The Secrets of Lake Road - Karen Katchur Page 0,84
given to Sheriff Borg back then. Although he suspected she had known he and Jo had been sneaking around behind Billy’s back. He wondered if she also assumed like the sheriff had that there had been a fight between them that night. If she did, he wasn’t going to admit to anything. Not now. Not ever.
“I don’t know anything about it either,” he said, and stood. “I hope Eddie feels better.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed toward the dock in the direction of Hawkes’ cabin, where Patricia had stopped and was now standing outside the front door.
* * *
Kevin lingered on the pier by the fishing boats, waiting for Patricia’s next move but pretending to look over the boats as though he were thinking about renting one for the afternoon. There was a time when he had enjoyed fishing, or rather he had acted like he did. Everything he did at the lake, every summer, had been centered on Billy. Billy loved to fish. To be fair, so did Eddie. Two of his best friends enjoyed the sport, so Kevin figured he should too.
But he didn’t.
It wasn’t that he got motion sickness from rocking on the water or that he wasn’t good at casting a line. He just didn’t see the point in spending hours on a boat to catch a fish, only to turn around and toss it back again. He’d have rather played his guitar, written his own songs, and hung out on the beach with Jo while she had tanned in her red bikini.
There had been countless times when he had watched her stretch her body on the towel, her flat stomach practically concave, leaving a gap in her bikini bottoms. He had imagined sliding his hand inside that gap, running his palm over her silky hair, slipping his fingers between her legs. And once, he’d had to pick up his guitar and put it in his lap to hide the erection in his shorts.
But like so many of his fantasies back then, even that one had been interrupted. A shadow had cut across her torso. Billy had dropped down on top of her and started doing pushups. His back was slick with sweat. His muscles bulged. Jo had laughed and pushed him away, pretending to be angry he had blocked the sun.
“Let’s head out on the boat,” Billy said to Kevin. “And leave the girls to their tanning.”
Kevin had forgotten Sheila was lying on the beach towel on the other side of Jo. He placed his fingers on the guitar strings, thinking about a song to play and the shrinking erection in his shorts. “I think I’ll stick around here for awhile.”
“What for? Come on,” Billy said. “Let’s go fishing.” He grabbed Kevin’s arm to pull him up.
Kevin shook his arm free. “Nah, that’s okay. I don’t feel like it.”
“Don’t be such a girl,” Billy said.
A familiar rush of anger shot through Kevin, reaching as far as his toes. Billy had a way of making him look like a sissy, like less of a man in Jo’s eyes. Sometimes he hated him. “No thanks,” he said.
“You’re killing me.” Billy placed his hand over his heart. “Please. Eddie’s got the boat ready. I have the gear packed. All you have to do is show up.”
Kevin played a couple of chords. “I don’t think so,” he said.
Jo leaned on her elbows, watching them.
“You’re breaking my heart,” Billy said in such a sincere way, the girls took pity on him.
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Sheila said.
“He wants to hang out with his best friend,” Jo said to Kevin. “Look at him. He’s begging you. How can you say no?”
Kevin looked at Billy. In his eyes he could see that Billy’s sincerity was real. Damn him. How did he do it? How did he make Kevin feel like the bad guy every single time?
“Fine.” He put the guitar down next to Jo, stealing one last look at her in the bikini, his erection long gone. He followed Billy to the docks, where Eddie and the boat awaited them. Eddie was shirtless and wearing cut-off jean shorts. A cigarette was pinched between his lips. He wiped his hands on a towel. “She’s ready to go. All I need is someone to run up to the cabin and grab the tackle box.”
“Great.” Billy turned to Kevin and poked him in the chest. “That means you. Oh hey, while you’re there, grab some sandwiches and some cold ones.”