9. RJ
RJ
B roccoli Bay is so small that apparently Tony either knows the owner of every business on the island or runs it himself.
When I reached out about setting up a snorkeling excursion, he offered to take us to the perfect spot.
He approaches in a different boat than the one he uses to shuttle tourists between the island and mainland.
It’s a smaller catamaran with steps on the back that make getting in and out of the water easy.
Once the boat approaches the dock, the kids race to be the first to board. Tony stands there nodding as we climb into the boat. “I thought you said five?”
“Shit. Yeah, the teenager changed her mind about getting in the water.”
“No swears!” Logan shouts from across the boat.
“Sorry,” I call back.
“You’re lucky I have another set of gear.”
“Sorry, I didn’t even think about that. And what do I owe you?” I reach for my wallet.
Tony waves a hand at me. “The owner of the house said to charge everything to her account.”
“For the snorkeling?” I clarify.
He shakes his head. “Everything.”
He pushes us off the dock and heads to the helm. I take the open seat next to Summer on the bench. “Hey, when you ordered from the market, did you give them your card?”
She blinks in confusion. “No, they said they’d charge it to the account. I figured it meant Raven’s account, and they’d either give me a bill at the end or I’d repay her after the trip.”
Turning away from her, I pull out my phone.
Knowing my sister, she won’t let either of us square up with her later.
I should be grateful that I have someone in my life who can pay for us to take trips like this.
But my sister has taken care of me our entire lives, even when I was fully capable.
I may not be rolling in money, but I’ve lived a modest life and have done okay for myself.
Me
No one on the island is accepting my card.
Do you have anything to do with that?
Raven
Your money is no good on Broccoli Bay.
Raven. You’re already letting us stay here. You don’t have to pay for everything.
Let an old widow do what she wants with her money.
You’re not old.
I’ll be forty this fall.
Still not old.
Raven, this is too much.
Don’t be an idiot. I’ll always take care of you, baby bro.
I pocket my phone. I know better than to continue arguing with my sister. She’s stubborn and determined. And incredibly kind and generous.
“Did you know that puffer fish are more poisonous than cyanide?” Logan announces.
Lana wrinkles her nose. “Why would you tell us that before we’re about to jump into an ocean full of them?”
“We get quite a bit of puffers,” Tony shouts over the noise of the engine. “Never seen any that weren’t afraid of humans, though.”
Lana’s shoulders visibly relax.
Tony continues, “Might see some angelfish, parrotfish, rays, maybe even a sea turtle or two. If we’re lucky, we might spot a starfish or sea cucumber.”
“Sea cucumbers!” Logan shouts as he leaps from his seat and jumps up and down. “I knew my book would come in handy!”
I can’t help but laugh. “I’ve never seen anyone that excited about a sea cucumber.” I look at Summer.
She’s got her head in her hands as she groans. I wonder what that’s about?
“I’m gonna touch it!” Lucas says.
“Gonna stop you right there, boys. We only look. No touchin’ the sea life,” Tony says.
“I hope we see a turtle. They’re my favorite,” Lana says.
Logan holds up a finger. “The most common type of sea turtle is the loggerhead.”
Tony nods as he slows the boat. “Yup. And this is peak nesting season for ’em.”
Once Tony goes over the rules, we get our gear on. Summer waves Logan over. He sets his book down and joins us, rolling up his sleeve as if he already knew what Summer wanted.
She’s got a giant bag full of supplies, far more than I ever saw Jessica pack for Sophie when she was little.
“What’s all that?” I ask.
“It’s my Logan bag. I don’t go anywhere without it.
It has extra insulin, an EpiPen, a sensor and transmitters, glucose meters, sugary snacks in case he gets too low, charging cables, extra batteries, alcohol swabs, a first aid kit, and bottled water.
” She raises an eyebrow. “They don’t teach you about all this at fire school? ”
Shit. Why do I keep putting my foot in my mouth with this woman?
I rub my jaw as I consider my response. “I’m still learning, honestly.
We get basic training, but it’s more emergency-based.
Rapid assessment, how to recognize a hypoglycemic episode.
I’m working on my EMT certification, but I’ve only been doing this for less than a year, and until Sparky, I’d never known anyone with diabetes. ”
Logan smiles. “I’ll teach you!” He lifts up his shirt.
“This is my Dexcom. It has a sensor, and a transmitter.” He points to sensor on his arm.
“But when we go swimming or in the ocean, we need to cover the sensor, so the water or sunscreen doesn’t mess with the adhesive holding it into place. We use an overpatch.”
“Does any of that hurt?” I ask as Summer applies the patch and sunscreen. Sophie was a nightmare about wearing sunscreen at this age, and I marvel at how easily Logan complies.
“Nope. The finger pricks hurt more, but we don’t have to do those as much with this.”
Once she puts his swim shirt in place, he gives her a big hug. “Thanks for letting us go snorkeling, Mom.”
She rubs his back, and her eyes connect with mine briefly. “It was RJ’s idea,” she says dismissively.
Logan turns and hugs me. The move is unexpected, but I relax into the hug, clapping his back a few times. “Thanks, RJ. We never get to do stuff like this,” he whispers before he runs over to Captain Tony.
My head is a mix of guilt and anger. I’m angry at myself for suggesting this outing in front of the kids, essentially forcing Summer’s hand. She must think I’m a total asshole. I’m about to apologize when she speaks, calming my thoughts.
“I’m not sure the Bluetooth will connect while we’re in the water, so Logan and I will need to come back to the boat and check his levels. They’re okay right now.”
Fuck, now I feel even worse. I didn’t think about how this could be an all-day activity. I just wanted to spend time with her and her kids, be there for them in ways their dad hasn’t been, so I can prove to her that she can depend on me.
She’s still clutching the sunscreen, her thumb fidgeting with the cap.
I lean close to her, swiping it from her hand. “Your turn.” I motion for her to turn around.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m fine.”
“So you like it when I rub aloe on your burns. Got it.” I can’t help teasing her. But seeing how she takes care of everyone the past few days has me overwhelmed with the need to take care of her.
Fire flashes in her eyes, and she opens and closes her mouth several times before she speaks as if she can’t decide how much to reveal. “I can do it myself. I don’t need your help.”
“Suit yourself.” I pull off my shirt and squirt a dollop of sunscreen into my hand. It’s a low blow, and I’m thankful that Captain Tony is distracting the kids as I make a show out of applying it to my body. My hands rub up and down my abs and pecs, and I delight in the way she can’t stop watching.
“Fine.” Tearing her gaze away, she huffs and removes her shirt to reveal a new bathing suit underneath.
One she didn’t need my help to put on. Her shoulders are tan, her earlier sunburn faded, though I’m still gentle as I apply the sunscreen to her back and shoulders.
I swear she’s not breathing, and I worry that my touch is too much, so I decide to distract her.
“Does that ever get overwhelming? With Logan?”
She blows out a breath, keeping her eyes on Logan. “Every day.” She pauses before adding. “Not the maintenance. We’ve been doing this since he was diagnosed, so he’s gotten used to it. And he’s good about telling me when he’s high or low.”
I wait for her to say more, captivated by her strength.
“It’s the what–ifs. The worrying. The anxiety.
We’ve been fortunate. Not everyone with a type 1 kiddo is.
His egg allergy is scarier most days, though.
Most moms worry about their kids, but whatever the normal amount of worry is, quadruple it for a special needs mom.
It’s one thing to worry about their grades and their future or if they’re hitting all the milestones.
I have to worry if his lunch will kill him every day.
Or if he’ll fail a test because his levels are low and his brain fog makes concentrating hard and he’s too afraid to speak up because he doesn’t want to be different.
And it makes finding friends hard too. I think that’s why Raven and I stayed so close, since she’s a special needs mom too. ”
I squeeze her shoulders and lean in close, my mouth mere millimeters from her ear. “I’m here. If you need anything. If you want help.”
She stiffens against me, and I release my hold on her. I look over at the kids as Captain Tony checks their gear. “This is probably the best idea you’ve ever had,” she says, pulling me back.
Pride surges in my chest as I look at her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. The kids don’t have a lot of men in their life who want to do stuff with them. Their grandparents are great, but they’re old so they mostly just watch TV when they’re there. Or they watch the kids play.”
It takes everything in me not to ask follow-up questions about their dad. What little I’ve heard about the guy hasn’t been nice.
“And I don’t wanna be mean—I love my kids—but I need some peace, and they can’t argue in the water.
It’ll help them get all their energy out.
And Logan can’t spout any more facts about animals pooping.
And Lana can’t roll her eyes at her brothers.
And Lucas can’t keep asking questions about the pooping animals. ”
She turns so we’re shoulder to shoulder, and I bump mine against hers. “Yeah, but now you have to swim in their toilet.”