Page 46 of Power Play

Nope. Not having it.

Cohen was a dog and I would not have him sniffing around my… nanny.

I made it over there in time to catch Cohen as he caught the ball, saving Kit from being plowed into.

“Watch it, man,” I said.

“Sorry, Locke,” Cohen said, looking over my shoulder at Kit.

“Hey,” I said, making Cohen meet my eyes. I shook my head, speaking very clear guy talk forstay away from her.

After a reluctant second, he nodded.

Message received. Cohen and Bingham moved to the other side of the pool.

I turned back to Kit just as Tess was trying to pull herself out of the water with her floaty still around her waist. It wasn’t working until Kit reached up and gave Tess a boost.

“Thanks,” she said and took three steps back. “Ready?”

“So ready.” Kit said with grave seriousness.

“Ready for what?” I asked. Kit looked over her shoulder at me. A shoulder that looked so soft I reached out and touched her before I even realized I was doing it.

She jerked away and glared at me.

“Do you…ah, have sunscreen on?” I asked, feeling like an idiot. “You’re getting burned.”

“Yes, Dad. I have sunscreen on. Now, watch the greatest cannonball of all time.” She counted down from three. At one Tess took a running start and launched herself into the air, knees tucked to her chest. One hand holding her nose closed.

“Perfect!” Kit said as the little girl came up for air. She reached forward and towed her back to the side of the pool. “A perfect ten!”

“No way!” I cried. “She had one hand holding her nose. You gotta take off points for that.”

“No, I don’t.” Kit said, eyeballing me like I was a monster. “She was perfect.”

“No, he’s right,” Tess said. “I should breathe out my nose, but I always run out of air and end up snorting a bunch of water.” Tess said as if resigned to her fate. “Let me try again.”

She pulled herself out one more time with a big boost from Kit.

“Whatcha doing?” Harrison’s kids, Winston and Neveah, approached the side of the pool. They had smears of white sunscreen across their cheeks and on their shoulders like they couldn’t stand still long enough to wipe it in.

“Cannonball contest,” I said.

“Yeah?” They lit right up and soon I was judging their cannonball jumps too. Neveah was the clear winner. Her cannonball was tight, she had an excellent arc. Her toes were even pointed.

A thing of beauty. I lifted her arm in victory.

“My splash was bigger,” Winston cried.

“Not a splashing contest,” I said. “A cannonball contest. Now, be a good sport and congratulate the winner.”

Winston begrudgingly shook Neveah’s hand.

“What’s happening here?” Harrison asked, stepping up to the edge of the pool next to his kids. He reached out and put a hand on Neveah’s head and she leaned in towards him. “Cannonball contest,” she said. “I won.”

“That’s only because I wasn’t in the contest,” he said and his kid’s eyes lit up.

“Dad!” Winston cried. “You go next.”

---