A Risk Worth Taking (10 page)

“I
heard you already completed the newest item on your list,” Casey said.

I
shot him a sideway glance. “What exactly did you hear?”

He
shrugged. “That it was so hot you had to leave the woods for fear of starting a
forest fire. Apparently, you’re a decent kisser. Who would’ve guessed?” I tried
hitting him but he was too far away for my fist to connect. “Whoa. Calm down.
Conserve your strength. I, for one, am relieved that Danny’s skills didn’t rub
off on you permanently.”

“You
are such an ass.”

“Old
news. Seriously, though. How does it feel?”

“How
does what feel?” I asked. We reached the other side and started back toward the
waiting crowd.

“Being
spontaneous. Fun. Living without a plan?”

I
eyed Ford from a distance while I considered Casey’s question. Casey hadn’t
been far off about the heat of that kiss. It’d been all I could think about
these past few days. Ford made my pulse jump in a way it never had, and I woke
each morning excited about the possibilities of the day.

Maybe
living without a plan was what I needed. I thought of Ford’s offer to “hang
out” and “have a good time.” I still wasn’t sure about my ability to have a
fling. A short-term, no strings, no plan sort of thing. But I was getting
closer and closer to wanting to try.

“Jury’s
still out,” I said finally.

“Maybe
you need to collect more evidence,” Casey said.

I
chewed my lip, looking away from Ford before he could catch me staring. “Maybe
I do,” I agreed quietly.

I
won the breath hold contest and Casey got yelled at by Frank for cussing when
he lost. The rope swing was last. My muscles were starting to tighten from the
swim and then standing around in a dripping bathing suit. Why hadn’t I brought
a towel? Right. Thoughts of the blue-eyed Plant Whisperer had invaded and
replaced common sense.

I
did what I could to stay limber, pacing the grassy area while Casey prepared to
make the climb to the rope. Ford appeared at my side and draped a towel around
my shoulders, rubbing the fabric against the length of my arms. “Thanks,” I
said, grateful and touched at his attentiveness.

“This
is quite the event,” he said.

My
stomach muscles tightened at his proximity. He wasn’t even touching me—or
looking at me for that matter, yet at the mere sound of his voice I was
instantly turned on and trying to remember why I shouldn’t allow my body to
rule my actions.

Aaron.
Mom. Dad. Love hurts.

I
repeated the words until the “yuck” settled into the spot in my stomach that
usually fluttered when Ford was near. It was the only thing holding me back
from the idea of being with Ford—in any capacity. I’d seen the damage of love
firsthand, or what passed for it anyway. I wasn’t sure I could resist falling
if we took this any further. And if I fell, I wasn’t sure I could get back up.
I wasn’t sure of anything when it came to the opposite sex anymore.

We
both watched as Casey reached the top branch of the tree. The crowd cheered him
as he posed with the rope between his hands. He played into it, posing a few
more times and getting the crowd going. Then, with a final hoot, he grabbed up
the slack and swung out. When he reached the farthest point, he let go of the
rope, tucked his body, and rolled into a somersault midair before straightening
out flat, right down to his pointed toes, belly-flopping into the water. The
splash was more of a smack as he hit abdomen first. The crowd grimaced and then
cheered as Casey’s head broke the surface.

I
shook my head at Casey’s grin as he swam for shore and began my upward climb. A
forward roll-belly flop combo? I could do so much better.

“Good
luck,” I heard Ford call behind me.

I
climbed up until I reached the branch with the rope and walked carefully out to
grab it. From below, I heard Leslie yell, “Go, Summer! You got this, girl!”

I
smiled but didn’t look. I didn’t want to see faces.

I
grabbed the rope and adjusted my hold, taking a deep breath and envisioning my
stellar dive as the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts even before I hit the
water. Yup. That was about to happen. I tightened my hands around the rough
material and pushed off.

There
was a loud crack as I swung out to the center of the creek and then
Pop
!
The tension gave—and I was free falling.

I
screamed and hit the water ass first, toes definitely not pointed. The water
swallowed my scream and I clamped my mouth shut just in time to avoid drinking
the briny liquid. When I surfaced, I sputtered and spit and frantically treaded
water trying to understand what the hell had just happened. On the bank in
front of me Casey, Frank, and the rest of them crowded to the edge, their brows
knitted in concern.

“You
all right?” Frank called.

“I’m
fine. What the hell was that?” I asked between gulps of air.

Casey,
obviously convinced I was indeed fine, leaned back and crossed his arms over
his chest, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Looks like
you don’t know your own strength.”

“What
are you talking about?” I asked.

Frank
smacked Casey with his clipboard and Casey jumped away before Frank could land
a second hit. A smile played around both of their mouths. No, that wasn’t
right. Casey was holding in a full-sized laugh. I looked down, panicked. Had my
bathing suit top come undone? Dear Lord, if I flashed the entire Heritage staff
in one swoop, I was moving back to the city. Today.

But
no, it was firmly in place. All of the important parts were covered. I
continued to tread water and looked around, jumping back when something long
and slender slithered by me. It took me an extra-long stare to realize it
wasn’t a snake but the rope. I looked up at the now rope-less tree just as
Frank explained, “It broke off at the knot just as you jumped.”

“The
jump counts, though,” Casey said gleefully. “Don’t forget the rules.”

I
glared at him as I swam in. “You cannot be serious. The rope broke.”

“Doesn’t
matter. Rules are rules, right Frank?”

Frank
wouldn’t meet my eyes. I reached the bank and hauled myself up until I stood,
dripping, in front of them. Hands on hips, I squared off with Casey. “Don’t be
a tool. Rules don’t account for equipment failure,” I said.

“How
do you figure that’s what it was?” Casey asked.

“I
figured I’d be nice. If I wasn’t, I could say maybe it was rigged since you’re
the one that tied the rope in the first place.”

“That
rope’s been there for more than ten years,” Casey argued, his voice rising. I’d
gotten his temper going. Good. Mine was already there.

“Jump
doesn’t count. I get a do-over,” I said.

“No
do-overs.” Casey looked over my head to Frank for confirmation. “No do-overs,
right?”

“You
two made the game and the rules. Only ones who can change it are you two. But
you’d have to agree on it.”

“And
I don’t agree,” Casey said, a smug smile on his face.

I
bit back the urge to call him every cuss word I knew. Mostly because I had a
feeling some of my vocabulary might surprise my father, who was in the crowd
somewhere. I decided to save that as a last resort. I stared Casey down, my
lips pressed tightly together. He was being completely ridiculous. Of course I
should get to jump again. Then, it hit me.

“You
just don’t want me to be able to cross off the last thing on my list,” I said.

Casey
blinked. “What?”

“Because
if I do, I’ll have finished mine first.”

“That’s
not it.”

“Like
hell.”

“Besides,
you haven’t done it all. There’s still the matter of you … being spontaneous.”
He glanced pointedly over my shoulder and I knew without looking it was Ford. I
could almost feel him there, watching the show unfold.

If
we were being technical, the original agreement had been a kiss and that’d
already happened but I wasn’t about to point that out here. “Casey,” I warned.
“Not now.”

The
anger in Casey’s eyes dissipated as he realized he’d found his mark. “You
collect that evidence we discussed and I’ll let you have a do-over.”

“You
little—” I broke off, deciding to give in and cuss Casey out after all, when
Frank and my dad appeared and stepped between us. My dad took Casey by the
shoulders and shook him roughly as he led him away. Frank was gentler with me,
but not much.

“Let’s
give you kids a break,” Frank said.

“We
don’t need a break. We need to figure this out,” I argued.

“You
need to cool down first,” my dad said.

Casey
looked from my dad to Frank as he backed away. “Are we in time out?”

The
question was both ridiculous and valid and I couldn’t help the sudden urge to
laugh. The sound escaped before I clapped my hand over my mouth. Casey met my
eyes. Then he laughed and I couldn’t hold back any longer and we both cracked
up even as we were pulled farther away.

“I
am still the champion of the creek race!” Casey yelled as he was led away amid
dramatic hoots and congratulatory hollers from the crowd. I just shook my head.
Frank let me go and I retrieved the towel Ford had given me earlier. I rubbed
at my wet hair, watching them go between the dispersing crowd.

As
I watched, Ford headed in the same direction Casey had gone. The trail they’d
taken led back to their little house on the other side of the property. Looks
like Casey would get that celebratory drink Ford had promised the winner. It
also meant the pair of them would have the whole evening to discuss what Casey
had meant about “the evidence” in question and possibly even the list itself.
Who knew what they talked about together? Casey had known all about the kiss,
so probably everything. Lord, they were worse than girls.

Ford

“You’re not living unless
you’re risking.” –Ford O’Neal

The sight
of Summer Stafford in a bikini made it awkward to look her dad in the face. He
kept trying to draw me into conversation as we hiked the trail back to my house
after Casey won the race by default. I grunted when needed but otherwise stayed
silent as the two of them talked and joked. Every time I looked at Dean, I only
pictured his daughter. Legs. Ass. Cleavage. That tiny bathing suit. And the
steam coming out of her ears as she’d yelled at Casey. She was breathtaking
when she was angry.

And
then there was the rest of her. The parts that made her “her.” The confidence
and sex appeal she didn’t even know she had. The easy way she moved in her own
skin when she thought no one was looking.

It
intrigued me, her obliviousness toward other guys. I could see the way they
looked at her. Like a dog who’d been turned down too many times for a belly
rub. After so long, he’d stop asking but was ready at a moment’s notice if you
changed your mind. None of them harbored any real feelings for her as far as I
could tell, but I could see their appreciation for her swaying hips when she
came around.  I couldn’t blame them, but it amused me that she didn’t notice a
single bit of it.

Although,
if I’d been standing next to that Jimmy guy earlier, I’d have punched him a
hell of a lot harder than her dad did. I shook my head at that. I’d never been
a jealous guy. Everyone was entitled to the freedom of their own choices. But
somehow that girl had gotten under my skin. There was no choice for me anymore.
She was in my head like no other, and I was irritated I didn’t seem to be in
hers. At least, not based on the way she’d ignored me earlier.

I
thought we’d moved past that—on our way toward some sort of friendship. Or
more, after that kiss, but after her coolness today I wasn’t sure. Apparently
she was stubbornly clinging to her idea that she needed to punish herself for
her parents’ split. No fun, no excitement, no passion. What kind of a life was
that? The girl needed to be shaken up. I had no idea how to go about doing that
when I was already shaken myself.