Page 61 of Snowed In
“You don’t even have a swimsuit,” I protest.
“She can have mine,” Molly volunteers. “There’s no way I’m getting in that. I like all my fingers and toes attached to my body, thank you very much.”
“But—”
But nothing, it turns out. The girls all head to the small public bathroom by the side of the lake while Andrew undresses there and then, stripping down to his trunks, even though it’s so cold I can see my breath.
“I told her we were just having lunch,” I say, exasperated, and he laughs.
“Ruining a romantic plan, am I? She doesn’t have to get in.”
“She wants to impress you.”
“Well, consider me impressed,” Andrew says lightly. “Relax. She’s doing great.”
I grunt. “Hannah’s being a brat.”
“She’s just stressed about her exams.”
“No, she’s just being a brat.”
“Well, I’m staying out of it. And her and Molly seem fine.” His gaze drifts over my shoulder, and I turn to see the two of them standing by a bench, Megan with her back to Molly as the other girl adjusts the straps of her swimsuit. The swimsuit that is at least half a size too small, the bright blue polyester leaving nothing to the imagination.
“Honestly, she’s brilliant,” Andrew says, clapping me on the shoulders. “I love her already.”
“Do you mind?” I ask when he keeps looking their way. “She’s getting changed.”
“She’s already changed.”
“It doesn’t mean you need to gawk at her,” I say, but he just smiles. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says, smiling harder.
“Andrew—”
“I didn’t say anything.” He holds his hands up as Hannah and Daniela emerge from the bathrooms, Hannah clad in her own swimsuit while Daniela remains in more practical clothes.
They go to the water while Megan darts to my side, her nose already turning pink from the cold.
“To the island and back again?” Andrew asks, pointing to the tiny bit of landing in the center. “It’s not that far. A minute tops?”
“Sure,” Megan says, and he and Molly go over to tell the plan to Hannah.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say again when they’re gone.
“I know,” she says. “But I want to race. It’s fun.”
“What if you get cold?”
What if she getscold?
“Let’s go, losers,” Andrew calls before I can sound like any more of an idiot. Daniela gives Hannah a good luck kiss before racing over to us, and I turn to Megan, intending to do the same, but she’s already joining my siblings, bouncing up and down as she tries to keep warm.
“She’s not some secret Olympic swimmer, is she?” Molly asks, as she joins my side.
I don’t answer because I don’t know, and I can only stand there and watch as Daniela starts the timer on her phone and yells for the race to begin.
The three of them go screaming into the water, Andrew’s quickly dissolving into curses as they start to swim, and I take an involuntary step forward when Megan briefly disappears under before splashing back again.
