Page 32 of The Summer Plans

There’s a vibration on my wrist, and I show her my watch. We pop our heads out of the water at the same time. I spot the boys about a hundred feet from us, so we grab them and make our way over to the boat.

I poke Sophie as we pass by. “Hey, we’re headed back to check Logan’s levels.”

“Can we stay out here? Lana saw a turtle, and I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t follow it and swim off.” I glance over at Lana who’s still face down in the water.

“Sure. Thanks for doing that.”

Sophie shrugs. “We’re having fun. You don’t have to make it into a big deal.”

I bite my tongue and smile at her. She’s never had any siblings and she’s always glued to her phone, so it’s nice to see her bonding with someone over turtles.

Logan climbs onboard first and is already kicking off his flippers when I swim up behind Lucas and help hoist him onto the boat so he doesn’t have to strain his ankle. Then I motion for Summer to go ahead of me. Looking out at the water, I’m desperate for a distraction so I don’t peek at her perfect ass as she climbs up the ladder and onto the deck.

Lucas picks up a flipper, hops on one foot, and swings it at Logan. “Sword fight!”

Quickly, Logan bends, narrowly missing Lucas’s “attack” and brandishes his flipper.

“Boys. Boys! Stop!” Summer shouts.

I’m barely out of the water when everything happens in slow motion. Lucas advances on Logan, pushing him onto the bench as he bumps the bag of supplies, sending it toppling into the water.

There’s no time to think, I know how important that bag is to Summer. To Logan. I jump over the edge, ignoring the shouting from the boat as I swim down after it. The water isn’t too deep, and I’m able to grab the bag as it hits the ocean floor. Once I secure the strap around my wrist, I kick up to the surface. There are a couple of items in Ziplock baggies floating in the water, and I collect them as I swim to the back of the boat.

Summer is in tears as she clutches a crying Logan.

Lucas wails as I emerge from the water and toss the bag onto the floor of the boat. “It’s not my fault. It was an accident.”

Summer doesn’t say anything to them as she rifles through the bag. “The blood tester is destroyed. I have another one back at the house. The syringes were in sealed baggies, but they may not be sterile anymore. Everything in packs is sealed. This is why I buy so many Ziplock baggies.” There’s a hint of snark in her words, almost as if she’s arguing with herself.

I reach for a towel as I try to catch my breath, my adrenaline still pumping.

Logan plops down onto the bench. “This is all my fault. I ruin everything. I should’ve been more careful.”

Summer scrambles over to him, kneeling at his feet. “Baby, this is not your fault.” She pulls him onto her lap as she strokes his hair.

Lucas looks between me and her. “Am I in trouble?”

“No,” I start, not giving Summer a chance to speak. It’s probably not my place to get involved, but I continue anyway. “I saw it happen. It was an accident. And I don’t blame you for wanting to play fight, but there’s a time and place to do it. You’re lucky it was just the bag that went over. What if one of you went over the edge and bumped your head? You could’ve been seriously hurt. You’re both smart kids, I can tell, but even smart kids make mistakes. Let’s learn from this, okay? Everyone’s okay. The bag was saved. That’s what’s important.”

She looks up at me over Logan’s head and mouths a silent “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucas says as he walks over and hugs his mom.

Reaching an arm back, she pulls him close. “I forgive you. But we need to cut this short and head back to the house.”

Logan’s head pops up. “Who’s gonna tell Lana she can’t swim with the turtles?”

“Not it!” Lucas yells.

CHAPTER 10

SUMMER

Not surprisingly, the bed is empty when my eyelids flutter open. I stretch out, excited to be able to starfish. RJ’s side of the bed feels cool, and I look over at the clock to see what time it is. Seven a.m. Why is he up so early on vacation?

Grabbing a fistful of the covers, I roll over and nuzzle into my pillow. After several minutes of trying to get comfortable, it’s clear my bladder won’t let me rest, so I pad to the bathroom, closing the door to the toilet behind me. The en suite is huge with double sinks, a jacuzzi tub, and separate glass-wall shower. And I love how the toilet has its own little closet separate from the rest of the bathroom. It’s a popular feature, and I make a mental note to take some pictures for the listing.

When I finish and stand to flush, I hear the shower turning on and pause my movements. Is that RJ?