“Here to dunk the sheriff?” Helen asked knowingly, pointing her thumb at Noah.
“You bet we are.” Alicia spoke up with a happy smile. “Alana can’t do it, so I am doing it for her.”
Alicia bought a handful of tickets. “He is going down.”
Helen laughed and handed her a basket filled with tennis balls. “This ought to be fun to watch. I’m recording this on my phone. It could come in handy when I want a new coffeepot.”
Alana waved to Noah, who was sitting inside the tank on a small plank. She couldn’t help herself. She was weak when it came to this man. He grinned and smiled back until he saw her sister. Drake laughed at the look of determination on Alicia’s face.
“I think you are in trouble, Noah,” Drake said loudly. He wore his uniform and stood outside the dunk tank. His hair was wet, so Alana assumed he had just finished his turn. Noah glared at Drake.
Alana stood near Drake, and he immediately hugged her. He had been hanging out with her brother for years. She felt comfortable around him. Drake kissed her cheek.
“Feeling okay, sweetheart? It’s a hot day.”
Alana nodded, leaning against him. “I don’t plan on staying long. Alicia is excited to dunk your boss, and I couldn’t resist watching. Ray would be here, but he is too busy.”
Drake laughed and watched Alicia give Noah a mean look.
Noah laughed. “Your arms look kind of puny there, Garcia. I am not worried.”
Alana groaned. She tried to get Noah to look her way, but he was concentrating on Alicia. “Oh no. He is in so much trouble now. We might be here for hours.”
Drake laughed. “This ought to be good.”
Alicia threw the first ball and missed.
Noah laughed and said, “I told you so.”
A small crowd gathered around to watch. A few women cheered Alicia on.
Alicia missed the second ball. On the third ball, she hit the bull’s-eye, and Noah went under. The crowd cheered, and Alicia high-fived Alana and Drake.
“You’re supposed to be on my side, Drake,” Noah muttered, standing up in the waist-high water.
Alana had to admire his firm, bare chest with water dripping down his tanned skin. His black swimming trunks rode low on his hips, and Alana had to look away for a minute, or she just might have attacked his sexy body. She was going to need a cool drink after this.
Alicia dunked him twice more before getting bored. Noah stepped out of the tank and stood in front of Drake and Alana. He glared at Drake until Drake removed his arm from Alana’s shoulder.
“Um, I should go patrol.” Drake smiled. He winked down at Alana and kissed her cheek again before walking away.
Alana did her best to hide her smile. It felt good to see that Noah was jealous. She had experienced plenty of that emotion over the years.
Noah’s narrow eyes focused on her, but she would not let herself squirm under his gaze.
“Thanks for bringing your sister to dunk me,” he said with a bit of an attitude. “Are Ray and your parents next?”
“If they could get away, they would be here. But at least I didn’t go up to the target and push it,” she answered, looking innocent.
Noah shook his hair, and cold, wet drops landed on her bare arms and neck. Alana shrieked and slapped his arm. He laughed and tried to hug her. She playfully pushed him away.
Alicia walked up to them, looking happy with herself. “I got you good, Sheriff Romeo. Admit it.”
Noah frowned and grabbed a towel. “You did good, kid.”
“I’m not a kid, old man,” she retorted but without any heat.
“I need a glass of lemonade,” Alana interrupted before the two started bickering like kids.