Page 79 of The Renter

“I am! I will be out of here soon.”

63

Saturday, July 23rd

“Jump on the front,” Dani says, slowly approaching the pier. Commanding the boat by herself, I smile at how capable she is. She expertly approaches the pier, and as I step onto the front of the boat with my arms full of snacks and drinks, she gently puts it in reverse.

“Very smooth,” I praise, kissing her, happy to see her after a couple of days. I sit across from her captain’s chair and open a bottle of wine. The boat is small and old but well kept up.

“It will take, like, two hours to slowly cruise around the entire lake,” Dani says, looking gorgeous in oversized sunglasses, a strapless hot pink bikini top and bottom with a netted tan cover-up dress over the top.

“You know how to go slow?” I tease.

“Ha!” she mocks. I’ve missed her sass. I hand her a glass of wine, in the same cups she borrowed the day we met. She smiles, also realizing.

“Cheers.” She taps her cup with mine and takes a sip. “I missed you.”

I smile, hearing her say that. “I missed you too.” She bites her lip. “What?” I flirt.

“Very hot casual vibes,” she says, checking out my outfit. “I might steal those Oliver Peoples sunglasses from you.”

I pull the sunglasses off my face, looking at the brand.Dani knows her brands.“Nikola.” I shrug. “These are my favorite right now, so tell her to get you your own pair.” She giggles. “Seriously. If you want them, have her get them.” Relaxing into my seat, I take a sip of the wine. “The grocery store carries a really nice wine selection.”

“Yeah, the stores all change their inventory in the summer to appeal to the FIBs.” I cock my brow, never hearing this expression before, and she says, “Fucking Illinois Bastards.”

“That’s funny.”

We start our tour of Geneva Lake going along the south shore. “What do you think of these houses?” I ask.

“I think it’s sad that they only get used a few weeks a year.”

I nod, considering how my friends with lakefront homes only use them a couple weeks each summer.

“That’s the governor’s house,” she says, pointing.

“Yeah, I’ve been there a few times.”

“Really?” she asks, her tone going high.

“Especially when he was fundraising.” I wink and hand her a bag of popcorn.

“I can’t believe you haven’t been on the lake yet this summer.”

“I’ve been distracted.”

“Good thing your distraction comes with a boat.”

I smile, loving how witty she is. “So, your parents let you take it when you want?”

“My dad launches it. Otherwise, yeah.”

“That’s nice.” It’s nice that her parents are so caring and still around.

“I love being on the water.”

“My water bug.” I look at the homes along the lake and then ask, “The last couple days … You weren’t working too hard, were you?”

“Wereyou?” she asks in her cute, sassy tone.