“True.”
“Or get scraped up on a reef.”
“Also true.”
“Or hook a lionfish.”
“Are you going somewhere with this?”
Snickering, Winter shook his head. “Naaa, just reminiscing.”
“I’d rather remember the Dells.”
Winter’s eyebrows shot up. Judging from the dreamy look that slowly overtook his features, he was remembering it now too.
“Why have we never gone back there as adults?” Winter murmured.
“‘Cause we know it wouldn’t be as fun as when we were kids.”
“What, you don’t think you’d enjoy the waterslides as much now as when we were twelve?”
“Would we even make it to the waterpark with the bars and casinos in the way?”
“Touché.”
Winter tossed him another water before cracking open a pineapple juice, droplets of ice water running down his arm as he kicked it back. Even in the shade of the cabana, things continued to melt, and yet, Tripp didn’t feel any urge at all to hurry back to the spa and its air conditioner.
“Remember that pirate mini-golf course,” Winter asked.
“How could I forget? You got yourself stuck in the hull of the pirate ship. I still have a picture of you staring out through the window, tapping on it to try and get someone’s attention so they’d let you out.”
“I could have thought that through better.”
“No shit.”
“Think it’s still there?”
“Probably. Why? Going to trap yourself down there again?”
“In all fairness, I didn’t trap myself. The guy who padlocked the trapdoor did that for me.”
“Are you ever going to tell me why you snuck down there?”
Winter’s cheeks took on a rosy hue, much like they always did when Tripp asked the question. “Iwantedtosailit.”
Scowling, Tripp tried to sort out what it was Winter had mumbled beneath his breath while his brother fidgeted to the point of pulling out his phone, despite the lack of service out there.
“Solitaire is not going to save you in this situation.”
“It’s mahjong.”
“Still not gonna save you,” Tripp said. “You’ve broken your silence. You might as well spell it out.”
Watching his brother nonchalantly scooch lower in his chair and slide his finger over the screen reminded him of when they were kids, and his brother was attempting to squirm out of some trouble he’d gotten into.
“I could always ask Tavis if he knows,” Tripp remarked, keeping his tone as casual as he could.
In hindsight, he should have waited for Winter to swallow before saying that. His twin sputtered, coughing out a mini-spray of juice. “That’s low, even for you.”