Page 30 of No Summer Hotter than You

Evelyn’s mouth parted as her eyes flicked between Anthony and me. For a moment, I thought she was going to apologize for putting him in such an awkward position. But instead, she smiled with a shrug.

“That was nothing, Anthony. You’re just making it into a bigger deal than it is,” she said as she laughed. She turned to me and saw me holding the red bikini. “Oh my gosh, Shoua! Are you going to get that red bikini too? Looks like we’re going to be twinning at the lake!”

“Can’t wait,” I said with a small smile and nod as she turned toward the cash register.

Anthony glanced at me with an exasperated look, and I shrugged. There was really no point in getting upset at her if she couldn’t even seem to admit what she did was over the top. I wondered if she was trying to get me to react a certain way. Was she trying to make me feel insecure by showing Anthony how she looked like in a bikini he deemed as sexy? Or was she just trying to get Anthony’s attention?

To be honest, I couldn’t care less about how she looked in that bikini compared to me. She looked amazing and I would never deny that. But I also looked just as good in it. In my own way. This wasn’t a competition. At least, not to me.

CHAPTER 12

anthony

I yawned again as Jonathan raised a curious brow at me.

“So? How was your mall trip?” he asked. “Aunt Sue kept going on about it to my mom and me when we were over at your parents’ place for dinner last night.”

“You should’ve tagged along if you’re so curious,” I said.

“To the mall? No thanks,” Jonathan retorted. He glanced at Shoua with bright eyes.

“Evelyn walked out of the dressing room to show Anthony how she looked in a red bikini,” she explained. Jonathan’s jaw dropped dramatically.

“Shoua,” I said in a low hiss.

My face was hot just thinking about what happened. I hadn’t expected Evelyn to be so bold with her unrelenting pursuit of me, knowing Shoua and me were in a relationship. The woman truly couldn’t take a darn hint like her mom.

Jonathan let out a low whistle and turned to me. “I guess she just can’t let you go, can she?”

I shook my head with another yawn. “She should. Shoua and me are together now.”

Jonathan snorted at my statement. “Sure thing. But why are you so tired? You keep yawning.”

I let out another yawn as we waited in the long line for freshly made corn dogs and lemonade. My fingers quickly came up to wipe away the tears that escaped the corners of my eyes. My dad suggested Shoua, Jonathan, and me take Evelyn and Kelvin to opening night of the summer night fair. While the three of us were stuck waiting in line, Evelyn and Kelvin were off walking and looking around because of the long wait.

“I passed out on Shoua’s couch for hours after she came home from her showing. I barely woke up ten minutes before we left the house,” I mumbled. I turned to her. “I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up.”

Shoua came home mid-afternoon from her home showings with a huge lunch for us. I scarfed it all down and fell asleep; I intended to finish sanding down the old nightstands I nabbed the other day from the side of the road.

“Simple. You needed to rest after spending all day in that hot garage,” she said.

I spent most of the day working on a pair of beautiful oak nightstands. They were badly beaten with chipping paint and scruff marks on the sides. I was taking my time putting some good loving into them and hoped to finish them by the end of the day. But didn’t due to my long nap.

“I guess. Now, I’m going to be up all night,” I mumbled. Although I wouldn’t mind working on my nightstands in the middle of the night, the electric sander I use could be too loud. Our elderly neighbors wouldn’t be shy about knocking on my door the next morning to complain. “We should finish the first season of Gossip Girl. That shit is messy as hell.”

Shoua let out a soft laugh. “And you love it.”

“I sure fucking do,” I said as I smiled.

We were about to share a laugh when Jonathan stuck his head between us. I forgot he was there with us for a moment.

“You two sure are cute,” he whispered. “But why don’t you hold hands? Like a real couple.” He flashed us a Cheshire, shit-eating grin.

I opened my hand out to Shoua, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she glanced at it with a grimace. “Sorry, gorgeous. But it’s so hot tonight. Holding your hand will only make me sweat.”

I let out a snicker so loud other people in line turned to glance at us. “I can’t help that I’m hot blooded.”

“Fine, you aren’t going to hold hands or whatever. But couldn’t you at least stand closer together? Stand and walk close to each other so your elbows are touching–grazing–against each other,” Jonathan continued in a hushed voice.

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