Chapter 13
Ethan was away,getting his boat licence at long last. The day was dragging on. I’d already cleaned the campgrounds, done the swimming tour and answered emails. I had some other campsites to clean in the National Park, so I’d hit that after I collected the mail.
Jack and Lily were on the porch, reading and soaking up the morning sun.
Lily looked up and gave me a cheeky smile. “Good morning. Enjoy the smell of coffee this morning?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re really not funny. I’m not going to tell you anything from now on. You obviously can’t be trusted.”
She gave a shrug. “I’m not the one who enjoys the smell of her housemate better than the smell of fresh coffee.”
“You’re impossible.”
Jack laughed. He put his book on the side table.
“Where’s Sex on Legs this morning?” Lily asked. “You two are usually joined at the hip.”
I crossed my arms. “That’s normally what happens when you’re teaching someone.”
“He told me last night he was going to get his licence today,” Jack said.
“Do you miss him?” Lily’s cheeky smile returned.
I wanted to slap her…figuratively, of course. “Not really. I’ve got plenty to do.”
She smirked. “That’s why you’re here.”
“I’m here to collect the mail. Is there any for us?”
“It’s us now, is it?” Jack said.
“Well, it is the department’s mail and we do work for the department.”
“Uh-huh.”
Neither of them made a move. I’d have to check myself. I uncrossed my arms and headed for the door.
“Quite a show Ethan put on yesterday,” Lily said.
I stopped in my tracks and spun around. “What are you talking about?”
“The wetsuit demonstration. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”
Jack gave her a nudge. “More like you couldn’t take your eyes off him. You wouldn’t leave the porch until it was over.”
Lily shrugged. “Beautiful things should be admired.”
“What about me?”
“You’re beautiful in other ways.”
I returned to my former spot and stared them down. “Ethan doesn’t do the wetsuit demonstration for attention. It’s practical.”
Jack and Lily shared a look. My shoulders tensed.
“That’s twice in the last two days you’ve stuck up for him,” Jack remarked.
These two were impossible. Making things up where they didn’t exist. “Now what are you talking about?”
“When we were asking him about having children and being married,” Jack said.
“Not everyone is comfortable with small-town mentality where everyone knows everything.”
“Weren’t you at least curious?” Lily asked.
Of course, I was curious. I like to know people and what makes them tick. I’d like to know what makes Ethan tick. The most personal thing he’d mentioned since being here was that he didn’t like it when students flirted with him. I’d been shocked at this revelation. Not because it was the opposite of Max who played on his looks, but because Ethan had been so offended by my misused words and he’d spoken up about it. He hardly ever spoke up about anything unless it had to do with the sea lions.
I had to admit I thought the demonstration was ridiculous at first. But that had to do more with me than the actual activity. And when he’d explained it, I understood. I had to admit to myself that I’d made a mistake in judging him. And the demonstration was effective. Most people had put their wetsuits on without assistance.
“Jasmine?” Lily prompted, bringing me back to the conversation.
What were we talking about? Whether I was curious about Ethan. “No, I wasn’t curious.”
Jack laughed his deep hearty laugh. “Now you’re bullshitting.”
I walked away. “I’m going to get the mail.”
What was it with these people? When Ethan took Rose from Jay to carry her home on the night of the bonfire, Jay had made sure to hold me back to tell me Ethan was a nice guy. I was pretty sure I could determine who was or wasn’t nice on my own. And whether Ethan was nice or not didn’t matter as long as he did his job. And treated the kids well. And didn’t make me uncomfortable in my own home.