Page 8 of Hot Dad Summer

He raised his eyebrow and smirked. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

I was flustered enough that I fumbled and dropped my panties. They landed next to my feet, all black lace and ruffles. I watched in horror as Flynn glanced down and saw them. I knew Flynn was a flirt. Everyone knew it. He’d teasingly flirted with me before in front of Tyler, just to mess with his little brother, but there was no one in the hallway and the look on his face didn’t have the same teasing nature that I was used to.

He closed the distance between us and kept his eyes on mine as he bent and grabbed my panties. He stood back up slowly and let the fabric brush against my body as he did. My legs, the dress over my thighs, my stomach, and finally my chest. I stood there, breathing faster than I should’ve been, lip caught between my teeth.

Before I could melt, or run away screaming, Flynn grinned and stepped away. His eyes cooled and he was the same old Flynn I knew again. He dropped my panties into my hand and lightly tapped my nose. “Cute.”

I locked myself in the bathroom and leaned heavily against the door. Cute. He’d booped my nose and called me cute. Like a little kid.

That was for the best. Whatever my body was doing, it had no right to risk ruining my easy relationship with the brothers. They didn’t want me and I didn’t want them. That was that.

I put my vibrator on the counter and glared at it. I was back to feeling too guilty to orgasm.

6

***Daisy***

“Hank! Hank, no!” I chased after Hank in my red, patent leather, t-strap pumps. “Put the turtle down!”

The kids were behind me, but instead of helping me, they were already arguing Hank’s case. Charlie, especially, seemed eager to defend my dog. “Aunt Daisy! That turtle was a jerk! Hank’s just taking it back to the water!”

Poppy agreed eagerly. “Yeah, that turtle was mean! He gave us nasty looks! Just like Mrs. Gabbles at the candy store!”

Hazel, quieter and more reserved while still chasing after a woman chasing after her dog, sighed. “It’s the way things work in the wild, Aunt Daisy. But I don’t think Hank wants to hurt Tank. He’s just moving him.”

“He’s not-” I stopped running and rested my hands on my hips as I watched Hank toss his head from one side to the next and then sling the turtle into the lake. My dog turned back around and the grin on his face was too human. “I’ll be damned.”

Charlie cackled. “I’ll be damned!”

Wincing, I lead the kids back inside. “Don’t say that, Charlie. I shouldn’t have said it either.”

“Hank deserves a treat. He saved the day. Tank, the turtle, was truly awful.” Hazel flashed a wide grin at Poppy. “Just like Mrs. Gabbles.”

I probably should’ve stopped them from insulting the old lady who ran the candy shop but I remembered the cantankerous woman from my previous visits. They were right. I was just thinking about what to do next with the kids when I opened the fridge to get a drink and saw Wes’ lunch was right where I left it. Looking at the clock, I figured there was still time to get his lunch to him.

“Y’all want to take the golf cart into the village? We can stop by and see if Mrs. Gabbles got any nicer since I was here last. Your dad forgot his lunch, Hazel, so we’ll stop by the marina first.” I was already going over what all I’d need to start a candy bar for the kids. It was most likely a terrible idea but I’d been working to get Hazel to warm up to me for three years and nothing had completely melted the girl yet. Maybe a surplus of candy would do it.

After making sure we were all dressed for public, that my hair was in place, that Hank’s leash was firmly attached, and the battery was fully charged, we were on our way. Calloway Cove, lovingly named for the family who’d lived on that chunk of land for decades, was really just a curve of Lake Sweetwater. Sweetwater Cove was the village town just up the road. South of the Adirondack Mountains, the area was stunning year-round. In the summer, especially, it was magical. The small roads leading to the village were canopied by trees and felt more like fairy paths than real roads at times.

The air smelled like pine sap, lake water, and sunscreen in a way that made me nostalgic for things I’d never experienced. One of the things I’d loved about Tyler in the beginning was the way he talked about Lake Sweetwater. His summers as a kid sounded like something out of a nineties movie. Visiting for a long weekend for the first time three years earlier hadn’t taken away the magic. Everything was somehow even better than I’d imagined.

I took a breath of air that wasn’t laden with the thick humidity I was used to in Atlanta. Back home it was already closing in on a hundred with record breaking humidity, the same way it was every year. I went through a can of hairspray a week during the summer in Atlanta, just to keep my curls decent. On Lake Sweetwater, I could get away with a lot less and I didn’t have to worry about touch-ups throughout the day. Even my makeup wore better, with no dangers of it melting right off.

Despite everything, despite the reason I was staying for the summer being different from what I’d planned, I was quietly thrilled. A whole summer of pretending that I was one of the locals had me ready to burst into song. And I didn’t sing like that in public, only while showering or baking.

The kids were strapped in on the cart with Hank on the floor at my feet. He was staring up at the seat like he couldn’t figure out why he’d been relegated to the floor. The only thing making him feel better was Hazel’s constant petting and soothing words.

“You’re going to love the marina, Hank. And the hot dog stand. Don’t steal from Mr. Henry, though. He’s nice. If you sit and look at him all sad he’ll probably give you a dog for free.” She looked up at me. “Can he have one?”

I grinned. “He ate a whole chicken yesterday. I think he can handle a hot dog today.”

The village turned into organized chaos in the summer, with tourists and seasonal workers flooding the streets, swelling the population by about four hundred percent. It made me appreciate the quietness of the estate, for sure. Since traffic was horrible with people trying to decide where to go, I parked the cart in the lot just outside of everything. It was meant as overflow parking and it was mostly full already but I snagged a spot right at the front.

“Alright, we’re going to the marina first. No side quests until Wes has his lunch. And then…”

Poppy hopped in place. “What?”

“And then all the side quests!”