Skinny Dipping Season (15 page)

He had me there. But I was a mess already. I had completely misjudged my relationship with Colin. I had no social life. There wasn't much I was doing right. Well, except the foundation. I really felt like I was making a difference.

And then there was the OCD problem.

“You know I'm a freak, don't you?” I blurted. “I clean and clean and I can't stop sometimes. Food additives and the risk of contamination used to make me nuts. Even after years of therapy, I still lose it.”

“We all lose it sometimes,” he said with a gentleness that made my chest hurt.

“Yeah, but we don't all need therapy.”

He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. “Maybe we do, actually . . .”

“Not like me.”

He reached for my chin. “I found the article after the dinner at Nestor's. But it just didn't make sense to me. You were so funny that first night, dancing with a cheap bottle of wine. And then you were as sick as a college freshman. You just didn't look like a hardened drug user.”

I was slightly insulted that he thought I was funny. “But you couldn't be sure, could you?”

He traced a finger over my jaw. With the night sky illuminating his face, he looked like he belonged to the moon. If he had lifted his head and howled I wouldn't have been surprised. But a deep rumble of laughter came from his throat instead.

“I just told you my secret, J.D. Now it's your turn.”

“I'm a little disappointed by your secret. I thought you were going to tell me how much you've been lusting after my body since you first saw me.”

I nipped his shoulder.

He pulled me down to the towel until I was on top of him. With him beneath me, looking at me as if I was special, I felt very . . . strong.

“Okay. You do deserve a secret. For the past few weeks I've been beating myself up over the attraction that's been killing me since you came to town. I tried everything not to think about you—even swimming in the cold lake. But everywhere I went, you kept turning up. Watching you dance around that pole tonight made me want to claim you like a freakin' caveman.”

“Yeah. I noticed a crowd gathering in front of Corinne's and stopped to check it out. I arrived right as you were finishing your last dance. When I saw you spin around that pole, I couldn't think straight for several minutes.”

“
What?
“

“My blood was somewhere else.”

He shifted positions, cradling my shoulders from the hard dock until we were hip to hip and he was on top. He raised himself up on his elbow. I saw respect reflected in his gaze. It stirred something deep inside me that wasn't sexual.... Although there was that too.

Taking a piece of my hair that caught the breeze, he lifted it to his lips. Then he trailed his mouth down to my forehead, my eyes, and my lips.

“You still taste a little like tears,” he muttered. Then he licked a small piece of skin on my temple.

This time our lovemaking was sweet and unhurried. While the water lapped at the dock and the canoe drifted on its line in the wind, our bodies moved together in a smooth rhythm. I gasped softly when I reached my final climax and then I held him as he moaned into my neck for his own. We stayed together while our heartbeats recovered.

“Thank you.”

He laughed gently in the shadows. “You're welcome.”

 

The sun on my face and shoulders felt wonderful. I put my hand over my brow for shade as I slowly opened my eyes to greet the morning. I let my gaze wander, taking in the ribbons of sunlight that trailed across the sky as the day broke. And then the dewy glow of J. D.'s shoulders. He was sitting up with a towel wrapped around his middle. I reached for him and ran my fingers up his smooth skin, feeling the ridge of muscles stretching taut. He had been watching me and he grinned as his eyes wandered. It took me a drowsy moment to realize that I was naked on a towel in the middle of the lake in the early-morning light.

“Uh . . . J. D.?” I crossed my hands over my chest and searched for any other houses or cabins along the shore. Spotting one on the opposite side from J. D.'s house, I inhaled sharply. I scrambled for the towel we were sitting on. But it wouldn't budge from under J. D., who sat calmly, staring at my nudity. His eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

“Glad to see you're awake.”

I tugged harder at the towel. “Does anyone else live on this lake?”

“Relax. You're fine.”

I sat up next to him and curled over my knees, trying to pretend it was normal to be naked in the middle of a lake.

“So nobody's sitting down for coffee and a view of the naked lady on the dock. Right?”

“Beats the morning newspaper.”

I looked around frantically and saw a cedar-shingled house behind me. He nodded toward it. “Don't worry. The family who uses that hasn't been up all summer.”

I spied another smaller camping structure on a hill on the far side of the lake to the left of J. D.'s house.

He saw my gaze and sent me a lopsided grin. “Hunters use that. Nobody there until November.”

Taking a deep breath of relief, I peeked behind me at a small, single-story log cabin.

“What about that one?”

“That might be a problem. Gladys Stubbs lives there. She tends to be an early riser.”

With a yelp, I rolled away and scrambled over the side of the dock.

I went skinny dipping for a second time that day.

“Y
ou dragged us to the library and now Booties,” Cherry complained. “Mom is not going to be happy.”

“First of all, I can see that you were really disappointed by our library visit.” I nodded toward the books piled up between us in the front seat. I had been forced to cap the number of books and magazines she checked out by the amount she could carry. “Secondly, you aren't going into Booties. I am. Your mom already knows I'm stopping by on official business. Understand?”

“But I was planning on getting ice cream next!” Ellie said from the backseat.

Welcome to my world, I wanted to tell her. I had been planning on a summer minus people, responsibilities, and men. Never in a million years did I think I would find myself entertaining two pint-sized girls, managing a festival, and half in love with the acting sheriff of Truhart. All before the Fourth of July!

It had been more than a week since the pole-dancing party and the night on the dock. Except for the hours he worked, J. D. and I had hardly been apart. Before he left for work at dawn he sat on the edge of the bed and gave me a long kiss. He was almost late for his shift. Later, I sat on his deck with a bowl of cereal and watched a family of ducks play in the marshy reeds.

I was caught somewhere between euphoria and panic. Every day I found myself waiting to hear from him and wondering if he had changed his mind about me. Every night I forgot my fears the moment I saw him.

I turned into the Booties parking lot. Cherry, Ellie, and I sat in the car in front of a neon sign that wasn't lit yet. Two cars were parked in front and I could see the outline of someone sitting inside by the window.

“If you're going to apply for a job, you can forget about it.” Cherry's mouth turned up in a sarcastic sneer as she zeroed in on my smallish breasts.

“How old are you again?”

“Just sayin,' ” she said with a cocky grin that I was becoming familiar with. It was more of a friendly taunt than a put-down.

“I am picking up some paperwork for the beer tent at the Timberfest, if you really want to know.” I handed her one of the books. “Read!”

“Don't take forever,” Ellie pleaded. She was drawing imaginary lines with her finger across the back window. I rolled all the windows down and reminded them to stay put.

I don't know what I thought it would be like, but I wasn't expecting the inside of Booties to look quite so ordinary. There were no pictures of naked women, or strange signs with perverted sayings. Inside the dimly-lit interior were the usual things one might find in a country restaurant: A long bar and counter with wooden stools, multiple beer taps and a rack of alcohol, an ancient-looking Indian cigar statue next to several hand-carved lumberjack figurines, and half-a-dozen TV screens on the walls. One of the TVs was turned to
The Morning Show
. A slick national weatherman with lots of hair promised everyone in the Midwest a perfect holiday weekend.

“That guy's an idiot.” A grizzled man with salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a ponytail nodded at the TV.

“Hello. Are you Bootie?” I asked.

His Grateful Dead T-shirt didn't look like a retro reprint like the one Elliot had at home. I had a feeling this shirt was as old as the band.

He nodded. “You here about a job?”

Cherry's words echoed in my mind. Just the thought of me working in a bar would have sent my mother to the emergency room. Still, I couldn't help but feel flattered that he thought I might be considered Booties material. Especially after Cherry's snide assessment. “Ah, no. I'm picking up paperwork for the Timberfest. I'm Elizabeth Lively.”

He raised his hand palm up. “Sorry. We've been short since the summer started and I've been hoping we might get someone to apply who has all her teeth and doesn't have grandkids.”

So much for flattery. He shifted through his paperwork. “Your order forms are around here somewhere. Are you ladies sure you don't need any help? Some of my girls volunteered to serve if you need waitstaff. A community center is a good cause.”

I didn't want to tell him that the ladies did not think Booties girls were appropriate for the Timberfest. Even when I argued that we could implement a strict dress code, they adamantly declined.

“I think we are good for now, but I'll let the ladies know. And I appreciate your donating the beer for the festival, Mr. . . . ahhh . . . Bootie.”

His gray eyes scrutinized me from under his bushy brows. “I am a taxpayer and I am committed to this community like anyone else. Just keep us in mind, if you decide differently.” He grinned and I saw a gold tooth gleam in the sunlight. “My wife and I may even be attending the Timberfest dinner-dance. So warn the mayor's wife that we aren't going to pretend we have French accents or anything.”

“Well, Mrs. Bloodworth isn't really in charge any more. We're back to a normal Timberfest theme.”

He chuckled. “What? No more being the Paris of the Midwest? That's gotta bother Ms. Bloodworth more than hot sauce in her eyedrops.”

He was right. Regina Bloodworth had complained to the city council, the Chamber of Commerce, and of course, her husband. But I suspected the fact that we hadn't heard anything from them was because they were secretly relieved to be rid of the theme.

“At this point we'll be lucky if the mayor's wife even attends the festival,” I explained.

He slapped his hand on the table and laughed. “Well, I'll be there for sure, then.”

As I drove the girls to the Dairy Cow I kept thinking how nice Bootie seemed. It felt a little strange to take Bootie's beer, knowing how the ladies viewed him. Hypocritical. But who was I to judge the ladies?

At the Dairy Cow we took our ice cream to the picnic benches outside. It was still technically the morning, but I remembered how Grandma used to let me have milkshakes for breakfast at the diner. It couldn't hurt once in a while.

Ellie sat high over her milkshake, moving the straw around before lifting it out and tilting it into her mouth. Cherry ignored both of us. Her gaze was fixed on a group of kids near the fence. Cherry's hair was pulled back today. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was an average all-American teenager. Earlier, when I had picked them up, I had been pleased to see that Cherry had not only taken a shower and washed her hair, but both girls had cleaned their breakfast dishes. Maybe a few of the hints I'd carelessly dropped about how hard their mother worked had sunk in.

Ellie looked across the table at me as I tackled a double scoop of black cherry and Mackinac Island fudge ice cream. “Elizabeth, how come you're not as fat as the Dairy Cow?” she said, pointing at the sign. “You're always taking us for food, but you look like you haven't gained a pound. Mom says she gets a food baby when she eats like you do.”

I licked the top scoop and vowed to take them for carrots next time. A group of teenagers walked past the table.

“Hey, Cherry!”

Cherry's face turned red as she spotted them. The boy who greeted us had sun-kissed blond hair that was combed across his head in a pop-star style. He was dressed in khaki cargo shorts and a faded gray polo shirt. The other boy had light brown hair and light eyes. He walked with his hands in his plaid shorts and stopped in front of us as if he owned the place.

“Who's your friend?” he asked, nodding at me.

“Halloo . . . I'm Elizabeth,” I said, trying to save Cherry any awkwardness.

The two boys stared at me with raised eyebrows.

“This is Luke Schraeder,” Cherry said, and I noted a strange hint of irritation in her voice. I shook his hand and remembered where I had heard that name before. He resembled the man who had been with Regina Bloodworth when they tried to open the file cabinets in the sheriff's office.

The other boy waved. “I'm Connor.” A piece of his beautiful hair was combed across his forehead and I hid my smile at the thought that these boys probably put more time into their hair than Cherry did. She was having a hard time appearing cool while finishing her ice-cream cone. It dripped down the sides and threatened to spill in her lap. She gave up and stood up to toss it in a nearby trash can. Evidently, she cared more about these kids than the ice cream she had nagged me about all morning.

Luke narrowed his eyes and turned to Cherry, pointing at me with his thumb. “Is she your babysitter or something?”

Cherry wiped her hands together. “
No-o
.” She added an extra syllable to the word
no
in disgust.

“We're just friends,” I told Luke.

“What are you guys up to this summer?” Ellie asked. Cherry tucked her chin into her chest, embarrassed by Ellie's question.

Luke lowered his head, debating whether to condescend to answer a little girl. “We're just hanging out. Connor, Brian, me, and Kaitlyn.” He nodded to two other kids exiting the ice cream parlor. The boy was dressed like Connor and Luke. But the girl was wearing white shorts and a pink-colored clingy V-neck T-shirt with a ruffle at the neck. Like the other three kids, her clothes were J. Crew all the way. I gazed across the table at Cherry, who was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a black T-shirt with a pink and white cartoon character on the front. For a moment I sympathized. I didn't miss the age where everyone judged you by what you wore.

The others walked up to the table and handed Luke a cone. “Yo, Cherry—what's happening?” asked the one who must be Brian.

“Nothing much,” Cherry said, putting her elbow on the table and resting her head in her hand as if she were perfectly content with nothing much.

Ellie sat next to Cherry, eyeing the library books that were stacked on the table. “We got a bunch of b—”

“Bracelets!” Cherry chimed in, interrupting Ellie. Bracelets must be cooler than books in the young-adult crowd.

“And we—”

“We taught Ellie how to make special bracelets . . . you know how it is in the summer—little kids need something to do . . .”

Kaitlyn eyed the bracelet around Cherry's wrist.

“Hey, those are cool! How do you do that?” asked Kaitlyn, leaning down to get a better view.

“It's pretty easy if you have the right type of yarn. We actually call it
floss
.”

“That looks kind of fun! Can you show me sometime?”

Cherry kept her face expressionless, but I could tell she was pleased with Kaitlyn's reaction.

“Sure. It's easy.”

“Hey, dude, this sounds like girl talk—maybe we should get out of here,” said Connor to Luke.

Cherry lowered her eyelids and shrugged her shoulders. “No problem. But you know, lots of guys wear this stuff. They just make it different; they use black or brown or gray . . . or even hemp.”

“Hemp . . . cool,” said Connor with a half-smile. She sat a little straighter and I noted the way her eyes lit up.

Luke shook his head, trying to get his bangs to move to the side without the use of his hands. “Hey, we're going out on the boat for the Fourth of July boat parade. Do you want to come with us? ”

Cherry shifted and almost fell off the bench. She recovered well. “I don't know.”

When the girls had been describing the Fourth of July boat parade, they had told me how everyone decorated their boats and played music as they circled Echo Lake, the largest lake in the county. Cherry had added that she had never been on a boat in the parade herself. The longing in her eyes had made me wish I had a boat just so I could take her.

“Come on, it'll be fun. My dad's got a sweet new Sea Ray.”

“What about me?” asked Ellie, who had given up trying to tell everyone about the books and was now bouncing up and down on her knee, the milkshake on the table almost gone.

“You can't go,” Cherry said. Her eyes read
Do not embarrass me
!

“
What?
”

“Mom has something planned for you, Ellie.”

Ellie started whining.

“Show me your books,” I said, trying to refocus her.

The teens talked while Ellie pulled books one at a time to the top of her pile. I heard Connor promise to send Cherry the information via some new app that I had never heard of. Cherry bit her lip and asked him to send her a text instead. She didn't own a smartphone. I had heard all about it from Cherry. And then I had heard all about it from Sandy, who just couldn't afford the monthly fee.

After the teens roared out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of shouts and laughter in their wake, I turned to Cherry. “So, are those good friends of yours?”

“Not really. They kind of hang with a different crowd at school.”

“Oh, so they didn't take the Y off Colony Cleaners with you, huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Those were just kids I hung out with in middle school. They don't even drive yet like Luke.”

“Drive, huh? Is that what Luke was doing when he gunned his engine and almost hit that telephone pole?” I stared at the cloud of dust the vehicle left behind.

“His dad owns the ATV dealership and got him that car for his birthday.”

“I guess they seem pretty cool,” I said.

She shrugged. But I could tell she was pleased they had noticed her.

“The girl was pretty. Is she nice?” I asked.

Cherry opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. Her lip turned down as she spied J. D. standing across the street. He adjusted his sunglasses and stared at the kicked-up dust and the empty road. Then he turned our way.

“Look, Ellie, it's the law. Quick, hide the books before he arrests us for larceny,” I whispered loudly as J. D. approached us. I gave him a saucy smile and watched his reaction. His nostrils flared and I knew I was going to pay for my comment later. I couldn't wait.