Chapter Sixteen
Katie
After careening through the grocery store, each of us with a shopping cart, we drove straight to the pool house. And pool house was a bit of an understatement. The pool was huge, and the house it was connected to was modern and glass and the size of the Conners’ actual home. When we got there, smoke was coming out of the grill, music was blaring from the outdoor speakers and most of the Devil’s Spawn were in the water. Even Marley, with her giant black shades and her modest black swimsuit.
I hadn’t brought a suit with me, but Cash had sent me inside to the third door on the right. Inside was a bedroom and a closet filled with bikinis in every size and color. Were these something the parents had for guests? Or were these what the girls these guys hooked up with put on to go for a late-night swim? I decided not to think on it too hard; no sense in letting my runaway brain ruin a perfectly good day.
I walked out of the house and straight into the pool. The concrete was hot from the sun and the water looked so inviting. Before I could make it all the way in, Cash snaked his arm around my waist and spoke against the shell of my ear. “You look fucking amazing.” He kissed my neck and chills spread over my body despite the heat. “In case I forget to tell you later, you look fucking amazing.”
I laughed when I realized he’d used my words from earlier, and when he released me I waded in until I was shoulder deep.
“Cocktail?” Avory gave the floating bar a gentle push toward me. “Brody made a pitcher of sangria.”
I poured myself a drink, my eyes searching the area. “Are they here with Wyatt?” I’d be down to play in the pool with that adorable baby. I’d been fighting the urge to break into their house and kiss his chubby cheeks since I’d met him yesterday.
“They got a sitter.” Avory gestured with the drink in her hand toward the house. “They’re changing, or fucking, I guess.”
“Landry has been working insane hours and Brody has been recording and taking care of Wyatt.” Halen floated up to us in a bright pink flamingo. “I’m glad they decided to come hang out.” She held her drink out and Avory topped her off. “Where did you and Cash go?”
“Baseball field.” I took a sip, hoping they’d let me leave it at that. I didn’t have sisters, and I didn’t really have any girlfriends. But I assumed oversharing was typically part of the deal.
Luckily Crue saved me from having to say anything more. “You went where?” He was sitting on the steps at the pool entrance and his question was screamed across the patio to Cash who was at the grill. “I thought that was a disregard for the religion of baseball?”
Brody walked out of the pool house, talking over Cash and Crue’s impending argument. “I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things.” His odd monologue stopped when he was standing between the twins.
Cash and Crue spoke at the same time. “For instance, there are one hundred and eight beads in a Catholic rosary and one hundred and eight stiches in a baseball.” Then Cash pointed to Crue. “I don’t want to hear a word from you about it.”
Crue held his hands up in surrender and I spoke quietly to Avory. “Brody has tried a lot of religions.” And I had absolutely no idea who Isadora Duncan was.
She’d just taken a sip, so when she snorted some of it came out of her nose. “It’s a quote from Bull Durham. I’m pretty sure the only things Brody worships are Landry, Wyatt, waves, and weed.” She coughed, still trying to recover. “And the drums, I guess.”
“Oh.” I’d never seen Bull Durham. I assumed it was about baseball, although that title didn’t give me any helpful clues.
“Hey, C, your girl’s never seen Bull Durham.” Crue had a smile on his face. Little fucker had been eavesdropping. Or, you know, simply listening, because we weren’t whispering and we were maybe three feet away from him.
Cash closed the lid to the grill and hopped into the pool, creating a small amount of turbulence. “Well, one flaw won’t hurt her.” He winked and dipped down, letting the water wash over his shoulders. He reached out and grabbed my hips, dragging me toward him.
Maybe it was the sangria, maybe I was still buzzing from the kiss we’d shared in the dugout earlier. Either way, I put my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. I didn’t care anymore that we had an audience. “Maybe we can watch it sometime.” I rested my forehead against his.
His arms tightened around me and he kissed the corner of my mouth. “I think it’s supposed to rain all day on Wednesday.” He moved back so I could see his face. “You ever made out in a movie theater?” His wicked little smirk was adorable.
“No.” I frowned. “Is Bull Durham a new movie? One that’s in theaters?” I hadn’t ever heard of it before.
He shook his head, chuckling. “Oh no, it’s old. Like we’re talking nineteen-eighties old.” He placed a kiss on my jaw. “But we have a media room, and a popcorn machine, so…”
“What are y’all talking about? You’re going to watch Bull Durham? I want in. It’s been forever since I’ve seen it.” Brody reached out, taking Landry’s hand. “What do you say, Baby Cakes? You want to watch Bull Durham with these two on Wednesday?”
“Sure.” Landry rolled her eyes. “It’s been…let’s see how old is Wyatt? Ten months. So it’s been nine months and three weeks since the last time Crue and Cash made me watch that damn movie.”
“Blasphemy.” Crue swam toward our little group. “Don’t speak ill of that movie.”
“I was on bed rest. I wasn’t supposed to get up. Or get stressed.” Landry pointed at the twins. “You two basically held me prisoner and forced me to watch it a hundred times.” Maybe pointing for emphasis was a family trait; maybe they had to do it because there were so many of them that if they didn’t point, no one would know who they were talking to or about.
“Forced is a little harsh.” Cash moved me around until I was clinging to his back. “We were doing our best to keep you company and keep you entertained.” The rest of his cousins kept talking, reliving stories of Landry on bed rest and how they all did their part. Cash backed us away from the group and pulled me around to face him again. “Sorry our movie date just got hijacked.”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “That means when we make out, it’ll be even more like hooking up in a real movie theater.”
***
Cash and I were alone for the first time in hours. We hung out with his cousins, we ate dinner, and then we hung out some more. It was well after ten o’clock, and Halen and Beau had just now left. She and I had cleaned the kitchen while Beau and Cash had cleaned up outside. I liked that no one here was spoiled. They didn’t act like they were above anything, even simple chores. That was how Kasen and I were raised too.
“You ready to cross off your next activity?” Cash was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his navy swim trunks slung low on his hips.
“I marked off pool party before we got here.”
“I’m not talking about that one, Katie Baby.” He shook his head slowly.
I cocked mine to the side. “What then?”
“Skinny dipping.” He grinned as he reached out and hit the long row of light switches. Suddenly the whole place went dark, the only light coming from the oil-burning lanterns outside. They were placed on every table to keep the mosquitos to a minimum. I felt him behind me before he even took my hand. “I’ll stay on one end of the pool, you can stay on the other. I’ll even keep my back turned the whole time if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
I took a deep breath, and then nodded with an unexpected smile on my face.