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“Sunscreen is your friend,” Nana joked.
“You ready?” Pop asked me as he threw his arm over Nana’s shoulder. “Gonna follow you home and get the truck. Nana’ll meet us at the river when she’s done with the laundry.”
“Yes!” Bird yelled as he came running toward us. “Swimming!” The squirt gun nearly hit me in the face as I got to my feet.
“It was nice to meet you,” I mumbled to Rumi as I shuffled toward my grandparents. “Give his squirt gun back, Bird.”
With a loud dejected sigh, Bird held it out toward Rumi.
“Nah.” Rumi shook his head. “You keep it.”
“Really?” Bird asked dubiously.
“You don’t have to give it to him, sweetheart,” Nana said easily. “He’s got plenty at home.”
“Not like this one,” Bird argued, cradling the squirt gun to his chest.
“It’s fine,” Rumi said with a laugh. “I’ve got more, too.”
“Say thank you,” I hissed, poking Bird in the back.
“Thank you!” Bird yelled.
“No problem, little dude. See you guys later.”
Disappointed that we were leaving, I only glanced at him once as we made our way back to the car. He’d slung his T-shirt over his shoulder, and the muscles in his back flexed as he strode toward the building. Pop chuckled, and I quickly looked away.
“He’s Tommy and Heather’s son,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You remember them?”
“No.”
“Good kids,” he said easily. “You want me to see if we can get together—”
“No!” I practically shouted, my eyes wide with horror.
Pop burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Okay.”
“You’re so embarrassing,” I muttered, stomping toward the car. “I’m not four. I don’t want you to set up a playdate.”
“I’m not settin’ upanykind of dates for you,” he said sternly.
“Pop,” I ground out in warning.
“He’s a cute kid,” Nana teased. “You know I like long hair.”
“Oh my god,” I hissed, quickly climbing into the car. “Stop it.”
It took a few minutes for Pop to get Bird settled into his seat and I stared at the dashboard the entire time, praying that Rumi hadn’t heard them. It was embarrassing enough that he’d found me sitting all by myself watching my little brother like a loser. It would be beyond horrifying if he thought I liked him. I was busy glaring at my dirty toes and falling apart flip-flops when a pair of hands smacked down on the door beside me.
“Hey,” Rumi said, leaning in the window to look at Nana. “Can I go to the river with you guys?”
Nana looked at me, her eyes twinkling. I glared back, begging her silently not to embarrass me.
“It’s fine with me,” she said easily. “You gotta ask Samson, though.”
I whipped off my seat belt and hung out the window, staring at Pop as Rumi went to talk to him, waiting for the inevitable wink or nudge or something equally horrifying to happen. Seconds later, I scrambled back inside as Rumi jogged back to our car and climbed into the seat behind me.
“He said it was cool,” he told Nana as he closed the door. “He’ll drop me off at home later.”
