Delilah begins pulling a little harder on my hand as my steps slow so I can take in the pine covered mountains, and the bluest sky I’ve ever seen.
Damn.
It could be a few minutes, or ten, before we finally reach the water. I was so distracted by the scenery that I didn’t really pay attention to how long it took. I look out over the “pond” in question, and scoff.
“So… this is a lake,” I say.
“It’s apond,” Wes replies, voice dripping with condescension.
I scrunch my nose, and whip my head to him. “But it’s huge,” I reply.
That’s what she said.
Don’t say it.
Damn it, but I have to.
“It’s a pond,” he says matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument.
Oh thank god, I absolutely was going to say it.
I shrug and look out over the dark blue water, ignoring his terse tone. Sophie said he could be grumpy, so I’m not going to let it bother me.
Trees and large rocks covered in moss surround the shore, and I realize what a great place this would be to lay out come summer. It’s just around the corner, and I can definitely see Sophie and I day-drinking out here.
Delilah’s sweaty little hand slips from mine and grabs a stone from the shore.
“Watch this Iby,” she grunts.
Feet separated, she cranks her arm back and winds her entire body up like she’s about to launch the rock to the moon. Her body releases, and she whips her arms through the air so hard, I expect it to sail out of her hand and make it halfway across thepond, except shereleases too late, and it lands only a couple feet from her shoes, just barely making it into the water.
I slap a hand over my mouth to stop my outburst of laughter.
“Ugh!” Delilah practically growls, sounding eerily similar to her father.
I glance over to said man, and swear I could see a twitch of his lips, but it’s quickly covered with another cold expression when he catches my eye.
Delilah reaches into the pocket of her overalls, and pulls out a small pink ball.
“My bouncy ball will go far. Watch, Iby,” she huffs.
Before Wes gets a chance to stop her, she launches the tiny neon ball.
“Shit,” Wes mumbles, just as she releases.
The ball doesn’t hit the shore this time, but is thrown way off to the side. It doesn’t make it far into the pond, but just far enough to get lost in the tall grass a couple feet into the water.
“No!” Delilah shrieks—horrified—as if she didn’t understand the consequences of throwing her toy into a natural body of water.
She rushes toward it, but Wes and I stop her at the same time. She starts to cry, and it makes my chest hurt so bad, I jog over to where I can just see the ball bobbing at the surface. I mentally measure the distance from the dry shore, to the long stocks of grass her ball is tangled in. I don’t think I could reach it without falling over into the water.
“Ivy, leave it. It’s fine. I’ll get it later.” I hear Wes’s stern voice mix with Delilah’s whine.
Wes is quietly telling her they will come back for it, but by the panic in her voice, this damn ball seems pretty important to her. I haven’t been around many toddlers, but I feel like this probably is her equivalent to me throwing my phone in the water.
Fuck it.
I grab the hem of my dress pants, and pull them up around my thighs until my calves are exposed. I step into the water, and wince at the bite of cold immediately filling my sneakers.
