Page 4 of Strong Side
“You got it.” I turn to Noelle and walk backward. “Are you staying out here or going back in?”
She laughs. “Oh, I’m definitely going back inside. It’s way too hot out here. I might jump in later though once the rush dies down.”
“Noelle, I’m not sure you’re gonna get that break today. The lake is packed.” Her dad stands and pulls the paddleboard over to the rest of the bunch that need to go outside.
“You’re probably right. But I may jump in for a few minutes anyway.”
“Come get me if you take a dip, and I’ll come with,” I shout as she walks out.
She looks at me and winks. It’s playful, but not flirty, although I wouldn’t mind if it was. She lifts her hand in a wave, and then I get started on the kayaks.
CHAPTER
TWO
CASEY
A few hours later,I go back into the store, and it’s slowed down a bit. There’s a guy around our age standing at the counter, talking to Noelle. He’s shirtless, in a swimsuit and no shoes. His back is burned, and there are clearly spots he missed with sunscreen. That’s gonna hurt later.
As I walk up, it’s obvious that he’s flirting with her. And I can tell she’s trying to be polite, but when she sees me walking toward her, she widens those big hazel eyes—so vulnerable and clear—and gives me a look that says,I need you.
I saunter up to her side as she lifts her arms to me and practically shouts, “There you are! Are we going swimming?”
I wink at her. “Yep, let’s get out of here for a few and take a break.” I nod to the guy at the counter. “Sup, man?”
He doesn’t reply and turns and walks away.
“You came in at just the right time. I think he was going to ask me out, maybe, but I can’t be sure. You know I’m not great at reading signals like that.” She smiles awkwardly.
“Looked like you had it under control, but, yeah, he was inching toward something.” And it would have pissed me right off if he had asked for her number.
Thing is, yes, Noelle is my best friend. I would give anything to be more to her, but I’m too protective of our friendship to risk losing her by declaring my intentions and her not reciprocating. I’m surprised she didn’t catch on a long time ago how I feel about her. For some reason, she can’t see it or doesn’t want to. I can’t figure out which one it is. I mean, I think I’m a decent-looking guy, and I always try to make her feel important to me. Surely, she has to have some idea about my feelings for her.
“Hey, let’s take the little boat out to the island for our break. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.” She grabs a set of keys under the counter.
“Lead the way.” I hold my arm out and gesture for her to go ahead of me.
She reaches behind her, and I take her hand in mine. From an outsider’s perspective, we might look like a couple because we have always been very affectionate in the sense that we hold hands and hug a lot.
We walk down the dock to the small boat tied near the end. Her hand still in mine, she steps into the boat and then releases my hand so I can untie the rope from the cleats.
Once I’m done, I toss the rope into the boat and hop in. Noelle has already started the engine, and we’re slowly drifting away from the dock. We head toward the tiny island that’s about two miles away from the marina by boat.
When we were in high school, we got lucky, drifting around the island one day, and found a patch that we claimed as Camp Coelle. It’s been our place ever since. I’ve never seen anyone else use it. At least not when I’m here.
Noelle lowers the speed and drifts toward the shore. As we start to scrape sand, I go to the front of the boat, grab the rope,and hop out. I wrap it around a tree a few times, knot it, then walk back to the boat to help Noelle out.
As soon as her feet hit the sand, she toes off her shoes and drops them near the tree with the rope.
“I’m so hot. I can’t wait to get in the water.” She pulls her T-shirt over her head, and she’s wearing a pink-and-white polka-dot bikini top under it.
When she starts to unbutton her shorts and pull them down, I wipe a palm over my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling. I’m trying not to be too obvious with my staring, but I can’t help it. She’s fucking gorgeous, and she doesn’t even realize it.
I kick off my shoes, then pull my shirt off. I’m already wearing swim trunks, so I follow her into the water. We wade into the water until she’s waist deep. When she stops, I face her as I walk backward, going deeper into the water, stopping when the water line is at my chest.
“Hey, not fair. I’m not as tall as you are.” She pouts.
“You want me to come get you?” I start to swim back toward her.
