Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

JESS

B eing reunited with the gang always made me feel just a little bit lighter. A little bit brighter. A little bit more like who I was underneath the cloak of responsibility I wore more often than not these days.

It wasn't just me, though. We'd all grown up, and even if we didn't feel much older than we had when we were seventeen, we were thirty now.

That meant jobs. Bills. Responsibility.

When we were all together like this though, all of that took a back seat. We got to laugh and reminisce, make new memories, and cut loose.

A few beers in, we spilled out of the pool hall into the hot summer air outside. It was the end of June and the evenings no longer provided much respite from the heat.

"We need to cool off," Johno decided out loud as we strode down the sidewalk. "And shake off our buzzes. I don't know about you guys, but I can't afford to be hungover tomorrow. Dillon and I are operating on Edna."

"Edna the Swan?" Sophie asked, her eyes widening as she spun to face him while we walked. "I hope you're ready for that. Mrs. Flemming will never recover if anything happens to that animal, and that means Firefly Grove won't have anyplace for tourists to stay."

Slate frowned and I linked my arm with his. We strolled down the old country road and cut to the right, following a trodden dirt path through a cluster of trees. "Johno is an assistant at the vet's office. Mrs. Flemming owns the hotel. She's a spinster, but Edna is like her baby. If that swan doesn't make it?"

Slate winced. "I see where you're going with this, but would it be the worst thing if she sold the hotel? Maybe someone will buy it who will do some renovations. It sounds like the place needs it."

Angus shook his head at him. "Nah, we like it just the way it is. Mostly because we don't have to stay there, but it keeps Firefly Grove mostly ours. If there's no place nice for visitors to stay, they don't come back."

"That's what you want?" Slate asked, sounding genuinely curious.

While he and Angus debated the pros and cons of increasing tourism, we arrived at my favorite spot in town—besides Merrick Meadows.

"Firefly Grove's very own swimming hole," I said to Slate. He stopped short as soon as he realized we'd stumbled upon a natural pool.

Angus and Johno immediately kicked off their boots and jeans, and even Sophie slipped out of her white cotton dress and tied up her hair. "Mind my hair and makeup, boys. This means you."

I smirked when I saw Tag stalking over to her, peeling his shirt off just before he scooped her up. She squealed and whacked him, but he carried her right into the water, dunking her by unceremoniously dropping her as soon as they were deep enough.

She came up sputtering and yelling at him, but he splashed her and shot out of her reach when she lunged toward him. Not five seconds later, they were both laughing. I chuckled. One day, that was going to happen—even if Sophie swore it wouldn't.

Angus, Johno, and the others climbed the rocks surrounding the pool, counting each other down before they leaped in.

"Take it off, City Boy," I said. "We're walking back to the farm after this. It's about two miles. You don't want to have to do it in wet boots."

"Seriously? We're swimming?"

"Yep." I peeled off my shirt, quickly shedding my own boots, my jeans, and my socks, and then winking at him. "Catch me if you can!"

He followed my lead, undressing at supernatural speed and racing after me wearing only his boxers. I was in my bra and panties, and everyone else had stripped down to their underwear too, but Slate was the only one distracting me with his hard body.

"Come on, Jess," Tag called as his water fight with Sophie subsided. "Climb on my shoulders. We're taking our name back."

"The Conquerors," I cheered before diving under and slicing through the water toward him. Clambering onto his back, I wrapped my thighs around his shoulders, careful about finding my balance before I lifted my chin. "Who's up for a little losing this evening?"

"We are," Angus said, grabbing Sophie around the waist and hauling her closer.

She shrieked with laughter but gave me and Tag a quick look before she nodded. "Sure. Let's do it. We beat them once. We might as well try to keep the streak going."

"Fat chance," I said confidently. "Tag and I have been the reigning champs since junior high. You got lucky last time."

"You call it luck, I call it about fucking time ," Angus said. "As in, it's about fucking time someone knocked you two off your high horse."

I chuckled, nodding at him that I accepted his challenge. Truth be told, they'd won fair and square the last time we'd done this, which had been last summer. I was eager to take back the top spot after a year of hearing them boast about beating us, but with Slate watching, my focus was definitely split.

He was floating just a few feet away, his hair wet and slicked back, only his head and the tops of his shoulders sticking out of the water as he drifted around, watching us. Even though it was dark, there was always enough ambient light from the town to be able to see just enough out here at night.

Tonight, the only thing I really cared about seeing was him.

I was so intently focused on the man that I missed Sophie climbing on Angus's shoulders and she nearly took me down at their first attempt. Tag yelled. "What are you doing, Jess? Concentrate! This is it."

Snapped back to reality, I turned my gaze to my friend, seeing but ignoring the knowing gleam in her eye. She wouldn't say anything about catching me staring at Slate in front of the others, but I knew she'd seen it.

Tag and Angus were locked in battle, and while Sophie did her best, I finally managed to dislodge her from his shoulders. Caught off guard, Angus toppled over too, groaning. He swiped his hands over his face when he broke the surface.

"No fair. We demand a rematch."

"Next time," Sophie said flippantly, paddling to Slate's side and grinning at him. "So, how's everything going on the farm? You're not almost done, are you?"

"Not yet," he said, sounding strangely at peace with the fact. "I've got a few weeks at best of work left here. I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me for a while yet."

"We'll survive," Sophie said, hiding her face behind her hair to shoot me a triumphant smile. She toned it down when she looked back at him. "You know, I had a feeling you were going to be sticking around a little longer."

Slate laughed. "It all depends on the project. We took about a week or so longer to get started than we originally estimated and it turned out there was a bit more we needed to know before I could provide any meaningful advice, so…"

When he trailed off, she winked at him. "I'm sure that's all it is. Well, we're glad you're here. Thanks for coming out with us."

Elliora, Angus's sister, suddenly appeared between us holding a six pack of beer. She grinned. "I managed to get us some drinks. Anybody want one?"

Cheers rang out and she handed out drinks to the takers. Her boyfriend backed her up with another six pack. For the next couple of hours, we lounged around in the water, talking, drinking, and having fun. Eventually, Johno—who had refrained from having any more beer—called it a night.

"I need to get going. If we kill that damn swan, Dillon will never forgive me."

"All you do is hand him surgical instruments," Angus needled. "Have one more, man. It doesn't matter if you're a little bit shaky."

Johno flipped him off. "He's actually been letting me do a lot more than that recently. Plus, I've been taking those classes. I can't disappoint him now. I've got to go."

He smacked his palm into a few hands and waved at the rest of us as he took off. One by one, the others started leaving the swimming hole to head home themselves.

"Shit," Elliora said when she checked her watch. "It's getting late. We'd better pack it in, babe."

Her boyfriend nodded, dragging a tipsy Angus home with them. Only a few minutes later, it was just Tag, Sophie, Slate, and me left.

"My truck is behind the pool hall," Tag said, turning to Sophie before he started backing out of the water. "I'm going to sleep in the back and head home to change in the morning. No way am I driving now."

"Wait for me," Sophie said. "My dad will kill me if I come home wet and reeking of beer."

"Is it really better if you just don't come home at all?" I asked, but she giggled as she lifted her shoulder in a shrug.

"As long as I'm with Tag, he thinks I'm safe," she said. "Have fun, guys. We'll see you later."

"See you." I gave her a quick hug, then waved at Tag as he pulled on his clothes.

Sophie tried drying herself off with his Mac jacket, jokingly complaining. "It's not even good as a towel. These things are useless. We need to get you more clothes, Taggert. Pretty, useful clothes that?—"

"These are useful," he objected, offering her his arm. They started down the path that led through the trees.

Once they were gone, I turned to Slate and stifled a yawn. "I guess we should get going as well."

Eyes on mine, he shook his head slowly from one side to the other. His fingers wrapped around mine under the water. "I've been waiting all night to have you all to myself. We're not leaving just yet."

He hauled me closer to him, wrapping an arm around my hips and brushing my wet hair off my face. "Unless you really are too tired."

"You know, I think I suddenly got a second wind." I locked my legs around his waist and combed my fingers through his hair.

Sliding a hand around the back of my neck, he brought my face closer to his and sealed his lips over mine, kissing me in a way that said we wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.