Page 86 of Lone Star Longing
“Hang on,” he said, and put a little distance between them as he swam over to the tube and held it from the other side as she heaved herself out of the water. She got herself halfway up, grabbed his arms and pulled herself up, twisting around and plopping her ass into the hole, dragging her butt in the cool water.
Laughing, she dropped her head back on the tube and looked up. The sky was a brilliant blue with big fluffy clouds, a perfect summer sky.
And Beck was still holding on to the tube, kind of cradling her in his arms. The tube shifted and she looked down to see he’d lifted his feet off the ground and was using her tube.
“Good idea you had.” He dipped his head back into the water, emerged again with his hair slicked back, water streaming down his back.
“I thought it was yours.”
“Well, whosever. It was a good one. This feels amazing.”
“Better than working on your mom’s house.”
“Yeah, I have kind of slowed down there.”
“I noticed you haven't been around much lately.”
“No, actually I got a job.”
“You did what?” She whipped toward him so fast the float started to bobble, and he shifted his weight to steady it.
“I got that job you told me about at the water recycling plant. It’s not long-term, and it’s a lot of work, but it’ll replenish the money I’ve been spending at Mom’s.
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy I could help. But how were you able to get a day off in the middle of the week?”
“I’m going in on Sunday to make up for it.”
“Aww, you’ll miss our washer tournament.”
“I figured the payoff is worth it.” He smiled at her. “Hey, so I’ve had something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What is it?” She twisted her head to meet his gaze.
“Beck! Lacey! You need to put on some sunscreen!” Sofia yelled from the bank.
“I did!” Lacey called back, holding up her arm as if that was proof.
“Beck? Did you?”
“We’re in the shade. I’ll get some when we go back over to eat.” He turned his attention back to Lacey. “Did you really, or were you lying to her?”
She gasped in mock outrage. “Why would I lie about something so important as skin cancer?”
He rolled his eyes, kicking his feet lazily beneath her. “So what have you been up to this week?”
“Fitting my patients into four days so I could take the day off.” She dropped her head back. “Totally worth working until seven every night.”
“Look, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something, ever since the Fourth of July, you know, but there hasn’t really been time, with me working and you working, and the house.”
Con and Javi followed Lacey’s method of entering the pool, their cannonballs sending a wash of water over Lacey and Beck, sending the tube rocking. Beck’s grip slipped, then he grabbed on again, emerging from the water and coming face to face with Lacey, laughing as he did.
Then he disappeared under the water again, suddenly, and Lacey gasped, peering beneath the surface to see one of the guys had pulled him under. One of the three surfaced, upending her float, and she went under, flailing her arms. She pushed herself up and Beck grabbed her hand, helping her steady herself. She grabbed the tube but didn't try to get back on it while the guys were roughhousing around her. She pulled it closer to the edge of the water, toward her friends who were entering the water in a more graceful fashion, shivering and crying out as they acclimated to the cold water.
With Poppy holding the float, Lacey heaved herself back onto it, forgetting for a moment that Beck had said he’d wanted to talk to her.
“The smell of water always makes me hungry,” Sofia said. “Myabuelawould always make us empanadas in the summer and so now every time I think about swimming, I think about food.”
“Where did you go swimming?” Hailey asked. “I thought you had lived in Broken Wheel all your life?”
