Sandcastle Beach (Matchmaker Bay #3) - Jenny Holiday Page 0,50
lake in May.
“—captain of the Grand View softball team,” Benjamin finished as he resurfaced.
“Clearly.” Eric Handler had perfect aim.
When she stood, the water was only up to her boobs, but she’d fallen with such force that her head had briefly gone under. She wiped her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face. She’d twisted it up even higher on her head than usual to try to keep it dry, but it was coming loose.
“Jesus Christ, this is cold.” Benjamin shook himself like a dog and got water all over her. She snarled at him and rewiped her face.
They scrambled back onto the seat and sat through a failed attempt by CJ from the hair salon.
While CJ dug in her purse for more money, Maya glanced around trying to suss out who else was coming for them. Certainly nobody was going to have the lethal aim the captain of the Grand View softball team had. There wasn’t—
Oh. Oh no. “That’s Holden Hampshire!”
Benjamin followed her gaze. “The guy in the sweater?”
“Yep. Arg!” She’d known he was arriving today, but they were supposed to meet later. Much later, at seven, after she’d had a chance to un-drowned-rat-ify herself. “Maybe he won’t recognize me.”
“You don’t want him to recognize you?”
“Not like this.”
“Why not?”
“Uh, let’s see. The part where I look like a waterlogged rat? The part where my arm fat is showing? The part where I’m supposed to be his boss and therefore projecting authority and competence and not dishevelment and chaos? All of the above?”
He twisted his upper body so he was fully facing her and regarded her with a quizzical expression.
Splat.
They were plunged again into the freezing water.
Whereas she emerged coughing and sputtering, he stood from the dunk and calmly hopped back onto the platform. “You look fine.”
“I do not look fine.” She squirmed her way back up with considerably less grace and surveyed what she could see of the festival, trying to locate Holden again. Thankfully, he’d made a turn and was in line at the outdoor bar Benjamin had set up that was being manned by his dad.
“You do, though,” Benjamin said peevishly, and how was it they were arguing about her appearance and he was the one taking the position that she looked good? “You’re just wet. It’s a thing that happens when you’re in a dunk tank.”
“I can feel my mascara running.” She’d worn waterproof, but clearly it wasn’t up to the task.
Splat.
Ugh! She struggled to her feet again and wiped her eyes. Jordan Riley, her mer-king from last year, had been the thrower of that direct hit. So much for royal solidarity.
“I’m not sure how smart it was to wear mascara for dunk-tank duty,” Benjamin said mildly, unaffected by the fact that their conversation kept getting interrupted by their being plunged into icy water. He turned to Karl. “Give us a minute to get our bearings, will you?”
He didn’t need to get his bearings. He was just standing there with his skin glistening in the sun, completely unruffled. Apparently Benjamin Lawson was effortlessly good at being dunked. Everything came easily to him. Blinding good looks and bank loans. He collected them like they were his right. It irritated her. But…maybe that wasn’t entirely fair. He had more going on than met the eye, she’d recently learned.
“Sure,” Karl said. “Take five. I’m gonna go check on the pie walk.” He turned to the line. “We’re taking a little break. Back in a few.”
Maya eyed the line—and beyond. Holden Hampshire was strolling in this direction. “Crap. He’s coming over here.” She grabbed Benjamin’s arms and maneuvered him so he was in front of her. He was broad-chested enough to obscure her. Naturally.
“What are you doing?” he said peevishly, resisting her attempts to manipulate him.
She decided to go with the truth. “I’m hiding.”
Law blinked. Maya’s admission that she was hiding from Band Boy unnerved him.
It also annoyed him. He hadn’t been lying before: she looked fine. Honestly, she looked more than fine. She was wearing a swimsuit that looked like it came from the pinup era. It was like a sailor’s uniform in swimsuit format. The top was navy and white stripes, but under her breasts it changed to solid navy. There were two rows of red buttons—actual buttons—running up her middle. The physicality of those buttons on otherwise smooth swimsuit fabric was a little jarring. You had to hold yourself back from touching them. The overall effect was really…something.