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Chapter Eleven
Holly staredin horror as everyone agreed swimming was a great idea. Before she could so much as force out an argument, everyone headed up to the cabana to change into swim clothes.
"I didn't bring a bathing suit!" Holly said to Melissa in a harsh whisper.
Truth be told, she didn't own a bathing suit. At least, she didn't think she did. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't actually remember the last time she had gone swimming—years ago, at the very least. It just wasn't something that came up very often, especially not with how much time she had spent working.
She probably hadn't gone swimming since the kids were little.
Jake laughed from her other side. Holly hadn't realized he had been standing so close to her still. When she glanced over at him, she saw sparks dancing behind his eyes. "I never pegged you for one to shy away from a little adventure!" he said.
Heat flooded to her cheeks as a memory came to the front of her mind. It was their senior year of high school. They had snuck out to the docks and on one of the yachts anchored there. They had spent the night pretending to be a pair of rich tourists who always flocked to the islands in the summer.
They had gotten up to quite a bit of mischief that night, and even though Holly hadn't thought about it in decades, she could still remember it clearly. And Jake was right; back then, she would have never backed down from a challenge.
And as if her old friends were conspiring against her, Melissa piped up next. "Don't worry. I've got an extra bathing suit you can borrow. Come on, Holly, you can't pass this up. When's the last time you went swimming in the ocean under the moon and stars?"
Holly sighed, knowing she was basically beaten. But she still wasn't ready to give up just yet. Holly smirked at Jake, trying one last Hail Mary. "Fine, I'll go swimming, but only if Jake does too."
For a brief moment, Holly thought she might've won and gotten herself out of it. But Jake just returned her grin and nodded, then shrugged his muscular shoulders. "Sure, it sounds like fun to me!"
Holly blinked at him in surprise, which made him laugh. His eyes shimmered, and Holly knew he was taking far too much enjoyment out of this whole situation.
"I've got a set of trunks in the back of my cruiser."
"Have lots of opportunities to swim while you're on duty?" Holly asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. She didn't want him to know he'd beaten her, even if he had.
Jake just shrugged, looking as carefree as ever. "This is the Keys, remember. You never know when you might need them!"
Holly didn't have a chance to think of how to respond before Melissa dragged her toward the bathrooms to change. Of course, Melissa just so happened to have an extra suit on hand, and one that fit Holly as well. The smirk Melissa and Chantal gave her when she stepped out actually made her blush.
But again, she didn't have much time to dwell on it before she was dragged back toward the water. Before she knew it, there were at least twenty or thirty people out running into the water. The water was warm and soothing as Holly swam out until she was chest-deep.
Everyone around her was laughing and joking around, splashing each other and having the time of their lives. When Jake swam over and splashed her, Holly splashed him right back, and the war was on.
It didn't take long before all thoughts of her crappy year fled from her mind. In a way, it was like she had been transported right back to high school, a time when she hadn't had a single care in the world.
Chantal swam over, bumping her shoulder against Holly's. When Holly looked over at her friend, the mischievous smirk was visible even in the low light. She leaned in close and then whispered her plan in Holly's ear.
Holly's eyes went wide, but she nodded. Jake's comment from earlier had stuck in the back of her mind, and she wasn't about to pass up a chance for a bit of fun. Maybe once the alcohol and adrenaline wore off, she would regret it. She was going to have a bit of fun in the meantime, though.
The two of them swam as quietly as they could. But in the loud roughhousing, their target was none the wiser of their approach—at least, not until Holly and Chan jumped at the same time, both landing on Jake's muscular back. Even as strong as he was, he couldn't hold up the two of them without warning, and he sunk beneath the water.
When he came back up for air, he was sputtering and glaring in their direction. Holly and Chan took a moment to grin and high five each other; then they took off swimming. Jake was right on them, though, trying desperately to catch them and exact his revenge.
They split apart, going in different directions. But, of course, Jake chose to chase after Holly. And, of course, Holly wasn't in nearly as good of shape as Jake was, and he caught her before long. She squealed as he plucked her up out of the water like she weighed nothing at all.
Then, before she could react to how it felt to have his hands on her, he tossed her into the air. Holly yelled again, her limbs flailing before gravity pulled her down into the water with a splash. She sputtered, trying not to inhale the water, as she sunk into the darkness.
When she finally surfaced again, Jake was a few feet away, grinning like a mad man. Holly glared at him, annoyed that it had taken her and Chantal to dunk him, and yet he'd been able to send her flying like a rag doll with ease.
Because, of course, her high school love had to turn out to be built like a bodybuilder.
Couldn't he have gotten fat?She thought jokingly as she swam toward him for the next round.
