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Authors: Pauline Gruber
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face. I follow Suzie’s gaze to the volleyball lying on the ground next to her.
“Oh my God!” Caroline grabs her arm. “Are you okay?”
Katie races ahead to check on Ella. By the time Cloe and I reach the group, Ella is wiping tears off of her flushed cheeks. She orders us to continue on.
“Where did that ball come from?” Cloe asks, looking behind us.
The girl’s volleyball game continues uninterrupted, their ball still in play. I look around, but there are no other volleyball games going on nearby. No one runs toward us, full of apology and looking for their ball.
An uneasy feeling spreads through me. I exhale slowly and focus on the sand as we move farther down the beach.
We finally come to a spot that meets with Ella’s approval and spread out our towels. Actually, it goes something like this.
“Oh…My…God…! Total Hottie Alert!”
Ella and Caroline stop all of a sudden. Katie and I give each other a dramatic eye roll over Ella’s cheesy Valley Girl accent before turning to see what caught her attention. Twelve shirtless male bodies. Tanned and glistening. Playing volleyball.
“Whoa…” Suzy breathes.
“I’ve never been a fan of volleyball until now…” Katie sighs.
I stare, frozen to the spot. First Marcus and now this. Have I been wearing blinders all my life? Or are the guys in Chicago better looking? The smell of suntan lotion and lake water permeates the air. I can’t take my eyes off the boys’ taut stomachs, low rise board shorts, chiseled pecs and bulging biceps. They slam the ball at each other, grunting violently. I have to remind myself to breathe.
There are six of them on each side of the net. They’re attacking the ball so viciously that when one guy is smacked in the face, I cover my mouth to keep from crying out. The injured player is quickly replaced with a substitute.
“Dylan Douglas, you hot monster,” Caroline growls.
Douglas? I look at Katie curiously.
“Dylan’s the guy that just took out half that other guy’s face. The guy Caroline and Ella were drooling about…I mean talking about...at the mall yesterday.” She turns back to the game. “He’s super popular. He’s insanely competitive. And he was voted MVP of the sophomore football team last year.”
A girl in a teeny bikini tends to the injured player on the sidelines with a bag of ice. He seems okay, aside from the red welt on his face.
I glance over my shoulder at Ella, about to suggest that we get some ice for her face, but she’s way too busy gawking at Dylan.
I shield my eyes in order to study Dylan. He’s heavily muscled with broad shoulders. Clearly, he spends a lot of time in the gym. I grimace as he plays it up for his new audience. He runs his fingers through his spiky brown hair. Caroline and Ella sigh in unison. Please tell me he’s not related to Mr. Douglas.
I lean over and whisper to Katie. “I may have landed a nanny job. The guy’s name is Pierce Douglas. I’m sure it’s no relation…”
Katie whips her head around, her eyes wide. “Are you freaking kidding me? That’s Dylan’s dad!”
“Shhhh!” I slap my hand over her mouth and look over my shoulder at Ella and Caroline. They’re busy removing their t-shirts and shorts. Their bikinis—Ella’s a turquoise blue and Caroline’s a tangerine color—leave nothing to the imagination. Worse still, they both have the curves to pull them off.
“What’re you guys talking about?” Suzy leans in from Katie’s other side.
“Lucy landed a nanny job with Dylan’s dad,” Katie whispers excitedly. “Watching his brother and sister.”
“Seriously?” Suzy laughs. “That’s awesome. Wait ‘til Ella and Caroline hear about it.”
“They’re not going to hear anything !” I hiss.
“Hear what?” Cloe sits up beside me, yawning.
“I thought you were going to take a nap.” I frown.
“Can’t.” She jerks her thumb toward Ella and Caroline. “Not with the drama queens next to me.”
My stomach churns
“Oh my God!” Caroline grabs her arm. “Are you okay?”
Katie races ahead to check on Ella. By the time Cloe and I reach the group, Ella is wiping tears off of her flushed cheeks. She orders us to continue on.
“Where did that ball come from?” Cloe asks, looking behind us.
The girl’s volleyball game continues uninterrupted, their ball still in play. I look around, but there are no other volleyball games going on nearby. No one runs toward us, full of apology and looking for their ball.
An uneasy feeling spreads through me. I exhale slowly and focus on the sand as we move farther down the beach.
We finally come to a spot that meets with Ella’s approval and spread out our towels. Actually, it goes something like this.
“Oh…My…God…! Total Hottie Alert!”
Ella and Caroline stop all of a sudden. Katie and I give each other a dramatic eye roll over Ella’s cheesy Valley Girl accent before turning to see what caught her attention. Twelve shirtless male bodies. Tanned and glistening. Playing volleyball.
“Whoa…” Suzy breathes.
“I’ve never been a fan of volleyball until now…” Katie sighs.
I stare, frozen to the spot. First Marcus and now this. Have I been wearing blinders all my life? Or are the guys in Chicago better looking? The smell of suntan lotion and lake water permeates the air. I can’t take my eyes off the boys’ taut stomachs, low rise board shorts, chiseled pecs and bulging biceps. They slam the ball at each other, grunting violently. I have to remind myself to breathe.
There are six of them on each side of the net. They’re attacking the ball so viciously that when one guy is smacked in the face, I cover my mouth to keep from crying out. The injured player is quickly replaced with a substitute.
“Dylan Douglas, you hot monster,” Caroline growls.
Douglas? I look at Katie curiously.
“Dylan’s the guy that just took out half that other guy’s face. The guy Caroline and Ella were drooling about…I mean talking about...at the mall yesterday.” She turns back to the game. “He’s super popular. He’s insanely competitive. And he was voted MVP of the sophomore football team last year.”
A girl in a teeny bikini tends to the injured player on the sidelines with a bag of ice. He seems okay, aside from the red welt on his face.
I glance over my shoulder at Ella, about to suggest that we get some ice for her face, but she’s way too busy gawking at Dylan.
I shield my eyes in order to study Dylan. He’s heavily muscled with broad shoulders. Clearly, he spends a lot of time in the gym. I grimace as he plays it up for his new audience. He runs his fingers through his spiky brown hair. Caroline and Ella sigh in unison. Please tell me he’s not related to Mr. Douglas.
I lean over and whisper to Katie. “I may have landed a nanny job. The guy’s name is Pierce Douglas. I’m sure it’s no relation…”
Katie whips her head around, her eyes wide. “Are you freaking kidding me? That’s Dylan’s dad!”
“Shhhh!” I slap my hand over her mouth and look over my shoulder at Ella and Caroline. They’re busy removing their t-shirts and shorts. Their bikinis—Ella’s a turquoise blue and Caroline’s a tangerine color—leave nothing to the imagination. Worse still, they both have the curves to pull them off.
“What’re you guys talking about?” Suzy leans in from Katie’s other side.
“Lucy landed a nanny job with Dylan’s dad,” Katie whispers excitedly. “Watching his brother and sister.”
“Seriously?” Suzy laughs. “That’s awesome. Wait ‘til Ella and Caroline hear about it.”
“They’re not going to hear anything !” I hiss.
“Hear what?” Cloe sits up beside me, yawning.
“I thought you were going to take a nap.” I frown.
“Can’t.” She jerks her thumb toward Ella and Caroline. “Not with the drama queens next to me.”
My stomach churns
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