Playing for Keeps by Joan Lowery Nixon Read Free Book Online Page A

deck above. The drops of water on my skin dried quickly, the salt drying and tickling, and an occasional rivulet from my wet hair felt good as it rolled down my back.
    Neil suddenly stood in front of me. “Is it okay if I sit with you?”
    I looked up, shading my eyes with my hand. He’d put on a long-sleeved shirt and a wide-brimmed straw hat.
    “Sure,” I said. “If you want to.”
    “Would you rather I didn’t?”
    “No, but don’t think that you
have
to.”
    Neil plopped down next to me on his towel and opened his lunch. “This conversation could go on forever, and I’m hungry.”
    I tore open a small bag of potato chips as the boat’s engines started up. “Look, I know my grandmother pushed us together, and I’m embarrassed about it. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to come anywhere near me.”
    Neil looked surprised. He chewed and gulped until he’d finished his mouthful of sandwich. “You’ve got the wrong idea. I was glad when we met on the plane and I knew you’d be on the tour. I’m just not very good at making small talk. I didn’t know what to say to you.”
    “You talked to Julieta,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “Ohhh, forget I said that,” I mumbled.
    Neil shrugged. “Julieta talked to me. And she talked and she talked.”
    “About what?”
    “I don’t know. I tuned her out. You know, it’s like when a radio station is playing in the background and you hear the music but you don’t pay any attention to the words.”
    I laughed. Maybe I’d been wrong about Neil. “I like your hat and the way the brim curls down to cover your face and neck,” I said. “I wish I had one like it.”
    “It came from a Caribbean cruise Grandma and Grandpa took years ago,” Neil said. “There are probably some hats just like it for sale in the market at Bonita Beach.” He grinned as he added, “Each of my Hawaiian shirts is one of a kind, though. No matter how much you wish you had one, you won’t be able to get it. They probably haven’t been made since the fifties.”
    Surprised, I said, “You don’t like them? Then why do you wear them?”
    “It makes Grandma happy. I really don’t mind.”
    “You don’t care what other people think?”
    “No. Why should I?”
    That’s courage,
I thought. I smiled at Neil and pointed toward the spit of land where the tender was docked. “Look. We’re almost at the beach, and the tender’s there. We can catch it without waiting half an hour.”
    But as the boat docked and we walked onto the pier, I saw someone waving at us.
    Julieta, in a white bikini that set off her perfect tan, ran to meet us. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she said. “You didn’t tell me you’d signed up for the snorkel tour.”
    “It was last-minute,” I said.
    Julieta grabbed Neil’s right hand. “Well, come on, then. We’ll make up for lost time. The water’s perfect.”
    “I’m sorry. No more swimming for me,” Neil said. He strode down the dock to where the tender was moored. “I’ve had enough sun for today. We’re going back to the ship.”
    For an instant Julieta’s lower lip curled out in a pout. “The ship won’t sail for over three hours. Are you really going to let this beautiful beach go to waste?”
    Neil shrugged and turned to look at me. “Rosie, do you want to stay and swim with Julieta?”
    I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Julieta,” I said. “We’ve been swimming all morning. I’m ready to go back too.”
    Julieta didn’t let go of Neil’s hand. “Getting out of the sun is probably a good idea. Besides, there’s lots to do on the ship.”
    As we boarded the tender with a few other passengers, Neil paused. “I’ll join you in a minute,” he said. “I want to ask the pilot something about water depth and pressure.”
    Julieta waited with Neil, but I went ahead. I slid onto one of the long benches, resting my elbow on the rail, and gazed out over the water, now a deep blue glazed with gold.
    Mom