Page 16 of Crossing the Line

I shrugged. “Your no-nonsense approach made me take the whole thing more seriously. It was just another community obligation I had to get through until you demanded more from me. You were a strong influence from the beginning.”

“What made you think about that?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I guess I’m just feeling nostalgic.”

I glanced down for the first time during this walk and saw a shell right in front of Kelsie. “There’s one.”

She stopped walking, and I bent down to grab it. Bone white and unbroken, it was perfect. I smiled and held it out to her, but she didn’t take it.

“You know what, you should keep it,” she said, her smile soft. “It would be perfect for remembering this trip.”

There was something about her words and the tone of her voice that made my stomach twist. It was as if she was saying this was the last time we’d do something like this together. As if the shell would be a way to remember her after we left this place.

But no, that couldn’t be what she meant. Kelsie and I were solid, and we’d be fine over time. We had to be.

Still, I tucked the shell into the pocket of my swim trunks.

We turned around to head back toward the resort, and I hated the heaviness of the air between us. I wanted this walk to be an opportunity to bridge the gap between us, but I failed. It felt like I was doing that a lot lately.

Frustration rose inside me, but I tried to suppress it as we approached the others. Everyone was gathered around a volleyball net set up on the beach, and Jake had the white ball in his hands, tossing it up into the air while we split into teams.

I tried to stick close to Kelsie, but in the shuffle of people, I ended up on a team with Ryan, Leanne, Angela, and Ford. Ryan’s cousin Gordon was also with us, and I was glad that he wouldn’t be near Kelsie—not that I truly had much to worry about. He was too busy flirting with a random woman that made eye contact with him as she strolled by.

I was even more determined to make sure that he stayed away from Kelsie. She deserved better than some fickle asshole that let just any woman turn his head.

Kelsie stood with Jess and her husband Cody on the other side of the net. The rest of her team consisted of Jake, Heather, and Ryan’s little sister, Zoey. I hadn’t seen her around much the last couple of days, but I didn’t think much about it. Then, just before we started playing, Ford suddenly ducked under the net and marched right up to Zoey.

“What are you doing? You’re not going to play volleyball,” he said in a bossy tone of voice that made no sense.

Everyone turned to stare, but Zoey didn’t seem to notice as she rolled her eyes at him. “You don’t get to decide that, Ford.”

Unlike Zoey, Ford seemed very aware that they had everyone’s attention. His eyes flicked around the group before he focused on Zoey again.

“You didn’t feel well last night, remember?” he said. He lowered his voice, but we could all still hear every word. “I think you should sit this one out.”

“You sick, Zo?” Ryan asked.

“No,” she said, her eyes still on Ford. “But even if I was, I’m a nurse. I can take care of myself.”

“And I’m a doctor,” Ford snapped. “So, go sit in the shade.”

Even from twenty feet away, I could practically feel the anger radiating off Zoey at that. “We’re not at the hospital. You’re not my boss here, Ford.”

I knew they worked together, but this felt intense, like I was missing something. Jake started to walk toward them with a deep frown on his face, but Ford suddenly grabbed Zoey by the elbow and guided her away from all of us. She didn’t fight him, but she didn’t look happy either.

“What was that about?” Ryan asked, watching the two of them head back toward the resort.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Jess said, grabbing the volleyball from Jake. “She just has a stomach bug or something. Now, come on. Let’s play.”

Ryan continued to watch his sister walking away with his friend for a moment, but the game started, and we all seemed to forget whatever was going on with Zoey. Or we pretended to.

Personally, I found it hard to focus on anything other than the way that Kelsie’s body moved as we played. She’d been on the volleyball team in high school, and even though that was ten years ago, she still had some skills.

I’d never seen her play since I only met her a couple of years ago, and I found myself staring at her so much that it had to be obvious to anyone paying attention. Every graceful move was calculated to maneuver the ball where she wanted it to be. Low crouches and gravity defying jumps and powerful strikes.

When she served, her swimsuit pulled even tighter over her breasts, and I felt a low simmer in my gut. I still wanted her. Bad idea or not, I couldn’t turn it off. I was so distracted that I didn’t even try to stop the ball from landing in the sand at my feet.

That was when Kelsie laughed, her face lit with joy that made my pulse quicken, and I was glad that she’d taken off her sunglasses because I could see the glint of happiness in her eyes. I suddenly had the crazy urge to move to the other side of the net and pull her into a hug. After the emotional and physical distance between us the last couple of days, I longed to feel like things were normal. Kelsie and I had always shared casual physical contact.