Page 33 of When We Were Us
“Hey Hank!”
A startled Wrenley hits the water with a very ungraceful cannonball.
“Hey,” I call out. I straighten and shield my eyes from the sun as she resurfaces, sputtering.
Just then, Hudson takes the opportunity to splash and dunk Finn, and then they're laughing and fighting one another to keep the other’s head under water. It takes me no time at all to register Wren swimming to the side, a wide smile on her face.
“You should come in,” she says and uses her arms to pull herself up out of the water.
My mouth goes dry, and I just stare at her stupidly. My eyes trail down her half-naked body, rivulets of water coursing their way over her skin.
A little laugh breaks from her chest and she reaches for a towel on the bank, bending to dry herself off a bit.
“I don’t have a suit,” I finally spit out.
From across the water, Hudson calls out, “Dude! Just get in in your boxers! That’s what I did!” He goes back to dunking Finnley.
Wren laughs as she watches them and uses her towel to wring some of the water from her hair before spreading it out on the grass. I glance over and down at her as she sits. It would be rude to not sit, right?
So, I sit. Awkwardly. Thankfully, she breaks the ice because, for some reason, I can't seem to feel my tongue.
“How was Billings?” she asks, straightening the straps of her swimsuit top as she sits crisscross on her towel.
Her arm brushes mine as she leans back on her hands. She’s got a dusting of freckles over her shoulders. My fingers itch to touch them.
Stop staring at her chest, you moron. She’s going to think you're a creep!
“Uh, good,” I say and clear my throat, forcing my eyes up to her face.
But she’s watching Hudson and Finn splash around. She glances my way for a split second before stretching her long legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles. Her toes are painted bright pink, and she has a colorful braided anklet around her left ankle.
Say something, man. Anything.
“I like your freckles.”
I groan inwardly. God, not that.
“My—” Her eyes bounce from the pond to mine, and then down at her shoulders. “Oh, thanks,” she says with a shy half smile.
“Got any fun plans for summer?”
Nice recovery. A safe topic. No more comments about how much you like her freckles or...other things.
She shrugs and smiles before answering. “Just hanging with Finn. And the festival.We start work on the float for the parade on Monday.”
I nod. Right. I knew that. Hudson hasn't shut up about it since midway through school this year. If I thought about it, I had probably been just as excited about it when I was a senior.
“What about you?” she asks, turning those big brown eyes on me.
“Just ranch stuff,” I say, picking at the grass in front of me.
Why the hell am I so nervous?
“Just ranch stuff?” She cocks a brow at me. “That doesn’t sound very fun.” She bumps her shoulder against mine and I swear she’s flirting with me. It’s subtle, not like the girls I usually date. Most of them don’t have a subtle bone in their bodies.
“Ranching? It's a blast.” When she looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, I let out a laugh and lift my shoulder. “I love it.”
She shakes her head at that and then levels me with a gaze like she still thinks I’m joking. Her brows come together in the middle, and she laughs.
