“Don’t tell me that’s what you ate last night.”
“Not at all. I’m thinking more for when this vacation ends and I have to go back to my steady diet of lo mein noodles and thin-crust pizza.”
“Do you have a vegetable in your diet?” he asked.
“Does tomatoes in the sauce count?”
Everett chuckled with me before he sat down in the chair at the bar. The two of us were the only ones underneath the cabana by the pool, and I was excited to talk with him again. I found myself wondering if things might stay this way once we got home. Maybe I could ask him out for coffee or we could get together for a bite to eat and talk. I enjoyed the way things were slowly moving between us. Just conversation, a drink, and him escorting me to my room without so much as an insinuation to have sex.
I liked that. I liked the slow
pace he took.
“How’s your water?” Everett asked.
“Good. I enjoy lemon in my water. The tang is nice,” I said.
“Are you one of those people that enjoy their lemonade and limeade a little tangier?”
“I am.”
“Oh, yes. I’m going to have to make you my limeade then. My brothers can’t stand it because they think it’s too sour, but they’re also people who enjoy their tea so sweet it’s almost black.”
“Yikes. Nope. Jessica’s that way, but I don’t enjoy that much sugar in my sweet tea. I actually like to taste the tea.”
“Especially when the teas are flavored. You know, with blackberries and things.”
“You put fruit in your tea?” I asked.
“You don’t?”
“It sounds like I have a lot of drinks to make you, then.”
“Just don’t put alcohol in them. I’ve had enough of that over the past two days to last me the rest of my life.”
“Hey, Andrea!”
“What, Jessica!?”
“Catch!”
I turned my head just in time to see a ball coming my way. It was a massive beach ball and my eyes widened as my hand dropped my drink. I brought my hands up to my face and curled up, bracing myself for impact. Then, I heard a thunk.
But the ball didn’t hit me.
“You’re no fun, Everett,” Lucas said.
“Try picking on someone your own size,” Everett said.
I opened one eye as my hands came down and I saw Everett holding the beach ball. The massive, multi-colored beach ball. With one hand. My eyebrows slid up my forehead before my gaze made its way over to him, and I studied the profile of his face as he chucked the ball back to them. He caught the ball before it hit me.
“Why did you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Why did you catch the ball?”
“Did you want to be hit with the ball?”