“He’s an idiot. They both are. I, mean, I love him, but my brother’s an idiot if he thinks that any of them are right for him.”
A reluctant smile rose to my lips as I pulled my sunglasses down the tip of my nose until I could see Desiree without any hindrance. “Why would you say that? Don’t you want him to be happy?”
Desiree chuckled darkly and my brows drew together. I didn’t understand what her laugh meant.
She dropped into the chair next to mine and pulled her bathing suit cover-up over her head to reveal a blue bikini. I smiled at her confidence as she sat up, grabbed some sunscreen, and began to apply it all over her chest and arms without a care in the world.
“I really like your suit, Desiree. That color of blue is really nice.” I liked Desiree even though we didn’t know each other well.
“Thanks.” She smiled at me while she poured more sunscreen onto her belly and began to apply it. “I really like yours as well. It’s nice to see you in something a little more revealing. I imagine the eyes on the boys must have popped out when you revealed it.”
“Well, I’m not sure about that…” I began but trailed off, not knowing how to explain what happened.
A high pitched, flirtatious giggle drew our attention to the pool.
“See, idiots. Both of them don’t realize that they need someone who loves hockey as much or more than they do.” I felt her eyes bore into me as I gripped the edges of the towel I lay on. “They need someone like… well, like you.”
My mouth popped open as I glanced at Desiree out of the corner of my eye. There was no way she could know I liked them. Not like that. But she only grinned. “Like me?” I protested. “I don’t, I couldn’t…”
“You do and you should. You’re far better for them than they deserve, but I love my brother and want the best for him.” She pushed her sunglasses on to her face and stretched out on the lounger. A satisfied smirk on her face.
I didn’t know what to say. Would denying it make her realize how much I wished her statement was true? Or should I just give in and admit my secret crush on her brother and his best friend? Choices, choices, and I didn’t know what to do.
Her soft chuckle told me my hesitation was a choice which confirmed her suspicions. My skin flushed in embarrassment.
“Kitkat, you should probably flip over onto your stomach, now.”
I groaned when I heard a nasally voice call out, telling everyone how sweet it was of Ryan to take of his little sister. My skin flushed even further when I didn’t hear any denials. It reminded me why it was prudent to keep my ill-fated crushes to myself. Nothing would ever come of them.
Rolling over, I lifted the bottle of sunscreen and realized my predicament. I’d reapplied some earlier on my front, but without help, I couldn’t get any on my back. Kris had applied it earlier, but that was before the crowd of girls flocked to them. I looked over to Desiree, but she’d flipped onto her stomach and was busy talking to her friends.
Recognizing my plight, one of the guys from earlier, hopped onto the pool deck. “Let me help you with that. You look hot.”
I smiled, but didn’t know what to say. Outside of Kris, Ryan, and Ryan’s brothers, guys did not just walk up and talk to me. Nor did they state something that could be misconstrued like saying I was hot. I mean, of course I was hot, everyone at the pool was hot with the temperatures as high as they were.
Unable to watch the teenage boy walk toward me, I held out the bottle with my gaze firmly fixed on the pool deck before me. The sound of two hands slapping the pavement drew my eyes to the edge of the pool.
“Actually, John, I’ve got this.” Ryan hoisted himself out of the water, turning my brain to mush as the water droplets raced down and over his muscular chest. It wasn’t my first time seeing it, but each time I responded the same way. I couldn’t breath and my skin became tight all over my body. If I didn’t look away, I knew my body would flush red. In clothes it wasn’t a problem, but in a bikini… I couldn’t handle the humiliation.
Ryan snagged the sunscreen from my fingers. “Lie down, KitKat.”
I complied, and he took a seat beside me on the lounger. My heart was in my throat. I couldn’t believe he was doing this in front of everyone. I watched other boys put sunscreen on their girlfriends, but usually the single girls put it on each other unless one of the boys liked the girl. When Kris did it earlier, we’d just arrived and there weren’t very many people at the pool yet. But to have Ryan volunteer… with all the people around… my heart couldn’t help the sliver of hope that grew.
“Thanks Ryan,” I whispered.
“Not a problem. I wasn’t about to let a horny teenage boy put his hands all over you.”
And with that my heart cracked once again. When would I ever learn?
Chapter Four
Stepping through the front door of the Scotts’ house, I smoothed my palms on the soft cotton of my brand new sundress. Like my bikini, it was a little out of my comfort zone, but I’d been convinced to allow Aunt Susan to purchase them along with a few others on our impromptu girls’ day. She’d told me—backed up by Momma Julianna—that since I was now sixteen, I needed to dress a little more my age—but with class.
The black dress with red flowers on it was held up by spaghetti straps, and the neckline dropped into a V around a gold circle medallion between my breasts. The material then split to reveal a triangle patch of skin between the medallion and the waistband of the dress. The bottom of the dress flowed around me freely to my feet. A long slit emerged with each step, but thankfully, although the slit went to my waist, the skirt was a faux wrap around so that it wouldn’t reveal too much.
The house was silent as I walked through it, surprising me. Julianna had told me to come in through the front door instead of using the garden gate between the two properties. With each step drawing me closer to the kitchen and patio doors, my heart rate increased. What had they planned?
I slid open the patio as my heart beat frantically. I could hear their voices and the sound of the patio table being set. Breathing a sigh of relief, I stepped through the doors.
“Eeeeeiiiiiii.”
Two strong arms wrapped themselves around me, lifting me from the deck, and swung me around. “It’s so good to see you again, little sis.” The person placed a kiss on my head, gave me another squeeze, and then placed me back on my feet. Continuing to hold both my hands, he stepped back. His practiced eyes slid up and down my body, bringing a flush to my cheeks. “Looking good, Kayla.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “All grown up at sixteen. That means you’re not jailbait anymore.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that erupted from my chest. As if. Like I’d ever been considered jailbait. I shook my head as my grin threatened to split my face. “Brad. I didn’t think I’d get to see you this summer.”
He let go of my hands before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and leading me over to the outdoor seating area where Kris and Ryan sat with grim looks on their faces. “When I heard when you were leaving early this year, I knew I needed to come home earlier. I couldn’t go more than a year without seeing my Kayla.”
He sat me down on the loveseat and then sat next to me as both Kris and Ryan shifted. Brad chuckled softly beside me, and I realized that I was missing something. Something big and important from the sounds of it. My eyes darted between them, but I couldn’t figure it out.
“I think I’m going to push your father this year to allow you to come to one of my Colorado games against Toronto. He can’t turn down free tickets. Besides, it’s not fair that you’ve been able to watch these two knuckleheads live while I’m relegated to the TV.”
The idea of going to a professional hockey game excited me. But I knew better than to get my hopes up. Even though Brad was Ryan’s older brother, there was no way my stepmonster would allow me to go watch his Colorado professional hockey team play against Toronto. I didn’t even believe that my father would stand up for me. Not after catching Ryan so close to me on the bed.
>
Brad kept his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side, resulting in the split in my dress opening up wide to my upper thigh. The eyes on both Kris and Ryan nearly popped out of their heads, but I didn’t stop to analyze it. I was too busy scrambling to try to pull the slit closed. Brad’s chest rumbled with laughter against my side.
Kill me now! I could feel the redness rise as the slit refused to stay closed.
“Kayla.” A tall gangly youth stood between the loveseat and the couch. His red hair identified him as the third Scotts son. He held out his hand like a gentleman, but I remembered him playing in the mud and pulling on the hair of the girls around him. “It’s so nice to see you again. I can’t believe it’s been a year.”
“I can.” I stood up, allowing Brad’s arm to slide down my back, which brought funny sounds from Kris and Ryan while Brad chuckled. Even Michael, the youngest of the Scotts boys smirked. I really am missing something.
Ignoring them all, I stood in front of Michael and looked up, and up, and up. It was hard to believe the kid standing in front of me was still only fourteen, although his fifteenth birthday wasn’t far off. Wrapping my arms around him, I gave him a hug. “It’s nice to see you, too, Michael.”
A blush rose to his cheeks when I pulled his head down to kiss his cheek.
“Hey, how come he gets a kiss and I didn’t?” I looked over my shoulder to see Brad pouting.
“It could have been your comment about her no longer being jailbait,” muttered Ryan, drawing another one of those weird laughs from his brothers. Still not understanding, I stood there with a slight stain on my cheeks while happiness filled my soul. This was my happy place.
Julianna called out that supper was ready, breaking the silence. Kris stood and held out his hand to me. “Come on, KK. Let’s leave the brothers to their juvenile squabbles. “The smile and twinkle in his eyes met mine, and I understood what he meant despite the serious sounding tone. He envied them as much as I did.
Supper was a lively event. With all the boys home for the first time since the previous summer, Brad from his home in Colorado, and Michael from another hockey training camp, it was also a boisterous affair. Each one of them shared the latest gossip and news from within the hockey world. But as boys do, the discussions disintegrated into smack talk.
“I was so excited when you were drafted by Ottawa, Kris. But also a little sad that you weren’t coming out west.” Brad fist bumped Kris across the table.
“Why did you want him in the west?” Julianna lifted the plate containing a few extra steaks and offered them to the boys.
Brad shook his head no at the extra steak having already eaten two and a half pieces. “Well, Mom. If Kris were on a Western team, I’d be playing up to eight games against him instead of only two or three. That would be a lot of opportunities to acquaint him with the boards.”
Ryan and Michael chuckled. Even Mr. Scotts smiled at Brad’s trash talk.
“Bradley Dillion Scotts,” Julianna began, but Kris waved her off.
“Brad, you’d have to catch me first. Besides, you don’t want to face me that many times in the season. I’d ruin your plus-minus average with all the goals I’ll score picking the puck off your stick.”
The entire table laughed at Kris’s reply.
Ryan joined in on their joking, but I could sense his envy and sadness at being all alone the following year. He wouldn’t even have Michael around when he came home for visits.
Michael, who was still too young for the junior draft, and despite all his joking about being a genius, truly was one. A well known private school with an incredible hockey team at the high school level had recruited him the previous summer and offered him a scholarship covering the entire cost. After a lot of family discussions, they’d decided to allow Michael to accept and he’d spent the previous year in the US.
Sitting between Ryan and Kris at the table, I placed my hand on his thigh and gave it a light squeeze in comfort and solidarity. I knew what being alone felt like, and I didn’t wish it on him. My hand meant to land on his shorts, but instead landed on the warm skin of his thigh, sending tingles throughout me.
I tried to move my hand, worried he would think I was like the girls at the pool, but as my hand started to lift off, his hand slammed down on mine. His fingers snaked themselves through mine, curling them into a fist that rested on his bare skin. The light reddish gold legs hairs on his thighs stood on end as my breath hitched and my heart stuttered. This wasn’t how an older brother would act, was it?
My butt shifted in my seat as I tried to understand this new development. What I really needed was a close female friend who could help me understand these mixed signals and explain to me all the pieces I missed. But I didn’t have a friend like that. If I did, maybe I would have already understood things.
A warm thumb rubbed the bare skin above the dress line on my back. The touch instantly soothing the myriad of emotions running through me. “Everything okay, KK?”
Goosebumps rose on my skin as Kris’s breath swept across my bare shoulder and neck. Unable to speak or to even open my mouth from fear of what might emerge, I nodded. How could I not be? Both of my crushes, the ones who thought of me as a little sister, were touching me in ways that didn’t feel little sister-ish. To top it off, they were doing it at the same time.
As Julianna cleared the supper plates in preparation for dessert, I offered to help, but was turned down. The boys continued to hold my hand and stroke my back as talk of hockey resumed. But I sat quietly, unable to pull my thoughts together long enough to make a comment.
I could feel the eyes of both Kris and Ryan occasionally glance down at me, probably wondering at the reason for my lack of participation, but I just couldn’t. If I opened my mouth, it wouldn’t be about hockey. Instead, it would be questions about why they were tormenting me this way. Did they know about my crush? Did they have a bet to see who could make me crack first?
I shoveled my piece of Julianna’s famed strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream into my mouth, using it as a way to keep from having to speak. I wouldn’t crack. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they affected me.
By the time supper finished and we’d watched a movie on their outdoor screen, night had truly fallen. Both the moon and the stars had risen high into the night sky.
Julianna brushed her hands together as if she was wiping crumbs from them as she stood up from the loveseat where she’d sat with her husband, David. “Thanks for the movie, guys. I’ve missed having all my boys home.” She walked around the coffee table, pausing to place a kiss on the forehead or temple of each of her boys, including Kris. “But before bed, I need the boys to help with the cleanup.”
As Kris stood with the rest of them, Brad motioned for him to sit back down. “As my way of welcoming you into the ranks of professional hockey players, I’ll do your clean up tonight. Besides, I wouldn’t want to leave Kayla out here all alone. Not the way she looks tonight. Who knows, someone might just try to break in and sweep her off her feet.”
Everyone chuckled, and Brad winked at me, setting off the fire in my cheeks.
“He’s right, Kayla.” Julianna smoothed my hair back from my face. “You really do look lovely tonight. I told you earlier in the summer, but I’ll tell you again. You’ve grown up into a beautiful young lady.”
My heart nearly burst out of me at her praise. Having a mother be proud of me was something I missed. Actually, having any of my parents telling me that they were proud or even just praising me for something would have gone a long way with my self esteem. So having Julianna’s praise meant the world to me.
“Thank you,” I whispered, trying to infuse my voice with all my feelings for her.
She bent and placed a tender kiss on my forehead. “Anytime, sweet girl. You are the daughter I didn’t give birth to.”
Biting my lip, I tried to push back the tears that threatened to fall, but one of them escaped, leaving a single trail down my che
ek. Thankfully, with all the movement of the males and the darkness of the sky, it went unnoticed.
Chapter Five
As the patio door closed on the last of the Scotts, Kris stood and held out his hand to me. “Walk with me to Julianna’s quiet place?”
Placing my hand in his much larger one, I stood. “Of course. It’s always so pretty at night.”
“It is.” His eyes traveled the length of my body as his fingers entwined with mine. Once again, I was left with the feeling that he was talking about something different. Something I didn’t understand.
We meandered along the lighted garden path as it wound its way deeper into their property. As a present for his mother after he signed his first professional hockey contract, Brad created this hideaway for Julianna. For as long as I’d known her, she talked about having her own secret garden with a pond and waterfall. A place where she could go and get away from the craziness of a house full of boys.
By the time it had been built, almost none of the boys spent much time at home, but she’d loved it all the same. She told them, that instead of using it to hideaway from them, she went there to think of them, to be close to them when they all lived so far away from home. Each portion of the garden represented a different boy, including Kris, as each of them had helped with the work and design.
As we stepped under the archway covered with a flowering vine, a cloud moved away from the moon, allowing its brilliant light to shine down on the pond. I gasped at the beauty of it. It was its own private oasis. The sound of the small waterfall hid what little traffic noise there was.
Kris led me over to the covered swinging couch and took a seat, pulling me down beside him. We swung in silence with his arm wrapped around my shoulder.
I licked my lips and then bit the bottom one as the silence lengthened between us. A strange stillness hung over the moonlight garden, and I wondered if the universe knew something that I didn’t.
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