10 Weeks (15 page)

“I don’t know.” He shifts his weight a few times. “It’s just…I was surprised, that’s all.”

“And I was surprised when you had a blonde in your lap on my first night here.” I turn.

“Wait.” He grabs my arm but I shrug him off. I
half-turn
to listen.

“I’m an ass. Okay? I did ask my mom for the ring. It was before that weekend when we were going to use my parents’ condo, and would maybe…”

I hold my hand up between us. “I remember the plans.” For my
deflowering
. So embarrassing now.

“And then I got the flu.”

“And then things got weird.” They really did. I just didn’t see it. We attend different school
s
and
I
got busy.

“Marriage suddenly felt huge. Like a mountain. Like everything. And all I could think was that since we got together so soon out of high school, I never got to do the young, single guy thing.”

“And now you can.” I pat his arm. “Good for you.”

“No.” He sighs and takes my hand, which I immediately pull away. “I’m about to sound like an asshole here, but I want to come clean so we can start over.”

My jaw drops because I can’t think of a single reason why on earth I’d want any such thing.

“I really thought we could have some freedom this summer, and then get serious again in the fall.” He cringes a little, which he should.

“You’re right. You sound like an asshole. Seriously. Save the ring for someone else because whether or not I was serious with
Liam
, after being stuck in the camp next to yours and watch
ing
you flirt with other girls, there is absolutely no way I’d ever marry someone like you.” I walk back to the door, flustered and angry and wanting
Liam
and
wanting to leave
.

“Hey.”
Kay-Kay
rests her arm around me. “I got a call from Alex. Can we head back?
Sam
’s got a ride.”

“Give me a sec.” I sigh
,
still shaking in anger.

I step up to the bar and
Liam
’s looking at me with a questioning face. “I’ve got to run.”

“Jeff?”

“Asshole.” I nod. “But
Kay-Kay
needs a ride back.

“Maybe then I could swing your way?”

I smile before I mean to and the anger starts to slip away. “I would love that.”

He winks. “I’ll be there the moment I get off.”

“So will I.” In a big bundle of Jody-nerves.

Chapter Twenty-three

“Jeff’s mother is devastated.” Mom sighs into the phone. If I didn’t have
Liam
’s visit to look forward, I’m not sure if I could deal with her.

“Not my problem, Mom.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Mom snaps.

“I’m busy here. This is a consuming job.”

“An underpaid job. That’s for sure,” she mutters.

“Look. If you’re just going to continue to tell me all the ways you think I’m messing up my life, I’m done.” I sigh and slump onto
the bench outside the bathroom
. It’s really not even worth getting angry over.

“Sorry, hon. Will you make it home before school starts?”

I start to tell her I’m not sure what’ll happen for school because I’m second-guessing everything. “Sure.”

And then a text from
Liam
comes in
,
and Mom and I finish in a hurry.

I’m by the lake. Come prepared to swim.

I’m shaking as I tear through my swimsuits. Nothing. Feeling reckless, I head to
Kay-Kay
’s cabin, but she isn’t there. Fortunately,
her trunk’s open and right by the door. Her campers don’t even wake when I sneak in with my flashlight and start digging through her things
.

I find her black two-piece
wadded near the bottom
. I haven’t worn something like this in…probably never.

Before I have time to panic, I
race to the bathroom,
rip of
f my clothes, tie on the bikini
and grab a towel.

Tiptoeing through camp isn’t easy and a few stray giggles come from more cabins than not.
Irene’s house is
on the
way to the lake and I take the long way to avoid it, which means
I have too long to think about what I’m doing. Who I’m meeting.

I see his bare back as soon as I hit the dock and suck in a breath to push away some of the nerves.

“Jody.” He turns
with a smile
and then freezes as he watches me.

“Hey.” I drop my towel next to him, but haven’t found the guts to sit down. Not yet. Not with him wearing only shorts, and me in something that feels scandalously tiny.

“So.” He stands and looks down on me. “Going for a swim seemed like a perfect idea until I got here
,
and realized I’d never swum in a lake, and that it was a bit colder than I expected.”

Instead of star
ing at his abs and running my fingers across his chest, which would start a round of something I’m not sure I’m ready for, I go for teasing.

“You’re doing it all wrong.” I shake my head.

“How’s that?” H
e smirks.

“You’re testing the water with your fe
et. Never a good idea. You
have to run and jump, and then it’s not so bad.”

“Run and jump.” He’s stoic. Processing
,
maybe.

“Like a kid.”

“Okay
,
then.” He takes my hand. “Run and jump. Will ye jump with me
,
Jody?” he teases. “So I don’t get scared?”

“Only if you can keep up.” I giggle, which is ridiculous, but I’m too nervous to do anything else.

And I realize how sort of ideal this is because I can stand here and see his body and have it make my insides melt all over each other, but I can tease him, too.

“You are such a mix of strong and uncertain,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you order little kid drinks
without even caring
, and your T-shirts and how strong you are physically and you’re
wicked
smart, and then, with people, it’s like you forget how incredible you are.”

“Oh.” I stare at the dock.

“You’re just as strong and amazing here. With me. As you are when you’re running.
”
He touches my cheek with our hands. “I promise.”

We walk toward the shore
,
and I turn us around at about midpoint
,
needing
a
distraction.

“Far enough back?” H
e chuckles.

“Barely, but it’ll do
.” I’m still reeling from the thought that he thinks I’m strong.

He leans toward me, the muskiness of him mixed with the beer and smoke of the Little Minnow fill my nose. “I don’t think your swimsuit is at all appropriate, and I’m loving every inch of your skin that it’s leaving uncovered.”

My cheeks start to heat up
so
I decide now is when we run. “Now!”

He doesn’t let me have my hand back until we’re airborne off the end of the dock.

He comes up sputtering. “You’re a liar, Jody! My balls are shrinking it’s so cold!”

“Shhh!” I s
plash him, but his hands find me
under the water
,
pulling us together.

“You’ll keep me warm then?”
he whispers. Water
slide
s from his hair down his face
, and instead of wimping out I kiss him
, sucking the cold drops from his lips
.

He lifts me easily in the water
, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he tightens his grip on my back.

Turns out we both only needed one short dive in, and now we’re running, freezing, through the dark and headed for the showers.

“Am I allowed to be in here with you?” he teases as he presses against my back
,
and I flick on the light.

“No.” I turn and pull him closer as I back us into a stall and turn on the hot water.

He closes his eyes and stands underneath the spray, letting the water fall down over his body. Instead of thinking, I pull a string and drop my top on the shower floor.

His gaze
find
s
me immediately and we’re a tangled mess of arms, legs, tongues, bod
ies barely able to stand
under the pelting water. I’m gasping for air, every bit of desire I’ve felt around him is amplified by a million as we finish undressing and begin to explore.

My hands wander everywhere. All the few places he’s soft, and the many places he’s hard, and I lean against him and just feel. Take him in. The hot water. My skin. His skin.

“Do you remember how you said that I’ll feel like I’ll crumple if I
can’t, and that’s when we would?
”
I can’t catch a real breath.

“I remember.” His lips trail down my neck.

“I’m crumpling.”
I want you.

“No. I can’t, Jody.” He stops kissing to look at me. “Too soon. You’ll hate me later.”

“Please.” I slide my hands to his hips and pull him against me.

He groans. “I don’t have anything. I mean. This is too fast. I didn’t come prepared.”

“Oh.” I let my hands slide back up his sides, amazed at how okay it all feels because we’re
naked
. Together.

“But I sti
ll don’t want to go home just yet
. If that’s okay.” A corner of his mouth pulls up. “I could stay and make sure you get properly dried off.”

“Okay.” Only way more than okay. Perfect. Good. And I’m maybe the slightest bit disappointed, but I shouldn’t be because I’ve known him for weeks, not years. And more than that, there’s a million kinds of comfort in knowing he didn’t even come prepared. Because I’m enough.

Liam
is definitely worth getting to know better.

Chapter Twenty-four

The fifteen miles to see him feels like nothing. Like I could run forever. Having reward
s at the end of a long distance run is
a really good way to do it. About three miles in, I hit my stride and relax into the rhythm. At mile twelve I think I’m going to die, but I know there are only a few more to go. When I can see the Little Minnow I slow to a walk so I can actually breathe when I get there.

I rest my hands on my head to stretch my lungs when Bill steps out and smiles. “Hey there
,
girl!”

“Hey!” I wave.

“I don’t think
Liam
was expecting you yet. He’s not back from shopping. He’s stocking up for me.”

“That’s fine.” I pant. “Gives me a chance to catch my breath and start really stinking up the place.”

He grins. “Come on in, and I’ll get you some water.”

I step inside his small home
. It’s definitely a bachelor pad. Random papers clutter the counter and table, the furniture is worn, but the TV on the wall is enormous and new.

A small picture of a girl rests on top of a pile on his table and I cock my head to look better. She looks so much like me it’s eerie.

“Who’s this?”

“That was
Liam
’s girl. The one who was killed last year.”

My heart pounds in a whole new rhythm. One that’s a mix of disbelief and fear rather than my run.

“Oh. I somehow got the impression it was his sister.” I shake my head
,
trying to ignore the mess that’s happening inside me.

“Maybe you got that impression because it was her brother who was involved in all sorts of nasty business. She walked in on him and a few of his up-to-no-good friends and then disappeared.” He rips open a bag of chips and grabs a small handful. “They found her a few days later, but she’d been dead for days.
Liam
still struggles with it.”

“Yeah…
” My fingers shake as I pick up the girl
’
s picture. There are definite differences. Her face is more angular, and she’s wearing makeup, making her like me, but much prettier.

“Jenny’s parents sent that stuff to him a couple days ago.” Bill hands me a glass of water, but I’m afraid to drink it because my stomach’s in knots.

I set the water on the table and turn toward the door, picture in hand. “I’ll wait outside.”