Anything but Minor - Kate Stewart Page 0,28

She looked a lot like Alice, though everything with tits did these days. “I’m restless,” I said simply. Alice had been heavy on my mind since she showed up to the first game and purposefully ignored every fucking signal I’d given her. I’d agreed initially to keep this friendly, but every time I saw her, I became more convinced it wasn’t possible. Last night, I’d damn near lost my shit on that dock. I’d come on too strong and got my ass handed to me. No matter how I approached her, she wasn’t having it.

“You’re worried about your future, and it’s about fucking time.”

“Just because I don’t vocalize every thought in my head doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.”

“What are you thinking about now?”

I looked at him dead on. “Alice.”

Andy threw the rest of his sandwich the way of the birds, which caused an all-out war amongst them and a glare from the diners at the table beside us.

“You’ll hurt her,” Andy said with certainty.

“It’s not your business.”

“She’s not interested in you.”

“Because you told her not to be.”

“Girls like that deserve the best version we can give of ourselves. You honestly think you’re ready for that and all the damned pressure of waiting...playing?”

“Not your call,” I snapped as Andy stood and placed a few twenties on the table and started to walk away. I slammed my beer down and followed him.

“What the fuck is your problem, man? You like her, too?”

Andy paused midstride down the steps to reach the parking lot and then kept going.

“I’m not your bitch, man. Don’t take your shit out on me!”

Andy did stop this time and reared his head back with a laugh before he turned to me. “You’re still fucking clueless.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a fucking narcissist when it comes to women, Rafe. You want Alice? Go for it. Maybe she’ll give you the medicine you deserve.”

I looked down at Andy, who shoved his hands in his shorts and walked away without his usual complimentary parting bird, which to him was considered a nicety. Something was up, and it was unlike him not to share. I looked on after him, my hands over the railing of the two-story, creek-side restaurant. I saw a crowd gather as the girl I’d seen on the surfboard repeatedly screamed in the distance.

I walked over to see that the girl I’d admired minutes before was, in fact, Alice. She was standing on her surfboard in the middle of Shem Creek without her paddle and shrieking at the dolphins surrounding her. I made my way over to her as she balanced herself on the board. Hundreds of eyes watched for her next move while suggestions flew through the air.

“You’re going to have to swim, honey.”

“A boat will be by in a few minutes.”

And then mine. “What the hell are you doing, Alice?!”

Skin clean now from her disastrous can tan, a solid brown tint lit her skin and she looked absolutely gorgeous in her pink bikini and terrified out of her mind.

“RAFE!” she cried as the crowd looked at me.

“Just jump in!” I said, waving to her as another dolphin playfully nudged her board. I took the steps down to the dock two at a time and raced toward her.

“OH GOD!” she said as she clenched her thighs together. It took everything I had to keep from laughing. If she peed now, there would be no stopping it.

“They aren’t killer dolphins, sweetheart,” I urged. “Just jump in!”

“I...can’t.” I saw her begin to shake as her lower lip trembled. She was truly terrified and more people were gathering. I set my phone, wallet, and keys down and jumped in then swam her way.

“Rafe!” she said in shock as I approached her. “It looked so easy,” she said with a shaky voice. Stacks of restaurants filled with patrons watched on as she looked down at me.

“What the hell, woman? All you had to do was jump off.”

“Just...I...there are dolphins in here! Earlier, I saw an alligator!”

“Sharks, too, and yet you rented a surfboard and paddled your way through marshland and ocean into the most populated creek in Charleston.”

“Rafe, get out of the water!” she screamed with clear concern for me. If I wasn’t worried about the growing crowd, I would have laughed.

“Sit down on the board, Alice,” I commanded. She moved slowly as her perfect little ass lowered to the board and stayed put while I swam and tugged her in.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“Up a creek without a paddle,”