Cherish Hard
Page 65

Her sister, who’d been sitting by the tent pretending to play on her phone while Ísa knew her heart was breaking, looked up. Mouth dropping open, she said, “I don’t have legs, in case you haven’t noticed!”
“I noticed that you’re an athlete who’s very stable on those prosthetics now,” Sailor said with total equanimity. “Don’t tell me you can’t play a friendly family game.”
Growling low in her throat, Catie got up and limped onto the field.
“Oh, honey, you’re limping.” Alison’s worried tone. “Did you fall?”
Looking abashed, Catie said, “Oh wow, looks like my leg is all better.” She took position when a scowling Sailor pointed.
Across from her, Danny snickered. “Busted.”
“Shut up, caveboy.”
Putting two fingers to his mouth, Sailor whistled. “Ladies and gents, let’s get this show on the road. Gabe, you want to call teams?”
Nodding, Sailor’s ruggedly handsome older brother stepped forward to quickly divide them into two teams.
Gabriel, Alison, Ísa, Catie.
Sailor, Joseph, Danny, Jake.
“Hey!” Sailor protested. “You can’t have all the women. Here, we’ll give Danny back.” He pushed his younger brother across with rough humor.
“Whatever,” Danny said good-naturedly. “I didn’t want to be on the losing team anyway.”
“Catie.” Sailor called her over.
Ísa’s sister switched sides with a grin, smirking at Danny along the way.
He smirked back and began to stretch. “For my victory dance,” he told Catie.
Sailor grinned at Ísa, his earlier intensity erased by a familiar playfulness. “Sorry, Ísalind, but you’re on the opposition and it’s war.”
Ísa pretended to shove up her nonexistent long sleeves. “Bring it on.”
Beside her, Gabriel shot her a grin so similar to Sailor’s that she couldn’t help but like him. “That’s the spirit,” he said to her. “Now, team, it’s time for a huddle so we can talk strategy.”
That huddle lasted three minutes, Sailor talking to his own team on the other side just as secretively. The rules were simple—no tackling, only touches on the hips, pass backward, never forward, and run like hell toward the try line if you managed to get your hands on the oval-shaped ball.
Ísa raised her hand. “I’m not very fast.”
“I am,” Danny piped up. “I’ll run up behind you if you get the ball. You can pass it to me.”
“Good plan.” Gabriel ruffled his brother’s hair, then looked sternly at his mother. “No stopping to kiss any boo-boos.”
Alison Esera scowled at her eldest son. “You have children, then you talk to me about kissing my boys’ hurts.”
Danny groaned. “Mom, it’s totally embarrassing when you do that. Especially with a girl around.”
“I’ll kiss her boo-boos too,” Alison said, unbending. “Are we playing or what?”
The motley crew got into position, Sailor and Gabe flipping a coin to decide who got the ball first. It ended up with Sailor’s team, and they began with a bang—until Danny managed to make Catie turn it over on a touch.
Catie glared at him.
Danny smiled smugly—and spun the ball back at Ísa. She actually “eeped”—which made Jake crack up on the other side—but somehow didn’t drop it. Not quite sure what to do with it, she froze for a second until Gabriel said, “Run, Ísa!”
She ran.
Sailor pounded after her… only to be crashed out of the way by Gabriel’s flying body. She heard Alison yell, “No tackling!” but the men were wrestling too fiercely to pay attention. And Ísa realized she only had to get past Catie to make the try line.
She lowered her head and ran.
Her sister came at her, just as determined. Ísa went to circle around her; Catie changed direction. They crashed in a tumble of limbs.
Ísa was horrified. “Catie!”
Her sister grabbed the ball, got up, and ran.
“Hey!” Ísa’s mouth fell open.
Danny raced after Catie, but he was too late. Her sister put down the ball on the try line with a triumphant air before launching into a victory dance of her own.
And Sailor came over to scoop Ísa up into his arms. “Never trust a cute redhead.”
39
A Confession in the Moonlight (Also, Baboons)
ÍSA COULDN’T GET TO SLEEP.
Even though the gloriously peaceful silence was broken only by the crashing waves.
Picking up her phone, she texted Nayna. How’s the whole ‘running away to the jungle’ thing going?
She wasn’t really expecting a response given the late hour, but Nayna must’ve been up. A freaking jungle would’ve been noisier than this. They have baboons in the jungle, right? And baboons are noisy. It’s so QUIET here I keep expecting to hear ghostly wails and rattling chains.
Ísa bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. I am currently suffering from the curse of peace and quiet and nature as well. Obviously, city girls didn’t do well when plucked out of their environment. Do you think the ghost will come with a dashing duke to rescue you?
I’m more into the stubbled-jaw, blue-collar man these days, Nayna admitted. Do you know what I’m watching right now? A rerun of a home-renovation show full of construction types. I hate myself.
Why don’t you invite Raj to join you? Ísa suggested wickedly. Have a little fun away from prying eyes.
Nayna’s response took five minutes to come. And it had Ísa jerking upright on the large air mattress Sailor had inflated for her and Catie.
I did it. I called him. He sounded all sleep-growly and he was pissed that I’d gone AWOL, but he said he’d come. I just hope he wasn’t lying—if he tells my parents where I am, that’s it, I’m done.
Grinning and doing a little dance for her friend, Ísa said, Take my advice and do every dirty thing you’ve ever dreamed.
You, my friend, are not helping my attempts to calm down, Nayna accused. Anyway, I’m going to leave the TV on for noise and try to catch some sleep. He was booking an early-morning flight down when we hung up.
Ísa, too, attempted to go to sleep—to no avail.
Maybe she should try Catie’s trick; her sister had fallen asleep with her earbuds snugged to her ears. Her prosthetics sat neatly to the side of the tent. She’d admitted to Ísa that her stumps hurt a little as a result of navigating the unfamiliar terrain, but she’d been smiling as she removed the silicon suction liners that protected her flesh from the prosthetic sockets.
“Sailor’s family is awesome,” she’d said, her smile a far sweeter one than she permitted the outside world to see. “I sent Harlow pictures of like the game and stuff, and he was bummed to be missing out even though he’s all googley heart eyes over the Dragon. He totally wants to come next time.”
Ísa’s heart ached. Her baby sister was falling as hard for the Bishop-Esera clan as Ísa. Catie had joined in every activity so far, including a walk on the beach to collect shells. Sailor had just hauled her up each time she stumbled, as had Gabe, and they’d done it the same way they’d hauled up Danny when he attempted a backflip and landed flat on his back.