Pucked Up

“Someone just tried to—”

She stops when she sees me. I’m cupping Su

“This pervert must be one of your friends!” She jabs the toilet paper holder in my direction and then swings it toward Randy.

“I was looking for a bathroom, honey.”

“Don’t honey me, you, you—he tried to . . . he was going to . . .”

His eyebrows lift, along with the corners of his mouth. “What exactly do you think I was trying to do, sweetheart?”

Lily is shaking and brandishing the toilet paper holder like it’s a sword. She seems to be having trouble with words. And her face is bright red. It’s the most flustered I’ve ever seen her. Su

“I was in the middle of shaving my legs! You burst into the bathroom. I’m naked under this towel!”

“Oh, I’m well aware of what’s going on under that towel.” Randy smirks. “If you’d locked the door maybe I wouldn’t have gotten a front-row seat to the beaver show.”

“You—I—you’re disgusting!” As she spins around, the two sides of the towel fly open, giving everyone another shot of beaver.

“I like the natural look,” Randy says.

She flips the bird over her shoulder as she storms away. “My waxer’s been sick.”

“I’m happy to help out, if you want,” Randy calls after her.

“You’re an asshole.” The screen door slams shut.

“So . . . I guess you met Lily.” Su

“Is that the guy sleeping in the trailer out front?” Randy asks, staring at the screen door. He takes off his hat and spins it on his finger. That’s his contemplation move. It means he’s sizing up the competition and coming up with a plan of attack. I wish him luck. Lily’s vagina probably has teeth—like Jaws.

“Mm-hmm.” Su

I catch movement in my peripheral vision. Glancing toward the lake, I see Bushman. He’s standing on the end of the dock with one hand shading his eyes from the sun, looking up at us. I stand, skimming Su

“Okay.” Her hands are still on my shoulders. One slips behind my neck, and she stands up on the balls of her feet to pull me in for another kiss. I shouldn’t let it happen since I’m still questioning a lot of her motives, but Bushman heads for the stairs, so I let her have what she wants.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MOTHERPUCKING FAIL

Bushman comes storming up the stairs, his ski

Su

“I thought only girls under the age of twelve threw those.”

“And Kale. It’s one of the many reasons I broke up with him.” She takes a small step away from me. “I don’t think he expected you to be here.”

“Is it a problem that I am?” I don’t like that she’s put distance between us. It tells me things her words don’t, like that his feelings matter to her.

“No. Of course not.” She laces her fingers through mine. “It’s . . . complicated.”

I hate that word. I’ve spent my entire life managing complicated bullshit. School was complicated. My mother’s death was complicated. My career makes this attempted relationship complicated.

“Uh, you could avoid him if you go inside and find a room to hide in,” Randy suggests.

I’d forgotten he was on the deck with us.

“Seriously. Go. I can deal with his scrawny ass.” He cracks his knuckles and grins. “It should be fun.”

Su

“Where are we going?” What I really want to know is why we’re avoiding Bushman and not telling those hipster douches to take their trailer and GTFO.

“There’s a trail up here; it leads to the water. It’s private, and we can talk without any interruptions. Make sure you stay on the trail; there’s tons of poison ivy out here.”

“I’m immune, but thanks for the warning.”

“Immune? How do you know that?”

“I fell in a patch when I was a kid. Nothing happened.”

“Wow, that’s lucky, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Real lucky.” The kid I was with had to go to the hospital. He was covered in the rash.

Su

“Is the ru

“What? Oh. No. Of course not.” Su

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Is this because of the spider bite?” Su

“It’s a lot better, way less swollen than it was.” I don’t need to tell her about having it drained. I’d rather leave that memory in the discard pile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m full of antibiotics and antihistamines. I’m good to go.”

“I can make you an antiseptic compress when we get back to the cottage.”

“Sure, if you think that’s go

A minute later, the trees end at the edge of the lake. Far away on the opposite shore are boathouses and more “cottages” bigger than most homes. It’s incredible excess and peaceful at the same time, apart from the hum of boat engines. Su

She tucks her hair behind her ear. If she remembers our conversation from last night, and I believe she does, then she knows she’s not alone in her anger.

I still want to run my fingers through her hair, though. I want to forget about talking and make her feel good instead. The last time we did this, I was apologizing. This time it’s different, not so one-sided.

Su

I lean forward and rest my elbows on my thighs. “Let’s deal with the issues.”

“Lily doesn’t think I should date you.”

I already know this. Su

“I don’t know, Miller. I’ll be honest; I was done last week before you showed up at my house . . And then we—” Her cheeks flush. “It changed things. And then there’s Kale being the way he is. I’m confused.”

“Are you saying you want to get back together with that guy? Last night you were hiding from him.” There’s this feeling in my throat, as if someone’s putting pressure on my windpipe.

“Kale and I are just friends.”

“So what’s the confusion about? I get that you and Lily are close, but she shouldn’t make your decisions for you.” I believe Lily has Su