Lucky Lifeguard (River's End Ranch Book 28) Read online

  And then something odd happened . . . She glanced over and saw a couple who looked strangely familiar.

  “Oh, wow,” she said, ducking her head a little and chuckling. “Those are my parents over there.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Nick looked over. “They look pretty cool.”

  “Yeah, they’ve got the young and hip thing down pretty well, but still. I’m at a club. With my parents.”

  He laughed. “Do you want to go somewhere else? There’s a burger joint down the street that’s still open.”

  She thought about that for a minute. Yes, it was plenty embarrassing to share a club with her parents, but even more than that, this was their anniversary, and she was sure they didn’t want to spend it on a group date with her. “If we could? Is that all right?”

  “Of course it is.” He stood up and pulled out her chair, found Jamal and told him they were leaving, and then they walked the one-block distance down the road.

  “Jamal said they’d come get us in a little while,” Nick said as they approached the diner. “They weren’t quite done dancing. You and I didn’t get to dance at all, though. I’m sorry about that.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m still recovering from knee surgery and I have to be careful not to pivot, so dancing is probably off my list for now anyway.”

  “Good.” He paused. “Not good that you had to have surgery. I mean, good that you can’t pivot. Um, I mean, good that you’re not sad about missing out on dancing.”

  She laughed. “It’s okay—I got what you meant.”

  The diner was a cute fifties place with a jukebox in the corner. After they ordered, Nick went over and selected an Elvis Presley ballad, then came back to the table and held out his hand. “Slow dancing shouldn’t pivot too much, should it?” he asked.

  She smiled and took his hand. “Not if it’s super, super slow dancing.”

  She settled into his arms with ease, and he kept the rocking motion as slow as any human could be expected to. When their food arrived at the table, he gave her a little bow and escorted her back, and she fell into her seat laughing.

  “Okay, maybe I did miss the dancing just a little,” she admitted. “Thank you.”

  “Hey, it was fun for me too. Now, is this your caramel shake or mine?”

  While they ate, she asked him stories about River’s End Ranch. He told her that it had been in the Weston family for generations and was now being run by six siblings. “I’ve never been happier at a job,” he said as he swirled a French fry in his shake. “They’re honest and fair, but they know how to have fun.”

  “It seems like a really well-run place.” Chelsea watched what he was doing. “Are you really going to eat that?”

  “What, this?” He held his fry up. “Of course.”

  She shuddered while he chewed. “That’s just so . . . soggy and disgusting.”

  “Do you put ketchup on your fries?”

  “Well, sure.”

  “And doesn’t that make them soggy?”

  “Not if you eat them right after you dip them.”

  “Exactly. As I just did with the shake.”

  “But . . . a shake? Really?”

  He looked at her seriously. “Have you ever had salted caramel?”

  “Yes. I love it.”

  “Salty French fry. Caramel shake. What’s the difference?”

  She opened her mouth to reply to that, but she really couldn’t think of a retort. “Um . . . I don’t know,” she said at last.

  “And therefore, you should try it.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, it’s one thing to admit that there isn’t a difference, but it’s a whole ’nother thing to eat it myself.”

  “Hmm. Joey said you weren’t afraid of anything, but I’m starting to doubt that.”

  “He said that, huh?”

  “He did.”

  Chelsea sat back and regarded him. “I think you’re calling me a chicken,” she said at last.

  “Maybe I am.” He shrugged. “Does that bother you?”

  “Not at all. A person who can only be talked into doing something if they’re called a chicken probably is a chicken, and deserves it.”

  “You may have a point.” Nick swirled another fry in his shake.

  Chelsea watched him for a minute. “A logical, reasoned approach is usually best.”

  “Which I gave you, and which you did not accept.”

  She smiled. How long had it been since she’d bantered like this? Far, far too long. “True. That’s because I was caught up in the shock and trauma of the moment. Now that I’ve had time to get used to the idea, I might not be so appalled.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that you’d like me to keep trying to convince you.”

  “I think it might work better this time.”

  Nick picked up a fry, swirled it in her shake this time, and held it out to her. “There’s one thing that trumps a logical argument, and that’s personal experience.”

  She looked at the fry, then back up at him. She supposed it couldn’t really be that bad, and if it was, she’d get over it pretty quickly.

  “Okay,” she said, “but if I die or something, call an ambulance.”

  “If you die, I’ll call the medical examiner.”

  “Probably wiser.” She took the fry, popped it in her mouth, then chewed and swallowed really fast so it would be over with sooner.

  And she liked it.

  “I concede defeat,” she said at last. “But you have to understand that this is hard for me. I’m not used to losing.”

  “Don’t consider this losing. Consider it winning because now you get to join me in a victory feast.” He pushed the rest of his fries toward her, and they shared them.

  As they ate, Chelsea found herself studying Nick. Everything she’d thought about him at the start of the night was still definitely true—cute, charming, funny, and smart. They played off each other well, and he seemed to like her. So why, then, did her thoughts keep wandering over to Joey, wondering what he was doing right then? It was really none of her business if he and Hailey were having a good time, so why couldn’t she stop thinking about it?

  After about half an hour, the two other couples came in. Chelsea mentally swatted herself for having the thought when she saw them. They weren’t couples. They were four people arranged in groups of two. That was mathematically possible without the need to create actual couples, wasn’t it?

  “The boys live here in town and us girls are all out at the ranch, so I guess we’ll split up now,” Trina said with a sigh. “Hailey and I leave Friday—any chance of getting together again before then?”

  “Of course,” Jamal said, and Joey mumbled something that sounded like, “Sure.”

  “How about you?” Nick asked, turning to Chelsea. “How long are you here?”

  “Three weeks,” she replied. “But I need to get a little stricter with my training schedule, so let’s talk and see what we can work out.”

  He nodded. “Great. I’ll be in touch.”

  Then the three guys left in Jamal’s car, the three girls climbed into Trina’s car, and Chelsea listened to the other two gush all the way back out to the ranch. Apparently, Joey and Jamal were the two funniest, cutest, cleverest men in the Whole Wide World, and no one else could Ever Compare. Finally, Hailey took a break long enough to ask, “How was your hamburger date with Nick?”

  “I just got a shake,” Chelsea answered automatically.

  Trina laughed. “She’s not asking what you ate, silly. Did you have a good time with Nick?”

  “I did. He’s a really great guy.” But that didn’t mean she was going to talk about him in All Capital Letters. She was too tired for that, and she had to be up at six to swim.

  Trina dropped Chelsea off right in front of the Copper Cabin, and she went inside to find her parents watching a movie on the couch.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” her dad called out. “Weirdest thing. We thought we saw someone who looked like you at this club we went to. Did you go into town?”

  “A burger joint,” Chelsea answered, still trying to keep the embarrassment levels as low as possible.

  “Ah. Well, good night,” he replied, since she was already halfway to her room.

  “Night.” She went in her room, pulled on some sweats, and draped a clean swimsuit for the next day over the chair in the corner. Then she pulled out her phone. “Hey, Sandi. Sorry to call so late. What’s up at home?”

  Chapter Nine

  Once again, Chelsea beat Joey to the pool the next morning, but he decided that was all right because he was immune to her little temper tantrums. He was perfectly on time, and if she wanted to hang around and glower at the gate while she waited for someone to unlock it, well, that was her choice.

  “I trust you had a good time last night?” she asked as they walked around the pool deck to get to the lifeguard tower.

  “I did. And you?”

  “Yes. Nick’s a really nice guy. He got me to try a French fry dipped in a shake.”

  Joey raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never tried that? Oh, wait. I almost forgot. You’re the girl who doesn’t like anything weird with her food, but no one really knows what ‘weird’ means until you’ve rejected it.”

  “That’s right. I don’t even know myself. I have to see it first. It’s a whole . . . stomach and eye thing.”

  “And did you like the fry combination?”

  “I didn’t think I would, but I did.”

  “Good. I’m proud of you.” He set his bag down while she started her warm-ups. “Nick asked me on the way home last night if there was still anything going on between us.”

  Chelsea paused mid-stretch. “He did?”

  “Yeah. I think he wants to ask you out again.”

  “And what did you tell him?”

  “That we were over a long time ago.”

  She resumed stretching. “I see.”

  There was something in her tone of voice that sounded off to Joey. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No. Not at all. It’s just that I hadn’t really decided if I wanted to go out with him again.”

  “But didn’t you say you had a good time?”

  She straightened and looked at him. “Having a good time with someone for a couple of hours is different from wanting to go out with them over and over, don’t you think?”

  Joey glanced down at the pool deck. “Yeah, I do.”

  “And you don’t really want to go out with Hailey again, do you? I see that guilt on your face—I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Joey exhaled and leaned against the tower ladder. “She’s a really nice girl—”

  “And pretty,” Chelsea inserted.

  “Yes, she’s pretty. And fun. I just feel like we’re in different parts of our lives, and I don’t think we have very much in common. We probably said everything we’d have to say to each other last night, and any other dates would be repeats.”

  “Well, I don’t know why I’m asking. It’s really none of my business who you date.” She turned toward the water. “Are you ready?”

  He climbed the tower and got comfortable. “Ready. And it’s really none of my business who you date, either.”

  “Well, as long as that’s been carefully established.” She dove in, and he grinned. He’d almost forgotten how much he enjoyed irritating her.

  ***

  When Chelsea climbed out of the water for her first break, she paused and sniffed the air. “Do I smell smoke?” she asked.

  “Yeah. The wind has changed direction, and we’re picking up whiffs of a forest fire over by Walla Walla.”

  “Walla Walla? That’s fun to say. Where’s that?”

  Joey turned his phone and showed her a map he’d pulled up. “Just over the border into Washington. Well, not right over the border, but you get the idea.”

  “Is it bad?”

  He nodded. “They’ve lost a lot of forested land and evacuated hundreds of people. I might get called up to go help if they can’t get it under control soon, just to warn you.”

  “Called up? Like, the National Guard or something?”

  “No, I’m in search and rescue. I usually work here in this immediate area, but we get sent all over the region if the need becomes strong enough. If that happens, I’ll have Caitlyn or Catherine take over lifeguard duty. You won’t be alone.”

  She shrugged that off. It didn’t seem as important as all those people having to evacuate. “We’ve had enough rain in California this year that we haven’t had many fires.”

  “Be thankful for that. As the summer wears on, this place will be like a tinderbox.”

  She turned and looked at the mountains behind them. “Things still look pretty green up there,” she said.

  “Yes, and we’re glad of it. It’s off toward the fields and meadows that we’re more worried about. They dry up faster than anything.”

  “Isn’t it crazy? Here you have this nice big pool and a lake and a river, and still there are places without enough water. Too bad there isn’t a way to spread it around, make it more even.”

  “I’ve had that same thought myself.” Joey punched some buttons, presumably sending a text. “Dani, one of the Weston siblings who run this place, is in charge of my S & R group. Just checking in with her.”

  “How much warning will you get if you have to go?”

  “Sometimes we have a couple of hours, and sometimes we leave pretty much immediately.”

  “Wow.” She dropped to the side of the pool and dangled her legs in the water, and he joined her. “So you’re always on alert, then.”

  “Pretty much. I keep a backpack of supplies here at the ranch and another at my apartment so that no matter where I am, I can just grab it and go.”

  She turned to look at him. “That’s kind of scary and kind of cool all at the same time.”

  “Yeah, that’s how I feel about it too.” He looked out across the pool, and she followed his gaze. A slight breeze had picked up, not enough to make her cold, but to cause little ripples on the water. She almost imagined little sailboats out there, doing their best to stay upright against the waves.

  She didn’t want to think about Joey going out to fight fires. They were too unpredictable. Anything could happen.

  Someone has to fight them, her internal logic argued. It’s always going to be someone’s brother or uncle or ex-boyfriend or sister. Every person out there is special to the people who love them.

  And then the voice continued, And it’s not like you love Joey, so what are you getting all worked up for?

  She stood up abruptly. “I’m ready to go again. How about you?”

  “Ready,” he said, and she was off.

  ***

  She probably needed chocolate. That was the answer to almost everything, wasn’t it? Chelsea changed into some regular clothes and left the cabin, wandering around in search of comfort. This was silly—she was in training, and she’d already had cheesecake and a caramel shake just since arriving at the ranch. But she wanted chocolate, and she wanted it now. It was like a beast prowling around inside her, and she knew not to argue with the beast.

  The Main Street portion of the ranch seemed like the best place to find what she was looking for, and as she turned the corner, she knew she was right. The smell of chocolate filled the air, covering even the smell of smoke, and she followed her nose right up to a charming bakery with a whole display case full of chocolate of every kind. She bought a few different kinds of cookies, then walked over to the bookstore, where she picked up a new novel and the latest edition of Swimming World Magazine. She took note of the new floral shop that was being built, saw the general store and the UPS Store, turned in a circle to make sure she was seeing everything, and realized she was very, very bored.

  All this would be fun if she had someone to share it with, but by herself? Suddenly she felt out of place and insecure, and that was a very weird way for her to feel. She typically spent so much time by herself that she was used to it and usually preferred it, but right at that moment, she would have liked touring this street with her parents or maybe even a boyfriend.

  She could ask Nick to show her around, and she was sure he’d be willing.

  But was Nick really who she wanted to spend her time with?

  She growled a little, not liking the conclusion she was drawing. She wanted to spend time with Joey, okay? Fine—she admitted it. But that didn’t mean he wanted to spend time with her. He was probably glad to get rid of her after every swim session.

  With these cheery thoughts, she turned and went back to the cabin. She really wanted to finish that chapter of her history book before her next practice anyway. She didn’t have time to play tourist.

  Chapter Ten

  Names. Dates. Facts. Argh! How was she supposed to memorize all this stuff? She’d so much rather watch a historical romance than read a never-ending list of numbers, but her history professor didn’t think that counted. And science? There weren’t any romantic science movies that she knew about, so there was no chance of hope for her there.

  Chelsea lay flat on her back for a minute, staring at the ceiling, then rolled over and stood up. As soon as her feet hit the floor, her knee buckled, and she caught herself on the bedpost as pain radiated throughout her leg. Oh, no. This wasn’t good. She allowed herself to sit on the edge of the mattress for a second, and then she pushed to her feet again, being very careful to distribute the weight evenly between both legs. That was better, but she knew she had to get over to Dr. Michelle. Something was wrong.

  She made it out of the cabin and managed to lower herself down the steps, but she didn’t see how she was going to make it all the way over to the spa this way. The pain was bringing tears to her eyes, and she wasn’t a crier. Maybe she should text her parents. She didn’t know where they were, but they couldn’t have gone too far, and they’d help her. Of course, that meant admitting pain, and that meant admitting weakness . . . She didn’t like that idea.

  She did have one other number saved in her phone, though—for a person she knew she could count on. She just had to swallow her pride to do it.