responsibility.”
Devlin’s blood pressure spiked as he sped out of town toward the river. “Tell me she’s wearing a life jacket.”
“Them’s the rules.”
That didn’t mean Daisy wouldn’t pitch the jacket once she was out of Bert’s sight. “You’ve probably heard Gram has a new and aggravating habit of breaking the rules.”
“That’s why I’m calling.”
“Did her companion at least try to talk her out of this stunt?”
“Miss Madison? Barely said a word, except to argue over swimwear.”
Chloe in a bikini. An image Devlin could’ve done without. He floored the Escalade and glanced at his watch. “When did they leave?”
“Fifteen minutes ago, give or take.”
If he hurried he could head them off at Grenville’s Overlook. “What took you so long to call?”
“Daisy threatened to make my life miserable if I alerted any of her kin, but after careful consideration, I decided I’d rather risk her wrath than yours. Oh, and one more thing, Dev. Your grandma’s tubing in her skivvies.”
Fan-fucking-tastic.
He didn’t ask about Chloe. All the same, the vision of her in a lacy pink bra and matching panties exploded in his brain. By the time he neared Grenville’s he had a hard-on and a short fuse. A dangerous combination. He parked the Escalade and speed-dialed Rocky as he stepped onto the historic covered bridge and looked upriver. “You want me to be nice to Gram’s new companion? Then you better talk me down.”
* * *
Chloe couldn’t believe she’d let Betty White goad her into doing something against her better judgment. Granted, Sugar Creek wasn’t all that wide, and as far as she could see there was nothing but flat water ahead. But that didn’t mean something awful couldn’t happen. Like someone spotting them in their impromptu bathing suits. Or getting sucked in and pulled under by unexpected crosscurrents or a powerful whirlpool. Sure, the latter was far-fetched, especially since, according to Bert, entire families free-floated down this section at the height of the season. But it was possible. Anything was possible.
“Relax.”
Chloe glanced at her employer. Since her skinny patooty was wedged in the donut hole of the inner tube, no one could see her nude knee-length girdle. Her Playtex bra was also hidden thanks to the three-buckle nylon life vest. Her bony arms and legs dangled over the side of the tube, and her creamy white, softly wrinkled face was tilted to the sun. She looked blissfully peaceful. Happy.
Chloe couldn’t help herself. She smiled. “Your family’s going to kill me when they hear about this.” She was talking specifically about Devlin but didn’t want to bring up his name.
“No, they won’t. I won’t let them. Now relax and enjoy the ride.”
Chloe sighed and settled deep into the tube. Since she wasn’t wearing a body shaper and had refused to strip to her thong, she’d talked Bert into loaning her a pair of swim trunks. Never mind that they were men’s trunks and three sizes too big. Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been a Speedo. She’d also refused to float down Sugar Creek in her bra, but then Daisy had called her a prude and Bert had shown her the life vest that would conceal her entire upper body. What the hell? Anything to appease her new boss on her first official day. She’d done crazier things.
“Been a long time since I floated down Sugar Creek,” Daisy said. “Used to come here all the time with my brothers and sisters. Sometimes we’d swim, sometimes we’d paddle in a rowboat, and sometimes, when we snuck away from our parents, we’d jump off Grenville’s Overlook cannonball-style.”
Charmed by the story, Chloe allowed her fingers to trail in the rippling water and closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun. “What’s Grenville’s Overlook?”
“An old covered bridge. Overlooks the river. We’ll be passing under shortly. Years later,” she went on, “I brought my own children here.
Devlin’s blood pressure spiked as he sped out of town toward the river. “Tell me she’s wearing a life jacket.”
“Them’s the rules.”
That didn’t mean Daisy wouldn’t pitch the jacket once she was out of Bert’s sight. “You’ve probably heard Gram has a new and aggravating habit of breaking the rules.”
“That’s why I’m calling.”
“Did her companion at least try to talk her out of this stunt?”
“Miss Madison? Barely said a word, except to argue over swimwear.”
Chloe in a bikini. An image Devlin could’ve done without. He floored the Escalade and glanced at his watch. “When did they leave?”
“Fifteen minutes ago, give or take.”
If he hurried he could head them off at Grenville’s Overlook. “What took you so long to call?”
“Daisy threatened to make my life miserable if I alerted any of her kin, but after careful consideration, I decided I’d rather risk her wrath than yours. Oh, and one more thing, Dev. Your grandma’s tubing in her skivvies.”
Fan-fucking-tastic.
He didn’t ask about Chloe. All the same, the vision of her in a lacy pink bra and matching panties exploded in his brain. By the time he neared Grenville’s he had a hard-on and a short fuse. A dangerous combination. He parked the Escalade and speed-dialed Rocky as he stepped onto the historic covered bridge and looked upriver. “You want me to be nice to Gram’s new companion? Then you better talk me down.”
* * *
Chloe couldn’t believe she’d let Betty White goad her into doing something against her better judgment. Granted, Sugar Creek wasn’t all that wide, and as far as she could see there was nothing but flat water ahead. But that didn’t mean something awful couldn’t happen. Like someone spotting them in their impromptu bathing suits. Or getting sucked in and pulled under by unexpected crosscurrents or a powerful whirlpool. Sure, the latter was far-fetched, especially since, according to Bert, entire families free-floated down this section at the height of the season. But it was possible. Anything was possible.
“Relax.”
Chloe glanced at her employer. Since her skinny patooty was wedged in the donut hole of the inner tube, no one could see her nude knee-length girdle. Her Playtex bra was also hidden thanks to the three-buckle nylon life vest. Her bony arms and legs dangled over the side of the tube, and her creamy white, softly wrinkled face was tilted to the sun. She looked blissfully peaceful. Happy.
Chloe couldn’t help herself. She smiled. “Your family’s going to kill me when they hear about this.” She was talking specifically about Devlin but didn’t want to bring up his name.
“No, they won’t. I won’t let them. Now relax and enjoy the ride.”
Chloe sighed and settled deep into the tube. Since she wasn’t wearing a body shaper and had refused to strip to her thong, she’d talked Bert into loaning her a pair of swim trunks. Never mind that they were men’s trunks and three sizes too big. Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been a Speedo. She’d also refused to float down Sugar Creek in her bra, but then Daisy had called her a prude and Bert had shown her the life vest that would conceal her entire upper body. What the hell? Anything to appease her new boss on her first official day. She’d done crazier things.
“Been a long time since I floated down Sugar Creek,” Daisy said. “Used to come here all the time with my brothers and sisters. Sometimes we’d swim, sometimes we’d paddle in a rowboat, and sometimes, when we snuck away from our parents, we’d jump off Grenville’s Overlook cannonball-style.”
Charmed by the story, Chloe allowed her fingers to trail in the rippling water and closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun. “What’s Grenville’s Overlook?”
“An old covered bridge. Overlooks the river. We’ll be passing under shortly. Years later,” she went on, “I brought my own children here.
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