Tequila And Tingles: Turtle Pine, Book 2 (13 page)

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I think I kind of need the break. I’ve enjoyed getting to work with the younger kids and getting away from the drama that teenagers always seem to have.” He lifted a shoulder and ran a hand up and down her back. “Being here has been better for me than I thought.”

“Still though, that can’t be easy. You’ve basically given up on your dreams.”

“It feels more like I’ve put them on hold.”

“I guess the question is how long will you leave them on hold?” As in how long was he going to be around? Which was honestly a question she didn’t need to ask for what they were.

“I don’t know. I keep thinking I’ll know when the time is right.” He gave her one last kiss. “We probably need to get out of here. If someone comes by and our cars are in the parking lot, they might stop and see what I’m up to.” He laughed. “I don’t think I need a set of rumors on my back here in this town.”

As much she didn’t want to, she knew he was right and that she had to get up. Didn’t make it any easier to do though. “I suppose you’re right.”

“What are your plans for the rest of the evening, since you’re kid-free all night long?”

“I don’t know. I was kind of hoping you would tell me.”

She turned and found him staring at her backside. “I have a few things in mind, just not sure where to pull them off.”

“Hmm. That sounds interesting.”

He rubbed up her back. “I’m thinking a soft bed would be the ticket.”

She cupped his chin and leaned into him, leaving light kisses on him. “Kids are gone for the night. How about I take you home? We can drop your car at your sister’s, and I can take you a few blocks over to my house.”

“I like this plan.”

Chapter Fourteen

Jason had been waiting for this moment all day. While he’d enjoyed the swim lessons with his tadpoles over the past couple of weeks, that wasn’t the only reason he was looking forward to five o’clock today. That credit went all the way to Beth.

After a hot evening in the sauna, followed by more in her house later that night, he hadn’t gotten her alone since. He’d seen her at lessons and that was it. Texting only got a guy so far. The farewell kiss he’d given her had been way too short for his liking, but he hadn’t had any other choice, since he had to get to work and she had to get her kids. If he’d known it would be this long before he could get her alone again, he would have just been late. Their schedules kept crossing and were making it impossible. Apparently, end of the month wasn’t a good time at either of their jobs.

He stepped into the pool area, and splashes and giggles greeted him and put an even bigger smile on his face. He glanced around and noted ten kids in the pool. That meant all ten of his charges were here and waiting and ready to go. Which also meant there would be a certain brunette with great curves he was anxious to get his hands back on sitting in the stands.

Only that spot was empty. He glanced to the pool for a double check and counted ten. He went over every student, making note of each one and finding Katie right there in the center with all of them, splashing and laughing just like the other kids. He grinned at her. She’d come a long way since the first class. He glanced to the parents again and Beth’s seat was still empty, but it was possible she’d stepped out for a moment.

Probably for the best. As much as he wanted to sit around all day and look at Beth, he couldn’t exactly do that when he had ten kids he was supposed to be teaching to swim in the pool. He clapped his hands and got their attention. “Everyone ready to swim today?”

Arms went up and he smiled all over again. This was worth coming to Turtle Pine for. It was different and fun. He hopped in the pool and got busy. He sorted them into their groups, group A and group B. “All right, group A, you’re up first. Let’s get these life jackets off and see how long it takes us to go from one side to the other. While we’re doing that, I want my group B to practice kicking. Try not to use your arms this time. Kick as hard as you can from one end to the other. Your jacket will hold you up, so just let your arms take a break.”

Group A had their life jackets off and stood on the stairs, waiting to go when he turned back around. He rubbed his hands. “On your mark, get set, go!”

They did more splashing than swimming, but they kicked through and were getting it. He stepped aside as the five of them eased past. Their times were slowly getting better. Not that he was teaching them to race, but he liked seeing that they were getting stronger with their strokes.

All five of them made it to the wall and turned around. Katie gave a good push off and shot in front of the rest of them. She paddled her heart out, kicking her legs with all her might, and she made it back to the steps before anyone else.

She turned back around, looking at her friends catching up, and her hands shot up in the air. “I won!”

He laughed and gave her a high five. “Good job, Princess!”

Her little arms dropped by her side. The excitement drained from her face. The light in her eyes died out and big, fat tears welled up in each one of them.

“I’m not a princess!” Katie’s screech echoed through the pool room. Everyone stopped and looked at them. Her eyes were down to slits and she kicked at him.

He backed up and put his hands up in surrender. “Okay. If you say so.” Everyone was still looking. The other kids sat on the steps, staring at them both. Mouths open. Eyes wide. He cleared his throat, unsure of exactly what had happened. “Let’s work on your kicks.”

“No!” she yelled. “I want to go home!”

He looked to the rows of parents, trying to find Beth and a source of help. There was no Beth. A blonde woman in the back row gathered things up and flew down the bleachers.

The woman squatted at the edge of the pool. “Katie, honey, come here.”

“Aunt Tina!” Katie went right for the woman. Puddles were left in her wake across the concrete.

He started after her and glanced to the lifeguard. Two were on duty since it was also open swim. “Griggs, take over here.”

The lifeguard jumped down from his tower. With the rest of the class in good hands, he followed the woman who was taking Katie off to the side.

The woman bent to Katie and wrapped her in a towel. “Go find your shoes, okay?”

Jason gave Katie space as she ran by him, hurt in her eyes and her hands fisted by her sides. The woman stood as he got closer, and he could only shrug. “I don’t know what happened.”

“What were you thinking?” The woman dug through her bag. “Nobody calls Katie a princess.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She slowly turned her head and studied him. Her eyes narrowed at the corners. “Beth didn’t tell you not call Katie a princess?”

There was a thing about it? “No.”

She let out a heavy breath and swiped a hand over the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s not you. It’s complicated.” She held out her hand. “I’m Tina, by the way.”

Right. Beth’s best friend. He remembered her being in the bar and handing Beth a shot glass. “Is Katie going to be okay?”

“She’ll be fine. She’ll hate you for the foreseeable future, but she’ll be fine.” Tina glanced over her shoulder and back to him. “I’ll explain to Beth and have her call you. It might take a while to settle Katie down.”

“Is everything okay with Beth?”

“Kent woke with a fever from his nap.”

His arms went limp by his sides. Why hadn’t she told him about Kent? Or Katie? Weren’t they at that point where she called when things were wrong? Even though she thought they were just having fun, weren’t they friendly enough to call? “Is he okay?”

Tina smiled. “Probably just a fever virus. Kids get them all the time, and it’s no big deal. Beth usually warns people not to call Katie a princess. It sets her off, but I guess she forgot to tell you.”

“She did.”

Tina gave him a small smile. Whether she thought he was pathetic or sad, he couldn’t say. Maybe some of both. “She gets a bit distracted when it comes you, so don’t take it personally.”

“I won’t.” It came out more automatic rather than heartfelt. He wanted to ask so much more, but he had a class and two kids were already calling for him to come back to the pool.

He waited at the edge of the pool as Tina led Katie out the door. He didn’t know where he’d gone wrong. Last he heard, calling a girl a princess was Girlie Things 101. But what did he really know? He’d spent more time in a swimming pool than he had with family or friends. The door closed behind Tina and Katie. Just as they were almost out of sight, Katie glanced back and it slayed him.

The look stabbed right to the center of his chest. It stayed there throughout the rest of class. A painful stab he couldn’t let go or even begin to try to forget about. He gave the rest of his class high fives as each kid got out of the pool. While parents were busy wrapping them in towels, he used the moment to make his exit. “That was a good lesson, everyone. I look forward to seeing you again next time.”

He pushed through the same glass doors Tina had taken Katie through forty-five minutes ago. Once in the hallway, he stepped in the men’s locker room for a towel. He was the manager, but if he left puddles of water through the building, his hide would be on the line. He swiped a towel, got it around his waist and headed to his office to check his phone.

There were no new notifications, and he sank in his office chair. Over and over, he played through his mind how Tina had said that Beth usually told people not to call Katie a princess. What did that even mean? That this reaction happened enough that Beth had to warn people about it?

He looked to his phone again and brought up Sean’s text messages. He could message Sean to get Cade’s or Peter’s numbers to find out. But that sounded a little bit over the line since he had told the two men he was only friends with their sister. He tossed his phone on the top of his desk and sank in his chair. He’d just have to wait.

He waited, staring at his phone as time ticked off minutes, to over an hour, to two hours later. His shorts had dried. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and stared at his phone, willing it to ring. It didn’t. He grabbed it, headed back to the showers and started to clean up. It was almost closing time, and if he’d been thinking, he would’ve done this a long time ago. When it came to Beth though, there wasn’t much thinking involved.

He cleaned up and locked the building, noticing how it wasn’t nearly as much fun when he didn’t have Beth waiting in a warm sauna. He stopped by Jaspers for a bite to take home and headed that way. He double-checked his phone at least ten times. Still no message, no call, nothing at all from Beth.

He supposed that was the problem with letting her believe he was with her just for some fun and nothing else. This was clearly a big flaw in his plan. A plan he didn’t even have an endgame to.

Meredith was busy in the kitchen as he walked in. By the smell of it, he shouldn’t have stopped by Jaspers. She peeked her head out as he toed off his shoes. She grinned. “Heard you made a little girl cry at swim lessons today.”

Damn a small town. He tossed his food in the refrigerator. “I don’t know what happened. Beth is supposed to call me, but I haven’t heard from her.”

She arched a brow. “She’s probably still consoling her wrecked daughter. Nice job.”

“Thanks. Your teasing is a big help.” Now he wasn’t hungry at all as Katie’s sobbing face replayed through his head. He rubbed his hands over his face and slouched against the kitchen counter.

“Uh-oh.” She leaned next to him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to strike a nerve. What happened?”

“You tell me.” On that note, he checked his messages again and still had nothing. “We were fine and then we weren’t. Tina took her home and implied this happens a lot.”

She rubbed his back. “Go wash up. I’ve got chicken in the oven. A full belly will make you feel better.”

He eyed her and pushed off the counter to do as she said. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, whether you were three or twenty-five, a good plate of food always made a person feel better.

Eating a full plate didn’t make Beth message him though. The sun dipped behind the horizon and the moon sat overhead for an hour. Still no call. He looked up from his phone and across to his sister. “I’m about to call her.”

Meredith gave him a look very similar to the one Tina had. He wanted to know what that was about too, but he didn’t ask. He was pretty sure he didn’t want to know bad enough to hear the truth behind it. Plus, the phone rang and he didn’t want to be arguing with his sister when Beth answered.

It rang three more times before it cut to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message and left the phone to rest on his knee. “Nothing.”

Then it buzzed, highlighting a new message.

“Will call soon.”

He relayed the message to his sister and sat on the couch with his shoes on, keys in his pocket, ready to go the moment Beth called. Worry gnawed at his gut as one episode of some crime show went off and another started.

She had one sick kid and another upset all on her hands this evening. He toyed with just showing up over there, but Beth wasn’t alone like he was. She had her whole family here. So he sat back and waited through another show.

Meredith crossed her arms over her belly. “I am so impressed with you right now.”

He wasn’t going to respond to that.

She wiggled her fingers in his direction. “I mean, look at you. You’re in a fit of worry, waiting on a woman to call you back regarding the status of her kid.” She laughed. “Seriously, who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Peddle that somewhere else.” Meredith sat forward. “This woman has taken you from a distant, self-involved loner and—”

“I’m glad you find this funny.”

“Jason.” She breathed out. “I’m tickled and happy watching you squirm over there while checking your phone every two seconds.”

“I’m just worried. You didn’t see Katie. She wasn’t just upset.” He checked his phone again, only to be disappointed once more. “She looked terrified.”

She smiled at him. “I’m sure she’s okay. I remember us being kids, before you got so involved with swimming. We played together, made up stories together. We were happy and like this.”

“I don’t feel very happy right now.”

She flipped her hand at him. “You know what I mean. We played and were normal kids. Then you started training as soon as you were old enough to compete, and all that changed. You got so focused at like ten years old, You were always lifting weights, running. Something. You lived and breathed training, and I always felt sorry for you. So I’m sorry you think my teasing is mean. I’m just so happy you look like you’re feeling again.”

He looked at her and shook his head. “I was training for the Olympics and medaled there. You shouldn’t feel sorry for me. It’s the best memory I have.”

“I know. I was there. I saw you in your glory moment. You traded a lifetime for two minutes on a medal stand. From where I was sitting, you missed everything in between.”

He smiled at her. “From where I was standing, I was living a dream.”

She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe.”

He didn’t know what that was about. His phone buzzed and it was Beth, asking if he wanted to come over. He responded with an automatic yes and pushed off the couch. “I’m going to her house. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“Hey, Jason?”

He stopped and looked back.

She was still on the couch. “I’m proud of you for winning. And I’m glad you got to live out your dreams. But I’m happier now that you’re finally getting to experience real life and relationships. Love.”

He shook his head and went out the door. Maybe all Meredith had seen was training, but there had been a lot more going on behind the scenes. Maybe he hadn’t been in a normal high school, but he’d been social. He’d had best friends growing up. Teammates as close as siblings at times. It hadn’t been a lonely existence like Meredith seemed to have pictured in her head.