Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert

Chapter Fourteen

Arthur

My pornographic thoughts were probably not suitable for a family pancake breakfast, but I couldn’t seem to manage to banish them either. Derrick and I had been so close, on so many levels. Close to having sex, close to getting off right there, and close to each other, bodies pressed together, even our breathing in sync. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that I’d never had such a good wakeup, the way Derrick’s lips on the back of my neck had coaxed me awake.

That he probably wouldn’t have made a move had he been fully awake was a minor concern. I’d heard him say my name the night before. He’d been tempted to give in right then, but he’d sounded so pained, and I hadn’t liked the idea of him hating himself in the morning, so I’d feigned sleep. In the morning, though, Derrick had sounded more horny and less wounded, and it was impossible to not press my case, so to speak, with him wrapped around me. He wasn’t the only one struggling to be noble.

Later. He’d said it was a promise, and I hoped to God it was because he wanted it as badly as I did and not because I’d finally worn him down. And now, all I could think about was later, what we might do and how and when and to whom and—

“Please pass the syrup.” Taylor, the oldest and more well-mannered of Ollie’s rambunctious kids, interrupted my decidedly R-rated thoughts.

“Here you go.” I passed Taylor the syrup and managed a smile as well. Derrick and I had ended up at a mixed table of breakfast stragglers—Ingrid, some of the nephews, and a few bleary-eyed male cousins who looked like they’d had a few more beers than prudent after the campfire.

“Mom says you’re in charge of the talent show this year.” Taylor wrinkled his nose.

“Yep.” I nodded. He’d evaded my sign-up sheet the night before with a similar expression, but I wasn’t giving up. “Are you going to do it? You didn’t sign up last night.”

“I don’t have any talent.” He shrugged his bony shoulders and sounded so down that my chest panged.

“Sure you do.”

“Nothing that can win me a prize.” His lower lip jutted out, the sort of stubborn misery I knew only too well. Screw this family’s obsession with winning. I’d do the show, but we were doing this my way.

“Winning isn’t everything.” I didn’t expect my lecture to work, but I also couldn’t stay silent. “Sometimes it’s enough to have fun or make people laugh. No matter what you do, everyone will clap.”

“Because they have to. We’re related.”

Derrick, who had been preoccupied with his pancakes, laughed at that. “Well, I’m going to clap and I’m not a relative.”

“Yet.” Taylor made his voice all ominous, which made me both chuckle and wonder what the current gossip was about me and Derrick. “Mom said—”

“Let’s focus on finding your talent.” No way did I need to scare Derrick off our plan for later by someone mentioning a future that absolutely wasn’t happening. I leaned toward Taylor. “Do you play an instrument? Sing? Dance classes?”

“Nope, nope, nope. I play games, but Mom said no electronics this week. She’s all ‘Fresh air is healthy for your brain’ and stuff.” He sighed like outdoors was torture, a sentiment I agreed with, but my laughter was more for how spot-on his imitation was.

“Hey, that was a pretty good impression of your mom.”

“Oh, yeah.” Taylor sat up straighter and his voice shifted to sound prouder. “I’m good at that. I can even fool teachers, but I’m not supposed to try that again. Rules.”

“I hear you. Who else can you do?”

“Grandpa. ‘Back in my day in the navy, that’s not how we did things.’ Or my dad. ‘Any job worth doing is worth doing right, Taylor.’ And I can do you too.”

“This I have to hear.” Derrick was way too eager, but I was laughing too hard at Taylor’s antics to object.

“So Arthur is all ‘I have a playlist for that’ and ‘Oops. Didn’t mean to crash into that.’ But if I’m going all-in on the impression, I need messed-up hair and earphones to really pull it off.”

“I think we found your talent.” Chuckling, Derrick shook his head.

“I have to say I agree.” I’d live with Taylor making fun of me if it gave him more confidence. “Let’s put you down for some impressions. Rehearsal before dinner?”

Taylor shrugged. “Okay. Nothing better to do.”

I did have something—or rather someone—to do, but I supposed I could wait that much longer to be alone with Derrick. Later.

“Nothing to do?” Oliver’s wife, Stacey, came over and rested her arms on the back of Taylor’s chair. “There’s kayaking, Taylor. It’s a beautiful day to expand your mind.”

Both Derrick and I burst out laughing because Taylor’s impression of her truly had been perfect, right down to her earnest inflection and the way she held her head.

“You okay?” Stacey turned my direction.

“Oh, yeah. Your kid is talented. That’s all. He’s going to do impressions for the talent show.”

She groaned. “Don’t encourage that.”

“But, Mom.” Taylor did an impressive job of drawing her name out to six syllables.

“Fine. But no imitations of me. And none in poor taste.” She wagged a finger at all three of us.

“I’ll rein him in,” I promised even though I had no such intention.

“I know you will.” She gave me a beatific smile. “And I’m so happy you have a guy this year, but man, I miss your help with the older boys. They were up until two last night and up again at dawn.”

“Not sad to have missed that. I need my sleep.”

“Uh-huh. That’s exactly what you need.” Stacey’s smile shifted to more knowing. The back of my neck heated because she wasn’t wrong, but knowing everyone was talking about my love life was getting less funny by the minute.

“Time to head down to the docks!” My dad’s booming voice echoed through the dining hall. He didn’t talk a lot at these things, but he could still get plenty commanding when he wanted to. “The kayak instructors are waiting.”

“Can I have Derrick as my kayak buddy?” Taylor wheedled with big eyes.

“I think Arthur needs him more.” Stacey shook her head at him before glancing my way. “I bet Ollie you’d be eating lake water before ten. Don’t let me down.”

“I’m not that hopeless.” I kind of was, but I hated how everyone simply assumed I couldn’t cope in nature.

Apparently overhearing part of our conversation, Oliver headed our way. “Yeah, you are. I’m not even sure what the topic is, but yeah, you are.”

“Arthur and kayaking.” Stacey’s eyes sparkled. She and Oliver had done a destination wedding centered on ecotourism with a ropes course featuring prominently. “I was just about to tell Derrick good luck with that.”

“Yep.” Oliver clapped Derrick on the shoulder. “You’re going to wish you were single by noon. I bet—”

“No more betting I’ll fail.” I cut him off before he could make yet another bet with either Stacey or Derrick.

“Come on. Have a little fun. You’ve won me all sorts of favors over the years.” Oliver’s fond look for Stacey bordered on TMI.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” After standing, Derrick stretched his arms. “I haven’t done a kayak in a while myself, so we can figure it out together.”

“Yep, they’re eating the lake.” Oliver nodded decisively.

It was nice how Derrick had stuck up for me, but privately I was inclined to agree with Oliver and Stacey. If Derrick didn’t have mad skills, we were doomed. But there was no avoiding trying. Everyone was already heading to the lakefront, and coming up with an excuse to avoid the outing would have been more trouble than actually attempting it. However, I didn’t have a lot of faith in our ability to stay upright and dry.

“Ah. It’s a beautiful morning.” My dad came up alongside us as we walked on a path toward the row of canoes and kayaks waiting for us along with two camp employees. “The smell of pine and the rare sighting of an Arthur in the wild.”

“Dad.”

“What? I’m happy you’re here. Err...both of you.” He darted his gaze toward Derrick. “And I was just betting your mother—”

“Not you too. I’m not going to capsize. You people can put your stopwatches away.” Now I was fucking determined. I was tired of being the butt of jokes. And if it took being awesome at kayaking to make the laughter stop, then so be it.

For once, I listened intently to the guide’s tips and tricks.

“Now you want the more powerful, experienced person in the stern because they can tell the direction of the boat and make any correction.” The young guide had an earnest voice and an uneven tan, pale feet poking out of water sandals but darker calves.

“I can do that,” I whispered to Derrick. “I’ve probably paddled more recently than you. Don’t listen to them. I’m not that bad.”

“I’m sure you’re competent.” He gave me a patient smile that did nothing to pacify me. “But I’m heavier by a fair bit. I know from past outings that you have to balance the weight or you run into problems.”

I made a frustrated noise because he wasn’t wrong.

“If you really want to steer, you could probably go with Taylor and I could—”

“You can ride in back,” I said quickly. No way was he foisting me off on one of the kids.

Up front, the guide had moved on to explaining how it was important to pick paddles with similar blades and shafts, which made some of the teen nephews and cousins snicker.

“Oh, to be fifteen and find everything phallic.” Derrick chuckled softly next to me. “And we’ll do fine. I’m not going to let us capsize.”

“Maybe I’ll be the one to rescue you,” I snapped back.

“Maybe.” Voice thoughtful, Derrick rubbed his chin. And I wanted that, wanted to surprise him and everyone else, wanted to be the hero for once. My stomach cramped with the urge to be what Derrick needed, and not simply on the lake, but in all things, including the sex we were absolutely having later. My determination grew. I was going to impress Derrick at some point this week and that was that.