Page 34 of Rebel Summer

I snorted, playing with the sugar packets on the table. “He was here earlier for the sole purpose of making me serve him food, if that tells you anything.”

My two friends shared a look. “I think that tells us a lot, actually,” Jane said, smiling before taking a sip of the water I’d brought her.

“I’ve never seen him in here before,” Cat said, folding her arms on the table.

“And she would know.” Jane smirked, while Cat kicked her under the table.

“If I don’t murder him before the summer is over, he should consider himself lucky,” I said.

“He’s been a saint for a long time.” Cat quipped, grinning at me. “I’d hate for you to be a bad influence on him.”

I threw a packet at her face while she laughed.

“How is it there? Do you guys talk a lot?” Holland asked, running a hand through her blonde hair.

“I don’t see him much, to be honest. After he makes me sweep his floor or clean his bathroom, I go to work in the lobby, and he’s in his garage. It’s usually just me and Sunny Palmer’s audiobooks keeping me company.”

To be honest, I had a hard time concentrating on the books while I was there. I loved Sunny’s romances, but then I’d hear a tool fall to the ground one wall over, and my mind would…wander.

“If you hate the Legos, I say you just force Dax to let you help him,” Jane said, a smile curling her lips. “Can you imagine, you and Dax underneath a golf cart, changing the oil.”

“Pretty sure that’s not where you change the oil,” I said, blowing the wrapper of a straw onto her face.

“Yes,” Cat added, leaning forward excitedly. “You and Dax underneath the golf cart, fixing…something…on one of those roller scooter things. Every time you go to move or hand him a tool, you keep running into his muscles.”

Despite myself, I laughed and kicked her under the table.

“Okay, subject change,” Jane said, probably eyeing my heated cheeks. “Jean told me she was going to put you in charge of the farmers market booth for the cafe, the week after the Fourth of July. Is that still okay? Can I put your name down?”

Jane worked in the mayor’s office on the island and was over most of the town events.

“Yeah. That should work,” I said.

“It’s pretty easy. Jean usually bakes up some pies and breads to sell. You just sit there and look pretty, taking money.”

“Oh. Then that shouldn’t be a problem at all,” I said, posing with my chin in my hands.

The girls laughed as Jean brought our food to the table. In between bites of cheeseburgers, the conversation moved to the Fourth of July bash coming up in a couple weeks.

I was grateful the conversation had moved on. The girls were crazy. Dax didn’t have any interest in me beyond inducing torture and revenge. Our relationship was a court-ordered business deal with a side of annoying each other for pleasure.

Was I attracted to Dax Miller? Sure. What red-blooded female wouldn’t be? The guy could fix anything with or without a shirt and had muscles built from physical labor.

The attraction couldn’t be stopped.

It was science.

But that didn’t mean I would be acting on or even acknowledging that fact. I guess there was something the senator and I agreed on…Dax was trouble. Trouble I needed to stay far, far away from.

You know, as best as I could while being legally required to see him all summer.

Biology Class

Day 11

“Alright, there is now a line on this desk. If your hair crosses it one more time, I’m chopping it off.”

I gave him an annoyed look, pulling my curly brown hair onto my shoulder, away from Dax. I didn’t say anything, just continued to read over the worksheet we’d been given.

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