Page 37 of The Apple Tree

I bit my lip to keep from giggling, then I twisted my hair and leaned to the side to wring out the water. “See. No big deal. We’re just buddies fishing.”

Little lines of distrust formed at the corners of his eyes.

“I wonder how many couples named Adam and Eve end up together. It would get exhausting dealing with the looks and snickers every time they introduced themselves. Can you imagine?” I asked, combing my fingers through my hair.

Kyle’s gaze stayed firmly on the water, but he grinned.

“How did you and Adam meet?”

“I’ve known him since kindergarten.” He squinted against the sun.

“That’s how long I’ve known my friend Erin. You must really miss him. Erin has decided to attend a community college for her first two years, so she commutes from home. I don’t know what I will do when she moves away to finish school. Maybe you’ll have to fill in as my best friend. We can fish, hunt, and drink together.”

Kyle kept staring at the sunset while scratching his jaw. “Think so?” He reached between his legs and grabbed my shirt, squeezing the water from it before tossing it to me.

“I’m looking at you, and you’re not even wearing a bra,” I said.

Kyle rolled his lips between his teeth, gazing at my feet. “This was a bad idea. You’re every kind of imaginable trouble.” In the next breath, he started the engine and steered us back to the dock.

He was supposed to let me drive, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it, surprising myself with my new level of maturity.

“I should get back in case Gabby’s having any issues with Josh,” he said, climbing out of the boat.

This time, I ignored his proffered hand since he still wouldn’t look at me. “Yes. I’m sure Josh is giving her fits,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Kyle loaded his boat onto the trailer in what I imagined was record time while I sat on the edge of the dock.

“Are you going home too?” he asked, threading his arms through his wet shirt.

“I’m going to hang out here until I dry off more.” With my legs dangling over the dock’s edge, I leaned back, gazing at the heavens.

“I can’t leave you here alone.”

“Why?”

“If anything happened?—”

“Bears?” I asked.

“Animals. Creepy people in the woods. Anything.”

I lifted onto my elbows and caught him looking at me. “You think there are creepy people in the woods?”

After a shrug, he tucked his chin and kicked at the gravel. “Anything’s possible.”

“Huh.” I leaned back again. “It might not look like it, but I was a late bloomer. All of my friends got curves and breasts before I did. Then, last summer, boom! I got ‘em. It made me think of Creation. In her seventeenth year of life, God gave Eve boobs, and it was good. Hmm … perhaps that’s more like The Big Bang Theory.”

My head lulled to the side as Kyle fought his reaction, rubbing his fingers over his lips to hide his grin. That was his thing. He did it a lot with me. Then, his body started shaking with laughter.

My new favorite thing was making him laugh and smile when he didn’t want to.

“Eve,” he shook his head, reeling in his reaction and regaining his composure. “You’re a handful.”

“You mean fun.”

“I meanevil. And I need you to go home so I can sleep in peace, knowing you’re nestled into your bed instead of alone on this dock.”

“I wouldn’t be alone if you’d lie next to me and trust that Gabby already has Josh in bed, and she’s probably talking to a friend on the phone.” I closed my eyes.

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