Page 67 of Offside and Off-Limits
“You do know what happens to white T-shirts when they get wet, don’t you?” she asks.
When white T-shirts get wet they…. Right. I didn’t think of that.
“Lennox, you’ve made this event into some sort of a wet T-shirt competition!” Carson complains.
“Yeah, what’s with that?” Jamie says.
“I suddenly feel so objectified,” Asher adds, and I knit mybrows together as I look at him. “Nah, just kidding. It’s all part of the fun, right?”
I push out a breath. “It’s not like any of us are slouches in the body stakes. I’m okay with it if you guys are?”
They look among themselves.
“Yeah, we’re good with it,” Jamie says.
“In that case, we’re ready to get this underway when you are,” Clara says. “There’s quite a crowd out there.”
“We're ready,” Jamie replies, and together, we follow her out of the tent, and a large crowd bursts into excited applause as we wave at them all.
A woman I recognize as Ashlyn, the mayor’s daughter, is standing on the podium, a microphone in hand. Her brows ping up to meet her hairline as she takes in our T-shirts, and I wonder where the mayor is.
“Okay?” she mouths at Clara, who shrugs before she gives her the thumbs up.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the first ever Maple Falls Drench for Defense, with our new local hockey team, the Ice Breakers!” she exclaims, and as everyone cheers, we wave at the crowd.
She throws her eyes over us. “And I see the guys have got dressed up for the event today inwhiteT-shirts with cute nicknames, which tells me this is going to be one for the ladies,” Ashlyn continues, and there’s an appreciative murmur among the womenfolk of the town.
“I hadn't thought about that angle,” I call out, and it's clear either no one believes me or they simply do not care as they clap and cheer.
“If you haven’t already bid on a bucket, you need to do so right now. We're closing bids in one minute,” Ashlyn says and there's a rush.
I search the crowd for Clara and find her with her phone in hand, capturing everything going on. I lift my chin at her inacknowledgment, and she smiles back, her eyes soft. It does that weird thing in my chest again.
As I watch her as she chews on her lip, concentrating on getting the right angles for her videos, my heart tells me she’s not only who I want in my life, but she’s who Ineed, too.
All I’ve got to do now is tell her how I feel.
“First up, we have Carson Crane, whose usual nickname is Bama, but today he appears to be Cuddle Bear,” Ashlyn announces.
Carson waves at the laughing and cheering crowd as he steps onto the drenching stage.
“Is your bucket of water ready, Dan?” Ashlyn asks. “Mr. Dan Roberts, everyone.”
Dan Roberts steps forward, holding a bucket as the crowd cheers him on.
“We’re ready when you are,” Ashlyn says.
“This is for the town, Cuddle Bear,” he says, and the crowd begins to chant “Cuddle Bear! Cuddle Bear! Cuddle Bear!” He chucks the bucket right at Carson, who lets out a surprised yelp as the water makes contact before he coughs and splutters as he takes in a mouthful, getting drenched from head to toe.
“And that's what we call a direct hit on Cuddle Bear, ladies and gentlemen!” Ashlyn declares as Carson wipes his eyes, giving a begrudging smile. His shirt has gone transparent but for the lettering and Ice Breakers logo, the damp fabric molded to his muscular torso, showing anyone who cares to look exactly how many muscles that guy has.
A bunch of people whistle and woot.
Yup, I have unwittingly turned this into a pervy wet T-shirt event.
“You're a good sport, Carson, and just by standing there and getting drenched you’ve already helped raise a lot of money for the town,” Ashlyn says.
The crowd cheers and Carson gives a final wave before he steps back for the next victim.
