Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)(93)

“Stella, I would hate to talk to Tory about this,” Brown Eyes didn’t seem like he was showing off. He legitimately thought telling on Stella for doing her job was the right way to play it.

Krista stared; she was baffled.

“I would hate for you to interrupt his day as well, but if you feel you need to then, by all means. I will need to hear from him or Mrs. Hartling directly, of course, should any protocol change.” Stern turned to stone.

Krista started inching away. She would freely admit it: Stella scared her a little.

“Fine,” Brown Eyes said, with his hands on his hips. “Just give me a beer.”

“Of course,” Stone lady answered.

Krista had had enough. She wanted to hang out with Sean. She turned to him, with that intent, but two of his groupies were on scene, standing close, trying to get his attention with their chests out and their eyes trying to scare off the competition.

It wasn’t meant to be. When she finally looked at Sean, he was watching her with frustration.

“Well,” she said, nodding toward his fan club.

He glanced behind him quickly then turned back to her, “Did you…”

“That was a mess, huh?” Brown Eyes asked, cutting Sean off as he stepped up to Krista. “Oh hey. Sean McAdams, right?”

Sean’s eyes regretfully pivoted away from Krista and somewhat lost their focus as he looked at Brown Eyes. “Correct. And you are?”

“James Rochester the Third,” James stuck out his hand and puffed up his bony chest. He couldn’t have been much more than twenty-one, but he thought he owned the world already. He was probably the first born, and set to inherit a empire.

“Of course. Your father owns a winery in Napa, is that right?”

“Sonoma, actually, yes. Voted the ’Best Along the Wine Tour 2012!’”

“Okay, well, see you boys later,” Krista said.

Sean’s head snapped back to her and he opened his mouth to say something, but as his groupies—there were four now—stepped up to him, he regretfully nodded.

She got back to the pool and did another dive. Once in, she stayed in for a while, but wanted her champagne, so she headed back to the clan of boys to retrieve it. What she needed was a raft with a drink holder. That was the way to go. Unfortunately, there were no floaty devices in view. Worse still, James Rochester the Third was waiting for her.

“Hey. You got your champagne,” he said. He looked like the leader of this clan. Billy, who was bringing over strawberries for her, unasked, was the minion.

She thanked Billy and received a weird bow. He then ogled her br**sts for a second before he took off.

“He’s my brother.”

“Ah. Errand boy by day, brother by night, huh?”

James blinked in response. For a prominent guy’s son, he seemed a bit dense.

Unconcerned, Krista drank some of her champagne and noticed a few other guys sat down around her, all talking animatedly about some computer game called “Call of Duty.” Krista was starting to think she misjudged their ages. She didn’t know anyone her age who played video games nonstop and sounded this stupid talking about it. Especially around a member of the opposite sex.

If Rocket Boobs wasn’t so awful, Krista would’ve gotten up and joined her area of the pool.

“Where you headed?” someone asked.

Krista didn’t bother to answer. Maybe they’d think she was a bitch and go away.

She did a dive where she touched her toes in mid-air before hitting the water. She stayed down for as long as possible, swimming toward the middle where there weren’t as many people, and popped back up. She needed to figure out how long she’d have to stay before she could leave and use the pool in her hotel.

When she finally surfaced she scanned the far side. She didn’t see Sean anywhere. She turned to her back and floated for a while, soaking up the sun and happy to have peace and quiet for the first time all day.

When she felt the water disturbance near her, she opened her eyes. Sean was treading water next to her, completely relaxed.

“You seem pretty content in the water,” she noticed.

That was putting it mildly. He looked like an otter.

“Surfer. It would be a dire thing if I wasn’t.”

“True.”

“You, however, are quite at home yourself for someone who panics when a wave hits her.”

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting that, so it doesn’t count. Two, it was, like, two degrees. I can swim just fine, but currents and rip tides and what not is a little nerve-wracking.”

“And sharks.”

“Yeah, sharks. And freezing water.”

He was lazily swimming around her. “That is why you wear a wetsuit.”

“Still cold. Especially on your face and hands.”

“And feet.”

“You are throwing up an argument, and then helping me throw up an opposition. Why?”

“I’m helpful.”

“You are also in girl-pleasing mode. Your cheerleaders are getting restless.” And they were. The girls were looking at Krista with hate and Sean with longing. Some were slowly drifting out their way.

“Yours, too.”

Krista didn’t want to look. Nor did she want to go back. “They are not cheerleaders, thank you very much. They are my spirit squad.”