Page 32 of Cole

“I do.”

“Your mom would kill me if something happened to you,” Annie said, with a shake of her head.

Benji grinned. “Nothing will happen to me.”

The last time the teens had tubed, they’d obeyed his rules, so Cole didn’t have a problem hooking the tubes up for them. But even though he trusted the teens, he still checked over their life jackets and reviewed the rules.

“These four kept things safe last time,” Cole said to the two teens who hadn’t been with them previously. “I trust they will do that again. You have one chance to prove yourself to me. Don’t mess it up, or you’ll all be back on the boat.”

Cole turned his gaze to Layla, who nodded, then gave him a thumbs up.

As the teens were getting themselves situated, Wilder joined him at the steering wheel, a big grin on his face.

“You sound a lot like Dad,” Wilder said. “That was definitely a dad lecture if I ever heard one.”

Cole grinned. “Yeah. I guess it was.”

Someday maybe he’d have kids of his own to lecture, but that wasn’t in his immediate future.

“Want me to drive?” Wilder asked.

“I don’t know.” Cole gave him a skeptical look. “Don’t do anything crazy. I don’t want to have to ban you from future boating events.”

Wilder lifted a hand. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

Cole narrowed his eyes at his older brother for a long moment, then he stepped away from the wheel. He told him what he’d done on the previous trip as far as speed was concerned, then he went to stand at the back of the boat.

The teens had situated themselves, two on each ring. Cole lifted his thumbs in the air and received cheers from the teens.

As the boat moved forward with a slow acceleration, Cole braced his feet and gripped the smooth metal railing. He kept watch over the teens for a moment, waiting to make sure they started out okay.

“They look like they’re having a lot of fun.”

Annie’s soft voice had Cole turning to find her at his elbow. Smiling, he leaned a hip against the rail, then crossed his arms. “From my personal experience, I can say with great certainty that they are.”

“You used to boat a lot?”

Cole nodded. “Yep. Back then, we had a boat of our own that we kept here. During the summer, we were out on the water a lot.”

“I’ve been on boats before,” Annie said. “Just not being pulled on an inner tube.”

“Well, on the tube would be good for you. I doubt anything would try to nibble your toes when you’re moving like that. Actually, you’re not really in the water.”

“I see that,” Annie said. “But I envision them all ending up there at some point.”

“Yep. They will,” Cole agreed. He turned his attention fully to her. “How are you enjoying the afternoon?”

A smile brightened her features. “I’m really enjoying myself. It’s such beautiful weather to be out in.”

“Up here, you’ve got to enjoy the nice days while you can.”

“Do you miss having winter in LA?”

Cole shrugged. “Can’t say that I do. I mean, I don’t hate winter or anything, but it’s not my favorite season. How about you?”

“I don’t mind winter, although I don’t love walking Nyla when it’s super cold.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been here during winter.”

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