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“You let Ollie and I move into the lake house, and we’ll help you fix up the place while we live there. We’ll clean up after ourselves, mow the lawn, keep things tidy. That way, when you come home on your off days, you don’t have to lift a finger. You can enjoy your house on the weekends and pretend we’re not even there.”
Somehow, I doubt that’ll be possible.
Natasha elbows Oliver. “Right, Ollie?”
Oliver scrunches his nose but doesn’t disagree.
“I can mow the lawn and help you move out some of the old furniture,” he says to me. “I know you’re worried about us wrecking the place, but it’s not like Iwantto destroy Grandpa’s old house. Nat and I just want a vacation before college starts up in the fall.”
“And parties,” I remind him.
“We’ll be careful,” Natasha assures me. I feel a leg nudge mine under the table and realize it must be Natasha’s. Her skin is warm enough that I can feel the heat through my pants, and the contact sends a flood of inappropriate heat straight to my groin.
“C’mon, Dad,” Oliver says. “I never ask you for anything.”
Ouch.I draw my leg away from Natasha’s and focus on my son. He’s right. He doesn’t ask me for anything, and now that he’s finally sitting here, having dinner with me… It feels wrong to deny him. I don’t like the idea of a bunch of college kids partying on my property. But Natasha has a point. There’s a middle ground here somewhere. We just have to find it.
“I have a few conditions,” I say.
They both continue eating as I rattle off the house rules.
“No underage drinking,” I tell them. “No overnight guests.No parties.”
Oliver scoffs. “But—”
I raise my hand to let him know I’m not finished.
“You can have afewfriends over as long as you get my permission first.”
“We can do that,” Natasha says.
Her smile warms my chest. I allow myself to return the gesture briefly, knowing that my motivations aren’t altogether selfless. I’m not just agreeing to this arrangement to make my son happy. I’m doing what I can to ensure that Natasha won’t be hooking up with any undeserving frat boys while at my lake house.
Having her in my home this summer,all summer, is going to test my willpower. But it’s a challenge I’m willing to accept.
Like it or not, Natasha Bellows has completely taken over my mind. I’ll just have to remain vigilant to ensure that my mind is the only part of me she touches.
CHAPTERTHREE
NATASHA
Ollie holdsout the bottle of sunblock for me to take. “Can you get my back?”
“Sure.” I squeeze some lotion into my palm and then rub the cool cream over his shoulders and upper back, digging my thumbs into his muscles for good measure.
“Thanks,” he says with a sigh. “I definitely pulled something this morning. Who knew ripping out forty-year-old carpeting would be more rigorous than CrossFit.”
Moving into the lake house has been a steady process over the past week. Ollie and I have torn down wallpaper, ripped out carpeting, and washed and vacuumed every square inch of the house that we can reach. It’s been a ton of work, but I can already see how much nicer the house will look once we’ve painted the walls and polished the hardwood floors.
“Just think about what a slice of paradise this place will be when we’re finished.”
“Not that anyone besides us will get to enjoy it,” he grumbles.
Ollie slips on a pair of sunglasses and reclines in his lounge chair. While the interior of the house might be a DIY disaster, the back deck overlooking Norris Lake is pretty much heaven on earth.
I smooth a fresh layer of sunblock on my chest, making sure to reach behind my thin bikini straps. Ollie and I will both be golden gods by the time we return to campus, and the extra sun exposure is already doing wonders for my complexion as well as my serotonin levels.
I wish my best friend could say the same.
