“Fine,” I surrendered. But I clutched the bottle tighter in my hands than ever before.
Bobby's body language relaxed as he glanced over to me and opened his palm. “Gimme.”
“What? Now you want 'em?”
“Don't be an ass, Lil.”
I sneered at Bobby, slamming the bottle in his palm. The pills tried to seduce me one last time as they danced in the bottle. He clutched it and threw it out the window without so much as a glance.
“Well, that's just great. Now some deer is going to be high as a kite running around town,” I scolded.
Bobby looked at me out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, as he used his available hand to ruffle my hair.
I cried out and swatted at him as he ruined my perfect little up-do.
“Atta girl,” he muttered.
After I got home, I kept my promise of keeping a healthy distance from Bobby by inviting Barb to come with me to the pool. She did her best to pry out tidbits of information about him, but he was someone I was unwilling to share with her. After a couple of hours, however, on our way back, Barbie invited herself over for some lemonade and rummy.
I figured there was no way I could keep her away forever, and bringing her over would at least make her a buffer. This was going to be a long two weeks and I needed all the help I could get.
I should have known better as Barbie trounced into the house in her high-waisted shorts and bikini top, a cigarette barely perched in her lips. I'll admit, the leggy blonde triggered a competitiveness I hadn't felt in a long time, but I wasn't going to strip down for Bobby's attention. Besides, I had no claim over him.
Bobby wasn't in the house when we arrived, and we headed to the kitchen. As I bent over into the fridge to pull out some iced tea and lemonade, the back door in the kitchen creaked open.
It was Bobby, covered in sweat and dirt, his white tank stuck to his body so that every ripple showed, his faded old army fatigues ripped and muddy.
“I didn't know you were here,” I barely eked out.
“I uh, patched up the ceiling from Rory's marksmanship showcase and fixed some things out back. The shed and one of the sprinklers.”
I sighed. “You didn't have to do that. We were going to get someone to fix it.”
“You know I've always liked working with my hands.” The Lightly boys weren't rich by some definitions, but then again others may have thought so. What was certain was they grew up never having to get their hands dirty. However, it was a way Bobby bonded with his dad, tinkering with cars and lawn mowers and the like.
My eyes rested on him for a moment longer than I had intended before I gathered my train of thought.
“Uh, you met Barbie. She helped with my lemonade fiasco.”
He nodded towards her. “I would shake but I'm a mess.”
Her eyes roved over him like a hungry lioness. I was shocked she didn't lick her lips and then pounce on him. She laughed. “Well, on a hot day like today, we could just set the hose on you out back.”
Internally, I cringed.
“You know, we could use your handyman skills if you're for hire. Stan keeps saying he's gonna tend to this or that, and I have a good mind to just get it done. He wouldn't even notice, I'm sure.”
I didn't like the sound of that. “Lemonade? Iced tea?” I offered.
“You know what I like,” Barbie quipped.
“How about half and half?” Bobby suggested, almost flirtatiously. Barbie leaned forward as if his drink request meant something else.
“That actually sounds good,” I said, pouring myself the same concoction.
“Well, I'll let you two ladies get back to whatever it is you do.”
I rolled my eyes behind my cup as I took a sip.
“Oh nonsense!” Barbie exclaimed. “Join us. All we're doing is having some drinks and playing rummy. It looks like you've done enough free labor for today.”
I knew this would happen as soon as Barbie invited herself over, and I had already decided I would let it slide.
“I'm sweaty and stinky. You don't want me at the table.”
“So? Shower or hose yourself down. I wasn't kidding.”
Barbie was always tart with the cute young men at the pool or the grocery store but now she was in full effect and I actually admired the prowess. It was quite entertaining.
I watched with one eyebrow cocked as Bobby looked over at me. I simply shrugged, leaving him stranded on Barbie Island.
“Oh, come on!” Barbie stood up, grabbing Bobby by the forearm and dragging him out to the backyard. Never one to pass up on an adventure, Bobby shrugged and let her lead him out.
“Okay, stand there,” she ordered, the cigarette still magically dangling from her lips. “Where's the hose?” she asked.
“Over there.” I pointed. She wobbled on her heels along the grass to the side of the house.
“Ready?” she called out.
“I guess?” Bobby replied with his hands up at his sides.
“Okay!” Barbie turned the knob at the base of the hose and aimed the frigid stream of water at him.
He called out some curse words as she soaked him, mud running down the entirety of his body. His shirt became transparent, the slopes of his arms like tiny brooks as water streamed down them.
“Woohoo!” he yelled, leaning into the water so that his hair became drenched. He slicked it away from his face and then shook ferociously like a dog. I scurried away from the resulting spray of water.
It actually worked and he was reasonably clean, albeit soaked.
“Well, now how am I supposed to go back in like this?” he asked. “I feel like cattle.”
“I'll go get you a towel, just pull off your wet clothes and I'll bring you something of Rory's.” I headed to the house. “But keep your skivvies on!” I pointed back at him.
“Oh great, I get to dress like Rory,” he murmured.
I came back out to the yard with some old clothes of Rory's and a towel. I almost tripped out the door to find Bobby completely naked, just covering his crotch.
“What the—” I looked over to the neighboring yards. “Are you insane?” I whispered.
“Don't worry, I closed my eyes,” Barbie chimed.
“What's the point of putting on dry clothes over wet underwear?” he argued.
I hated him at that moment. For being so fun and spontaneous. For being so tall, tanned, and sculpted.
“Can you hand me the towel, please?” he asked with a touch of playful snark.
“I'm not getting near you,” I protested.
“If you toss it a hand goes up. I'm not sure one hand can cover it all.”
I was certain it wouldn't.
“Oh just give the man a towel!” Barbie and her terrible peer pressure.
I shook my head in dismay. “Oh, fine!” I marched over to Bobby. “Here.” I jutted out my hand with the towel.
“Thank you,” he said with an exaggerated head bow as he quickly snagged the towel with one hand to keep his crotch covered. I turned away to get a reasonable distance, when I felt his large hand grip my forearm and yank me so that I fell back on him.
I yelped as I realized I had been setup. Betrayed. Bamboozled.
“Now!” he yelled, as Barb dug into a quarter squat and went to town on me with the hose while Bobby held me down. I screamed and kicked as he gripped me around the waist with one arm, the other arm keeping the towel between us. No matter how hard I wrestled, his strong arm kept me in place until I was thoroughly doused.
His laughter howled in my ear and for those few seconds, it was like we were sixteen again. Bobby taunting me and making my life hell and me loving every second of it.