Page 10 of Reforming Hunt
Hunt grinned and continued working on the sandcastle, helping out the other kids and praising their work. He scanned the beach to make sure all the children were accounted for, and caught sight of his brother Bran making his way over from Prime, the club’s award-winning steak and seafood restaurant.
Hunt climbed to his feet and dusted sand off his pants. “How’s it going?” Hunt said, and looked around. Noah was taking a while, but he caught sight of the boy at the end of the dock near the bucket of rags, sifting through each one, probably looking for the perfect flag.
Hunt chuckled. His assistant was a perfectionist.
“You got time to talk or are you too distracted by the new lifeguard?” Bran glanced at the lifeguard in question.
Hunt hadn’t been the least bit focused on Gabrielle, but his brothers assumed the worst of him. Always.
The new lifeguard was doing a great job. She was super attentive and on top of making sure the kids behaved safely. As soon as Hunt realized she had a good handle on things, he’d forgotten all about her. But Hunt’s brothers thought him female-crazed. And he couldn’t argue their point. When he wasn’t working, he sought all the female attention he could get. He also worried about the club as much as they did, and would never date someone he hired. Not that any of them believed it. “Gabrielle is on the college swim team. I hired her for her skills.”
Bran snorted. “Sure you did. Has nothing to do with the fact she’s a perfect ten?”
“Where’s Ireland?” Hunt said. “I thought she was the only woman you looked at?” Bran had gone from a monk, living without sex for years, to a devoted boyfriend. Talk of Ireland was a sure way to distract him.
“My beautiful girlfriend is on her way. We have plans—”
Hunt tuned out his brother, his attention suddenly focused on a flash of orange near the dock.
And then Hunt was running into the lake, where he scooped Noah up from the cold water.
“You okay, buddy?” he said as he cradled Noah against his shoulder, holding him close.
Noah buried his face in Hunt’s neck and silently cried.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Brin ran over with a towel, along with Gabrielle. “What happened?” Brin said.
Hunt jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “New kid in the orange T-shirt shoved Noah off the dock.”
“I saw it happen,” Gabrielle said, “but I was too far away to stop it.”
“James.” Brin’s eyebrows knitted, and she covered Noah with the towel. “I’ll talk to him,” she said, and walked in the boy’s direction.
“Noah okay?” Gabrielle asked. She touched Noah’s back, and he burrowed deeper into Hunt’s shoulder.
Hunt shifted his head to try to get a look at Noah, who was clinging to him like a barnacle. “I think so. I’m just gonna take him for a walk.” He wrapped the towel around Noah tighter. “Keep an eye on the others, will you?”
“Of course,” Gabrielle said. She turned and blew her whistle loud enough to burst eardrums, and corralled the kids.
Bran was wrong about Hunt’s intentions. Gabriellewasattractive. Young, with an athletic figure. But Hunt hadn’t hired her for her looks. That girl had kicked ass on the brutal swimming challenge he’d required of all applicants for the lifeguard position. She’d passed with flying colors. And she’d been compassionate with the kids.Thatwas why he’d hired her.
Gabrielle made the kids pick up sand toys and return to the Club Kids room.
Bran and Ireland walked up to Hunt and Noah. “Everything okay?” Ireland asked, her expression concerned.
Hunt nodded and waved his hand in an “I’ll catch you later” motion. Noah was a bubbly guy. It wasn’t like him to cry, and Hunt wanted to make sure he was okay without an audience, even if it was just Bran and Ireland.
He walked down the beach a ways, rubbing Noah’s back. “How’re you doing, little man?”
“He shoved me,” Noah shakily murmured.
“I saw it.”
“He said I was in his way.”
Hunt sighed. “What he did isn’t okay. Ever. Especially near water. Brin’s talking to him now, and I’ll make sure we talk to all the kids. We don’t shove or take chances near the water.”
