"I'm not sure if you know him. Evan did. He works down at the station where I'm doing my community service," I answered, not mentioning he was the reason we had gotten busted. No reason to ruffle any feathers.
"You mean lifeguard Josh?" she asked.
"Yeah," I admitted hesitantly. "I guess you do know him?"
"Not really. I mean, I know of him from whenever he and Evan would give each other shit, but I never really met him. Judging by the goofy smile on your face, I'm guessing he kisses better than Evan," she teased, running her hand over my comforter so Player would chase it.
A total girly giggle tickled up my throat. "You could say that." There really was no comparison for me. I didn't feel it with Evan. Josh, on the other hand, made my toes curl.
"You trampy beach bunny. I want deets," she demanded.
Her choice words made me burst out in laughter. I launched into a detailed description of my somewhat complicated relationship with Josh. Farrah was a great listener and let me get it all before adding her two cents.
"Wow, this guy sounds hot. Let's hope he has a friend," she joked, rubbing her hands together with glee.
I sighed. "He is hot, but he's good at tying me all up inside."
"Wow, kinky," she said.
"Don't be a perv," I said, tossing a stuffed animal at her. "He makes my insides all twisty and out of sorts."
She smirked at me. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
My laugh turned into a yawn. The day's activities were catching up to me.
"I should head home," Farrah said. "You think maybe I could go with you tomorrow?"
"Sure, I don't see why not," I said, surprised. "There were other volunteers there today. I'm sure they'd appreciate any help they can get. We have to leave early though, before nine," I warned.
"That's fine. I want to help out. It hardly seems fair that you didn't do anything and you're stuck doing all the work."
I smiled, appreciating her sentiment. "Don't sweat it. It's not like I was some angel back home. I've gotten into my share of trouble, which is why the judge stuck it to me. Besides, it's not all that bad."
"Funny. I can't wait to check out Josh."
Chapter 10
That night I had no trouble falling asleep. I could have told myself it was because I was so exhausted, but I suspected it had something to do with everything coming together in my life. What had seemed so overwhelmingly bleak a few weeks ago now held a promise of better things on the horizon.
True to her word, Farrah was at my house the next morning fifteen minutes before we had to shove off. She had taken my advice and was wearing an old T-shirt and comfortable shorts. Butch and Buttercup were dressed much the same since they both planned on helping out.
Arriving at the station as a group, I introduced Vanessa to our honorary volunteers and asked if it was okay.
"Are you kidding, honey? The more volunteers, the better. Two more truckloads of sand were dropped off early this morning, and we're expecting another one later this afternoon. The phone has been ringing off the hook with residents asking when we're going to have more sandbags ready," she said as the phone rang, proving her point.
"I guess that's our cue to get to work," I told my crew, leading them through the building and out the back door.
Larry called out a greeting to us and I introduced him to Farrah, who would be responsible for holding the bags open for him. Buttercup and Butch paired off while I looked around for Josh, who suddenly appeared at my side.
"Ready?" he asked, handing me a bag. I ignored the little flip in my stomach when I realized he had waited to team up with me again.
"Sure. Let's make this pile our bitch," I joked, holding the bag open.
Today was different than the previous day since the newest models showed Hurricane Alexia gaining strength. More residents were taking the storm seriously, and a line for sandbags quickly formed. Many of the people pitched in and filled their own bags¸ but the elderly residents had no choice but to wait. Bags were loaded into the trunks of cars the moment they were filled in a never-ending stream. We had to take breaks in shifts because it was so busy. The big treat came when Sal from the local pizza shop down the road showed up for sandbags with a dozen pizzas he had donated for the workers.
Surprisingly, even Buttercup and Butch inhaled a couple slices, but I was more impressed by how tirelessly Farrah worked beside me. We had to force her to eat since she kept insisting she would get something after she filled the next sandbag, which would turn into the next one, and then the next one. Mitch, the station chief, literally had to take the bag out of her hands. Farrah looked like she wanted to argue, but Mitch held an air of authority that made you listen. Larry laughed at her expression as the four of us headed inside to wash up as best we could before sitting in the station break room to eat our lunch. The air conditioning felt amazing, and Farrah and I sighed with pleasure as we sat down at the table with ice-cold sodas and plates loaded with food.
Like the first day I met him, Larry kept up a running commentary throughout the meal that had all of us laughing as he regaled us with stories of surfing experiences that had gone awry. My senses were hyperaware of Josh sitting beside me. I couldn't resist shifting slightly, so we were barely touching. I could tell he noticed by the small smile prying at his lips, but he said nothing. He only leaned across me to grab a napkin on the other side of the table as if to tease me. I wanted badly to take him by the shirt and pull him in close to lay a big kiss on his lips, but I wasn't sure what the guys in the office would think about it. I didn't want to get Josh into any trouble.