Page 20
Story: The Penalty Player
“I’m positive you would find someone. Have you heard from Stella?”
“No, but my dad has texted me relentlessly.”
“He must have some big balls to sleep with your girlfriend and still want you together,” I whisper.
“They’re smaller than mine.”
I smack his arm, and he quirks a brow with a lopsided grin. “Oww.”
How can a man be so full of himself but so dreamy at the same time? But I don’t have time because the girls are here. “That’s the biggest hat I’ve ever seen, Princess,” Logan says to Harper as he adjusts the brim. “You look like a supermodel.”
I want to be in love like them, like all the couples here. If Dennis and I were still married and he was here, he would be covered in zinc and wanting to stay inside at the resort.
When we arrive at The Cocky Turtle catamaran, we go through a ten-minute safety demonstration, pointing out the life vests and how to use them. Everyone chats as the guys load the coolers and help us onto the boat. It’s wide and fits up to forty people, so we have room to spread out since there’s only eighteen of us. But by tonight, there will be many more of the Stallions here.
The boat rises and falls like a fisherman’s bobber as we pull out from the dock. The morning sun shines directly overhead and as the captain increases the speed, all of us hold onto our hats. When the shoreline disappears from reality and looks as if we’re miles away, the sound of beer cans opening—psst—releasing the compressed air.
Dane and Reed pass them out and when they get to me, Dane hands it to me but jerks it back playfully. “Hair of the dog? Or no?”
“Hair please. But I’m only having a couple.”
The guys whoop and holler my name in praise. I lift the can to my mouth, and the beer bubbles are like tiny explosions over my tongue. It’s refreshing after drinking coconut water all morning.
Suddenly, the boat trolls to stop, and the hostess asks, “Does anyone want to swim? We often see giant turtles and the occasional dolphin in or near the cove.”
I’m the first one to yell, “Me!” I hop up. This is why I am here, to relieve my stress and start my life over as I want it, with a thrill.
The silver fox captain explains how far we can go and that wemust wear our flotation device. He reminds us that we don’t have to inflate them but shows us how once we’re wearing them.
I wouldn’t call myself a daredevil, but I do want to push myself to new experiences. I mean what could be more dangerous than doing a double flip in the air and having a man catch you? Breaking my neck is always a possibility, but the risk is worth it.
Emmaline screams, “Becca, I want to do a front flip into the water. What do I do?”
The girls line up on the platform. “In this case, you want to go out and travel past the edge of the platform. So jump, push off your toes, tuck your head into your chin.”
It’s much easier to explain to cheerleaders, gymnasts, swimmers, or divers. Emmaline goes first and only rotates halfway around, getting a back buster. But still, she squeals in delight as Bryce swims toward her. “Amazing.”
As I instruct each of them, they all attempt a front flip. Presley, Lettie, and Brooke complete the flip, but Oakley doesn’t tuck at all and ends up belly flopping.
Now it’s my turn and instead of doing a front flip, I do a back flip with half twist into the water. When I emerge from the ocean water, my friends are yelling. Harper is only a few feet away, and she swims toward me. “Looks like someone is still smitten with you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. The Godfather can’t take his eyes off you. His shades can’t hide the direction he’s looking.” She lets that sink in before she adds, “I don’t like to be judgmental, but I’m so glad Stella left. Are you?”
I tilt my head, considering her question. “Whatever makes him happy.”
“Hmm. I remember when we had parties, two people would always go missing.” She waves her arms in big circles, then taps her chin like she’s thinking. “Who were the two people?”
“Umm, you and Logan, depending whether you were on or off. But both of you were missing a lot,” I stress.
“Can you blame me? Logan’s super hot. Even now, he does everything he can to relieve my stress.” She wiggles her eyebrows in quick succession. “I don’t know what happened between you and John in college. Back then, I stayed out of other people’s business since I had my own struggles. But if you like him as more than a friend, give it a shot.”
“I don’t want to be a rebound girl.”
Dane and Lettie overhear, and Lettie says, “Rebound? Stella was his rebound. He wanted you, and you couldn’t handle it.”
I ignore them, swim to Corbin, and get on his back like I used to when we were kids. He wades over to Oakley and John, who are deep in conversation. Oakley is probably quizzing him on what happened last night.
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