she typed and deleted only to end up with that response. It feels like one step forward and two steps back with her. I need to step up my game and show her that she can depend on me.
I won’t keep you. Just wanted to let you know that the boys are good and they’re having fun.
Thanks.
“I need some Skittles,” Logan says as he walks over to me. I dig through his bag and hand him a pack.
Looking over at Lucas, I hold up another pack. “Do you want some?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not allowed to have any from his bag.”
Well, shit. I open the notes app on my phone and make a note to bring extra snacks for the kids when I’m around them. Because I will be around them when we get back to Chestnut Mountain. If there’s anything I know with certainty, it’s that I will see these kids again.
Logan offers some to Lucas. “It’s okay. Mom always packs extra.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I remove it quickly, hoping it’s Summer.
Raven
Her birthday is tomorrow. Don’t screw it up.
What? Who? Sophie’s birthday is in March.
Summer
Oh. Fuck. How could I forget that?
Why would you remember that?
It’s been years since you celebrated anything with her.
Oof.
What do you suggest?
She likes Elvis pancakes. You could get her some of those. Charge my card, tell her they’re from me.
Just don’t be a dick to her on her birthday.
I’ve never been a dick to her.
Uh-huh. Insert side-eye. I’ve seen you get all broody.
Did she say I was being a dick?
Don’t put me in the middle of this.
You’re the one who said we could stay here at the same time without telling the other. You put yourself in the middle of this.
That wasn’t intentional.
I have my doubts about that.
Be nice to her tomorrow. She’s been through a lot and deserves to have a day that’s all about her.
What do you mean by a lot?
You’ll have to talk to her about it.
We pull up anchor and head back to the house. The boys are sitting next to me chatting away about their catches, and I stare at my phone dumbfounded. What has Summer been through? Is Raven referring to drama with Summer’s ex, or the falling-out I had with Summer back in high school?
And just like that, I feel like an asshole.
I know how much Summer liked me in high school.
I liked her even more, if that’s possible.
But my sister made it clear that I wasn’t to mess around with any of her friends.
And she could be really mean. Still, there was something pulling me to Summer.
This invisible tether that bound us together.
I swear I could feel her presence the moment she walked into a room.
I didn’t even need to look, I just knew she was there.
But I was a stupid teenage boy. And a coward.
I pushed her away and started dating Jessica.
I want to say it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but it gave me Sophie, and I’ll never regret having my daughter, even if things didn’t work out with her mom.
Not a day goes by that I don’t regret what I did to Summer, though.
And as soon as I moved back to Chestnut Mountain and found out she was also single, I knew I wanted a second chance with her.
I’m determined to use Raven’s scheduling mishap to my advantage.
There’s no way in hell I’m fumbling things with Summer again.
I look over at the boys. “Tomorrow’s your mom’s birthday, huh?”
Logan nods. “We don’t get to see her on her birthday normally. We’re usually at Nana and Pop-Pop’s.”
“Can we make her a cake?” Lucas asks.
“What about pancakes?” I suggest.
Logan’s eyes light up. “Those are her favorite! Lucas and I made them for her once, but we’re not allowed to make her breakfast in bed anymore.”
“Why’s that?”
Lucas’s head drops. “We didn’t make it right.”
“Well, I know how to make pancakes. I’d be happy to serve her breakfast in bed.” I pat him reassuringly.
The boys grin up at me, relief washing over their faces. It makes me wonder how bad they must’ve messed up her pancakes.
“What if we make all her meals? And you can help us,” Lucas says. “So we don’t mess up.”
“Sure. What else does she like?” I ask.
“Spaghetti. And garlic bread,” Lucas offers.
“And strawberry smoothies,” Logan adds.
I open the app for the market and add everything to my cart: ingredients for her pancakes, an egg-free alternative for Logan, ingredients for spaghetti, all the snacks the boys said she likes, some fresh flowers I’ll say are from her kids, and a strawberry daiquiri mix along with some coconut rum.
Whenever we went out as a group in high school, she used to get virgin strawberry daiquiris.
When I asked her about it, she’d shrug and tell me they made her feel grown up.
I’m pretty sure those are the strawberry smoothies Logan is referring to.
This is going to be her best birthday yet.