Read Online So Inn Love by Catherine Clark - Free Book Online Page B

she know Hayden? Just because he was good-looking and sort of a flirt, that didn’t mean he’d play the field. The beach, maybe. But not the field.
    “I’m sorry,” Claire said as we walked into our room. “I don’t mean to tell you what to do.”
    “No, it’s okay—we’re friends. I don’t mind the advice.”
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Good. I know I’m ultraconservative about everything. You must think I’m totally boring,” Claire said.
    “Not at all!” I said. “We’re just kind of different, that’s all. But it’s a good different. You’re looking out for me, and I appreciate that.” Then I set to deciding which swimsuit I wanted to wear.
     
    When I got to the beach, I found out Chelsea and I would be working together again. We were supposed to have a large group of children, but apparently a few parents had changed their minds and canceled, because we only had three kids to look after. Which was a pretty sweet ratio, if you were a kid—and made it easy for us. They were brothers, ages five, seven, and eight, and assured us they were excellent swimmers.
    “We believe you, we do,” I said. “But we’regoing to hang around and swim with you, because we get hot, too, okay?”
    “All right,” the oldest one groaned.
    I pulled off my sweatshirt and helped Chelsea haul out the toys. We set up the kids with an assortment of shovels, buckets, levelers—everything they needed to make the biggest sand castle ever, which they’d told me was their plan.
    Chelsea ran back up to the Inn to get some breakfast because she’d overslept. I was standing on the wet sand beside the kids, keeping an eye out but not interfering, when I saw Hayden, out of the corner of my eye, climbing down from his lifeguard stand. This should be good, I thought.
    “So. You found the beach,” he said as he walked toward me.
    “Found it just as I left it. Really sandy,” I said.
    He looked me up and down, appraising my second swimsuit of the summer. (I’d brought four, which sounds excessive, but isn’t, especially when you buy them on sale.) This onewas a smallish bikini, with a bright striped pattern.
    “Did you bring enough sunscreen? I have some you could borrow,” he offered.
    “Shouldn’t you be keeping your eye on the water?” I commented. “People might be drowning.”
    “I’m on a break,” Hayden said.
    “I guess they could be newbies, so let ’em drown, right?” I teased.
    “Hey, I never said that. Hey. ”
    “No, but you implied it. But if someone drowns, no problem. The new people will perform CPR,” I said.
    “You know CPR?” he asked, looking impressed.
    “And if there are jellyfish? The newbies will go swimming and get stung,” I went on.
    “Well, probably, because you won’t notice you’re swimming with them until it’s too late,” Hayden said.
    “So we’re not just new, we’re clueless now.” I nodded. “Nice.”
    “Hey, I don’t think that.” He took my armand started to pull me toward the water. “Of course as an old person, I’d know better than to stand so close to the water when it’s still only sixty degrees, but…”
    “Don’t throw me in. Don’t! ” I cried, struggling to hold my ground. I dug my heels into the sand.
    “Why not?” he said. “Give me one good reason—”
    “Because I’ll throw you in,” I said. “And how would it look for the lifeguard to—hey!”
    He’d grabbed my ankle and was about to lift me over his head.
    “Quit it!” I said, dancing away from him.
    You know how some people have chemistry? That was us. In like triplicate. To the nth degree.
    I checked on the kids to make sure they were still okay—which they were. While I was talking to them, Hayden picked me up from behind.
    “No fair!” I cried, pounding on his back with my fists as he spun around, twirling me with him. “Do not throw me in. Do you hearme? I’ll come after you at night when you least expect it and—”
    Over Hayden’s shoulder I noticed