“Daddy! Daddy! Auntie Jez fell in the pond!” The footsteps stopped. “Uncle Jesse!”
I got off my stool before I was knocked off it and bent down to catch a flying Libbie, even though I now knew a flying Libbie meant that Jerrica was somewhere nearby.
“What do you mean, Jez fell in the pond? There’s a fence round it.” Nate stood up, heading towards the patio doors.
“Zara’s hat blew off and she was trying to get it out of the water.” Libbie patted at the short beard I’d worn since the season ended. The plan was to shave it off before I flew on holiday. That wasn’t happening, so I’d kept the beard.
A beard I knew Jerrica liked.
My back was to the doors, my muscles braced for seeing Nate’s little sister again. I knew I’d see her again; she would always be around because she and Nate were close and she was an amazing aunt, but I hadn’t expected her to be back. She’d told me she was going back to her parents’ while she worked out what she was going to do going forward with her career.
I heard Zara, Nate’s youngest daughter, giggling and talking ten to the dozen before I heard Jerrica.
“Fu — flipping heck, Jez! Did you dive in?”
I saw Nate pick up Zara from the corner of my eye.
I inhaled, knowing I was going to turn around and see her, else I’d appear rude and Amber would work out that something wasn’t right.
“I over-reached.” Her voice was just the same, tuneful with that hint of happiness. “And then I lost my balance. I think I swallowed a fish.”
Three. Two. One.
I turned around.
She was drenched, something that looked slimy hanging off her head, mouth curved in a smile.
Her tank top, which had been white, was now sheer, and she hadn’t been wearing a bra.
She folded her arms, which didn’t help.
Then, she looked at me, which didn’t help either, because instead of scowling at me like she should, she smiled.
She was still beautiful, even with slime dripping off her head.
CHAPTER2
Jerrica
There wassomething to be said for a good comedic moment. Me standing there in my brother’s pristinely designed kitchen with pond water dripping over every inch of my slightly sunburned skin and some horrible, yucky green stuff hanging from my hair in front of Jesse Sullivan would probably make comedy gold in anyone’s world but mine.
My two nieces were giggling for all they were worth. Libbie was perched in Jesse’s arms, Zara now on her dad’s shoulders. My brother was shaking his head but smiling, and my soon-to-be sister-in-law was doing her best to be supportive and not find me the source of today’s amusement.
I was creating a pool on the white tiled floor. I glanced down, noticing that my vest was now pretty much transparent, and I wasn’t wearing a bra. Automatically, my eyes went to Jesse and found him looking at me, those dark, dark brown eyes swirling with undecipherable things, as they always were.
I cringed.
This would only reinforce all the more that I was just his teammate’s younger sister, and my crush was something to amuse him.
Could I be any more lame? Probably. I probably could do it without even trying.
“I think I need a shower.” I looked down at the pool of water that was still growing. “Nate, can you get me a towel so I don’t drench everywhere?”
My brother was convulsing with laughter. Amber shot him a look that would maim and probably kill.
“I’ll get you one. Nate, grow up.” She swatted his shoulder, which was probably just an excuse to touch him.
“Is that green stuff slime?” Libbie pointed to my hair. “Is it like the slime we make?”
