I already hear Hunter's voice and Paisley's shrieks when I step outside of my cottage that afternoon. There's a loud splash next, and then laughter, the noise and commotion carrying across the water from their part of the lake to mine. Instead of heading up to the road to walk to their cottage, I amble down toward the water, with a beach bag that holds my towel and sunscreen slung over my shoulder.

They come into view when I reach the shoreline. Paisley is in the lake, her head bobbing just above the water. Brooke is also there, next to her, practicing underwater somersaults. And then there's Hunter, who is flopped out across an inner tube and floating around. His eyes are hidden behind sunglasses and he wears swim trunks and no shirt, and the sight of him this way sends my mind spinning into overdrive. I've barely calmed down from our exchange this morning, and now I wonder how this afternoon might play out.

Paisley spots me and waves me over. "Deni! Come join us!"

I have Hunter's attention now, too. "Grab the raft," he calls out, pointing at an inflatable raft that's on the beach.

I threw a cover-up on over my two-piece swimsuit before leaving my cottage. I pull the cover-up over my head now and place it in my bag. Then I grab the raft, kick off my flip-flops, and head for the water.

It takes a minute of gradually wading deeper into the lake to get used to the temperature. It isn't cold, exactly, but it's also not a heated swimming pool. Once I'm in water that's close to my waist, I hoist myself onto the raft and use my arms to paddle out to where Hunter is.

"You forgot to bring your guitar," he says as I approach. "I'm crushed."

So this is how the afternoon is going to go. "Guitars aren't meant to go swimming," I inform him. "You'll just have to be patient."

"Being serenaded by you will be worth the wait. Plus, it gives you time to write me that song."

"You can keep trying, but I promise the song still isn't happening." I stretch out across the raft, positioning myself to soak up the rays of sunshine.

We settle into a relaxed quiet, and I'm struck by how serene and peaceful floating on the lake is. I'm used to the energy and roar of the Pacific Ocean, and lying on a beach while listening to the surf crash against the shore. The ocean also relaxes me, but this is pure tranquility.

I remove my sunglasses and turn my head to the side to look out over the water. In doing this, I catch sight of Hunter again. His arms and legs dangle over the sides of the inner tube, and he has his head angled up toward the sky. He appears fully relaxed and content.

My gaze roams from his face, taking in his sun-kissed skin and the lean muscles in his arms, which are probably from swimming. I wonder if he takes part in other sports, too. I could ask, I guess, but I'll never tell him the question occurred to me while I was checking him out.

I become lost enough in my thoughts that I don't notice my raft drifting closer to Hunter until it's perilously close to hitting the side of the inner tube he's on. He started watching me at some point, which means he knows I've been getting an eyeful of him.

"Earth to space cadet." Hunter takes off his sunglasses and perches them on top of his head. A sly grin creeps across his face. "Were you admiring me or something?"

I've been caught, but I refuse to admit it. "And if I was?" I try to sound unbothered so there's nothing for him to read into.

"Then I hope you liked the view." He's lowered his voice and speaks at a volume just loud enough that I can hear him but Paisley and Brooke can't. He peers straight into my eyes.

"No complaints." I'm still attempting to play it cool, even though my pulse quickens and I feel anything but this. I put my sunglasses back on as a way of punctuating my sentence and silently congratulate myself for getting through that exchange without giving myself away in front of Hunter, Paisley, and Brooke.

Don't get me wrong—my inner voice is screaming at me to call Hunter's bluff and ask him why he hopes I like what I saw, since all signs point to him crushing on me just as much as I'm crushing on him. I would rather do it without an audience, though, and Paisley and Brooke being here make that impossible at the moment. There's also the pesky detail of not tripping all over my words, which I probably would.

While I ponder this, I miss Hunter sliding off of the inner tube and into the lake. I yelp when he surfaces right next to me and grabs on to the side of the raft.

"What are you thinking about?" His gaze sweeps across my face, as though he's searching it for the answer to his question.

"Nothing," I lie. "I'm just enjoying the sun and the lake."

"Oh yeah?" He attempts to get on the raft. I'm unprepared for the sudden motion and lose my balance, sliding off of the raft and into the water.

"Hunter!" I yell, before dissolving into giggles. He glances down at me from where he's now sprawled out.

"Yes?" There isn't even a hint of an apology in his voice.

I splash water at his face instead of answering him. He contemplates me for a moment, then reaches over to skim his arm against the surface of the lake. A wall of water splashes back at me. We're engaged in an all-out battle before I know it, which includes me trying to capsize the raft and reclaim it for myself, and him trying—and failing—to dunk my head underwater. I'm almost out of breath by the time I get the raft back, and I don't remember the last time I've had this much fun.

It must have been quite a scene to witness, because Paisley and Brooke stopped what they were doing to observe us. They're also whispering to one another about something, and it doesn't take a mindreader to be certain it's about the two of us. Hunter notices their hushed conversation at the same time I do.

"I'm going to grab a bottle of water from inside the camp," he tells me. "Want one?"

"I'll come with you. I need a break from the sun." I don't, but I'd rather go with him than be left in the company of two curious and smug-looking fourteen-year-olds.

We bring the inner tube and raft to the shore with us. Paisley and Brooke watch us go, but they stay where they are in the water. I use my beach towel to dry off once we're out of the lake, and then I wrap it around me and follow Hunter up to his cottage.

No one is inside when we walk in and head for the kitchen. Hunter makes a beeline for the refrigerator. Since he's facing away from me and is otherwise occupied, I take the opportunity to remove my sunglasses and check him out again. He still hasn't put a shirt on, and I can't say I mind. In fact, I'm now wondering how often I can convince him to spend the afternoon swimming or floating around on the lake.

Hunter pulls two bottles of water out of the fridge and nudges the door shut with his elbow. My reflexes are slower than they should be, and he catches me looking at him when he turns around.

He hands me a bottle. "Stop undressing me with your eyes, Cali."

"I'm doing no such thing!" I exclaim.

"I don't know. You seem a little defensive." His face has mischief written all over it.

I look up at the ceiling and pray he thinks I'm exasperated rather than averting my eyes from his. "You only wish I was imagining you that way."

He leans in closer to me. "And if I do?" His voice is both lower and huskier than I'm accustomed to.

"I, um--" I stammer, aware I have nothing to say in my defense. Dear sweet lord, I was not prepared for this today. He's knocking me off my center of gravity, and he knows it. No, he more than knows it—he seems to be enjoying it.

"I'm only messing with you. It's fun to see you blush."

"I'm not blushing." The heat in my cheeks tells me that I am indeed blushing. So much for playing it cool.

"Is that a fact?" Hunter tilts his head to the side, and I pretend not to notice him inspecting my face.

"Mmm-hmm." I will not give him the satisfaction of admitting he's correct.

"Then you might have a sunburn, because your neck and your face are awfully flushed. Like this red spot right here." He moves even closer to me and touches a spot on my neck, allowing his hand to linger there for long enough that I'm concerned I might stop breathing. "And there's another, one, right--"

"Oh my God, you two. Get a room."

I startle at Paisley's voice. I wasn't aware we had an audience, and I don't think Hunter was, either. I don't know if I want to hug her or curse her for her timing, or ask her how long she's been watching us.

Hunter lets his hand drop to his side. "There's no reason for a room, Pais."

She rolls her eyes at us. "Just kiss already. It's clear you both want to."

Out of the mouths of babes. I'm momentarily speechless.

Hunter, for some reason, doesn't seem fazed. "I'm a gentleman, sis. I don't go around just kissing random people."

"Oh, so I'm random now?" I've finally found my voice again, and it's already betraying me.

"Cali." Hunter turns his gaze on me. "You're not helping me win this argument."

"Maybe she doesn't want you to win." Paisley's face lights up with a wicked smile. "Maybe she wants you to kiss her."

I'm going to learn how to stay in control of my mind one day, but today isn't that day. This whole conversation has brought the part of my dream where I almost kissed Hunter to the forefront of my memory, and now it's all I can think about. I only hope Paisley being correct about wanting him to kiss me isn't written all over my face, because I'd be mortified.

Paisley squints at me, and she looks expectant about something. Is she waiting for me to confirm or deny what she's guessed? I want to defend myself, but I've lost the ability to use my voice again. It doesn't seem to matter, because Hunter speaks instead.

"I know you spend your life reading fanfic and watching sappy Hollywood movies where this never happens, but you do know it's possible for two people who have fun hanging out to just be friends?"

Right. We're friends. And we are, but my heart sinks a little when he says this to Paisley. I do my best to keep a neutral expression so neither of them can read me.

At least I now know how he feels. On the plus side, it sure makes it less urgent for me to figure out a good way to tell him I'm his sister's favorite singer, am part of the industry he thinks is manufactured and fake, and have a whole side of my life I haven't told him about yet. It also means I don't have to obsess about what happens with him and me when I go back to L.A. at the end of the summer.

The friend zone should be a good thing if I'm being logical about it. The problem is, I'm not feeling logical today.

Paisley puts her hands on her hips and stares at me. It's clear she doesn't believe her brother.

"It's true," I pipe up. "Besides, you know I'm only here for the summer. Why would we be anything more than friends when we'll be on opposite sides of the continent in different countries in a couple of months?"

I wish I could believe a single word of what I just said, but I only said it to save face. My heart is at odds with my head and reality.

"Uh-huh." Paisley doesn't look convinced. "You two keep telling yourselves that. But I do have one question."

"I'm not taking questions." Hunter shakes out his hair, sending water droplets spraying around him and all over me.

Paisley ignores him. "If you're really only friends, why did you tell Trinity you're dating Deni when you talked to her at my graduation?"

Well, this just got more interesting. I try not to let my face or body language reveal that I'm on the edge of my proverbial seat for what Hunter has to say.

His response does nothing to clear things up, because it isn't an answer to Paisley's question at all. "Did you abandon Brooke to come hassle us?" he asks instead.

"I came in to get water for both of us," she replies. "Why are you changing the subject?"

"Why were you eavesdropping on my conversation with Trinity?" he counters.

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was standing right behind you, waiting for you to finish talking so we could take family photos."

"Then you know I didn't say I was dating Deni. I said I was seeing someone. No names were given."

"Are you seeing someone?" Paisley asks. I find myself mentally cheering her on in this sibling squabble, because she's dishing out information I wouldn't otherwise have and asking the questions that are on my mind.

"No, I'm not," Hunter tells her. "End of discussion."

He removes the cap from his water and takes a drink from the bottle. It's easy to see Paisley is bursting at the seams to interrogate him more and is barely restraining herself. I'm trying to decide what I can say to break through the awkward vibe that's descended upon the kitchen. Before I can come up with something, all three of us hear voices and footsteps approaching the cottage. Hunter and Paisley's parents are about to walk in on us, which signals the true end to this conversation.

"I'm going back down to the lake," I say to no one in particular. With my bottle of water still clutched in my hand, I walk past Hunter and Paisley and exit the cottage, stopping only to greet their parents on my way.