Page 63 of Second Story

He doesn’t saygo playaloud.

I still do my best to make that happen.

I’m only fuckedoff that I can’t stay for longer—there are only a few hours left of this flying visit, but Lenny jumps at the chance to fill them. He starts us off by giving me a tour of an empty playground.

“This is where you play with your mates, Len? Nice.” When he’s busy demonstrating how to cross a sandpit on a plank bridge, I admit, “Kinda wish I could cancel my meeting. Stay and play instead.”

Isaac stands so close our shoulders touch. “Not looking forward to dodging any more hot chocolate?”

“Ha!” My gaze lands on Len. “More like I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye when I just got here.” I press against Isaac’s shoulder. “To either of you. I’ll be back as soon as I reach a gap in my court schedule.” That sounds too full on. Too assumptive, like when I almost answered Hugo for him. I quickly change the subject. “Luke said you’ll have a busy week ahead too. Got the vibe over dinner that he was telling me to give you a bit of breathing space.” I can’t help asking, “I am being too full on, yeah? Too keen, when you still got a lot on your plate. Too pushy about coming back as soon as I can.”

Isaac gets into my space.

“Nope.”

Len is nearly done crossing his bridge. Isaac’s nowhere near done with me.

“Nope.”

His kiss is brief. I still feel how much he means this.

“And nope.”

I touch my lips. “Three nopes in a row?” I can’t repress a grin. Don’t even try to. “Good.”

Lenny is a distraction for a few minutes. Then I pick up from where I left off. “Luke said you did a lot of walking and talking with him last week.” I point up at a window in the main school building. “And he said he could hear you doing even more talking from up there. Yap, yap, yap, he said, all week long.”

“He said that?” Isaac laughs loud enough that I bet Luke could hear if he was in his study. “Keeping it real, I can’t believe I actually had his permission to chat shit out here every day.”

“With the kids? You don’t chat shit. I’ve heard you telling stories, remember. You’ve got the gift. Pleased for you, mate. You keep yapping. I’d fucking love to listen.”

I almost return that fierce and hard kiss to punctuate how much I mean that, only the man himself appears, although Luke doesn’t come over. He waves while leading a crowd of students to a minibus complete with a trailer full of surfboards, and I can’t help sighing as they drive off for a weekend surf.

Beautiful day to catch a few waves.

Isaac misses nothing. “We could catch them up if you want to surf before leaving. Luke might have a spare wetsuit, but it’s warm enough you won’t need one.” Just as quickly, he clamps his mouth closed as if he wishes he’d kept it shut instead of speaking.

Maybe he noticed that my hands have found my pockets. I downplay that instinctive reaction at the thought of more eyes on me. “Nah. It’s no biggie. Another time, yeah?”

“You know what that sounded like though?” Isaac continues without waiting for me to answer. “It sounded like you wishing for something you think you can’t have.” I don’t know why he asks, “You really spent yesterday evening telling Luke and Hugo to think harder for me. And for Mum?”

I nod.

“Who thinks harder for you?”

I can’t answer.

He does it for me by repeating moves I’d almost forgotten. His chin lifts, eyes narrowed to slits lined with thick black lashes. “I saw something this week that made me think of you. Come with me. I’ll show you.”

He must have walked and talked his way through these woods a whole lot to find this path—it’s almost hidden, but Lenny whoops as soon as we head uphill. Not in the direction of the Rectory. We follow the banks of a stream to a wall ofboulders where Lenny hops, skips, and jumps ahead to show me a gap, and I get a first glimpse of what those rocks hide.

This pool looks like something out of a story. Sun dapples the shallows at its edges and dragonflies skim deeper water.

“Wow.”

Lenny tells me all about it, nothing quiet about these statements that give Isaac a run for his yap-yap-yapping money. “Hayden teaches us how to swim here. Tor can jump in. So can Asa. Me and Hadi can’t.” He tags on a word that sums up everything I’ve seen and heard about this school that values potential. “Yet.”

“You will, mate. You just need more practice.” I can’t help laughing at Lenny stripping out of his T-shirt. “But maybe not right now.”

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