Going Under (Wildfire Lake 2)

“Can you do a handstand?”

“Only for like a second.”

“When you’re done eating, let’s try. Maybe I can help.”

Her grin is big and bright. She’s a beautiful girl, and I’m really enjoying her company.

6

Ben

I pull into the drive and hit the garage door opener. This is one of those hard days. The second of three twelves, today's shift a midnight to noon. Those are always the toughest for me, and with the girls home from school, I won’t be able to catch any sleep until bedtime.

The kitchen door to the garage opens, and Jackie steps out, arms crossed. I sigh, knowing she needs a private conversation with me, which means Violet is acting up.

I get out of the car and shut my door. “What did she do now?”

“She was picking fights with her sisters, so I put her in a time-out—even though she’s too old for a time-out—and instead of staying in her room, she snuck out of the house.”

“She what?”

“Yeah, she snuck out and went down to the marina.”

Fear tightens my chest. “How did you know?”

“She called me from there.”

“What the hell is going on with her?”

“One of the girls who’s working there got ahold of her and made Violet call home. She said she was welcome to stay, but she’d send her home if I wanted.” She shrugs. “I know having her come home and sit in her room wasn’t working, so I thought maybe this would. KT said if she stayed, she was going to put Violet to work.”

Hearing my sister say KT’s name lights a fuse in my chest. I’m on the verge of asking a dozen questions, but realize that would expose the fact that I know KT, which would create a maelstrom of gotta know from Jackie.

“That’s not a bad idea,” I say instead. “Can you stay with the other two while I go get Violet?”

“Of course.”

I walk down the street toward the road leading to the marina. I’m both excited to see KT and really bent over the fact that Violet actually left the house against the rules. That’s a whole different level of defiance.

It’s now been nearly two weeks since I kissed KT at Christmas. I have no idea what response I’ll get when I see her again. As much as I wanted to, I decided not to keep in touch. She made her desires clear, but they didn’t feel like the right fit for me. Of course, that hasn’t done anything to keep me from thinking and fantasizing about her, which makes me wonder—is there a socially acceptable time limit on an offer to hook up? Do they expire within twenty-four hours? How does that even work?

Even before the marina comes into view, I hear my daughter’s laughter. I’m caught between relief and annoyance. On the dock, I spot KT and Violet.

“You’ve got to keep your center of gravity over your shoulders,” KT says before she tilts into an effortless handstand. My first thought is she shouldn’t be doing that with stitches in her arm. Then her T-shirt slides toward her head, exposing some amazing abs, and I forget all about her arm. Then it slides farther, exposing her bra.

Violet’s giggling. “KT, your shirt.”

“See where my hips are?” KT asks. “Right over my shoulders.” She rights herself. “Try again.”

Violet tucks her shirt into her jeans and tilts into a handstand. I’ve seen her do this a lot, but she’s never been able to hold it. After doing my own handstands in CrossFit, I know exactly how much strength and balance it takes to hold one.

KT stands close by and grabs Violet’s legs, shifting her just enough to stabilize her. “Now use your core to hold your hips right there.”

KT lets go and steps back. Violet is able to hold her handstand, and KT claps. “There you go. Now walk. Just keep shifting your weight.”

A wobbly Violet moves one hand, then the other, then again. She gets three “steps” down the dock before she loses her balance and turns out of the handstand. And she’s grinning so big, I can spot the joy from where I’m standing a hundred yards away.

“That was really good,” KT says. “Let’s see who can get the farthest down the dock without falling over.”