Page 40 of The Summer of Christmas

Drew was furious before he hit the water. He was already screaming back, “I can’t believe you did that!” But Ivy didn’t hear him. She jumped in with a squeal of joy and her signature cannonball. She swam toward Drew, who was paddling to get out of the water. Which he did.

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t believe you did that,” Drew said again. He stomped away. Ivy didn’t bother telling him he was going in the wrong direction.

***

“You pushed Drew off the rocks into the swimming hole? Why?” Carol wondered.

“I don’t know. I asked Drew to come home for Christmas, and he said no. Then he was teasing me about Nick. So I pushed him. I used to push Nick all the time when he teased me.”

“I think the pushing is a sign of something deeper.” Carol was already into analyst mode. Ivy was becoming more and more intrigued by her sister’s statements. “You are establishing competitive measure markers using data metrics so you can make an emotionally sound decision.” Ivy looked confused. Carol explained: “Nick and Drew. You set up these scenarios where they have to perform a task and you score who does better.”

“I can buy that. What I don’t get is your saying ‘emotional decision’. There is no emotional decision. I am with Drew now. I just wanted him to go swimming with me.”

“Like you used to with Nick.”

“Nick loves the lake. He always talked about building us a lake house and getting a boat.”

“Well,” Carol said, “he got the boat.”

“Nick bought a boat?”

***

Not just a boat. A 2018 Bayliner VR5, stern drive motor (not outboard) to be specific. Nick was on it that moment. He did love the water. His boat gave him the freedom to decompress, a chance to escape. It seemed the one thing he could not escape was Amari. And maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Amari was driving his boat, running it at full throttle. She wore a bikini, or what passed for one. She was waving to everyone on the lake. Slowing down to let them take pictures of her. But she didn’t slow down in theSlow Downzone. The police boat, aka the navigation team staffed by the sheriff’s office, pulled up alongside them.

“Damn,” Nick said. “I’m going to get ticketed.”

“You’re not getting anything. Except maybe me,” Amari teased. He blushed. “Let me handle the police,” she added.

The police boarded his boat. Nick watched as Amari sauntered over in her skimpy bikini, exchanged a few pleasantries and a few laughs with the police.

“Nick, can you take a picture of me with our boys in blue?” The two policemen handed Nick their cell phones. He juggled them as Amari posed and played it up for the police. They were about to leave when she asked the police to take a picture of her and Nick. Amari got Nick to take off his shirt. She put her hand on his chest. Kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, boys,” Amari said. The police motored away.

Nick had never seen anyone get out of a ticket. “That was impressive.”

“My boobs did most of the work.”

“They’re pretty impressive too.”

“Oh, Nicky, are you flirting with me?” He didn’t answer. Was he? Amari held the phone up in the air. “No cell signal. I’ll post these cute pics of us later.”

“You’re going to post the pictures. Of us. Wouldn’t everyone see them?”

“You mean Ivy. Time to tell me the truth. I want the whole story about you and Ivy. For the movie.”

“You mean like research?”

“I got you out of a ticket.”

“You were the one speeding.”

“I like to go fast. So do tell.”

And he did. As they drove around the lake, Nick told his side of the story. His memories of falling in love with Ivy. He talked about how their coastal separation had broken them up and how long-distance relationships didn’t work. He also opened up about his hopes and dreams. And he told Amari about the lake house he was building. They boated past the house.

“That’s it?” Amari reacted to the half-built house on the lake. “That’s your dream house?”