Page 74 of The Perfect Distraction

“Pleeeeeease,” Joey said, giving her his best smile.

Beth glanced out to the water and saw Colton dive under again. “Maybe we should ask your dad first.”

“He won’t mind. I’ve been to Adam’s house before, and they only live a few blocks away.”

“I can bring him home later. It’s really no problem,” Lynne said.

Rather than keeping them waiting any longer, Beth went with her gut instinct. “I guess it’s okay.”

“Yay! Thanks!” Joey said, and then he and Adam started running up the dunes toward the parking lot.

“Colton has my number if he needs to contact me,” Lynne said, and then she hurried after them.

Beth stood up and watched as the three of them climbed into Lynne’s car and drove away. Then, spotting Colton floating on his back, she whipped off her cover-up and flung it on the towel.

A minute later, she dove into the lake, grateful for the cool sensation against her warm skin. Smoothing her hair back, she swam out to where Colton was floating and tapped him on the shoulder.

He bolted upright and stared at her like she was a ghost.

“Are you done sulking yet?” she said, peeved at his childlike behavior. She might have sounded like a teacher, but she didn’t care.

“I wasn’t sulking. I was cooling off.”

“Did it work?”

“Eh,” he said, his eyes drifting down to where the water lapped against her breasts.

His appraisal made her squirm, but she was still irritated with him. “Joey went to Adam’s house. I would have asked you first, but I would have had to swim a mile to get to you,” she said sarcastically.

Shoving his hands through his hair, he said, “It’s probably good that he left so he won’t have to see us arguing.”

“That’s just it, Colton. What are we arguing for? I told you that Christopher contacted me, but I never said I was going back to him.”

“You never said you weren’t either.”

She sighed and looked beyond him to where a sailboat bobbed on the water. When she met his eyes again, he looked at her expectantly like she still hadn’t given him the answer he was seeking.

“He threw me a curveball, okay? What’s up with all the baseball metaphors? I knew it was impossible to avoid him forever since we work together…”

“Hold up. You work together?”

“Not in the same building. He teaches at the high school, but I’m bound to run into him at teacher events.”

“Well, that’s perfect,” Colton said, shaking his head.

“It’s anything but perfect,” she snapped. “Do you know how hard it was for me to face my co-workers after he canceled our wedding? To walk the line between being professional and wanting to rip him a new one? To stand by while my fellow teachers decided whose side to take like we’d gotten a divorce?”

He blanched at the mention of divorce, but now that she’d started this, she couldn’t stop. During her rant, she’d noticed Colton’s expression had changed from anger to pity, and that only riled her up more.

“But never mind all that. The point is, I went through hell after our break-up just like you did with Gretchen. Christopher and I may not have been married, but we were together for five years, and I loved him. So, forgive me for needing some time to contemplate his email, which I really haven’t done yet because I was more interested in spending the day with you! I took the sleeping pills last night so I could be fresh for you and Joey today, but what was the point if you won’t even talk to me? You know what? Forget it. Now that Joey’s gone, you should just take me home.”

Having finished her speech, she turned away from him and started swimming back to shore. When she emerged from the water, she crossed her arms over her chest and trudged through the sand to where their towels were. She hadn’t looked back, but suddenly, Colton appeared alongside her. They were silent as they packed up their belongings, the air hanging heavy with regret.

During the uncomfortable drive home, Beth thought about what they’d said and what they hadn’t, wondering if they’d ruined the good thing they’d started. Colton looked deep in thought too, and she thought about how awkward it would be living next door to him for the rest of the summer if they weren’t on speaking terms. And what about Joey? She hated the thought of not seeing him anymore, and not just for their reading lessons. He was a great kid, and she’d miss him.

Colton pulled into his driveway, shut off the car, and got out. Without a word, he went around and opened the hatch to extract her bags.

She held out her arms to take them, but he said, “I’ve got it,” and walked past her.