“If I find them I will leave them at the front office.”
Her beady eyes narrow on me. “I don’t know what Bethel told you. She was always jealous of me. Wanted Joe for herself, but he didn’t like her old wrinkly ass. It will only take me a minute.”
“Mary, quit buggin’ the poor girl and get gone. You aren’t even supposed to be on the property after you tried to burn up Bethel’s golf cart,” a voice I don’t recognize calls out.
“Hmmph.” Mary spins on her fat ankles and wobbles when her heel snaps.
I try not to laugh but a giggle squeaks out.
A guy I haven’t met yet steadies her as he helps her down the steps. “I want my earrings,” she huffs.
The older man gives me a nod and I see the patch on his shirt reads, Maintenance.
Throughout the day one by one my new neighbors make their way over to offer their condolences and make my acquaintance.
Once everyone has left me in peace, I gather up the clothes Bethel was interested in, toss the bags in the back of the truck that belonged to my father, and drive them the short distance to her trailer which doubles as the office.
“Someone mentioned you were looking for a lifeguard.”
“You got your certification? Job won’t start till summer time.”
“Yeah.” I pull my cards out of my purse, so she can make copies.
“Everything checks out. Job is yours for the summer. The pay is shit and the work is boring.”
Thinking about the high demanding job I left behind as a personal assistant for a news anchor, I’m oddly happy with my new situation.
Chapter 5
Two months later
Hattie Mae
“Oh, Kiesha, you can’t be serious.” I roll my eyes at her crazy suggestion. “Me…go on a date with Zane? We are talking about the same guy, right? Zane, the biggest male-whore in the whole town other than his brother, Lucas. The man is known for sleeping with anyone who will lay with him. The man who punched his brother in the face for asking me out. I mean yeah, he is sexy as sin, but no thank you.” I had a wild hair in my ass when I first came to town and kissed them both but since then I have avoided them. Not that they haven’t tried to get me to change my mind. Zane keeps trying to be my friend, but I had to distance myself. I had just gotten out of a long relationship that ended badly.
Single is working for me.
“Hattie, people change. I haven’t seen him with anyone since you moved in.” She nods her head yes as I shake my head no at her words.
Zane has been trying to get in my bikini bottoms since I decided I wanted to stay. I have managed to resist his bad boy charm this long and I am certain I can continue to do so. He is always trying to get me to hang out with him under the pretense of wanting to be my friend—he just wants to get to know me or, so he claims. Yeah right, he just wants to know how to get me to fuck him is all.
“Don’t you have something to do, like work on your tan?” I ask, sticking my tongue out at her. She always pops in on me at random hours. She has designated herself as my friend. If you had told me I would become best buds with a stripper, I would have laughed in your face. But Kiesha has a magnetic personality. I can’t help but be drawn to her. All the men around here are as well it seems. Every time she comes down to the small beach area of the lake where I am posted as a lifeguard, to work on her tan, suddenly all the men have an urge to go swimming or hang out near where she is sunbathing. Well except for Zane, I have noticed he is about the only one who doesn’t show up for the Kiesha topless sunbathing show.
“I’m out, but we are going out for drinks tonight. No ifs ands or buts about it.” She winks, fluffing her chestnut hair. Kiesha manages to keep a flawless tan in between stripping and driving me nuts. I can only imagine what tonight will entail.
Putting on my red lifeguard one piece and pulling my long dark hair into a ponytail, I look myself over in the mirror. Working here has done wonders for my figure. I’m no skinny girl by any means. I have healthy thick curves, but now I am more tone. I slip my shorts on and pull my tank top down over my chest. I have been walking to my post. I could easily drive but I love the exercise. It helps me clear my head. More often than not, I have Zane on my mind and I don’t like it. Him and his stupid good looks. And his voice—he could sing professionally. He has this husky deep drawl that makes my panties disintegrate. I’d never tell him that though. He sometimes sings at the local bar. And man can he sing.
Lucas has been off competing in the rodeo circuit, so I haven’t seen him much lately. Not that I am keeping tabs on him, but we’ve bonded. He was so happy to receive my dad’s old championship belt buckles. Says they bring him luck when he rides.
Okay, so maybe I have a little crush on both of them. I am not the only one either. I am positive Kiesha has slept with one or both of them. That shouldn’t make me jealous, but it does. I had my chance and I decid
ed it would be better not to go there. We all live here, and I like hanging out at Rowdy’s.
I never plan on acting on my crush, so I don’t know what the big deal is. Zane has screwed anything with legs as far as I can tell. The last time I went to Rowdy’s with Lucas, his brother had some chick in the bathroom giving it to her hard for Christ sake! The worst part of the whole night was he had come onto me earlier that night. Spouting some garbage about how fate had intercepted, and we were supposed to meet. He said some nonsense about some psychic telling him he would meet the love of his life. Must have been that other chick he was nailing. The sounds that were leaving her throat did leave me curious as to what in the hell he was doing that could make her moan in such a manner.
Nothing Justin ever did to me ever made me feel that way. He would touch me, but not the way my body ached for him to.
Lucas and I were dancing, he was holding me close during a slow song, but it wasn’t romantic.