My eyes fly open, and I gulp pool water, twisting in the unrelentinggrip.
I’m trying to breathe and cough at once as I’m dragged upward. My chest burns, cryingout.
We break the surface, and the grip drags me out of the pool and up onto the tile, where I lie facedown and contorted while I coughwater.
“What the fuck?” Tyler’s voice is a rasp in my ear as I melt into thetile.
“It’s called swimming,” I groan. “You should tryit.”
“Bullshit.”
He crosses to the cabana, grabs two towels, and comesback.
I shift to sitting and take one from him, wrap it around my shoulders, and squeeze the water from my hair. “I opened the letter from my mom. She said my dad knew about me for a year and a half before he came back. She said he didn’t wantme.”
Tylerstiffens.
I wait for him to defend my dad… or to say it’s all in myhead.
Hedoesn’t.
“If your dad didn’t want you, he’s anidiot.”
My eyes are burning for the second time in two days. My tears mix with the salt water on mycheeks.
“Come on.” His voice lowers, soothing. “Don’t dothat.”
“Because of your fucked-up attraction to cryinggirls?”
“Exactly. If I grope you within view of the kitchen, it’s gonna getbad.”
I try to smile but suck at it. “Carly has theletter.”
I explain how Jenna stole it, and every muscle in his body goes tight, his face pale in the lights from thepatio.
A shiver grabs me, and Tyler wraps the second towel around myfeet.
“She wants me to step down from the musical, which, apparently, I won.” I lift my hands in the air. “Yay?”
“Congrats.”
Misery lodges in my throat as I stare at his handsomeface.
“You can’t quit,” he says. “You’ve earned it, and most importantly… no one rocks a garbage bag tail likeyou.”
My lips curve, and I taste saltytears.
The sound of the sliding door from the house drags my attention away as Haley rushesout.
“I looked out the window and saw you dressed and soaked. Did you fall in thepool?”
My dad’s hot on her heels, Sophie in hisarms.
I curse under my breath. “I’m fine. It was ajoke.”
Haley doesn’t look comforted, and my father looks alarmed as he stares between me and Tyler. It’s too dark to read whether the shock is tinged withsuspicion.
“Take a shower, then come in for dinner,” he says at last. “Both ofyou.”