15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

ANNIE

“I’m so glad the sun’s out again. It feels great. Doesn’t it feel great?” Emma sighed the next day from the lifeguard chair beside mine, but she was way too excited for what I was up for.

“Yep, nothing like a warm sunny day,” I said through a yawn, appeasing her as I shifted in my chair. Needing to stay alert. I blinked, my brow pulling up as I worked to keep my eyes open. But I was exhausted.

Izzy and I had stayed up talking for a couple of hours last night, and while it had felt great at the time, it had been equally torturous dragging myself out of bed this morning.

Combine that with Jet showing up angry with me an hour into my shift and it was turning out to be a great morning. Freaking Izzy spilling the beans. Jet felt bad enough not being there for me without having to know how severe my nightmares were now. I hadn’t told him for a reason, knowing there wasn’t really anything he could do .

I glanced over to where Jet was playing a game of volleyball with Nic and the guys and couldn’t help but drag my eyes along his sweaty, shirtless chest.

“I think you mean, nothing like a hot boyfriend view.” Emma bumped my arm with her elbow, and the grin I could hear in her voice drew a small one from me.

I gave a tiny shrug. “Maybe.”

Jet ran to the edge of the court to serve with the start of their next play and glanced up at me, those blue eyes harsh and stern for a moment before looking away. I sighed. Apparently, this whole nightmare thing was turning into a fight.

Scanning the water for a bit, I looked back over at Jet, my eyes drawn to him like a magnet even if he was pissed. Maybe especially since he was. He still didn’t wave when he saw me, but someone else on his team did.

I looked over my shoulder, confused, and my eyes widened when I saw Emma waving back. “Okay, spill,” I demanded.

“What?”

“Um, just that Ian looks like the Cheshire cat over there, and you’re blushing.”

Emma tried to hold back a smile and then beamed. “He asked me out last night.”

“But you just broke up with Mateo.”

“So? Mateo was a mistake. Ian and I went to Homecoming together last fall. I should have given him a chance back then.”

I put my hands up when she snapped. “Okay. Just saying.” But I still think it’s weird.

Like she could sense my unspoken comment, Emma sighed. “You just don’t get it, Annie. You’ve always been with Jet. Y’all are solid. Moving on from Mateo’s not the same. But, hey.” She immediately perked up. “Let’s talk about something exciting. I can’t believe Izzy and Tucker are getting married. That ring he gave her is so gorgeous. I bet he was freaking excited when she finally said yes.”

“He’s definitely all in. Did I tell you that he sent her flowers again?”

“Really?”

“Yep. A dozen red roses. I ran into the delivery guy when I was leaving this morning and put them on the table for her.”

“Didn’t he just send her some yellow and red ones the other day? Saying he was sorry or something?”

“Yeah, he’d gotten frustrated about something she asked him to do with his cousin. It turned out fine, but I guess he felt bad about it.”

And Micah was apparently back in our lives now because of it.

Let the hits keep coming.

“Wow.” Emma tilted her head back with a wistful sigh. “And to think, a year ago Tucker was still flirting and fooling around with every girl that crossed his path. Gives me a little hope for the boys the rest of us have to deal with. Except you. You’ve got Jet. Lucky bitch.” She grinned and winked, and even though I knew she was teasing, my stomach sank, thinking about our fight. I was getting sick of them. It just wasn’t normal for Jet and I to fight, and I was honestly starting to get worried. I needed my rock, but lately, it felt more like gravel when I leaned on him.

“Got any sunscreen?” Emma rubbed her hands across her thighs. “I think I might have put mine on a little thin today, and I still have another few hours to go out here. I hate getting stuck with the long shift.”

“That doesn’t bother me as much as getting the early morning shift. I can thank Zane for that since he pulled that shit on Izzy. But, at least, he was forced to quit. Could you imagine having to work with him here?” I reached for Jet’s bag I’d swiped again the other day to dig for the sunscreen, my hand swiping through air over the back of the chair. “Damn, no, I forgot Jet took his duffel when he got here. He said he’d get it back to me after their game.” One of the few things he’d said to me when he’d shown up mad earlier.

“Bummer. You really should get your own bag, Annie.”

“I have one, but I love Jet’s. It smells like him.” I was dying to smell him now. Couldn’t we just skip the fight and go straight to making up? Maybe rewind to before Nic was around hogging his time and he was blind to Ruby?

Which shouldn’t matter. He’d sworn he only had eyes for me. I felt it when he was close, but we were close so little lately, and when he wouldn’t shut her down…

I shook my head, trying to clear it from the overwhelming stress and doubts. So much sitting on my chest lately.

At least, I was getting Izzy back.

Emma gave me a funny look, and I finally realized how long I’d been lost in my thoughts. Or maybe she’d just finally caught onto my mood. “Sorry about the sunscreen.”

That bought me another weird look. “Well, maybe Tucker will have some when he gets here.” She looked back out at the packed sand where he’d stopped to talk to the guys. “I hope he hurries. I’m frying.”

TUCKER

I’d just finished saying hi to the guys on my way to take over for Annie when a group of girls approached, officially distracting all of my friends with their bikinis and spaghetti straps.

“Water break!” Kyle yelled and jogged over to a couple of blondes.

Taking that as my cue to head off to work, I heard Jet call out, “Hey, Tucker! Wait up!” I turned, and he tossed me his black duffel bag.

“Can you give that to Annie for me? I told her I’d bring it over to her, but the game ran long, and I’ve got to go to work.”

“Sure, but you don’t want to just give it to her yourself? I’m about to take over for her.”

“No, I don’t want to be late.”

He took off for his car, and I frowned, wondering if I should read more into that as I headed over to the girls. “Hey, Annie. Here’s your bag.” I tossed it up to her for a perfect catch, and she quickly dug through it, yanking the zipper shut before hanging it off the back of the chair.

“Here.” She tossed a tube of sunscreen to Emma. “I thought Jet was gonna bring it to me when he was done with the game?”

I shrugged. “Said it ran long and he was gonna be late for work.”

Annie’s face fell. “Oh. I was hoping to talk to him.”

I frowned again, knowing for sure something was up with them this time. “Y’all okay? ”

“Yeah. We will be, at least.” But I could see the doubt in her eyes.

“Y’all will. Why don’t you head over to the shop? You know Stef will let you talk to him if they’re not busy.”

Annie pressed her lips together, considering. “Maybe. Yeah. Thanks, Tucker.”

She hurried down from the chair, and I climbed up, my eyes going to Emma as she spread the sunscreen down her legs.

“Oh, thank God,” she murmured. “I was beginning to feel like Izzy. Y’all better not be planning to get married on the beach, Tucker. In July . Izzy will burn so bad you’ll have to kiss your honeymoon goodbye.”

That was definitely something to consider. I pulled my arm back in a stretch above my head and ran my hand through my hair. “We hadn’t really discussed it yet. We’re just trying to get through graduation and her audition first, and then we’ll start on the wedding.”

Emma nodded and settled further into her chair, scrunching her nose as she looked out towards where the sun hit the water. “That makes sense. How’s she feeling about her audition?”

“Stressed but good. She’s just worried since she regressed after the accident, but she’s been working her ass off ever since she got cleared by the doctor. Leo’s been trying to reassure her that she’s ready, but I know she doubts herself.”

“She’s gotta be a shoo-in. You know how good she is.”

I nodded. “It’s like a sports scholarship, though. You might be great, but it’s not going to guarantee you a spot. Can I use that?” I gestured to the sunscreen by her side, realizing I forgot to put mine on .

“Have at it.” She handed me the tube, and I quickly rubbed in a coat, tossing it into the open bag Annie had left behind as we shifted our focus back on the crowd.

“Hey, Tucker…” Emma hedged a while later.

“Huh?” I kept my eyes on the water. It was choppy today from all the rain this past week, and I didn’t want to miss anything.

“Ummm… I hate to ask. I know you hate it when I do this…” She fidgeted in her seat, and I immediately knew.

“You need to go to the bathroom. Right?”

“Please?”

“I swear, Emma. I think you must have the smallest bladder of anyone over the age of five. Don’t you go before you get here?”

“Yes! But you know we have to drink water out in this heat. I can’t help it. Please , say you’ll cover things for a few minutes.” She squirmed in her seat again, and I shook my head.

“Fine. Go, but you better hurry back. Shit always goes down when you’re gone.”

“Not always but thanks.” She scrambled down from the chair and took off down the beach at blazing speed for someone with such short legs.

I glanced around, hyper-focused now that it was just me watching this section of the shore. The minutes ticked by, and the crowd grew a little thinner as the heat of the day approached, people heading back to homes, hotels, and the shade of their umbrellas.

Eventually, I relaxed some in my seat when I saw Emma heading back, but when several more minutes passed and I was still up here alone, I glanced around to see where she was .

Oh, fuck me. Of course. Why not stop and talk to your new boyfriend when I’m covering for both of us?

I was so going to give her shit when she got back. Making a mental note, I turned my attention back to the ocean just in time to see a Jet Ski and a windsurfer almost collide.

I shot up straight, instantly on high alert, and watched as the windsurfer angled away just in time. But the Jet Ski over-corrected when the driver swerved, and it took a harsh jerk in the choppy water, the girl riding it thrown forward over the front. Her legs slammed into the handles, forcing her to fling face-first against the hood of the Jet Ski before tumbling into the water.

I didn’t even wait to see if she resurfaced. Grabbing the rescue buoy from the back of the chair, I raced across the sand, thrusting my legs through the shallow water until I could launch myself into a full-powered swim.

The girl still hadn’t resurfaced, and I knew with the way she’d hit her legs, they were probably numb and keeping her from coming up. And that was if she hadn’t been knocked out when she hit her head.

The thought made me push through the choppy water faster, hoping I made it to her in time as I sliced through the irritated ocean. My one relief that she hadn’t been that far out.

When I reached the vacant Jet Ski, I looked around, still not seeing a sign of her, but now I was even more confused as I spotted the windsurf board floating stranded just a few feet away.

Shit. I dove below the surface, now wondering if I’d missed something and needed to look for two people .

The saltwater stung my eyes as I kicked downward, twisting around to look in all directions, and it only took a few seconds to find the missing windsurfer already swimming back up a few feet away. As soon as he saw me, he pointed down to the right, and I jerked my head in thanks as I kicked harder into the deeper water.

Just a few more strokes and I could see the girl’s faint form ahead, already noting that she wasn’t struggling. I hurried to reach her, and taking one last, strong stroke, I wrapped an arm around her, a sliver of relief hitting me when she moved her arms enough to try to hold on.

I adjusted now that she was moving, sliding my arms under hers and flipping her over with the buoy between us, and she scrambled to cling to me, grasping at my neck and shoulders like a spark had ignited in her now that she knew someone was with her.

Adjusting her again, I started kicking upward, my eyes burning from the saltwater even worse than my lungs were starting to from lack of air. But if my lungs burned, then the girl’s had to be on fire. Or already filling with water . I kicked faster.

The trip up felt longer than the way down, and I burst through the water’s choppy surface, greedily sucking in air. The girl began choking up water and gasping, her body ridding herself of the saltwater.

I took a quick glance around to see if Emma was coming to help, only to discover her busy on the shore with the first aid kit and what looked like a possible stingray incident.

Of course. I told her shit always goes down.

“I need to get you back to the shore to look over you,” I explained as I swam us over to the Jet Ski. “I know you’re probably in shock right now, but I need to know if you think you lost consciousness at all, even for a few seconds.”

Her head started to dip down before she answered, and I hollered, “Come on. Stay with me. I need to know about your injuries, so I know how to help. Did you lose consciousness? Other than a few seconds ago?”

“Um. No, I don’t think so,” she croaked, her voice sounding like an eighty-year-old chain smoker. “My head’s pounding…” She paused to suck in a breath. “My lungs…and throat…burn…and I couldn’t…feel my legs.”

“How about now? Can you feel them at all now?”

“Some. They hurt.”

Good. That was a good sign. Better than if they were still numb. I’d still need to take a look, though. We reached the Jet Ski then, and I hoisted her up before positioning myself behind her. The girl coughed and groaned, leaning back against me as I slid an arm around her to keep her steady, her body already swaying. Something about her seemed familiar, but her face was hidden behind a curtain of plastered wet strands, making it hard to tell.

“Your lungs and throat burn from the salt,” I explained in her ear as I drove us to the shore. “When we get in, I’m going to check you over, and I’ll be calling a paramedic team out, so they will probably want to take you to the hospital for a more thorough check.”

She shook her head. “I trust you.”

“It’s policy that I call it in. Especially since you hit your head. I can see surface injuries, but the ER will be able to tell you a lot more. ”

I killed the engine when we reached the shore and quickly scooped her up to carry her in, careful with her legs, and she reached around my neck before resting her head against my shoulder, her soaked strawberry strands cold against my skin.

“Thank you for saving me, Tucker. I knew you would. I knew you had to care,” she whispered with that gravel voice in my ear.

What the hell? What kind of comment is that?

I looked down just as Lisa brushed the wet mess of hair from her face, giving me a weak smile. Before I could react, before I could process what was happening or my expression could even wear my shock, Lisa pulled my head down and kissed me.

It took me a second to react through the shock, but then I tore my lips from hers as she tried to deepen the kiss.

“What the fuck, Lisa?!” I barked, beyond pissed and tempted to throw her ass back out in the water.

She ran a weak hand through the back of my hair, like she couldn’t process how ticked off I was. Hell, maybe she couldn’t if she had a concussion. She smiled up at me. “I knew you still cared. I just had to find a way to prove it and make you see it.”

“You made yourself have an accident?!” My voice boomed around us, drawing more attention, and I clenched my teeth together, feeling my jaw start to tick. Of all of the dumbass things she could have done…

Lisa frowned. “Yes, but just so you could see that I was still important to you…” Her expression made a slow shift, her eyes wide and dilated, confirming my thoughts on a concussion. “You’re mad. ”

“No shit! How’d you guess?”

“You’re tense. Your muscles are so tight,” she rasped as her hands began running along my upper back.

“Stop that,” I growled, storming over to the chairs I was stationed at with Emma. “And don’t say a damn thing until I’m done checking you out.” Fuck if it wasn’t still my job to make sure she was okay. This had to be the worst shit she’d ever pulled.

“But–”

I looked her dead in the eye and gave her a glare I felt could’ve put Bridgette’s to shame. “I mean it. No talking. For either of us. You don’t wanna know what I’d say. Trust me.”

“Tucker.” Hurt and panic mixed in her expression, but I ignored it, setting her down on the sand before going to radio in the accident. I grabbed the second first aid kit and knelt by her side, still refusing to look at her face. She’d done this to herself, so like fuck she was going to get my pity. I was so done with her. Completely fucking done.