It wasall fun and games until I had to take off my cover-up.
Sorry, but anyone who just let it fly in front of a guy they liked was some kind of psycho. Or they didn’t eat. Or they walked around with protein powder in a baggie. I actually had a friend who did that. At any given time, she would proudly show off the glutes she’d worked hard in the gym to achieve.
I wasn’t any of those.
So, unlike last night at KC’s or this morning when I got Cosimo’s text, this wasn’t exactly a cloud nine moment. No sooner had we pushed off the dock, the pontoon boat’s first use since I’d been here, as far as I could tell, then Neo pulled out the water skis. Which was fine. I grew up on a lake and could probably hold my own, even though it had been years since I’d skied.
But now, after all three of them had gone out, Cos just now climbing the ladder after nearly giving me heart failure by taking off his shirt earlier, it was my turn. With no glasses in sight—just him, a pair of swim shorts and nature’s blessing, which surely favored the Grado family—he hopped back onto the boat deck.
“He knows,” was all he’d whispered to me when I’d first shown up at the dock. He and Neo were already removing the cover from the boat, so I’d assumed thehein question was his brother.
“You told him?” I’d whispered back. Cos shook his head as his brother yelled from the other side of the boat, “Are they all unbuttoned?”
“No,” Cos responded, continuing to unbutton the boat cover and looking at me without even bothering to hide his appreciation.
Fantastic. I’d already been avoiding Marco as best as I could after the mortifying way we’d met. Even if he did make me laugh through that entire tasting. And now Neo. Pretty soon I’d have to lock myself in my office and not come out, which, to be honest, would not be the worst thing in the world, given the view.
“Your turn, Robin Hood,” Neo said. Last night, one of my darts stuck to the other after I threw it. Apparently, it was called a “Robin Hood,” and was extremely rare, so Neo took to calling me by this nickname. I sort of liked it. Neo had a pet name for everyone, and I felt like I was part of the in crowd by having one.
Ugh. Here went nothing. Whipping off the white cover-up, I reached for a life jacket and put it on as quickly as possible. As I headed to the back of the boat, intending to jump in, Cos stopped me. Neo was behind the wheel, and Thayle was popping open a can of seltzer.
“You are so fucking hot,” he whispered.
I froze. Confidence wasn’t something I lacked—until the clothes came off. For him to say that now, after seeing me...I didn’t know how to respond. So I blurted, “So are you.”
The corners of his mouth turned up slowly. His eyes narrowed. It was a cross between pleasure and promise. And I was here for all of it. Smiling back, I jumped into the water, giddy. Now it was just a matter of getting my sea legs, or lake legs, back.
Neo had clearly grown up on the lake too. He knew how to navigate a boat and how to steer a skier. To my surprise, I was up on the first pull. Even more surprising, it all came back in a rush. By the time we were halfway around the lake, I was ready. Was I being a show-off? Absolutely. Would I look like an idiot if I fell? Sure.
But that was life.
I’d just get up and try again.
After I’d made a half-turn, I knew I was doing well. Getting started had always been the hardest part for me. Once I’d committed to the trick, I knew the rest would be a cakewalk. Sure enough, when I’d completed the turn and was facing the boat again, Cosimo and Thayle were clapping. I ignored them knowing Cos was the ultimate distraction, especially half undressed. Concentrating, I enjoyed the ride. By the end, as I swam back to the boat, I was riding high.
“I forgot how much fun that was,” I said, climbing back up.
Cos reached out a hand. I took it, relishing the too-quick contact.
“You are a closet water-skier,” Thayle said, handing me a seltzer.
“I grew up on a lake,” I said. “I’ve always missed that house, but being out here...” I sat and took a deep breath of fresh air. “I don’t think I realized how much.”
“I think if I lived right on the water, I’d never be able to move away from it,” Thayle said.
“How many times have I offered you the east cottage?” Neo asked. “It has a great view of the water, especially in the spring and fall. And if you want, we’ll take down some of the trees.”
Thayle rolled her eyes. “How many times have we talked about this?” she asked him.
“Why wouldn’t you want to stay in the east cottage?” I asked, confused. The cottage was farthest from the estate, but it still had a beautiful view, as Neo said. And it was certainly closer to work than where she lived now.
“So many reasons,” Thayle said. “More importantly, I’m starved. Are you guys ready for lunch?”
A chorus of yeses had Neo turning the boat around.
“We’re heading to a place called Southpoint,” Cos said. “It’s right on the water, all the way at the—”
“Let me guess. The south point of the lake?” I finished.