“Hey,” shouted Nathan at the young man who stopped his boat next to ours. “How’s it going?”
The dark-haired guy looked about our age, maybe a little older. He was wearing black sunglasses and blue-and-white striped swim trunks. “Pretty good. Nice boat!” he hollered back.
Nathan smiled. “It’s not ours, but thanks.”
The stranger removed his sunglasses and returned the smile. “I’m Duncan. You guys vacationing out here?”
“No,” answered mom. “We’re renting a cabin on the other side of the lake.”
He nodded. “There are more than enough cabins available on this lake, that’s for sure.”
“Really? Why is that?” I asked.
He stared at me for a minute and then said, “I just meant that some of these cabins are only seasonal homes, so many of the owners rent them out during the year when they’re not in use.”
“Oh,” I replied.
“I’m Anne, but the way,” said mom. “And those two in the water are Nikki and Nathan.”
“Nice meeting you all.”
“You too,” replied Nathan.
“Do you live on the lake then, Duncan?” she asked.
He nodded. “I live with my dad on the north side of the lake. He owns the boat repair shop over there, and our place is right next to it.”
“Cool,” said Nathan. “I suppose you get to see a lot of nice boats coming through there.”
“Definitely, my dad’s is the only repair shop nearby, so he’s pretty busy, even with my help. Because the lake is so big and there’s money on it, we definitely get some nice little yachts coming in for repairs.”
I swam back over to our boat and climbed up the steps while Nathan and Duncan continued talking boats. As mom handed me a towel, I noticed Duncan stealing glances my way. When our eyes suddenly met, he quickly looked away.
“So, what do you guys do for fun here, other than fishing?” asked Nathan.
Duncan cleared his throat. “Actually, the town is having their annual end of summer barbeque this weekend at Turtle Beach. It’s on the northern side of the lake, too. I’m sure they’ll have tons of food and games. Then, at night they’ll launch the fireworks. They do it every year.”
“We’d better not miss that shindig,” smiled my mom.
He nodded. “It’s a pretty big deal. Almost everyone in town will be there.”
“Will you be there?” I blurted out unexpectedly. I surprised everyone, even myself.
Duncan stared at me for a moment and smiled. “I wasn’t planning on it, but it’s starting to sound more interesting.”
I could feel my face burning and it wasn’t from the sun. “I, um... I just think it would be nice for Nathan to have someone to hang out with. He gets so bored, sometimes… ”
“She’s right,” replied Nathan, grinning widely at me, as if he knew I was back-peddling. “I need a friend. I’m just so bored out of my mind now that we’re in a new town and I have no friends to raise hell with.”
He laughed. “I don’t know much about raising hell, but if you’re bored, you should stop by the shop later today. We just took in this mint Bluewater yacht that is incredible. I might even know someone with the keys who could give you a private tour.”
“Sweet! I might have to take you up on that,” said Nathan, his face brightening.
Just then, a couple flew by us on a pair of jet-skis and Duncan turned to watch them, giving me another opportunity to check him out. I had to admit that he was not only cute, but had nicely-sculpted pecs and arms. It was obvious that he worked his muscles when he wasn’t working on boats. Before I had a chance to look away he turned back around and caught me staring. I immediately looked away, hoping my face wasn’t as red as Nathan’s trunks.
“What’s wrong, Nikki?” asked mom, an amused expression on her face. “You feeling a little flushed?”
“No,” I answered, a little too sharply.
“Oh. Okay.”
“Your face is a little red,” said Nathan, pointing to his cheek. He grinned. “Better use some sunscreen.”
I shot him an angry look and he turned away, chuckling.
“I suppose I should get back to the marina. By the way, you ladies are invited, too, of course,” said Duncan.
I looked up. “Okay.”
“Thanks,” said mom, “but maybe another time. I have too much to do this afternoon.”
“No problem. I’ll be around the shop all evening. Hope to see you there,” said Duncan, his eyes drifting back to me again. Then he started the engine and was gone.