A group of kids ran past them and jumped into the pool. Cole dodged out of the way and a splash narrowly missed him, but the ricochet of the water hitting the concrete had a welcome cooling effect against her hot skin.
She gathered up her sunscreen and water bottle and threw it in her cerulean-colored straw bag. She sighed and stood. “Look, Cole, I appreciate the offer, but there are rules, and you can’t just show up and help me.”
The Foster Cup had started off as innocent family fun, but became increasingly more competitive—and embarrassing for her—as the years went by.
“Let me help you.”
If she had Cole on her team, she’d have a really good chance at winning.
For the very first time.
Not to mention other intriguing possibilities.
“It’s not that easy. My father…he’s…”
She’d spent her entire adult life trying to be the opposite of her parents and her siblings. It might be selfish, but there was a method to her madness. Her loving family of six had been outwardly picture-perfect—mundane and boring. Inwardly, however, they were critical and judgmental.
As soon as she’d had the opportunity to fly the coop, she did, choosing not to follow in her father’s footsteps but follow her own interests. Instead of teaching credentials, she earned degrees in both public relations and marketing. Her first job out of college was as an assistant copy editor for a marketing firm. But she’d ended up having an affair with her boss, and when she’d gotten promoted for no good reason other than her skills in pillow talk, she severed the relationship and found another job. There was no way she was going to build a career on her knees.
Which was why Cole being here wasn’t such a great idea. The man had been her temptation for the last three years, and while she refused to let anything real happen, she could have told him every dirty thought she’d ever had about him and it wouldn’t have made a difference. She loved teasing him because he was so cranky and easily embarrassed, and they’d slowly become friends, but the man was impenetrable. Completely immune to her charms.
Which was why there was no reason for him to be standing here next to the pool with her on vacation.
A squeal pierced her eardrums like an air raid. She knew exactly who that squeal belonged to. “Pennie!”
She froze. “Oh. Shit.”
“Pennelope!”
“Go away,” she ordered Cole through gritted teeth. “Go before they see you.” She pulled at his bicep and yanked him, but she pulled too hard. Their bodies slammed together, rubbing his rock-hard abs against her. His biceps bulged under her grip. And the way he smelled—like the very best spices in his kitchen mixed with the perfect man-smell that was unique only to Cole.
He looked over her head and murmured, “Who’s Barbie and Ken?” His breath was a warm sensation across her skin.
She shivered and swayed even closer, but then they were swarmed, her sister-in-law, Cathy, pulling her out of his arms. Which she greatly appreciated, because she didn’t think she’d be able to do it herself.
Cathy squealed and nattered on with excitement. “Oh, my, God. It’s Cole Murphy.” She grabbed at his bicep, an inappropriate gleam in her eye.
“What is Cole Murphy doing here, Pennie?” One of Cathy’s eyebrows quirked up as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a response.
How the hell was she going to explain this?
She turned to Cole and took a deep breath. No getting out of introductions now. “Cole, this is my sister-in-law, Cathy.” She pointed to her right. “And my brother, Ian.”
Ian took a few steps forward and held out his hand. His brown hair and swim trunks were soaked. Cole shook it with a tentative smile. “Cath, I think you should let the poor man breathe.” He grabbed his wife’s arm and pulled her away from Cole.
“And those are my sisters-in-law, Beth and Christine, and my brothers, Dave and Pete.”
Beth eyed Cole with the same curiosity as Cathy. Dave stared him down, most likely sizing up his strength. Pete and Christine were just…smirking. They were the only ones in her family who knew how she felt about Cole. Well, a watered-down version of how she felt, but they knew there was something there.
“Pennie, this is so exciting.” Cathy’s excitement had her blond hair, gathered in a high ponytail, swinging like a pendulum. “You didn’t tell us you were bringing a celebrity on vacation!” She gleefully pointed her long index finger, made even longer by her cat manicure, at Cole.
This was a celebrity sighting for Cathy. Cole and his brothers were infamous back home in Toronto and more than occasionally headlined the newspapers and gossip sites. Their mother, a do-gooder socialite, had adopted them, and by association, they’d been thrust into the limelight, which she knew Cole despised.
Just then, two little whirlwinds broke through the crowd of adults, bubbling with excitement, though one stayed a few paces back from Cole. Her nephew was as shy as her niece was outgoing.
“This is my niece, Sara, and that little monkey hiding behind Ian is Andy, my nephew.”
Sara tugged on Cole’s shirt. “Who are you?” Her silky, blond hair blew across her face in the gentle Hawaiian breeze.