Page 48 of Clumsy in Love

They had a picnic lunch, watched the pie and hot dog eating contests, then packed up and drove to the lake. They set up for a day in the sun, laying out blankets and hauling coolers down to the beach. Holly and Cole shared one blanket, her friends nearby on their own. Soon after they arrived, Cole’s phone rang.

“How could that happen?” he asked, frustration rolling off him. “Who dropped the frickin’ ball?” He paused. “Call me when he’s in custody.” He slammed down the phone.

“They didn’t get him?”

Cole shook his head. “No idea how he slipped past us. At least it’s confirmed he’s in New York.”

“When will you go home?” She kept her voice neutral, like she didn’t care at all when he left. Because she didn’t.

“Not until we have him,” he said. “They’ll get him eventually, but I’m staying until they do. I’ll take that beer now though.”

Holly dug into the cooler and produced a bottle of Yuengling. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you hate babysitting me.”

“It’s not that. Cruz has been enjoying freedom for too long. I want justice for my partner and Adams, and I want it now.” He wiped sweat off his brow.

“Water’s nice,” she said. “If you wanna cool off.” She feigned casualness and told herself seeing him shirtless again had nothing to do with her offer.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tess press her hands together as if praying and mouthing, “Yes!” The rest of them nodded in agreement.

“Does look inviting,” he said. “Wish I’d brought my own trunks. I might as well work on my tan though.” And with that, he stripped off his shirt, put on his sunglasses, and laid back on the blanket.

Holly made sure her mouth stayed shut this time, but her team was another story. Thinking they were out of his line of sight, they gave thumbs up, made kissy faces, and waggled their eyebrows until Cole cleared his throat. “You know I can see you, right?”

Holly’s face burned red as her friends burst into peals of laughter.

An hour later, it was hot enough that Cole decided to take a dip, ginormous swim trunks be damned. He’d gone to the truck to change and returned, holding the waist bunched up in a fist.

“Not one word,” he said, pulling the waistband strings tight and making a knot.

She made a motion of zipping her lips. He should look ridiculous, but dang if he didn’t make a silly swimsuit two sizes too big lookfine.

“No,” Holly said. “You’re rockin’ it.” Lady barked once in agreement.

The six of them spent the sultry afternoon alternating between swimming to cool off and laying in the sun to warm back up. Holly thought she caught Cole staring at her a few times, but figured she must be mistaken.

Tired from the heat, she was on the cusp of dozing off when a scream roused her.

“My kids! My boys!” a woman on the shore yelled, pointing to the water. “They’re out too far.”

Holly jumped up and started running. She didn’t realize Cole was right beside her until they both crashed into the water at the same time, pushing off the bottom and heading out to the boys. She was an excellent swimmer, but Cole was stronger and beat her by a few strokes. He’d already grabbed one floundering boy. The other had gone under.

“Here,” Cole yelled. “Hold him.”

Holly took the boy and crossed an arm around his chest, treading water and searching frantically for any sign of his brother.

As soon as she secured the first kid, Cole went underwater. Holly’s heart hammered, and her arms felt shaky, but she held the child tight, adrenaline pushing her past normal limits. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” she panted, struggling to catch her breath and keep them both afloat.

It had been too long. Where was Cole? He popped up only to grab a breath before diving back under. What seemed like forever later, he broke the surface again, gasping for air and holding the second boy.

Without words, they started towing the kids toward shore. A crowd had gathered, and a few waded out to help them with the last few yards. The boy Holly held cried out to his mother and ran into her arms. The boy in Cole’s arms was motionless.

He quickly laid him out, and Holly rushed over to help. Cole started compressions while Holly did mouth-to-mouth. After a tense couple of minutes, the boy coughed and threw up a handful of lake water. Cole rolled him to his side and, when he was ready, helped him sit up.

The mom—Mrs. Kleppin—was on her knees nearby, sobbing and hugging her son.

“EMTs are on their way,” Alex said. “Good job, you two.”

Everyone stood by until the paramedics arrived and took over. Cole and Holly accepted Mrs. Kleppin’s thanks and returned to their blanket, still hyped from the scare.

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