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“I need to work,” he replies grumpily. “I have a deadline.”
“It’s your choice, man. I thought you put in some extra hours yesterday so you could spend some time with Neve?” I leer and give him an exaggerated wink. “But you know me…if you’re too busy, I don’t mind taking one for the team.”
He attempts to whack me with one of the pool noodles I brought along, but we’re both distracted by the sight of Neve strolling towards us in a lilac bikini with yellow trim, and those teasing little strap things that crisscross the top swell of her breasts, accentuating every curve.
Ollie’s eyes light up and all traces of his previous mood are erased. Neve’s good for him. He needs someone to drag him out of his writing cave occasionally. I can’t even remember the last time we did something fun together like this.
Remi hands her a bottle of iced water from the cooler he’s brought with him, and she takes it, gratefully, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek. He puts his hand on her nape, squeezing gently, and gifting her with the kind of indulgent smile I haven’t seen from him for a long time.
She’s good for all of us.
“So, what are we up to?” Oliver asks. He might be taking some time out, but he’s keen to get on.
“Jet ski tag!” I exclaim, waving an armful of pool noodles before tossing one to everybody.
They all stare, and I lift my palms in confusion. “What? We’ve played it before.”
“Jet ski tag?” Neve asks with a cute little wrinkle in her forehead.
Neve startles as Remi begins smoothing sunscreen over her shoulders. “Don’t want you to burn,” he tells her with a wink as he explains. “It’s basically tag on a jet ski. You just use the pool noodle to tag people.”
“Isn’t that a bit dangerous? Surely jet skis shouldn’t be ridden in that close proximity.”
Remi nods. “Could be a little much for a beginner.”
Oliver adds his two cents worth, and I feel my mood starting to deflate. “Yeah, Neve already said she doesn’t do well on jet skis.”
“It’s true. I am the klutziest of all klutzes.”
“You can ride with me,” I tell her, trying to save things from going south. “I’ll protect you, ma’am.” I tip an imaginary hat.
Jesse snorts. “Of course she’s not up to it. Did you really expect anything different, Cope? I mean, it’s obvious the others realize her limitations.”
Neve visibly stiffens, and I wonder if I’m pushing too hard. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“You know what? Let’s do this.” Just like that, Neve changes her mind, throwing me a grin before she turns a challenging gaze on Jesse. “I’ll be glad to kick your ass.”
I rub my hands together, feeling buoyed again. I’m not sure what just happened, but I’m not going to worry about it right now. “Okay, let’s do this!”
We get suited up for safety, and Neve scooches up behind me like she’s riding double on a motorcycle. “You want me like this?”
“Just like this,” I say, curling one of my hands around her thigh and pulling her in closer. “Now hold on when we take off, and when we get within distance you nail ’em with that noodle.”
Oliver realizes we’re going to have an advantage and sets his jaw in what I recognize as his ‘competitor mode’. Jesse, on the other hand, just rolls his eyes and hops on his own jet ski, taking off in an arcing spray without waiting for the rest of us.
Remi cracks open the tab on a can of soda and sits back in a beach chair, toes in the sand. “I’m just going to hang out here and watch. Gotta get lunch started in a bit.”
I’m sad he doesn’t join in, but at least he’s taking time out to relax.
I give a little shake of my head before pushing the ignition and moving out. I’m not really surprised. If one of us guys is the dad, it’s Remi. He’s a caretaker, a cautious observer, the one always on the alert for how to best take care of us.
As we move further out into the bay, Neve’s arms tighten around my waist. The pool noodle sits thick between us, trapped between our bodies. It’s almost suggestive.
“Who do you want to go for, first?” I holler back at Neve over the roar of the engine and the sound of the surf we’re churning.
“Jesse, of course.”
I grin. She fits right in.
