He puffed out his chest. “Everyone hated us because we were the best at everything.”
I sniggered. “Except swimming.”
“That’s a load of shit,” he cried, straightening up.
“It’s true. And I must say, the Summerhill brats were very sore losers.”
Adam tapered his gaze. “I never lost a race.”
“Well, neither did I.”
“Maybe we need to sort this out,” he said, attempting to pull off his t-shirt.
I tugged it down with a laugh. “No way! I haven’t swum competitively since high school.”
“You didn’t swim in college?”
“I couldn’t afford college.”
His stubbled cheeks grew pink. “Oh.”
“Don’t be embarrassed by the opportunities given to you.” I placed my hand over his. “Just make them count.”
Adam’s jaw tightened as he stared at our hands. “Cass…”
“We should probably get back.” I pushed myself onto my feet. “We need to be up at sunrise, remember?” I grabbed two towels from the bench nearby and threw one to Adam as he reluctantly followed.
“What are your plans after you finish up here?” he asked, seemingly unfazed by the cold.
“Pay off the rest of my debt and get back to Cali,” I said, drying my legs. “All of my friends live on the West Coast, so Finn and I will most likely crash with them until I find a job and a place to live.”
“Who’s Finn?”
My gaze shot up to his. “Pardon?”
“You said, ‘Finn and I.’”Hurt surged through his energy as he threw his towel into the hamper. “Are you seeing someone?”
My lips parted for air, but nothing could penetrate my closed throat. “No,” I rasped. “It’s not like that.”
His eyes darkened as he stepped closer. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” I fell back a step.
“Then, who…is…Finn?”
My chest rose and fell, once, twice, until I yielded under his burning stare. “He’s my son.”
“You have a son?!”
I kept my eyes lowered as I nodded, trying to block the anger and pain churning through his energy. “Josie overheard your mom say she wouldn’t hire anyone with children, and I didn’t want to ruin my chances of getting this job.”
“So you lied?”
“I don’t think you understand how desperately I needed this job.”
“And Josie knew about this?” His face grew red. “And Grayson?!”
“Your brother has no idea, and please don’t be angry at Josie. She was helping out a friend. No one else knows.”