Love Surfaced Page 14

  “It’s the family business. Not to mention, I’ll have security, and we’ll never want for anything.”

  He knocks shoulders with me, and I hesitate to find my voice. Curtis constantly throws hints out about marriage, making me think the firm has some kind of contract stipulation about getting married before joining the firm. It’s an absurd thought. I guess the book Marry Me for Money by Mia Kayla that I read last week stuck with me.

  “Happiness is important, too.”

  I stare out at the calm water of my parents’ pool, remembering all the laughs and jokes the three of us have made here. The annoying middle school stage when Brad and Tanner made fun of my friends and me only because they were curious about girls. There was my first kiss during a game of Marco Polo when Vinny Montaldo surprised me in the corner of the pool.

  “It is.” Curtis leans over and lowers his voice. “But you can’t survive on happiness. Plus, when you have as much money as we’ll have, it’s guaranteed that we’ll be happy.”

  I release a breath when he moves back over to his own space and out of mine. Tanner’s been here less than twenty-four hours and already I can’t stop comparing him to Curtis.

  “There is a phrase about that . . . money doesn’t buy happiness,” I mock him because he’s ignorant and I’m annoyed.

  The kids I teach at the community college struggle to make themselves better and to get an opportunity to become more. Then, there are people like Curtis who went to an Ivy League college and haven’t held a real job ever. For my students, money would buy them happiness because they strive and earn what they achieve, but for Curtis, the same phrase doesn’t hold true. Trust fund babies like Curtis, will never fully appreciate the money they have because they’ll never have enough. The fact that he’s throwing me into the mix disgusts me.

  “Believe me, babe. You won’t be complaining with our plane, yacht, and handful of houses.”

  I should correct him now. I should stop him from assuming that I’ll be alongside him. Plus, I’m not exactly the high-society country club type. I’d fail at being his wife. Could he imagine introducing me to his coworkers as his wife who teaches at Woodlake Community College? They’d probably think I did it for charity.

  In the middle of my thoughts, a huge body plops into the water, splashing me right at my face. Knowing the culprit before he surfaces, I pull my feet out from the refreshing water before he can grab them.

  “Oh, come on, Piper.” Brad laughs to my back when I stalk over to grab a towel. “Get her, man.”

  Having no time to look, two strong arms grab me around the stomach and pick me up. My fists punch the arms while my body wiggles from side to side.

  “Let me go!” I scream, only earning a hefty laugh from my kidnapper.

  Hanging me over the water, I’m reminded of too many times in the past. Preparing for the impending plunge, I stop fighting and Zen myself for the coldness of the water.

  “Just do it,” I relent.

  Brad obnoxiously laughs.

  “Hmm . . . I do like you wet,” Tanner whispers in my ear, knowing Curtis can’t hear him over Brad’s loudness.

  Even though I hate it, warmth shoots right between my legs.

  “Toss her!” Brad yells.

  Tanner grips me harder, his fingers gliding along my rib cage. His face resting in the hollow of my neck, his breathing tickles my skin.

  “Do it,” I egg him on because I can’t allow my body to warm to him.

  “It’s not as much fun when she goes so willingly.” Tanner backs up.

  My body slides down his half-naked one at a painfully slow pace until my toes hit the warm cement. When his arms are completely off my body, I only crave for them again.

  “Thank you,” I murmur, walking over to a pissed off Curtis. “Now, you adolescent boys can have some fun without me for once,” I joke, tossing my head away from them.

  At the exact moment I think I’m safe, a hand pushes on my back and I slip into the pool. While I’m underwater, I reach and grab Brad’s legs. He buckles his knees, trying to stay firm and displaying his strength, but I fight dirty by scratching his legs with my short nails. When everything in my power doesn’t work, I dig my nails into his skin until he relents, and then I yank his legs up. Finally, submerging him, I push on his chest to keep him down while he grabs a hold of one of my arms.

  When I free myself from Brad and come up for air, I’m caught off guard when a hand covers my head, plunging me back down. The three of us fight for dominance with pulling limbs and pushing shoulders down while water splashes around us. When we finally exhaust ourselves, breaking the surface, we’re all laughing. I rush through the water to escape and swim to the side, finding another pair of legs standing in front of me.

  What a shitty girlfriend I am. I forgot Curtis was even here. The whole re-enactment of times when we were younger, brought back memories of days long before Curtis. I push my body up from the water and stand on the edge of the pool.

  “Sorry!” I cringe, my eyes bouncing everywhere but on Curtis.

  As the sun streams through my parents’ trees, the shine making sparkles in the water, and I contemplate what exactly I’m doing.

  “I thought you were going to drown.”

  I twist his way and witness the sheer fear in his eyes, and guilt begins to weed inside of me.

  I step into the towel he’s holding out for me, and he secures it around my shoulders, giving my upper arms a small rub up and down. Then he sits back down on the edge and I follow.

  “Please, I can take them.” I toss my hand out to the two, who are whispering about their surprise attack, I’m sure. “They know two moves—dunking and tossing. In the years, I’ve mastered the art of wrestling underwater.”

  “You were pretty feisty. I’ve never seen that side of you before.” His legs go back to swishing back and forth in the water.

  “Piper is as feisty as a wet noodle,” Brad sneers.

  I shake my head at his comment. As he swims our way, I glance at Tanner at the other end of the pool. He’s floating with his head leaned back as the wet drops of water glisten on his chest. He’s as impassive by my existence as he should be, I guess. My only wish is he wasn’t.

  “She definitely got you.” Curtis sticks up for me.

  I love him for protecting me, but it won’t change Brad’s tune.

  “Once.” He shakes his head, tossing me a go again look. “What do you say, sis? Round two?”

  Under normal circumstances, I’d jump back into the water and take him up on his offer. But looking over at Curtis and seeing the confused expression on his face tells me I should stay by his side for now.

  “No. You should grow up, Brad.” Instead of listening to my inner guidance, I just pick on Brad about how immature his antics are.

  “I’ll catch you when you’re completely off guard,” he assures me.

  From previous experience, I know his threat isn’t an empty one.

  “I’ll be waiting.” I cock my head to the side as a challenge.

  A rupture of laughter floats across the small ripples of the pool. When I pick up my head, Tanner’s laughing, looking right at me.

  “You’re screwed, Brad.” Tanner slowly swims over to join his best friend.

  He stops on the side closest to me, and instinctively, my legs part slightly before I close them fast and swing them toward Curtis.

  “You know Piper never lets her guard down,” he says, his finger runs down the back of my calf.

  My eyes flash down to Tanner, then over to Curtis, and back to Tanner. He looks up at me with his devilish gleam and smirks. It’s evident he couldn’t care less about what his consequences will be.

  “If I backed down, you two would walk all over me.” I hope Tanner understands the underlying meaning in my comment.

  “Oh, Piper, a little trust. But that’s never been your strong suit.” His eyebrows raise and lips straighten.

  His finger stops the grazing, and I hate that I miss it.
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  “I guess it’s from being disappointed so many times.” I shrug my shoulders.

  He shakes his head before swimming to the opposite edge. “Stubborn as hell.” He remains at the south end of our pool, his arms stretched behind him in a beginner’s position to race. His muscles are stretched and defined. The small contours have deepened around his muscles in the years he’s been training.

  I’m surprised drool isn’t falling from my mouth. How can one person bring so much hate, lust, and love to my surface? Tanner jumbles all those feelings inside of me, and I never know which reaction will emerge when he’s near me.

  “Let’s race, Brad,” Tanner says.

  Brad swims over to Tanner, never one to turn down competition. “Loser pays for the first round tonight.”

  Damn it, here comes curiosity on what their plans are, and I’m fairly certain it will kill me.

  “Shit. Loser pays first and last,” Tanner counters.

  Brad laughs. “I won’t be around for your last. If all goes well with Viv, you won’t either.” He splashes Tanner’s face.

  My stomach drops, with the thought of whoever Viv is. I pull my legs out of the water as though it’s scorching oil now not wanting to be anywhere near Tanner.

  “Where are you going?” Curtis asks Brad.

  I smile at how courteous he is. I’m sure it was ingrained in him to be polite and encourage conversations. Numerous times, he’s told me how, since he was little, he’d be left with strangers for hours at parties. Due to his sincerity, I’m reminded of the great boyfriend right next to me. I should be appreciating him rather than being upset about an ex.

  I sit down on the lounge chair with the towel wrapped around my shoulders, the water dripping off of me into puddles on the cement.

  “Going down to Breakers. It’s a pool hall on the outskirt of town.” Brad prepares his position, and he and Tanner share some cocky grins, no doubt revving the other one up for their impromptu race. “Three times there and back.”

  “Four?” Tanner offers.

  They agree and nod their heads.

  Once the decision’s made, Brad turns our way again. “You guys should join us,” Brad says nonchalantly.

  I practically choke on the inhale of air I sucked in. “Oh, thanks, but—”

  “We’ll be there,” Curtis agrees before I can politely decline.

  He turns my way, and I fake a tight smile.

  “Should be fun.” He stands up, grabbing a towel of his own, and joins me on the lounge chair.

  “Yeah. You play pool, Curtis?” Tanner’s egomaniacal grin splashes across his face.

  His assumption that Curtis doesn’t play is probably correct.

  “A few times during my college years.”

  “Aren’t you kind of in your college years still?” Tanner chuckles.

  I pin him with my eyes, only inducing the laughter further.

  “Law school is a different scale than undergrad,” Curtis politely responds.

  I wish I could tell him not to worry about the cocky bastard in the pool, he’s purposely being an asshole.

  If only I didn’t want to jump in the water and pin the cocky bastard to the wall until his fingers manipulated me into oblivion like two years earlier . . .

  “I suppose so. We had some great times in undergrad. Shit, this one time . . .” Tanner’s eyes roam up and down my body. “Let’s just say, some things, you never forget.” His sights shift to Curtis.

  I try to calm my nerves that are in overdrive now.

  “I doubt I have to confirm this with you, Curtis, but Tanner enjoyed a lot of great times in undergrad.” Brad winks at Tanner, enticing an agreeable laugh from Curtis.

  Then, the thought of how many partners Curtis has been with all these years invades my mind. Reevaluating him now, I could see girls throwing themselves at him. He’s not as attractive as Tanner, but he’s sweet and nice, which aren’t Tanner’s finer points right now.

  “Some are much more memorable than others.” Tanner’s eyes are straight on me, making me shift in my seat from the memory of us together.

  “Yeah, that’s for sure.” Brad sight lingers on the open yard.

  I’m guessing he’s thinking about Taylor. The breakup was a hard one for him and me. Who would have thought that girl won me over?

  “Hey.” Tanner waits for Brad’s attention. “Let’s get this show on the road. I have someone to impress tonight.” Tanner turns my way, shooting me his melting smile.

  Is it some sort of threat or him trying to one-up me?

  “Yeah, Brad. You know Mr. Shallow and Vain needs his beauty time.” I stand up, shooting a disgusted look at Tanner, before walking toward the house.

  “Man, you guys have some sort of love-hate relationship with one another,” Curtis says, following me to the doors.

  I abruptly stop and turn around, facing them all in shock. Maybe Curtis has witnessed more than I thought he has.

  “You could say that.” Tanner sinks under the water and pops back up. “Let’s do this, Brad.”

  Waiting for Curtis to reach me, I watch Brad and Tanner count off and then begin swimming. I long to join them.

  Curtis bends over and kisses me on the cheek. “We should get ready. I told my parents we’d be there at six o’clock.” He leans across me and twists the knob, opening my parents’ patio door. At which time, I take one more look out at the pool.

  Tanner stops mid-stride, stands up, and looks my way. It’s the first time he doesn’t bear a smirk. Between his soft eyes and apologetic expression, there’s nothing except for solemnness in his features. With a shared understanding that our feelings still remain, my head falls.

  “Ready?” Curtis asks.

  I think he’s about to try to find out what I’m looking at, so I place my hand on his arm.

  “Yeah.” I step into my house just as confused about Tanner and me as I was two years ago.

  “YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL.” CURTIS’S MOM’S hands grip my upper arms, and she kisses me on each cheek. “Where did you get that dress?” Quinn pulls back and appraises my look.

  Following her line of vision, I second-guess my decision about a cotton sundress with a simple belt. Curtis said it was casual, but I forget the meaning of that word is on opposite sides of the spectrum for us.

  “Oh, I don’t remember,” I lie because Target isn’t in her vocabulary.

  Plus, her knockout navy pantsuit probably cost as much as the whole women’s department at Target.

  “I swear, I saw the same thing when I was shopping this weekend, but I can’t remember either.” She releases a light giggle.

  I join because this is who I am with Curtis’s parents. Fake.

  Switching intros, Curtis pulls his mom into a hug, complimenting her hair, while his dad shakes my hand.

  “Piper”—he nods—“nice to see you again.”

  “Thank you for asking us to join you, Hugh.” See? My parents taught me how to be polite, too.

  “You and Curtis seem to be a joint deal lately.”

  I’m not sure if he is welcoming me or if I’m a consolation prize.

  I sit down, and Curtis tucks my chair into the table. Once we’re all seated, the waiter comes over and asks for our drink order. Figuring we’re going to Breakers later, I order a Diet Coke instead of a glass of wine. Curtis quizzically looks over at me before ordering a bourbon straight. He might be the only twenty-five-year-old whose order sounds more like an eighty-five-year-old. But it doesn’t take much to realize why he does it when his dad orders a scotch on the rocks.

  Curtis and his dad begin discussing the case he has just taken on, grooming Curtis for the firm, and his mom focuses her attention on me.

  “I hear your brother is getting married?” she asks.

  I nod my head eagerly as though I couldn’t be more thrilled. “He is,” I confirm, plastering on a smile.

  “We actually know his fiancée, Bayli. It’s crazy because her mom went to school with Hugh. They lost touch,
but recently, Hugh’s fraternity held a big reunion, and her mom was there. We started talking, and I figured there couldn’t be more than one Piper Ashby.”

  Since I blankly stare at her, surprised that Bayli’s mom would mention me, she adds, “She said how Bayli was marrying a twin and mentioned you both by name.” Then, she leans in to me. “Constance is hoping for Bayli to get pregnant soon, and she’s praying the twin gene carries down.”

  I want to laugh because unless she decides to go to a fertility specialist and have test tube twins, there’s no gene to carry down. My mom isn’t ashamed to tell people that it took medical science to have us, which means Bayli’s mom and my mom have never discussed it.

  “Oh.” I nod. What else am I supposed to say?

  “I have to agree with her. Twins would be nice.”

  Her lips turn into a knowing smile, and I’m tempted to look behind me because I’m not giving this woman grandchildren—at least not yet.

  “My mom says they’re a lot of work.” I dodge the underlying comment, sounding like a moron.

  “Not when you have nannies,” she excitedly exclaims.

  I see where this conversation is going, and I need to veer it away and fast.

  Picking up my menu, I search it over. I spot the steak section and contemplate ordering one, but I’m positive Quinn will order something light.

  “What are you getting?” I ask her.

  Curtis and his dad have their menus down, still discussing the case.

  “I love their shrimp.”

  Her hand touches my arm in a gingerly fashion. Great, I can order something comparable. It might not be a steak, but I’ll get full from shrimp.

  Finding the shrimp area on the menu, I peruse the different varieties they offer. “Which one is your favorite?”

  “Oh, no. I get the shrimp salad with a light vinaigrette.” She clarifies.

  Of course she does.

  The waiter decides to come by at the exact time I realize I’m going to leave here hungrier than when I came in. With my best manners, I order my salad with chicken, Curtis orders some fish, and his dad orders a steak, which I salivate over during most of the meal. If he wasn’t keen on me before, he definitely isn’t now. He caught me at least twice watching him bring the succulent piece of meat up to his lips.