Chapter 15
We spent the rest of the afternoon day drinking and listening to cheesy country music as we splashed around in the water.
At one point, JJ and Drew got into an argument over which of the two would make a sexier merman.
They went from pontoon to pontoon, polling the nearby boaters, and when JJ won, Drew revoked his first mate status.
Only once we’d eaten our way through all the snacks and everyone felt sleepy from long hours spent in the sun did we head back to land.
Dinner was simple: burgers and hot dogs, huge slices of watermelon, creamy potato salad, and a pan of homemade brownies.
Much to everyone’s amusement, Oliver lorded over the grilling process as if he were the head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Kiddie fireworks exploded throughout the evening at sporadic intervals, little whistling pops and crackling bangs that were accompanied by children’s laughter, but the real show didn’t begin until sunset, so Drew set up cornhole, and we had a tournament.
At ten o’clock, we all walked down to the dock to watch the Fourth of July display put on by Greenwood Grove, the small town nestled on the opposite shore of the lake.
As fireworks lit up the sky, their reflections burst across the surface of the water in brilliant colors.
Applause rang out through the campgrounds when the grand finale finished, and then the night receded into silence.
“That was awesome,” Maisie said, swatting away a mosquito, “but let’s go back to the fire and make s’mores. I’m getting eaten alive.”
Everyone agreed.
“Cara, hold up,” JJ said as Maisie led the charge back to camp. His fingers gently wrapped around my wrist, preventing me from following the others. A rush of electricity shot up my arm, and suddenly I was back on the boat, remembering the feel of his callused hands on my bare skin.
“Yeah?” I said, glancing down at where he was touching me.
He quickly let go. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure. About—”
“Hey, Cara, are you coming?” Trixy asked. “I need your help to—” When she saw us standing together, she stopped mid-sentence. One side of her mouth quirked up, and then she spun around and continued walking. I kept my eyes trained on her back until she vanished into the dark.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked once we were finally alone.
Instead of responding, JJ lowered himself down and sat cross-legged in the middle of the dock. “Come here,” he said and patted the empty space directly in front of him.
“Okay.” I took a seat, folding my legs beneath me.
“Did you have a good birthday?”
“One of the best,” I told him, and I meant it.
“When I was a kid, my family spent the holiday camping at a lake, any lake. There’s a ton of them in Minnesota, so we’d pick a new one every year.
We even had this dorky system we used to rate each lake and a master doc of which ones were worth visiting again.
Today felt a lot like that.” I didn’t mention that we stopped our Fourth of July outings after my diagnosis, because there was no point; my life would forever be split into two categories—before and after, happy childhood memories and reality, healthy and sick.
“So how does your Lake Gronskog experience stack up against the rest?” JJ asked.
“All things considered, I’d give it a solid nine point five out of ten.”
“Still room for improvement then?” He leaned back slightly so he could fumble at his pocket. “I think I can help with that. Hold out your hand.”
I did as he asked, and he placed a small object on the center of my outstretched palm—a tiny alligator figurine that was no bigger than my pinkie.
“It’s Venetian glass,” he explained. “We didn’t have a show there, but none of us had ever been to Venice, so we took a day trip. One of the places we toured was a Murano glass factory. I saw this in the gift shop and thought of you.”
My heart swelled. The little alligator was cute, but once JJ explained the story behind it, my appreciation tripled. “Thank you,” I said, briefly clutching the gift to my chest before tucking it into my pocket. “I love it.”
“I’m glad.” He didn’t say anything else, but his gaze swept over me, hot and intense.
As I stared into his eyes, something tightened in my stomach.
The more time I spent with JJ, the more nervous he made me feel.
Not in a bad way. I always felt safe with him, and our friendship had come easily.
His loud personality probably made some people uncomfortable, but for me, it had the opposite effect.
I was pulled in, captivated even, by his ability to revel in every moment.
He was unapologetically living his best life.
But he was making it nearly impossible to stay true to my vow. .
“What are you thinking about?”
I bit my lip, unsure how honest to be in my response, then settled for simplicity. “You,” I admitted.
JJ groaned. “You’re killing me right now.”
I worried for a moment that my response had upset him.
He closed his eyes and passed a hand over his face. After a moment, his eyes snapped open, and he shook his head. “Fuck it.”
He rocked forward onto his knees, cupped my cheek in his hand, and kissed me.
It was sweet but short, like he was already second-guessing his decision.
As he started to pull away, I reacted instinctively, grabbing the collar of his shirt and tugging him back to me.
That must have been the invitation he was looking for, because JJ grinned against my mouth and kissed me deeper.
In the next heartbeat, he was guiding me onto my back, his lips never leaving mine.
The dock was rough and uneven, and one of the wooden planks bit into my shoulder blade as I settled down, but I hardly noticed.
My attention was focused entirely on JJ—the way he positioned his body above mine so as not to crush me, the sandpaper feel of his jaw, the barely there hint of orange Tic Tac on his tongue.
I knew we should stop. This was exactly what I’d told myself I wouldn’t do, the line in the sand I wasn’t supposed to cross.
And someone—probably my nosy brother—could come looking for us at any second.
The problem was I couldn’t think past the way his hand was gripping my hip.
When JJ’s mouth left mine and started moving downward, I knew I was a goner.
Teeth gently grazed my throat, and I was so lost in the moment that I let out a small moan.
Before things got too heated, however, a lone firework exploded in the distance, startling us apart.
“What,” I gasped, “was that for?”
JJ blinked down at me, chest heaving as dark lashes brushed against his cheeks. “Because I felt like it.”
“I don’t remember kissing being part of our arrangement,” I said playfully.
“Well, it should be. Kissing is fun.” He flashed a boyish grin, making my heart skip a beat. “I propose an amendment.”
“On what grounds?”
He sat back on his heels, still grinning. “On the grounds that I want to kiss you again.”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
“Okay,” JJ said, still smiling. “What kind of time frame are we talking about here? Two minutes? Two hours?”
My lips twitched. “I’ll have to get back to you on that too.”
“Arghh!” JJ flopped down beside me, flinging a hand over his eyes in a dramatic, exasperated fashion. “You’re impossible.”
To this, I gave no response. I needed a moment to process the last five minutes, and as I let my brain catch up with the rest of me, I stared at the stars overhead.
“JJ?” I finally said.
Somewhere in the nearby cattails, a bullfrog croaked.
“Yeah?” He propped himself up on an elbow to look at me.
“Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me.”
Reaching out, he took my hand and brushed a thumb against my knuckles. “Any time, princess.”
The next half hour slipped by in the blur of “would you rather” questions. The topics started out simple, transitioned into the weird and filthy, and finally evolved to deeper, more profound subjects. When we got tired of playing, JJ pushed himself into a sitting position.
“Hey, Cara. I was wondering… Did you ever figure out what number sixteen was supposed to be?”
It took me several seconds to realize he was talking about my bucket list. “No, but it’s not the end of the world.
” In fact, the single word provided me with lots of wiggle room.
I could interpret it as a simple “go bowling” or, if I was feeling particularly daring, something as extreme as “go skydiving.” “I’ll think of something fun to do eventually. ”
“Since I’m your bucket list buddy—”
“Self-appointed,” I clarified.
“—I think it’s only fair that I get to suggest an option.”
“All right, I’m listening.”
“We’re going skinny-dipping.” Not a question or a proposal, a statement. With a crooked half smile, he reached down and yanked off his shirt.
A fluttering sensation spread through my chest, but I managed to keep my voice under control as I said, “Are you trying to get me naked?”
JJ’s gaze swept from my face to my feet and up again, drinking in every inch of my body. It was unnerving and sexy at the same time. “I mean…”
I climbed to my feet. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait—really?”
After going along with his wild antics for six months, I was almost taken aback by his surprise.
Then again, I loved seeing the look on his face when I did something unexpected.
Without breaking eye contact, I grasped the hem of my shirt and tugged it over my head.
When I undid the button on my shorts and let them fall, JJ swore under his breath.
“Turn,” I instructed, making the motion with my finger.
He wheeled around so fast, he nearly toppled over.