The Babysitting Job

Chapter 13

Hanging out with Hayes and his friends wasn't so bad. After we went to In-N-Out we went to ride the dirk bikes. Skylynn and I shared one, she sat infront while I drove. It was fun. We got home and her mom was already there. She paid me $80 that day! She said because it was such a short notice that I deserved more.
Well today is Saturday and Uncle Rob is taking me to Lake Norman. I put on my purple bathing suit and over a pair of shorts and a tank top (exactly like the image) I prepared my Orange backpack with things like sunscreen and stuff and headed down stairs.
We got to the Lake Norman and may I say it was beautiful. We made ourself comfortable in a spot under a tress and started to prepare the grill. Uncle Rob brought food to make burgers and hot dogs. While I helped him take out the meat I hear someone say my name. "Danielle!" I turned around and saw Skylynn running towards me, coming out of a black jeep Cherokee. "Hi Sky what are you doing here?" I asked receiving her with a hug. "Daddy is back and we are having a barbecue here, we are also going to ride on him boat" She said. They had a boat? "Hello Robert" Sky said to Uncle Rob.  "well hello SKylynn how are you?" he asked her. "I'm good" she said smiling, then her mother came, "well hello Danielle" she said smiling. "Hello Mrs. Floyd" I said shaking her hand. "Danielle you can call me Elizabeth" she said.  She greeted my uncle and they started talking. I looked back at their car and say a man carrying a large cooler and Hayes carrying some bags of food. "Would you guys like to join us?" Uncle Robert said. I darted my head in his direction. Uncle Robert looked at me from the corner of his eye and smiled. "Oh we wouldn't want to bother you two" Elizabeth said. "nonsense, the more the better" he said smiling. "Oh yes please mom" Skylynn said. Elizabeth looked down at her and said, "we would love to" Then the man came, "well nice to see you again Johnnie" Uncle Robert said and they got into on of those man hugs. They looked like old friends who haven't seen eachother in weeks. Maybe because they were. "Oh Johnnie, this is Danielle, Sky's babysitter and Roberts niece" I extended my hand and greeted him with a hand shack. "I'm glad to finally meet you Danielle. Skylynn had told me how much fun she has when you babysit her" he said. I don't know why but I blushed. "Nice to meet you too" I said. I turned and saw Hayes standing right next to his step dad, "hey" he said slightly nodding his head in my direction, "uh hi" I said not sure how to respond to his awkward introduction. Out of no where Zan Came running towards me and knocked me down because he caught me by surprise. This dog is always so excited to see me.
While Uncle Rob and Johnnie cooked the food Hayes said, "Can we go wake boarding while we wait?" to him mom. "sure honey that sounds like a great idea" she said while putting Sky's hair in a ponytail. Hayes turned and looked at me, "do you know how to wake board?" I looked at him, "What even is wake boarding?" I asked. "no way you don't.....I cant even" Hayes said exaggerating obviously joking. "its only the best thing in the world!" I looked at him with a blank expression. "its like surf boarding but you are holding on to something and the boat is pulling you." I just looked at him confused, "have you ever ridden a skateboard and walked a dog at the same time? Then your dog walks infront of you and is pulling you on the skateboard? Well its like that but in the water" he said. I looked at him "does it look like I've been on a skateboard before" I said laughing, "but I get what you mean" I said.
Elizabeth got the small boat ready. I took off my clothes and was standing in my bathing suit. Hayes took of his shirt reveling his abs. I've technically have seen them before on his instagram account but now that I see it live and in the flesh, I could help but stare. I quickly turned my head in Sky's direction avoiding eye contact with Hayes. Skylynn was wearing a cute pink bathing suit.
Elizabeth gave us all life jackets and we climbed on. I exhaled in relief that Hayes' body was now covered by the life jacket. Now I wont have to keep myself from staring and most embarrassing, getting caught staring. "OK I go first to show you how its done" he said smiling. He grabbed the attached board and jumped into the water. "Ready Hayes?!" his mom yelled. She was driving the boat. Hey came up to the surface standing on the board and holding the rope thing giving her a thumbs up, "ready!" he yelled back. She started the boat and went pretty fast. I looked back and saw Hayes riding. It looked like so much fun! Hayes was really good too. He did a few jumps here and there. When he was done Sky clapped and he bowed, "your turn" he said, "don't worry we can do 2 at a time so while you ride your board ill ride mine right next to yours so your not so scared" he said. While Elizabeth attached the 2nd board to the back of the boat Hayes explained what to to. I nodded and listened carefully. It didn't sound too hard, all I had to do was hold on and stand up.
Hayes and I rode on the boards. It was so much fun. Hayes did this little  trick where he rides backwards, "show off" I said laughing. "jealous" he said smiling. I gently shoved his shoulder causing his to shove mine even harder. We kept doing that until I accidentally pushed him and he let go of the rope thing attached to the boat, leaving him behind since the boat kept going. I laughed so hard.. Elizabeth noticed and stopped and Hayes swam to us. We were all laughing, "I'm sorry" I said smiling. Hayes got on the boat and ran his hand through his hair giving me a devilish smile.
"your gonna pay for that" He said and carried me over his shoulders, just  like that. "Hayes put me down! I said I was sorry" I said laughing. "sorry no can do" he said with a smiling and threw me into the water. Son of a bitch. "Hayes that wasn't very nice"his mom said but Skylynn was laughing her head off and so was Hayes. I did my best to look really mad. "I'm sorry Danielle" Hayes said and stopped laughing right away. He reached out to grab my hand and I pulled him into the water with me. Then everyone laughed and Sky said, "me to!' And jumping in with us. Thank lord she was wearing a life jacket. We started splashing eachother and playing around in the water laughing. Elizabeth just looked at us smiling and shacking her head, "you kids" she said. Skylynn climbed onto Hayes shoulders. "OK guys I got a text from Johnnie saying the food is ready. C'mon lets go" Elizabeth said.
We got to shore and I wrapped a towel around me. Once I was sort of dried off I put on my cover up and sat down next to Sky on the picnic table. Hayes came and sat next to me, shirtless. And Uncle Rob was sitting directly infront of me with Johnnie and Elizabeth. We ate hot dogs, burgers,, ribs, pasta and salad. We all eat and talked and laughed. It was like we were all one big family. After eating and we all went on the boat and wake boarded some more.
The sun was staring to set and Johnnie said, "who wants to build a cam fire!" He sent Hayes and me to go find sticks for the fire. We walked in silence as we walked around looking. I had my back towards him when he said "look." I turned around and saw him holding two dandelions. I smiled and took one from him. Now I was standing face to face with him. "make a wish" he said. I nodded, "on 3" I said, "1..."
"2..."Hayes said looking up at me.
"3" we said together and faced forward and blew on the dandelions. We saw how the wind took the bits and dust of the dandelion way. "what you wish for?" He asked still looking forward. "I'm not gonna tell you." I said, "your not supost to tell anyone or else it wont come true" He turned his head and looked at me. I looked into his beautiful eyes and I couldn't help but smile. I didn't notice until that moment how close we were to eachother. Then I heard a small voice, "Danny! Hayes!" I quickly stepped back and saw Skylynn running towards us, "there you guys are! We need those sticks" she said. "um yeah we will be there in a minute" Hayes said scratching the back of his neck and then running his hand through his hair. Why does he do that a lot? Doesn't he own gel to keep it in place?
We got back to the camp site and helped build the fire. Soon the sun had set and we were sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows. I sat in between Hayes and Sky. Hayes burned his marshmallow twice already. "Watch and learn" I said putting my marshmallow close to the fire. Soon I took it out and behold! The once white marshmallow was now golden. "da ta!" I said. "that's like the most perfect marshmallow I've ever seen!" sky said. As time went by, Hayes shifted in his spot. His leg brushes against mine. It stays there. I'm paralyzed. I should move it; it feels too unnatural. How can he not notice his leg is touching my leg? From the corner of my eye, I see the profile of his chin and nose and the curve of his slips. I  focus my eyes on my marshmallow. Hayes stiffens but doesn't move his leg. Is he holding his breath? I think he is. I'm holding mine. He glances at me, "do you like it?" he says. I pause.
"the marshmallow" he says as if it were obvious. Thankfully he cant see me blush through the dark and with the light of the fire. "Yeah" I said looking at him smiling, "very much". I turn away first, then I feel him turn a few beats later.
I know he is smiling, and my heart races.