Page 73 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“Nah.” He rakes a hand through his flop of hair. “I already got you back in the lake, remember?”

Yes. Yes, I do.

“Hey!” Ford interjects. “Can we let these poor kids take their turn? Or are you two lovebirds gonna have a private tea party all day?”

“WE ARE NOT LOVEBIRDS,” I blurt, a little too loudly. Like the whole lady-doth-protest-too-much thing. Oops.

Hudson nods at Ford. “Go ahead.”

“I’m ready,” I call out. But as the second-to-last boy lines up to take his turn, an involuntary shudder ripples through me.

“Wait!” Hudson’s eyes flash, and he throws both hands up to stop the throw. “Sorry guys, but that’s enough. She’s freezing.” He lunges for the stack of towels.

“No, I’m okay,” I insist, waving at Ford to give the kid a ball. He looks to be about sixteen, and he’s wearing a baseball jersey. As he winds up, I brace myself for a direct hit to the bullseye followed by a fast plummet into the water. Instead, Hudson steps between him and the target, knocking his arm back. Not hard enough to hurt, but with enough force to interrupt the arc of his toss, and the ball drops to the ground.

“Whoa, man!” the kid protests. “What’s your problem?”

“Whoops.” Hudson shrugs. “Guess I didn’t see you.”

The kid scoffs. “But I’m standing right here.”

“Don’t worry.” Hudson offers him a crooked grin. “I’ll make it up to you.” He points over at the target where Three is standing. “That man over there is gonna hook you up with free vouchers. And you don’t even have to take a shot at the bullseye.”

The kid scrunches up his face. “You mean Mr. Fuller?”

“Hey, Three!” Hudson calls out. “Make sure this guy gets a voucher for a drink and an app at the pub. Give his friend one, too. Automatic wins. And if they’re in one of your classes this fall, maybe you could offer them extra credit on a homework assignment or something.”

Three chuckles, shaking his head. “I’ll see what I can do, but September’s a long way off.”

“Either way.” Hudson cocks his head. “Olivia’s done for the day.”

“Hey!” I square my shoulders even as my lips tremble. They’re probably turning blue by now. “We still have five more minutes!”

“You’ll be an icicle by then,” he says. “Get down.”

I jut my chin. “Maybe I’m tougher than you think.”

“Liv.” His jaw ticks. “I can’t just stand around watching you shivering anymore. It’s been killing me.”

My body quakes, but I fold my arms across my chest. “This is for The Beachfront.”

“Exactly.” He splays his hands. “I’m the manager, but you’re the one suffering. Not me. So I’m just saying it’s time to quit.”

“I was prepared for at least a couple more dunks.” I sweep a hand out where there used to be a line of locals. “And since you chased the last two people away, I’m not stopping until you take the shots yourself.”

“Fine.”

While the high school boys collect their vouchers from Three, Hudson takes two balls and slowly faces the target. He closes an eye like he’s aiming for the bullseye, but then he hurls both balls directly at the cage. They smash the wires and fall to the ground.

“Not fair!” I squawk. “You did that on purpose.”

“I took the shots like you told me to.” He starts slowly walking toward me. “Now climb off that platform and down the ladder, Olivia, before you turn into a popsicle.”

We lock eyes as he keeps getting closer. It’s a showdown, and a little thrill shoots through my insides. Still, I wait until he reaches the side of the tank. And that’s when I make my move.

Hurling myself off the platform, I plunge all the way into the tank. Then I come up for air, spluttering and splashing as much of the water as I can through the mesh cage.

All over Hudson.

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