Chapter Twenty-One
Dylan
When Dylan went downstairs to ask if he could borrow the Sea-Doo, he had no idea he was walking into an ambush. But that’s what he did.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter the kitchen.
“Honey, Uncle Rick and I were talking,” Mom said when Dylan came in looking for Dad. All three of them were at the table, nursing cups of coffee. “He knows the batting coach at Texas Tech and thought you might like an introduction.”
Uncle Rick shot Dylan a look that was half-apology, half-determination. Dylan ground his teeth. “If I don’t have any offers, maybe I can do a gap year. I can meet the coach then and start when I’m nineteen. What’s one year off?”
His parents exchanged a weary glance, but Uncle Rick pounced on it. “Tell you what, if they aren’t biting by October—because you’ll know by then—then I can introduce you to Jerry.”
Dylan could almost see the thought bubbles above his parents’ heads. This could do it!
He fought to stay calm. Yelling and storming out never worked—they’d dig in harder. “Fine, whatever. Dad, can I borrow the Sea-Doo? I have a date.”
Dead silence. Mom was obviously fighting back a smile, though. He realized they’d been worried about this, too. Dad gave him a sly look. “I thought girls were off the menu this year.”
The hope in his voice, the desperation—maybe this is a sign!—broke something inside Dylan. They didn’t understand what drove him. They never had, and never would. Uncle Rick should’ve gotten it, but even he was on their side.
And Dylan was done. “You know what, forget it. I’ll see if Tristan will let me borrow his boat.”
He turned to leave, but Dad stopped him, sounding resigned, “You can borrow the Sea-Doo. Don’t drive it after dark, okay?”
Dylan nodded without turning back. He wished they could see what he saw each time he picked up a baseball—a path, lighting up in front of him. Do step A, B, and C, and watch his dream come true. If for some reason he didn’t make a team, he could find a part-time job, take community college classes, and work out with a coach. He didn’t love the idea, but it was better than completely admitting defeat and heading off to Texas Tech, or wherever.
He went to the garage to hook the trailer up to his car. He was looking forward to this date, and he wanted it to be perfect. The last thing he needed to do was stew about his parents’ lack of confidence in his pitching skills or his determination to make something happen. He wanted today to be about getting to know Lucy, for real. And if he was breaking a rule he’d given himself to do it…well, the temptation was too strong.
It wasn’t that he had lost focus on The Plan. He just couldn’t resist seeing her again. Who knew, maybe Lucy would do for him what Alyssa did for Tristan. And even if she didn’t, he was happier either way. That had to help, right?
His phone vibrated in his pocket while he was connecting the wires from the trailer to the hitch on the Porsche. Tristan, asking, So, Nate told Ledecky who told me you were making out with Lucy at Dolly’s yesterday.
Dylan sat up, shaking his head. Dude, that was the most convoluted text I’ve ever read.
T: So were you?
D: Was I what?
T: Don’t be a d-bag. Were you with Lucy yesterday?
D: Yeah. And I’m taking her out on the lake today.
T: Good. I was worried you’d be all noble about her kid brother. You have that tendency.
Dylan rolled his eyes. Tristan didn’t have that tendency. I’m less noble than you think.
T: Then go forth, my son, and have a very wicked afternoon.
Dylan laughed. Do my best.
By the time he made it to the marina, he felt better. He could almost forget about the squeeze play at home, with Uncle Rick as the sacrifice bunter trying to help his folks run it in. He backed the trailer down the ramp until the Sea-Doo was in the lake and could float off the platform. Once it was set, Dylan climbed out to free the Sea-Doo from its cables.
“What’cha doing?”
He glanced up, squinting in the strong afternoon sun. Lucy stood at the edge of the ramp, dressed in an aquamarine bikini top, covered up by a white sundress that stopped at mid-thigh.
What had he been doing? “Uh…” Dylan blinked. God, dumbass. Get ahold of yourself. “I thought you’d like to go out on the lake. Give me a hand?”
She nodded and tossed her bag into the car, shed the dress—which pretty much fried Dylan’s entire brain—and splashed into the water. She proved surprisingly adept at helping him remove the cables. “Want me to park the car? That way you can pull the Sea-Doo up to the dock?”
He stared up at her. Miles and miles of tanned skin glowed in the sun. Dylan swallowed and was dismayed when his voice cracked, “Yeah, that’d be great. I have a life jacket in the backseat for you.”
With a funny little smile, Lucy hopped down and climbed into the Porsche. She revved the engine a bit, leaning out the driver’s window, eyebrows raised. He shook his head, laughing, as she pulled out, sedate and careful.
Dylan breathed. When he’d said come to the lake, he’d had this in mind, but the sight of her in yet another bikini had his engine redlined. He shucked his shirt and shoved it into the saddlebag on the side of the Sea-Doo. He’d put bottled water and a couple of granola bars into the other side, and the tank was full, so they were set for a long afternoon.
Lucy strode over, carrying his keys and wearing the life jacket. He was a little sorry to see the bikini covered up, but safety first, right? Once his keys were stowed, he pulled the towrope so he was against the dock and held out a hand. “It’s a little bumpy.”
“Just how I like it,” she said, sliding onto the seat behind him easily. “So, cowboy, show me how this thing handles.”
Her arms came around his waist and she slid in close, her thighs brushing his. Yeah, the Sea-Doo was the best idea ever. “Hold on tight.”
“I’m planning on it,” she murmured in his ear and goose bumps spread down his arms.
Dylan started up the Sea-Doo and pulled carefully out of the marina. As soon as they passed the “no-wake” and last speed limit sign, he opened it up. With two people, the craft could still do almost fifty miles per hour, and hearing Lucy’s squeal torn away by the wind was plenty of motivation to crank the throttle and send them hurtling across the top of the water.
There wasn’t much of a breeze, which kept the lake still and allowed them to streak faster and faster. Dylan cut hard a few times, sending up waves of water, and grinned when Lucy hollered, “Again! Again!”
He’d taken girls out on the lake before, but almost all of them had come off the Sea-Doo with shaking legs and a request to ride around in Tristan’s boat instead. It wasn’t that the little craft was scary…or maybe it was with the way he drove it. He liked to push it hard, have the wind beat into his face, and jump wakes to catch a little air.
When they came close to the coast on the far side, Dylan cut the speed and glided into a little, crescent-shaped cove. It was too small and shallow for most boats, so it was deserted, just like he’d hoped. When they were in waist-deep water, he turned off the Sea-Doo, then slid off to pull it up onto a sand bar. Lucy slipped off after him and swam out a little bit before floating back to the shore.
“That was amazing!” Her eyes were glittering. “Please tell me I can drive it.”
“Liked that, huh?” Dylan dropped to the sand right at the edge of the water and took off his life jacket. “Sure, I’ll let you drive it.”
Lucy came out of the water, dripping, and sat beside him, flinging back her damp hair. Seeing his jacket on the sand, she wriggled out of hers, too. “This is awesome.”
Yeah, it was. He felt the knots in his shoulders unwinding. What was it about Lucy? Sure, she sometimes—often—drove him nuts. But she also cast some kind of spell over him. He reached out and tentatively brushed a strand of hair from her jaw. “I’m glad you said yes.”
She looked up at him from beneath thick lashes. “I’m glad you asked.”
Dylan took her hand, turning it over. “I was worried about getting sucked in. I have so much riding on the next year, I didn’t think I could take the time to meet someone. Then you fell into my life and I can’t keep away from you.”
“I thought you were going to be this boring jock.” She nudged him, one bare shoulder against another, and sparks danced down his spine. “And you keep surprising me.”
“So…” He mustered up his courage to say what had been on his mind since yesterday. “Does this mean you’ll give us a chance?”
“Only if you will.” She flashed him a wry smile. “I get how important your sport is to you, your plans. I would never make you choose— I know what having a passion is like. But I don’t want to be a convenience.”
“You’re anything but convenient, Lucy Foster.” Dylan cupped her cheek in his hand. “And I like it that way.”
She shifted closer on the sand, until their legs were touching. “So, you’ll deal with my crazy?”
“Deal with?” He brushed a kiss against her cheek. “That’s the part I like best.”