Robyn (13 page)

A couple of hours later, I was stretched out on a lounge chair on the Tsunami deck, eyes closed, soaking up the sun, waiting for Robyn and Whitney to catch up with me for lunch. Since this was my work area, I was always the first one to arrive. I suppose it would have been fairer to switch around where we ate, but the truth was that my area had the best views of guys.

Originally, I’d been thrilled about that aspect, but after my experience with Tanner, I was no longer sure that I wanted a summer romance. As a matter of fact, I was pretty sure I didn’t. I just wanted to work, shop, hang out with friends. Maybe later, I’d take a more serious interest in guys again, maybe when school started —

“Hey, if it isn’t the rules girl stretched out on my lounge chair.”

I heard another lounge chair scrape over the ground as someone sat on it. Droplets of water slapped my bare arm. I’d taken off my sunglasses because I didn’t want big white ovals of non-tanned skin around my eyes so I had to squint to see who had disturbed me. Although I thought I’d recognized the voice. It just sounded a little different close up, when it wasn’t being yelled across water.

Romeo.

His wet hair fell across his brow again, and he did a little flick of his head to get it out of the way. More droplets slapped my arm. It appeared that keeping his hair out of his eyes was a constant battle, because almost immediately the heavy locks fell back over his forehead. His sunglasses prevented me from telling the exact color of his eyes. When he was in the pool and not wearing shades, I could tell that they were a light color. Blue maybe. Like the sky at noon. Not that I really cared about his rebellious hair or the color of his eyes. I just wanted him to go away.

“I don’t think it’s yours. No towel, no bag, no item showing that you claimed this spot,” I told him with authority. After all, I still had my whistle, which meant I was the girl in charge.

“Right there. My Birks.”

I leaned over and looked beneath the chair, where he was pointing. No way those were there when I sat down.

I grabbed my sunglasses from where they rested beside my hip and put them on. It’s easier to be intimidating when you’re not squinting. “Sorry, but it doesn’t count when you slip them under there
after
someone has sat down.”

“Why would I do that?”

“To irritate me, because I wouldn’t let you swim with Juliet on your shoulders.”

“Juliet?” Then, as though a lightbulb had gone off, he grinned broadly. “That’s good. Clever, even. So you caught that my name is Romeo, huh?”

“Hard to miss when your girlfriend is screaming it at the top of her lungs.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

Okay, this was too much like my experience with Tanner earlier in the summer. No-commitment-Tanner as I’d started to think of him. Too-many-girls-too-little-time-Tanner. I thought of a new name for him almost every day. I knew I needed to get over what had happened, but what can I say? I was crushed.

“Does she know that?” I asked.

“I hope so. She seemed pretty smart.”

I just bet.
“Could you go away, because I’m trying to take a break here?”

“So what’s your name?” he asked, as though I hadn’t spoken, as though I wasn’t trying to get him to run off and play with some other girl.

“Good-bye.”

“Bummer! You’ve got cruel parents. What were they thinking to name you that?”

I had to fight really hard not to smile at his teasing. And talk about cruel parents.
Romeo?
But I wasn’t mean enough to point that out. No reason to make him feel badly about his name just because I wanted him to leave.

Why was he even over here? I wasn’t going to tease back. I wasn’t going to indicate that I had any interest at all. I had a new rule: only one heartbreak per summer. I’d reached my limit.

“I bet it gets really hard when you’re at a party and everyone starts leaving,” he said, as though he wasn’t at all bothered by my ignoring him. “I mean, you have to wonder — are they really saying good-bye or do they want to talk to
you
.”

Groaning, I shook my head and closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to be influenced by his cuteness or the fact that he seemed as though he might be a lot of fun. Been there, done that.

I felt a disturbance near my hip-pack — where I’d clipped my park ID earlier. My eyes sprung open in time to see him holding my ID and reading my name.

“Caitlin. I like it,” he said.

“Like I care what you like,” I said, shooing his hand — as though it was a pesky mosquito — away from my badge.

“So why are you giving me such a hard time?” he asked.

“You’re a player. Obviously.”

“Why? Because people call me Romeo?”

“You’re here with another girl. Shouldn’t you give attention to her?”

“Actually, I’m
not
here with another girl. I just met her this morning. We were hanging out in the pool for a while. She’s off doing something else now.”

Why was he telling me all this? Didn’t my attitude say “I don’t care”? And where were Robyn and Whitney? I sat up, looked around, and spotted them at a nearby table. Robyn wiggled her fingers at me. Great. We were supposed to be lifeguards, rescuing people. Why couldn’t she and Whitney see that
I
needed rescuing?

“Gotta go,” I said. “My lunch partners are here.”

I picked up my soft-sided cooler.

“Later,” he said.

I didn’t want to be totally rude so I gave him a halfhearted wave. I crossed over the sand that made this part of the park look like an island. I dropped into the chair at the table. “Thanks, y’all, for coming to my rescue.”

“I didn’t realize you wanted rescuing,” Robyn said.

“Well, I did.”

“Who’s the cutie?” Whitney asked.

“Romeo,” I stated flatly.

Robyn laughed. “No way!”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought. I’ve already had one Romeo this summer, thanks so very much.”

Jade Parker LOVES
summer, sun, and visiting water parks. She lives near Dallas with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.

Read all the

MAKING A SPLASH

books!

MAKING A SPLASH #1

Robyn

MAKING A SPLASH #2

Caitlin

MAKING A SPLASH #3

Whitney

Also by Jade Parker

TO CATCH A PIRATE