Summer and May

Chapter Eighteen: Summer

Hours of spreadsheets had taken up too many hours of my Saturday. My father insisted that I learn the family business from the ground up, and that meant sifting through sales and marketing data. Three coffees later, the dirty work was over, and I was jittery with energy. I had to work alone later today, without my partner in crime, but that didn't mean I had to spend the afternoon awaiting a boring shift.

I decided to take the boat out. She was in pristine condition, and hadn't been used in weeks. The Vanquish wasn't the smallest boat, but dad has been teaching me since I was little. The engine roared to life with a smooth purr, and I was on the open water within minutes. I slipped out of my lacy cover-up, exposing my white string bikini. I slid out of my flip flops and relaxed once I anchored the boat near Dockside. It had been a while since I'd gone swimming, since my swimming days were behind me.

Mom begged me to keep going once I got to Brown, but dad thought it would get in the way of my studies and my overall college experience. I was given a scholarship after I was awarded Captain of my swim team two years in a row, but I turned it down. I said no, because my father was right; being a collegiate athlete was difficult, and time consuming. I had more things to accomplish than a few medals. I loved to swim, but my time was ending anyways. I also rejected the scholarship because of my best friend.

May had been put on Brown's wait list in the fall, and when she reapplied in the spring, she was waitlisted again. She's applied for every scholarship under the sun, and reaped no rewards. It felt a particular type of cruel to obtain something that was so precious to her--something that she needed. When May's mom passed, money was scarce. John's mechanic shop is barely enough to keep himself and May afloat, on top of all the hospital bills. My parents begged John to move in with us, or to allow him to borrow money, but he kindly refused. John Everett is an honorable and respectful man. He works his ass off to provide for May, and I don't believe May feels that she's at a disadvantage. Money is just an object.

So, no swimming scholarship for me. For right now, it was just me, on a hot summer day, laying out on my family's boat. I looped around the far side of the lake after a thirty-minute burn session, sliding on my white-frame sunglasses. Once I realized exactly where I was, I turned the engine off. The rope swing, the exact swing that I first saw Jeremy, hung fifty feet in front of me. I gazed at it, wondering what Jeremy might be up to at this moment.

A deep yet calm voice pulled me out of my flashback.

"Hathaway, is this your boat?" Jeremy calls. My stomach flutters.

I aim my attention towards him slowly, a light smirk touching my lips. "My name's not on the title, but yeah." I yell back.

Jeremy says nothing, just smiles widely, sauntering to the end of the dock. He calls something else out to me, but I can't hear him.

"What?" He repeats himself, and I still can't hear him. "Hold on... I'm coming over."

I dive into the lake, floating through the glass water like silk. I was resting my elbows on the wooden panels, hanging off the dock within seconds. I squinted up at him, smiling.

"Sorry, what was that?"

He crouched down, blocking the sun from my face. I was nearly giddy, and I thought he might be, too.

"I asked how you're doing today. It seems you're..."

"Not thinking about the bruise on my back?" I bite my lip, not even attempting to cover my smile. "No, not at all."

His eyes shot up. "Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?"

I delicately rested a hand on his knee. "Not at all. I enjoyed myself."