Page 47 of A Summer Mismatch
“Get a tube, and then you can get in.” He raced off to the tubes. “Slowly!” she called after him, knowing he’d plunge straight into the water without any concern about who he was cannonballing near.
Logan approached her with Leo hanging over his shoulder like a sack of flour, his face pressed into Logan’s back. Leo’s whole body shook with the giggles. “Has anyone seen Leo? I can’t find him anywhere.” He spun around, making Leo laugh harder.
“I’m right HERE, Uncle Logan!” Leo yelled.
“I hear him, but I just can’t see him,” Logan said. “I found Sweetie wandering by the pool. I guess I’d better throw her in so I can keep looking for Leo.”
“Nooo!” Leo yelled through his laughter. “I’m not Sweetie! I’m Leo!”
“One, two, thr—” Logan acted as though he was about to jump, and then paused. “Wait. Leo, is this you?” He lifted the boy from off his shoulder and tickled his ribs. “I thought I was carrying Sweetie around!”
Julia melted into a puddle. She had died of cuteness.
Logan and Leo’s faces were the lightest shade of pink from being out in the sun all day at the beach, and they had the sunscreen and salt scent of summer. Logan’s shoulders had bronzed, and his nose and tiny half-circles under his eyes were pink as well.
His body looked warm in the very best way. More than warm. Sizzling hot.
She wanted nothing more than to step close to him and wrap her arms casually around his waist, lift up onto her toes, and kiss the very tip of his nose. And then move to his lips while she was at it. There was a delicious spot where his ear and jawline met that she wouldn’t mind exploring a bit too.
She blinked away the tempting image. Kissing, unfortunately, was not on the agenda any time soon. She’d had to ask Grandma Winnie to keep Grandpa away tonight just so she could be sure their evening remained drama-free.
Smitty came out from the bathroom wearing a dark blue swimsuit and a matching dark blue, short-sleeved rash guard. He threw Julia a hard look, and then sat beside Amelia, engaging her in conversation and somehow getting the frown to flip upward.
“Ignore him,” Logan said, sidling up beside her. Her body tingled with awareness as his chest brushed against her shoulder. “He’s just grumpy because Nonna isn’t coming back for a week, and he’s going to be watching the kids while I’m at work.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not why he’s glaring at me,” she responded. “But nice try.”
He leaned closer, so his lips were right beside her ear. “What can I say? When I fall for someone, I go big. Star-crossed lovers has always had a nice ring to it.”
Her ears burned. Had he just confessed that he’d fallen for her? Sure, she’d guessed that, based on his actions, but it was still heart-stopping to hear. She tried for a light tone, but her voice came out hoarse. “Star-crossed lovers. Is that what we are?”
“I don’t know.” He smirked to let her know he was teasing, and she breathed a little easier. “What do you think?”
She didn’t know what to think. One tiny kiss behind a curtain did not make for lovers. But his thorough gaze sometimes felt even more intimate than a kiss. She pushed his shoulder teasingly, andnotjust as an excuse to touch his golden skin.
Okay, mostly as an excuse. But, dang, his shoulder was firm.
He smiled knowingly as her hand lingered, and she snatched it away, flustered. “I think you’ve read too many romance novels.”
He folded his arms, putting his biceps on full display. I will not stare. I will not stare.
“Never read one in my life.”
“Seriously?”
He laughed in surprise. “Is that really so shocking?”
No, not really. But her dad read the occasional romance novel—he seemed to like Nicholas Sparks the best, though whether that was romance or not could be debated. And even Grandpa Horace had been caught reading Allegra Winters’s novels over Grandma’s shoulder a time or two.
“Kai reads them all the time. He calls it animal-adjacent behavior research for this academic paper he’s supposedly writing, but I don’t know anyone who needs to read one book a week for research.”
“I’m letting you borrow my new Allegra Winters book. She’s my favorite.”
“Huh.Myfavorite author is someone named Julia Peters. Have you heard of her?”
“Meh. She’s overrated.”
“No way. I’ve heard she has a series of mystery novels she’s hiding from everyone.” He leaned closer as if telling her a secret. “At least three fictional people have died in them.”
