Page 119 of Charlie
“Just come into the pool with me. It’ll cool you down.” Damian splashed water in my direction.
“Stop it.” Lumi, who was on a sunbed by the pool reading, shielded her book from Damian’s splashing, but it only made him splash a little more.
“Kit, do you wanna come play with us?” Nathan and Maximum waved at Kit from the lawn, where they were playing around with a soccer ball.
Kit put down the melon on a side table in the shade and looked over at the boys. “Thanks for the invite, but I came for the pool. I always forget this place comes with pesky kids too.”
The boys grinned and Maximum shouted back, “Just admit it. You love us.”
Kit sent them an air kiss and turned to Lumi, who had gotten up from her sunbed and opened her arms.
“Do you want a hug from a pesky kid?”
Kit’s orange-colored hair mixed with Lumi’s black hair and there was a big contrast between Kit’s milky-colored freckled skin against Lumi’s golden brown tan.
“Ah, don’t be daft. You’ll be eighteen in less than a month now and officially no longer a child. When I was yer age, I was making good money as a spy.”
Damian shook water out of his hair. “Don’t listen to her, Lumi. She always makes it sound like she was 007 when the truth is that all Kit did was tedious surveillance jobs with our da.”
Kit smacked her tongue and planted herself on a sunbed, arranging her towel as a pillow. “I’ll have ye know that I also spied on people having extramarital affairs. Sometimes I even took pictures of them in intimate situations. Not something I’d describe as kid’s work, so my point is that at almost eighteen, Lumi is no longer a child while the boys have a way to go.” She nodded to Nathan, who was fifteen, and Maximum, who was turning fourteen in less than two months.
Damian did a handstand in the water and popped his head up again. “Ahh, I know I’ve said it a million times, but I’m so happy ye bought this house. This pool is world class.”
“I’m glad you think so. You know you’re always welcome to use it,” I offered.
Kit was applying a thick layer of sunscreen on her freckled skin and had her large sun hat on. “Don’t tell him that. Soon, he’ll be havin’ all his lads over for pool parties. Damian might be twenty-seven, but mentally he’s their age.” Kit’s thumb pointed to Nathan and Maximum.
Damian did another handstand and came back up splashing more water around him.
“Also, I’m not convinced that my brother didn’t just trip over his own feet with the perfect timin’ to catch a bullet. It’s not like him to do somethin’ noble for others. I can’t even get him to walk into the kitchen and bring me cookies from the press when I’m visiting.”
“That’s because you practically live in my apartment. Ye can get yer own bloody cookies.” Damian tilted his head from side to side as if trying to get water out of his ears.
“You forget that I saw it with my own eyes,” I said. “I know what someone tripping looks like, but he threw himself to save her. It was the most heroic thing, and we’re all forever grateful.”
Damian didn’t say anything but he was smiling from my praise.
“Ach, no wonder he loves comin’ over here. Ye all treat him like he’s feckin’ Rambo.” Kit handed me her sunscreen and turned around. Since she’d already applied it on her legs, arms, and face, I figured she wanted me to smear sunscreen on her shoulders and back.
“Hey, Damian.” Nathan came over with the ball under his arm. “You said you’d come play with us when you’d cooled down. Wanna play now?”
“Aye, I can beat ye in football if ye want.”
Nathan grinned. “You can try.”
“Challenge accepted!” Damian’s muscles flexed as he pulled himself out of the water, dripping as he jogged with the boys to the lawn, where a small soccer goal was positioned away from the house.
“It’s crazy how much Nathan has grown,” Kit said as we watched them sprint around and play soccer.
Damian growled when Nathan tried to trip him up. “Ah, ye little plonker.” Using his shoulder, Damian pushed at Nathan, who pushed back.
“You’re too slow, old man.” Nathan was agile and athletic and got the ball from Damian, who cursed out loud.
“Yes, he’s taller than me now. Nathan finally hit puberty and to be honest it feels like he’s using sports to deal with his grief. He’s either running, working on ball control, or doing strength and conditioning at the gym. He doesn’t like to talk about what happened, but I think keeping physically active helps him numb his grief.”
“Whatever works.” Kit shrugged, but I wasn’t sure that she understood the level of obsession that Nathan had with sports or how suppressing grief wasn’t healthy.
“What about Maximum?” Kit took a sip from her glass.
