Page 33 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
I realized I forgot to check my views, and my fingers practically twitched to go back and find out how the episode fared. I never forgot to check reactions toThe Poor Relation. The Lent brothers distracted me like nothing I’d encountered before. Did I mind it? I wasn’t sure. We entered the park together but instead of heading to where Barrett picked the day before, he kept walking.
“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.
He pointed ahead. “That boat house. We’re going rowing on the lake.”
I stumbled then stared at him. “Really?”
“Yes.” He grinned at my expression. “You like boats, right? I probably should’ve asked if you hate the water, get sick, or can’t swim. Who knows, you could have trauma when it comes to water, not that you should worry about that. But maybe you can’t go on the water? Look, this was a terrible idea. I should have checked with you first.”
A rattled Jeremy oddly proved to be an adorable Jeremy in a way his careful suaveness never would have managed. I took his hand then wondered if it was a mistake. He squeezed my fingers and met my eyes. I said aloud, “I can swim. My mom taught me when I was a kid. Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of water. I don’t know if I’ve ever been on a boat, though. I feel like maybe …”
The memory struck me out of nowhere, blinding me to the park and the smells and the sunshine. The colorful lollipop swirl captured my gaze while the wooden floor rocked beneath my feet on the boat. I could hear my mother’s laughter, a tinkle of sound that made me shiver, feel the warmth of the sun on my shoulders, and the kiss of the breeze through my hair as my father sang at the top of his lungs. We stayed out on the water for a while, until it was dark, and my dad had to return the canoe—it was a canoe. Borrowed from one of his friends, it created one of my few happy memories. I blinked back tears, surprised at the vivid nature of the recollection.
What a funny memory.
“I have been on a boat, actually,” I said, my voice cracking a little before I nodded. “A long, long time ago.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “In a galaxy far, far away?”
“No,” I replied, but his joke did make me laugh. Even I had seen those movies. “Let’s do this. I mean, it does sound really fun. Do you know how to row?”
He slid his arm around me, pulling my body against his possessively. “I do. We’re all very water oriented, I guess, in my family. Jules and I are on the water polo team. We spend a huge amount of time wet, now that I think about it, or at least doing anything that involves water.”
Few of my memories had anything to do with water, but then again, I’d only known the brothers for a few days. “But you don’t like the beach?”
“Imightlike the beach …” he confessed as we walked to the boathouse, “ if it wasn’t such athingbeing there with my family. Like, if just the five of us were at the coast?” He shook his head. “Sorry, I automatically count Phoenix into things, even though he wants almost nothing to do with us right now. Anyway, if we all went, it could be fun. If you add my parents to the trip, you’ve added another whole stressful element, though it actually isn’t a bad idea, now that you mention it. We should all go to a random beach without my parents.”
I smiled up at him. “I guess we could … I mean.” I clamped my lips closed, deciding whatever I intended to say was better kept for fiction.
“Hold that thought. I want to hear whatever it was you just decided not to say. First, though, I need to use my fake ID to rent us a boat. They’re not technically open for another hour, but I know a guy.”
He saw too much, I realized, and I reminded myself of both his shoes and my need for a neutral expression. Jeremy was always watching. Julian might watch, too, but he seemed intent on recording thoughts. Jeremy focused on something like a scientist, investigating until he could make sense of it. I bit my lip as I watched him pass the man his identification, againwondering if he could get me one. The Lents certainly knew how to get what they wanted, regardless of other people’s rules. It must make their lives tremendously easier.
I snorted again as I thought of his words …He knows a guy? Really?
He rejoined me, hands tucked into his pockets. “Alatheia, come on. Let’s do this.”
He ledme to a weathered rowboat tethered to a small dock jutting into the lake. As we stepped aboard, it rocked gently beneath us, sending ripples across the mirror-like surface. Early morning birds chirped, and a thin fog lifted off the water—everything so magical it hardly seemed real. The rain that had threatened the other night never came, leaving the air thick with unspent energy. I shook my head in awe at the hidden beauty—nature tucked quietly between the skyscrapers.
Jeremy took up the oars with practiced ease, and after a few powerful strokes, we pulled away from the shore. I leaned back, letting him show off while I took in the view.
The glassy surface reflected soft blues bleeding into pinks and oranges across the morning sky. We were alone on the water, the misty, color-washed world ours and ours alone.
Wow, I’m going really poetic here. It’s just a lake.
I smiled to myself at the melodrama, breathing in the sweet, fresh air. There was a crispness to it, and to the lilt of the birdsong, that hinted at morning promises. It wasn’t like me to simply soak in a day, but as a dragonfly skimmed the surface of the lake, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. Sunlight danced across the water, scattering sparkling jewels of light around us. In the distance, full green trees swayed gently, leaning with the breeze that toyed with the curls of my hair before slipping into a hanging willow and tangling its branches. The city stillmurmured—car horns and distant hums—but it all felt far away, replaced by the soft lapping of water against the boat, the occasional bird call, and the steady creak of the oars as Jeremy rowed.
Finally, I asked him, “Do you need a hand with this? I mean, I don’t know how to row, but I can learn. It can’t be that complicated.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Every trust fund baby knows how to row, Alatheia. We usually do it on a crew for a while.Stroke. Stroke, that kind of thing. Regardless, we can all row. I love it, actually. It’s very …. zen, and it makes my arms feel good.”
I shrugged, leaning back again to let my fingers trail in the water, content to enjoy the ride.
The smell of fresh water mingled with the subtle fragrance of flowers, a whisper in spring air. I spotted a frog before it disappeared from my sight with a plop of sound, and a few different kinds of birds danced among the leaves. I realized I would be happy to be on the water every single day, if the opportunity ever presented itself, and smiled to myself at the sheer silliness of the very idea.
Jeremy’s strokes remained steady and sure, propelling us smoothly across the lake. For a few moments, I allowed myself the pleasure of watching his muscles flex and relax with each movement. I would have to be blind to pretend I didn’t notice his natural attractiveness, since he was the kind of ridiculously handsome that seemed to have walked off the set of a movie. Yet his face relaxed in the early morning sunshine, all tension and guards replaced by a more comfortable expression I found far more endearing.
I forced my gaze away lest he notice, and it got weird. I told myself I could still steal glances at him, if I could just manage to be a bit stealthier about it. If he could be subtle, I could figureout how to imitate him, and I knew he stole peeks at me. I could practically feel the heat of his stare, in fact, and it caused my own cheeks to burn.
