Princess & the Player

thirty-six: when everything happens all at once

Maggie's POV:

I had gone down to Logan's Dip to beg for a job. Logan's was like twice as far from the new apartment by bus but I'd gotten desperate. I'd just found out I was getting the kids on Sunday and the social worker had made it clear that I would need a job sooner rather than later. 

I was waiting for Hobie by the shack when the Parks Department called to hire me to finish out the season at one of their outdoor pools. If I worked out, I would have a job at the indoor pool when school started.

I jumped up and down in the sand like a lunatic. Marco came jogging up from the water, worried something had happened. I jumped in his arms with a grin. "I am employed! Parks Department wants me!! I go down tomorrow and do the paperwork!"

He twirled me around a couple of times and bought me congratulatory french fries. By now he knew I wouldn't share. 

I'd been giddy since finding out what happened at court and Marco decided we needed one nice day off. Mary had declined to join us, which was fine. It was nice to spend an afternoon like any other couple, enjoying the heat and the lake. 

Actually, it was also frustrating. 

Seeing Marco's half-naked body had driven my hormones into overdrive. Mary had insisted on separate bedrooms which had been fine for a few days because I got my period and I was cramping and sore. But now it was over and I couldn't stop obsessing about the fact that we could have sex without a condom.

I was going insane. He could get me wet with a single touch of his finger...in the right place.

He smiled over at me, his eyes dark. I knew he was thinking what I was thinking. 

We were gonna end up in one of those tents, scandalizing every last person, if we didn't distract ourselves.

"Um...so....are you gonna surf?" I asked, eyeing the rapids. A lone surfer was riding the pipeline wave at the bend. And...then he was down.

Marco shook his head. 

"What?"

"That guy is using at least an 8' fun board. He's gonna end up going back under."

We watched as he got back on his board. And went down again. Marco stroked the skin at the small of my back. I broke out in shivers.

"You need a short fish board for river surfing," he explained. "Mine's still in storage with my suit."

The guy swam his board out of the lane to make room for a few kayakers. Marco nodded at the first bit of sense the guy showed. 

Bailey, my old tentmate, came by to scoop up the empty baskets and chat. "You got her, huh?"

"Yep," Marco rested an arm on my back.

"Be cool. You've got a good woman there."

"Yeah, I do," Marco agreed easily. He began playing with my pony tail, combing it with his fingers and tugging. Oh Lord have mercy. 

I looked over at Bailey, and smiled. 

Queenie and Shay showed up soon after. I didn't know what their deal was but today it looked like they were together. We waded in the river, dug in the sand, and basically acted like little kids. But as the afternoon wore on, the heat got oppressive and we began packing up. 

"Marco? Marco!" A woman jogged over with an impossibly long shiny black braid and a bikini that advertised that she waxed. "I didn't think you'd be back until school started."

"Uh, hey, Silvia."

Queenie was pulling on a bright red sundress over her suit. Her hair was twisted up away from the sand in a pineapple of braids. She shot Silvia a look.