Page 25 of All of You

I shake her hand with a small smile. “Delia,” I say.

“So you’re starting school here next week?” The third girl says. She’s petite and blonde with wide pretty blue eyes.

“Yeah. I’ll be a senior.”

“That’s Hannah, and Campbell, Niko and Hailie,” Lyra says, then rolls her eyes, “since Langdon can’t be bothered to introduce you.”

I glance at Langdon quickly. He looks apologetic briefly butsmooths his expression into something more neutral. Hailie is pressed against him and he keeps trying to take small steps away.What is up with that?

“Cool,” I say.

“So you’re working at Viv’s?” Niko asks. But he’s not looking at me, he’s staring at Hailie.Interesting. I want to tell him he doesn’t stand a chance in hell with Hailie judging by the way she’s shamelessly throwing herself at Langdon but I don’t. Not my monkey, not my circus. But then Hailie whispers something to Langdon that makes him smile and a pang of jealousy stabs my gut.

“Um, yeah,” I answer distractedly.

I want to keep an eye on Langdon, we were just starting to have fun when his friends showed up, but they’re all bombarding me with questions and looks.

“Where did you move to? What street?” Campbell asks.

I turn my gaze back to the small group before me. “Um, Lands End.”

Four faces wrinkle in unison. “The orchard?” Lyra asks.

“Huh? No, the road is called Lands End,” I state.

Hannah giggles. “Yeah, that’s the orchard. Or that’s what everyone in town calls it.”

“Why?” I ask. Why are small towns so weird and incestuous? Why does everyone know everyone? I miss bigger towns where you can blend into the background.

“Because Maeve and Heath had so many fruit trees and they used to let people come and pick whatever, whenever. But uh, Heath didn’t sell, did he? No. I’d know. My mom’s one of three realtors in town,” Hannah rambles.

Again, small towns are weird and I have an overwhelming desire to walk home. They’re all staring at me like I’m some alien object they’ve never encountered before.

“Delia is Heath’s granddaughter.” Langdon’s voice snaps me from my thoughts. “And Heath wants her home. So we should probably go. Sorry guys.”

“Heath has a granddaughter?” Campbell asks.

“Uh, yeah. Me,” I say and shrug.

Hailie pouts and tries to wrap her arms around Langdon again but he slips his way out of them and I notice Lyra roll her eyes in their direction.

“I’m gonna run to the truck and grab you a towel,” Langdon says to me. A flood of relief rushes me.

I’d forgotten that I’m in my underwear while everyone else is wearing bathing suits. His eyes are locked on to mine so intensely that I feel like I’m starting to burn. I nod in agreement.

Langdon swims halfway to the riverbank before striding the rest of the way. He doesn’t bother pulling his clothes on and goes straight for the truck. His boxers are soaking wet and cling to him and although I can only see his backside, it’s glorious, an obnoxiously glorious backside, muscled and tan from the summer sun.

“Do you do any sports or anything?” Hannah asks.

I tear my eyes from Langdon’s ass to face Hannah. “Um, yeah, I swim.”

“Hey! Me too. What events?” Niko asks. He’s attractive, in a tall dark, and handsome way that almost rivals Langdon’slooks.

I smile at him. I could talk about swimming all day. “200 IM and usually a relay. What about you?”

Niko groans. “Ugh, the fly. I hate butterfly, but coach says these shoulders were meant to swim it. He flexes his shoulder and arm muscles. He jabs a thumb in Lyra’s direction. “And Lyra swims too. She’s butterfly and the 500.”

I swing my gaze to Lyra. “Ophh, the 500 is brutal,” I grumble.

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