Chapter 14 #2
Trying to get everyone down to the boat before noon, in addition to all the supplies needed for spending a day on the water, was like herding cats. At one point, I nearly lost my temper when JJ and Oliver started dueling with pool noodles instead of helping us load the pontoon.
When we were finally ready to leave, I collapsed onto one of the back seats and wondered if this was what it felt like having kids.
Stella must have sensed my exasperation, because she fished a seltzer out from one of the coolers, popped the tab, and passed me the drink.
Things were still weird between us, but as it was our birthday, we’d silently agreed to act like nothing was wrong.
“Who’s driving this thing?” JJ asked as Oliver loosened the last dock line from its cleat and tossed the rope to Alec.
Drew, who had already taken a spot in the captain’s chair and started the engine, raised his brows. “Assuming no one else has their boating license, me.”
“If you want to switch off, I have mine too,” Alec said quietly.
JJ snorted. “Of course you do. You’re such a Boy Scout.”
Ignoring his bandmate, Alec walked over to Felicity, who was stretched out across two seats. She moved her legs aside to let him sit, then draped them across his lap once he settled.
“If I was marooned on an island,” she said to JJ, “I’d rather have a Boy Scout with me than a smart-ass.” Her voice was so sweet and musical, it almost sounded like she was paying him a compliment instead of insulting him. “What skills do you bring to the table?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” When he wiggled his fingers in her direction, Felicity harrumphed as if she’d proven a point, but JJ had already turned back to Drew.
“As long as I get to be your first mate, then this is yours.” He held out a black-and-white captain’s hat decorated with gold embroidery.
“Sweet!” Drew pulled the hat on, then held a hand up to his mouth and mimed speaking into a radio. “Good afternoon, folks. This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard the SS Wet Dream! If everyone could please take a seat, it’s time to get this party started.”
The sandbar where we planned to drop anchor was on the other side of the lake, and I spent the twenty-minute cruise getting to know Indie, who plopped down next to me and immediately started talking.
I learned she was a violinist who planned on applying to Juilliard later down the line, but in the meantime, she’d be studying prosthetic makeup at a specialized school in LA.
When Felicity heard our conversation, she joined in and shared that she was enrolled at a nearby college, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and she and Alec had just signed the lease on an apartment together.
For the first time in a while, I found myself thinking about school in a way that didn’t feel negative.
Maybe it was because Indie told me about her plans for the future without pressuring me for details on mine.
And that made me wonder… What would it be like living in a campus dorm or pulling all-nighters at the library to finish a paper?
Would I like my professors? What student groups would I join?
Even though we’d just met, I could picture myself walking to class with Indie, book bags slung over our shoulders and coffees in hand.
I’d been so opposed to college because it felt pointless, but I could see now how much of it was about things like the freedom of being away from your parents for the first time, meeting new people, and learning something you actually found interesting.
The first true taste of adulthood. Maybe I’d never use my degree, but why shouldn’t I have an experience like that?
* * *
When we arrived at our destination, the sandbar was packed.
Drew pulled the pontoon into an open spot between two speedboats, then started barking orders at Oliver and Alec as he kept an eye on the depth finder.
Once the anchor was dropped and the boat secured, everyone leapt into action—clothes were peeled off, noodles were tossed in the water, and beers were cracked.
I waited for the commotion to die down before rummaging through my beach bag for sunscreen and passing it to Indie.
“Can you get my back?” I asked, tugging off my cover-up.
JJ plucked the bottle from Indie’s hand. “Only if you do mine.”
Indie watched with a bemused smile as JJ squeezed a glob onto his palm. “Looks like you’re covered,” she told me. “I should make sure Xander put some on too. Otherwise, he’ll fry.”
As she walked away, JJ began working the sunscreen into my back.
I startled at his touch, then forced myself to relax.
He took his time, slowly rubbing the lotion in and shifting the straps of my bikini top so he didn’t miss a single patch of skin.
His hands were rough with calluses, undoubtedly from years spent drumming.
“Can you lift your hair?” he asked.
I quickly obliged, and a shiver tingled down my spine when his fingers brushed against the nape of my neck.
“Okay, all done,” he said, dropping his hands. “Let’s switch.”
He was already peeling off his shirt when I turned to face him, and the sight of his bare chest made my heart lurch.
JJ’s half sleeve was actually a hikae, a term I learned after doing hours of research for my own tattoo.
The design curved over his shoulder and expanded—into what looked like the Celtic tree of life—across his left pec.
There was also a list of numbers tattooed on his ribs in a basic sans-serif font.
When I noticed the barbell piercing in his nipple, I nearly choked.
JJ’s mouth curved into a smug smirk that ought to be illegal, and then he offered me the sunscreen.
As I took the bottle from his outstretched hand, I noticed Oliver watching us.
He was lounging at the front of the boat, arms spread casually across the top of the seat and legs stretched out in front of him.
A pair of sunglasses shielded his eyes, but I had a feeling they were crinkled in amusement.
“Can I help you?” I asked, color rising in my cheeks.
“Nope.” The way he dragged out the word implied the opposite.
I crossed my arms. “If you have something to say, spit it out.”
“Okay then.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. The dog tag around his neck swung away from his chest and glinted in the sun. “I noticed you’re about to waste your sunscreen.”
“What are you talking about?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw JJ make a slashing motion across his throat.
Oliver ignored him. “I’ve known JJ since we were in diapers, and not once in his entire life has he used sunscreen.”
I wheeled around and glared at JJ. “Is that true?”
He heaved a sigh and dropped his head. “Thanks, Oliver.”
“Don’t mention it.” The grin on Oliver’s face was broad and boyish. “And hey? I know there’s a first time for everything, so if you really want to see what all the fuss is about, Cara can toss the sunscreen over here, and I’ll rub you down. I promise to be gentle.”
“You’re such an asshole,” JJ said, stalking toward his friend like he intended to toss him into the water.
Oliver beat him to the punch; he flipped JJ off and leapt over the side of the boat with a laugh. The only people still left on board were me, JJ, and Felicity, who had curled up in the shade with a book.
“JJ, get in here!” Xander called from somewhere down below. “Stella and Drew challenged us to a chicken fight rematch.”
Instead of responding, JJ locked eyes with me. “Are you coming?”
“I don’t know,” I said, deciding to punish him for his sunscreen trick. “I think I’d rather sunbathe for a while.” I made a point of stretching out across the seat, and his eyes trailed down my legs before snapping back to my face.
“Now where’s the fun in that?” he replied, and before I could respond, he scooped me up as if I weighed nothing.
“JJ!” I shouted as he strode toward the bow. “Put me down!”
“If that’s what you really want, okay, but wouldn’t you rather help me kick your siblings’ asses instead of missing out on all the fun?”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to give him the satisfaction of an answer.
He chuckled at my childish response. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Then JJ stepped off the end of the boat, plunging us into the sparkling water.