Page 17 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

“Some of the other swimmers found out about my dad being an Olympian. They won’t leave me alone now.” I say without looking up at him.

“I know that annoys you,” he kicks off his flip-flops and sits beside me, “but it is pretty awesome. He didn’t just medal, he set an Olympic record that’s still standing, right?”

“Yeah.” I sigh.

“If I found out that one of my friend’s dads won the Heisman Trophy, I would be all over that.” He pulls out a bag of gummy bears. “Hungry?”

“Always.” I grab it and start sorting the bears by color for us. “I can’t eat these without thinking about you now. Every time I throw away the green, I hear your voice complaining about the tragedy of trashing them.”

“I think about you when I have them, too.” We make eye contact for the first time since he found me. His eyes reflect the darkness of the lake.

I lose track of time while I wander down memory lane until a football helmet lands on the bench beside me, jarring me back to the present. He’s standing right in front of me, literally so close he’s dripping sweat onto my bare knees. He’s panting a bit, not like he’s just run a marathon but enough to know he worked hard.

“I’m gonna hit the shower before we go home. You okay out here or do you want to wait inside?”

“I’m good here. The sun feels good,” I have to tilt my head all the way back to see his face.

He nods, “I’ll be out in about ten minutes.”

* * *

“Con and Griff are coming over for dinner tonight. I texted Babs earlier to let her know.” Levi says as he turns his car on. “I’m not sure if your mom will be joining us or not, but you definitely can.”

“Does she eat at home much when your dad is gone in the city?”

“No, she’s never stayed behind before.”

“Oh,” color me unsurprised, “hopefully she goes back into that routine.”

He grins over at me. “You two were never close, right?”

“Yeah,” I play with the hem of my skirt, “she’s never approved of my choice to swim. She doesn’t like how close I am with Isaac and his mom, Meredith, who is more of mother figure to me than my own ever has been. I’m closer to Dad than to her.”

“Sounds like her problem, not yours.”

I nod. “It hasn’t bothered me in years. I know what to expect from her.” I pause and realize I’ve never heard him talk about his own mom. “What about your mom?”

“She died when I was a baby. She was a model and got addicted to drugs, along with her eating disorder. She went into cardiac arrest and died a week after I turned one.”

“Oh my god, I had no idea.” I reach over and put my hand over his on the center console. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” He flips his hand and squeezes mine. “I don’t remember her at all, obviously, and I was raised by two wonderful women. My nanny who retired last year, Dot, and Babs.”

“Babs has been around that long?” She looks too young to have worked for them too long.

“Yeah, she’s a little younger than my dad. He hired her straight from culinary school.”

He pulls into the garage and follows me into the house. “What did you think of your first day? Did anyone give you any trouble?” He asks from behind me.

“It doesn’t seem too different from my old school, aside from half the student population being guys. No one was rude today, but other than Oliver, no one went out of their way to be friendly either.”

I don’t see the expression on his face when I mention Oliver, but I do hear the derisive grunt he makes.

“Good,” he stops at his door while I stop at mine, “remember what I said about the kids at our school and who runs the place. You should be protected from any bullshit but tell me if someone bothers you.”

“I don’t need your protection,” I say as I pop a hip out in my usual defiant stance.

“You have it regardless.” He glances down at his watch. “Dinner is at six.”

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