I splash him, and he swipes an arm through the water, drenching my face. I cough, and he moves closer.
“Are you okay? Sorry I—”
I splash him again, and he’s so shocked, I cackle, loud andugly. But I stop when I see his expression. He’s blinking at me, brows knit.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, wiping water out of my eyes.
Charlie shakes his head. “Nothing. You just…” He clears his throat. “You have a great laugh.”
We stare at each other for a moment, and then Charlie tips his head toward the Jet Ski. “Let’s go. I’ll show you around the rest of Kamaniskeg so you don’t destroy John’s boat on another rock.”
“I—” My instinct is to say no, to stay safely onshore, but then I remember the list and that teenage Alice would have flipped if a cute guy gave her a Jet Ski ride.
So I change my mind. I do it for younger me.
We swim to the Jet Ski, and Charlie hoists himself up. He leans toward me, extending his hand, and pulls me up without any show of exertion. I straddle the seat behind him and buckle the life jacket. When the engine starts, I lock my arms around his waist. He smells sunny and gardeny and fresh, and it’s an effort not to breathe him in more deeply, to figure out what that scent is.
“As nice as it is to be held by you, Alice, there are handgrips for you to hang on to.”
I snap my arms back, apologizing.
“Just reach down and you’ll feel them.” Charlie glances at me over his shoulder. Beads of water garnish his lashes like dewdrops. His eyes are an impossible shade of green, almost golden in the afternoon sun. He’s freshly shaven. His profile is stunning.
Click.
I wish I had my camera.
“Alice?”
“Sorry. I was just…”
“Ogling myremarkableface.” Charlie’s mouth curves into that smug setting I’m already familiar with. It’s a hint of a smile, knowing and teasing, higher on one side than the other. Charlie’s features speak for him.Nothing fools us, they say.
“Your eyelashes,” I say, deciding to tell him the truth. It’s not like his head can grow any larger. “The way the water clings to them is really pretty in this light.”
Charlie faces me more fully, the cocksure expression evaporating. He frowns, searching my eyes. A thrill courses through me. I feel it in my ears, my fingers, my toes. It’s spiked with fear, like I’ve accepted a dare.
“You’re different,” Charlie says.
I will my voice to stay steady. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It’s not an insult. Just a fact. I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”
I don’t have time to figure how I feel aboutthatbefore he starts the engine. “You ready?”
I white-knuckle the handgrips. “Go slow.”
Charlie’s laugh rumbles between my legs, and that courses through me, too. “Not a chance.”
He lifts his eyes to my grandmother, who watches us from the deck, a giant smile on her lips. “I’ll have her back in one piece in about an hour, Nan.”
That’s the only warning I get before we’re racing across the water. I hold in my breath, squeezing my knees tight to Charlie’s hips.
“You okay back there?” he calls over his shoulder.
I turn my head, watching the cottages rush by. “I think so.”
It doesn’t take long for me to unclamp. I like the wind in my face, the water splashing on my calves. The view of Charlie’s arms and bronzed neck isn’t terrible, either.
