Page 113 of Fish out of Water
“No. Collette went out and grabbed something for me and Andrew.”
“Who’s Andrew?” I tried to sound casual, but jealousy bit at my insides. And it wasn’t just directed at Andrew. “Collette didn’t need to go out. I could have had something sent in.”
“It’s fine.” Julia was clearly oblivious to my issues, which was probably a good thing considering they were ridiculous. “I’ve got to go. They need another set of hands to get a trench dug to reroute the water.”
The image of Julia, soaking wet and covered in mud while she dug into the dirt dominated my mind, forcing me to adjust the fly of my pants. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I could hear the smile on her face. “I’ll see you later?”
“I’ll be there at five on the dot.”
I’d probably be early, hoping to get a peek at my newest and weirdest fantasy.
Dirty Julia in wet knee socks.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Julia
WE WERE NEVER going to get this under control.
“Why is the water still coming?” I straightened, shielding my eyes from the afternoon sun with one hand so I could see the source of our problem a little better.
Not like I didn’t already know what it was.
“It’s like those assholes did this on purpose.” I went back to where Andrew was still digging, trying to route our third attempt at diverting the never-ending river of water rushing our way. “Why hasn’t the city shut it off yet?”
“I just found out what the problem is.” Collette rolled to a stop and jumped out of the golf cart she used to get around the property. “The city is out there, but they’re having issues getting it shut off. The valve is stuck.”
Of course it was.
We were already struggling because of the extra runoff created by the newly-paved roads and driveways winding through the property directly behind us. Adding this mess on top of that almost guaranteed we would lose at least a few of the displays we worked so hard on.
“I’m going to murder someone.” I went back to work, digging out clumps of dirt as I followed the spray-painted path we were hoping would finally give us some relief.
“Damn it, Jules. If you’re going to murder someone you can’t just announce it. Now it’s premeditated.” Collette opened the cooler at the back of her cart and pulled out two giant bottles of water. “I’d still help you though.” She passed one to me before creeping toward Andrew. “I brought you a drink.”
Andrew glanced her way. He straightened, using one hand to stab his shovel into the soggy ground before lifting the hem of his shirt to swipe at the sweat collected along his brow.
I spun in place, scanning the area around us. “We have some towels here somewhere.”
“God I hope not.” Collette’s eyes didn’t move from where they were locked onto Andrew’s stomach. “I mean.” She blinked a few times as he dropped his shirt back into place, covering the flat plane of his abdomen. “What were we talking about?”
I found one of the towels in question and snapped it at her, catching Collette right in the center of one ass cheek. “You were giving Andrew the water you brought for him.”
Again.
Most people chose to skip their planned trip to the gardens once they found out we had to block off the back quarter of the displays, so her post in the gift shop was relatively unnecessary today.
As a result, Collette had been out at least twice an hour since we started, bringing us water and snacks and anything else she could possibly use as an excuse to venture to this part of the property.
I’d like to think part of her reasoning for coming out was to make sure I was staying hydrated, but at this point it was pretty clear why she kept bringing information and hydration.
And it had to do with my surprisingly buff work buddy.
Collette held the frosty bottle of water out to Andrew, her eyes still looking a little glazed. “Are you thirsty?”
“Very.” He took the bottle, unscrewed the cap and tipped it back, downing half the liter in one go.
