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“Poor kids. Hope they don’t mind the taste of wax,” Carly muttered as she followed Rachel out onto the deck.
No one—kids or adults—seemed to mind and the entire cake was devoured in no time. Hyped on the sugar rush, Darcy and Tess begged Callan to set up the banana boat to pull behind them.
Carly noticed Oliver stiffen slightly as the long, yellow inflatable was tossed out into the water and Callan secured it to the back of the tour boat. They were moored just outside the marina and the water was calm and still, the bright sun the biggest hazard to safety that day, but still, when the kids all prepared to jump in for the ride, Carly kicked off her sandals and peeled off her tank top and shorts.
Oliver wasn’t dressed for the water—his tagging along had been such a last-second decision—and she knew he’d feel more at ease with Tess being out there if an adult was out there too. Callan had to drive the boat and Rachel wasn’t a huge fan of the water.
Besides, it wasn’t exactly a hardship for her to participate. She loved water activities and she hadn’t been on a banana boat ride in forever.
As she folded her clothes on the boat bench seat, her cell phone chimed in her shorts pocket. Retrieving it, she read the message from Oliver.
New swimsuit?
He actually noticed? Oliver Klein, the man who hadn’t noticed she’d grown her hair long again after a shampoo commercial had tempted her to cut it short two years ago, the man who hadn’t noticed she’d recently lost fifteen pounds and now had biceps courtesy of her boxing trainer at the gym, and the man who had yet to notice the new car she’d bought six months ago despite it sitting parked in her driveway—thatman noticed she was wearing a new swimsuit?
Smirking, she started to teasingly text back:
Test driving it before that trip to Bali...
Before she could hit Send, a new message from him appeared.
Sales tag is still hanging off the back.
Of course. She blushed, annoyed at her assumption and grateful she hadn’t sent her own text. She deleted it and then quickly reached around and pulled the tag off the suit.
Her cell chimed again.
What now? Had she left the price sticker on the bottom of her flip-flops too?
That color makes your tan pop.
She swallowed hard as she stared at the message. Okay, that was definitely a better comment. Maybe hewaseyeing her in the two-piece she’d bought on impulse the day before, when she hadn’t known she’d have both Oliver and Sebastian on board the boat with her that day. But hell, maybe the daring, revealing bikini was worth it if it had finally caught Oliver’s attention, finally made him notice her as a sexual being and not just his best friend, his daughter’s role model, a woman he’d kept in the friend zone for years... Her heart raced. What did she do? How should she respond?
She read it again and sighed.
This one was not from Oliver. It was from Sebastian.
Of course.
Frustration on overload, Carly tucked the cell phone into the pocket of her jean shorts, and kicking off the flip-flops, she dived straight into the water with the kids.
The cold splash stopped her heart momentarily, until her limbs grew accustomed to the feel of the cool waves wrapping around her. She swam toward the banana boat and struggled to climb onto the wet, slippery rubber ride behind Tess.
“Yay! Carly’s coming!” the little girl said, pumping her arms in the air before gripping the handles in front of her as the boat started to move and they gradually picked up speed, bumping and cruising along the surface of the water.
Carly’s mother always said that children had more fun when adults participated in the activity, and no doubt her mom was right about that.
But right now, kids or no kids, Carly would be out there on the ride, hoping the thrill of excited adrenaline coursing through her, the salt spray in her face, the wind in her hair and the uncontrollable laughter escaping her as she held on for dear life to the yellow rubber handles could replace the feelings of conflict simmering in her heart and mind.
At least temporarily.
CARLYWASWEARINGthe hell out of that swimsuit.
The light denim-blue color with the white trim made her skin look healthy and smooth.
His friend had always had a fantastic body, but rarely did she put it on display. Every time they went to the lake or the public pool with Tess, she usually wore a modest one-piece or a cover-up. She wasn’t one to flaunt her beauty. He’d always marveled at her combination of soft curves and athletic frame, and he’d noticed her recent weight loss and muscle gain. And that day, he was getting the full, unfiltered view of her efforts at the gym.
And to say he wasn’t attracted would be a lie. His body was certainly reacting. His sweaty palms mixed with the condensation on his beer bottle and his shorts felt uncomfortably tight in the crotchal area.
