Since school ended, I've been scheduled to work morning's only at the ice-cream parlor. My boss is an older man with three grandchildren, so I think he understands the importance of having fun as a kid. I wouldn't really call myself a kid, but in this instance, I'm grateful that he does.

Hollering a 'goodbye' to Debbie, the older woman who covers the afternoon shift, I step out into the blistering heat. Misery, that's what this is to most people, but I love it. Well, not so much the sun baking my flesh, but I do love the heat. The way it seeps into my bones and slaps my muscles with a zap of energy. My friends call me crazy because, apparently, heat has the opposite effect on them. It drains them. Something I'll never understand.

With a hop in my step and a smile in my heart, I make my way along the downtown strip, watching other kids and teenagers pass by. They all have summer faces. The kind of faces that resemble peace and joy and freedom. It's beautiful.

Arriving home, I unlock the door and grab a glass of water from the tap. I've never been a fan of iced beverages. It messes with my internal thermostat. A glass of cold water is only refreshing while you're drinking it, but when it's gone your body has to struggle to climatize all over again. It's not worth it, in my opinion.

Feeling energized, I pull out my phone and send a text out to Justine and Rosa. The moment I hit send, I realize my stupidity. I'd asked them to join me for a swim in the neighbor's pool, but Justine left yesterday for vacation and Rosa doesn't get off work until around four.

Sighing, I settle for Jamie. I feel bad labeling him as my last resort, but I'm desperate for some companionship and he's my only other friend. Besides, we did end up having fun the other day setting up my hang out attic. I'm just tired of all the confusion. He treats me like crap, then he's my friend, then he treats me like crap, then he's my friend. I'm fed up, really. But, I think that's one reason I decided to text him to go swimming. I need answers. I need to know where his thoughts are about me because if he's not serious about our friendship, then I'm officially out. I won't be swung around like this anymore.

Plus, I did promise that I'd help him find happiness again and I'm not one that makes habits of backing out of commitments. So, today is day one of me attempting to awaken the old Jamie. Not the Jamie I've come to know since returning to Galena, but the Jamie I loved as a kid. The Jamie who was full of smiles and jokes. The Jamie who noticed people and cherished their feelings. The Jamie with passion and a future rather than the Jamie who covers up his emotions through thrill-seeking. That's the Jamie I want back... minus the dirty fingernails and boogers.

Jamie doesn't text back for another thirty minutes, and by now, I'm already dressed and basking in the glorious coolness of our neighbor's pool. They're good people but they work like crazy. So, rather than let their pool go to waste, they made me promise to use it as much as I possibly could this summer. Oh, such a grievous task they've asked me to bear.

Hah!

I'd told them that I would do my best, and I definitely am. I've already taken advantage of their offer four times this week. The only times I didn't were when it was raining. Boo lightning for ruining my swimming streak.

Jamie arrives an hour after agreeing to join me. He's got his swim trunks on already—the metal of his artificial leg glinting in the sun—and a white T-shirt with Pac-man on the front as he saunters through the wood gate. When he sees me floating aimlessly around in the water, his face brightens.

"Enjoying your summer?" he asks, setting his phone and keys down on the small patio table before taking a seat in one of the cushioned wicker chairs beside it.

"Oh yes," I sigh, dropping my head back into the water and floating with my face toward the sky.

I'm so caught up in the blissfulness of the water that I don't realize Jamie's still seated in his chair until my ear gets clogged with water and I have to stand to shake it out.

"What are you doing?" I ask, eyeing him as I cock my head to the side dramatically and jerk it in quick motions to release the fluid.

"Watching," he says casually, resting his right ankle on his artificial knee.

"Duuude. Lame." I use my palm to shove a light spray of water at him. He doesn't even bother to shield himself, seeming to enjoy the mist on his hot skin. "Get in here."

"Can't." He points at his leg. "Haven't gotten my swimming prosthetic yet."

"Then take it off," I suggest, like it's the simplest solution.

It's only when I see the hesitation on Jamie's face that I realize this isn't going to be easy for him. He carries some kind of embarrassment toward his leg. Like, the idea of showing the world his true form is mortifying to him.

My lips sag with pity. Pity that I'm sure he hates, but who cares. It's sad that he feels this way about himself. As if he can change it. Nobody should ever have to feel ashamed of who they are. We don't choose our appearance. Besides, I've been taught that every single person on earth has their own unique, special quality. Outer beauty is not the only thing that makes a person attractive or appealing.

But, luckily for Jamie, he has nothing to worry about in the looks department. Truthfully, he has nothing to worry about in any department. Even his missing leg isn't an issue. I find it kind of cool, really. It makes him different and interesting.

If only he'd embrace it. When people embrace their flaws with breezy confidence, it makes them shine. Shiny people are sexy.

Seconds tick by as I watch Jamie debate internally with himself. He wants to. I see the desire in his eyes. The need to break loose and live. But he's so freakin' scared, and I make sure he knows how ridiculous I think his fear is.

"I'm gonna start calling you Mouse," I tell him, combing my fingers through my blue hair and wrapping it into a bun at the tip top of my head. "A wittle tiny terwified mousy," I tease, changing my tone to mimic that of a child.

"Okay okay," he gives in, exhaling with playful irritation as he lifts his palms toward me in surrender. "Just... turn around, will ya?"

"Seriously?" My right brow lifts as if challenging him with its own quirky attitude.

"Look, I'm still adjusting to all this," he says, his tone turning serious as he stares at his fingers where they play with his fake knee. "Just give me some time, okay? It feels weird when people watch."

He's serious. Completely serious. I feel my heart soften, like a water balloon popping and filling my chest cavity with warmth. Smiling, I nod once. "Okay, sure."

I turn away from him, my eyes surveying the yard with its trimmed bushes lining the solid wood fence and the small purple and yellow wildflowers shooting up from the ground. I can hear Jamie removing items and setting them to the side and several moments later, a small ripple of water hits my back. Not thinking much of it, I continue to stare ahead, but Jamie is sneaky. He'd somehow managed to slip into the water almost completely undetected.

When something smooth slides around my ankle, I gasp in surprise, just before I'm yanked beneath the water. I swear I must have inhaled half the pool into my lungs and after fighting and kicking for release, I resurface, coughing and spewing water everywhere.

"Jamie Gallagher," I start to say, my voice tinged with warning. "You are going to pay for that."

Swiveling around as fast as possible while waist-deep in water, I lunge at him, pushing his head beneath the surface. Well, I try. He's far too sturdy, even with only a single leg to balance him. Instead, I just look like a monkey as I cling to his head, my fingers wrapped around strands of his hair.

I hear him laughing as he fights me to untangle my grip from his precious locks, but when his fingers slide over mine, I lose all focus. My movements pause, my mind glitching momentarily as I absorb the tenderness of his rough hands mingling with my own. Gently, I release my hold, my body sliding down his back until my feet are able to support me.

Jamie still hasn't released his hold, and as seconds tick by, the knowledge that this was not an accident hits me. My eyes lift to Jamie's only to find him already watching me. The humor has dried up, the light breeze sweeping it away in its airy arms.

My breathing is stiff, like I have to consciously remind my brain how to inhale and exhale. It's when Jamie's gaze drops that I lose all ability to breathe at all. I have no thoughts, only a sizzling anticipation brewing in the hollow of my gut. I'm aching for him to lean in. Just a couple inches and I'd finally get to experience his lips against mine and the intimacy of his mouth parting for me.

His eyes narrow, a depth weaving its way into the blues and silvers that make up his earnest gaze. And then his features shift—a flicker of alarm blinking across his face before he expertly shields it behind a crooked smile. Slowly releasing one of my hands, he takes a minute step forward. I'm not paying attention to anything but his left hand as it continues to cling to mine, so when his opposite arm swings out into the water, I think nothing of it.

Until I'm being doused by a tsunami.

Jamie instantly releases me from his hold so he can laugh his guts out from the safety of a few feet away. Oh, typical, infuriating Jamie. He uses an intimate moment to blindside me.

And now he's gonna die!

A ninja cry splits the air as I lunge at him, clinging to him like a kitten being dangled over a cliff. My claws are out and I'm seeking revenge. Something about him using my weakened emotional state has me genuinely—and inappropriately—outraged. Mindlessly so. That's my excuse anyway because there's no way my brain was active when I suddenly bent my head and bit down on the tender skin between his neck and shoulder.

A low grunt escapes through clenched teeth as he jerks me away from him, his eyes searching me with an unnerving sobriety.

"What the heck, Lynn!"

I grimace at his wounded tone, like he can't believe I'd stoop so low as to physically harm him. Truth is, I can't believe it either. And as I shrug in response, guilt engulfs me. I watch Jamie as he glances down at the vague outline of my teeth imprinted in his skin, and then he lifts menacing eyes toward me.

"Sorry," I whisper, all confidence having evaporated into a mist of shame.

He takes a step toward me.

"Sorry," I try again.

Another step.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," I mumble with every stride he makes.

I swear I'm going to cry. I've never been scared of Jamie, but he's been through a dark enough place that it's possible his bitterness has changed him. Before I know it, he's directly in front of me. My heart is screaming at me to turn and flee from the pool, but then his expression changes and a dangerous smile spreads across his lips.

Suddenly, he's looping one solid arm around my waist as he pulls me into his chest. We're close. So close. My chest pressed into his and his breath skimming across my jaw as he lowers his face and whispers a warning into my ear.

"You've just messed with the wrong guy," he growls, his voice hoarse with the threat. And then he's securing his hands beneath my thighs and launching me into the air.

I'm sure I look something like a cat being catapulted into the heavens, arms flailing and face wild with the expectation of a crash landing. Everything happens too quickly for my body to react and before I can tuck my arms in or curl into some kind of fetal position, I'm coming down flat on my stomach.

It's not like Jamie even threw me that high, but it was enough to cause pain upon landing. Rather than flounder around gasping for air and cursing Jamie with endless threats, I simply let my body descend to the very bottom of the pool. Chest flat against the tiled flooring, I let myself revel in the safety beneath the waters. As long as I'm down here, I'm untouchable.

That's what I thought, anyway.

When warm arms circle around me and push me up against the pressure of the water, I realize my mistake. But, as Jamie brings me to the surface and I finally catch my breath, I realize he wasn't snatching me from the comfort of the pool floor so he could torture me some more, he was actually worried he'd hurt me.

"You okay?" he asks, his eyes investigating my expression for any signs of pain as he actually cradles me in his arms like a baby. Well, ain't this cute.

"I don't know," I tell him, making sure my voice sounds pinched in barely contained agony. "I think I twisted something. It hurts something bad. I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to walk. It could be broken."

The more I talk, the less concerned Jamie appears. Actually, with every word, it seems like the fear is slowly being wiped from his face until he's just staring at me as if waiting for me to finish spewing out lies.

"What if—" I let my voice catch, as if trying to hold back sobs. "What if I can never walk again. What if they have to take my leg. What if—"

"I can assure you... you'll live." He says and then drops me. I slowly plummet back beneath the surface, like a rose petal floating to the ground.

"Hey!" I bark, catching myself just before my head goes under, but he's already swimming in the opposite direction.

As I watch him, I almost wonder if I've offended him. I mean, I've always been able to tease him about his leg before, and honestly, I thought he sort of liked my teasing. I thought I was helping to lessen the awkwardness. But, maybe I took it too far this time.

Swimming to catch up to him, I place my hand along his tight, smooth shoulder to gain his attention. When he turns, I realize he wasn't offended at all. He has an expectant look on his face, like he's trying to figure out why I'm the one looking so concerned this time.

"You okay?" he asks, and I can't help the single chuckle that escapes my lips.

"I was gonna ask you that," I tell him, reaching for the edge of the pool and pulling myself flush against it.

"What? Did you think you hurt my feelings?" His teasing brings a smile to my lips but I ignore his question as I lay my head back onto the edge of the pool and kick my legs up in front of me.

"Sorry for biting you," I murmur, avoiding eye contact. "My brain battery must have died for a moment back there because I was acting without thought."

"Hmm," Jamie mumbles, cocking his head to the side as he examines me. "Is your brain fully charged again now?"

"Yes," I confirm. "Fully."

"Good." He slides both his hands around his neck and then winds his fingers together as he leans his head back on his clasped hands. "You're forgiven." He looks at me sideways with a smile, nudging me with his hip.

Peace settles into the atmosphere around us for several marvelous seconds, but that serenity is broken when Jamie attempts to take a step. We're in the shallow end of the pool now, the part that we could probably kneel in and still have our head above water, and Jamie must have forgotten that he's missing a leg.

One minute he's standing beside me and the next, he's going under. Only, in the process of going down, his hands find me and take me down with him. Scrambling arms and legs tangle together until Jamie gets himself freed and pushes his way to the surface. Reaching for me, he pulls me up and we both stand panting as he wipes water from our eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Jamie laughs, though I get a hint of unease weighing down his words. He feels stupid. That's my impression anyway. He's trying to laugh it off, but the fact that he nearly drowned the two of us because he forgot he couldn't walk is uncomfortable.

I laugh with him, his eyes swinging up to meet mine. Then with a sigh, he pinches the bridge of his nose and rests his back against the edge of the pool.

"Why are you so ashamed of it?" I find myself asking, looking at his missing appendage.

"I'm not," he confesses, taking a deep breath. "Not really, anyway. I've come to terms with it. I'm not happy to be missing a leg, but I'm accepting it. It's more the fact that I don't want to freak people out with it."

"Why would it freak anyone out?" I inquire, turning so my chest is pressed against the tiled pool wall before laying my head on my crossed arms resting on the concrete ledge.

"Because," he explains, slightly exasperated, "It's not natural. People freak out when they see something unnatural."

"Pfft!" I can't help but find flaw in his logic. "That might be true for some, but a missing limb isn't really that unusual these days. Seriously, it's not a big deal. Some might even think it's cool."

"Then those people are stupid."

Welp, I guess I'm stupid.

I ignore his bitter response and close my eyes as I listen to the water lap against the pool deck. Seconds pass and my mind has started to mute the sounds around it as it grows internalized, preparing for sleep. Just as I'm letting go of consciousness, Jamie speaks up.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a sibling?"

My eyes peel themselves apart and I find Jamie with his back against the wall of the pool and his arms stretched out along the ledge as he stares off into the distance. His eyes find mine for a brief moment as he reads the confusion on my face and then he's redirecting his gaze ahead again.

"Your mom told me," he explains to my silent question.

I nod slowly in understanding as I swivel around to mirror Jamie's position.

"I don't know," I shrug. "We were so young back when we first became friends, I guess I never felt the need to say anything about it. Honestly, I don't think the thought even crossed my mind. It was so long ago and I never even knew her." I sigh as I work to figure out my own reasons. "We were too busy climbing trees and jumping mud puddles to bring up death, you know? That kind of serious talk isn't meant for children, right?"

Jamie doesn't respond but I know he's listening because I see his head bobbing in acknowledgment from my peripheral vision.

"Why did your mom refer to you as her miracle baby?"

Man, when did Jamie and my mom find the time to talk about my entire past? Makes me wonder if he comes to my house when I'm gone just to gossip about me. I even envision them curled up on the couch—Jamie on one side and my mom on the other—while they dunk chocolate chip cookies into glasses of milk and chatter about my tragic history.

"I suppose I sort of am," I tell him smoothly. "While my mom was pregnant, I suffered from a urine blockage that resulted in several infections. They got pretty bad and I ended up with lots of scarring in my kidneys. So a few months after I was born—and several infections later—I had to have one of my kidneys removed."

Jamie turns his head in my direction as he continues to listen.

"My sister wasn't so lucky," I explain. "She died during birth." I pause for a moment, watching the ripples in the water. "We were twins."

Jamie exhales noisily. "Twins? You had a twin?" He shakes his head in vexed disbelief. "I still can't believe you never mentioned this at all. Infections, surgery, death. Those all seem like pretty big deals."

"Yeah," I agree. "They are. But maybe not to a child. I didn't understand the dangers I went through or the sorrow of losing my sister until I got much older. All this happened before I was even one, so it's basically just a story that my mom has told me a few times. I have no emotional connection to it because I don't remember any of it."

Jamie's eyes narrow at me slightly, like he's trying to see deeper into my emotional state. He's trying to understand if I'm really as unaffected by the events of my infancy as I let on. With a subtle nod, apparently satisfied that I'm fine, he turns away from me and stretches his arms over his head.

"Well," he says, his voice substantially lighter than it was just seconds before. "Enough deep chatter. Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" I question. "I'm not really in the mood to let you drown me again."

"I'll resist drowning you if you resist biting me," he debates. "I'm not really in the mood to be gnawed on."

"Oh darn," I pout. "I was so hoping I could chew on your bicep for a few minutes."

The look on Jamie's face hits a new level of comical and with a shake of his head he mutters, "You are so strange."

Turning and pushing off of the side of the pool with my feet, I wiggle my eyebrows at Jamie as I pass by him.

"What's that look for?" he asks, a sly grin edging its way across his features.

"I'm a dolphin," I tell him, doing my best to imitate the large mammal as I arch my body and dive beneath the waters.

"You're a weirdo, that's what you are," I hear him mumble just before my head is submerged.

I let my body glide through the water, the coolness brushing over my skin in a way that is invigorating. I reach the opposite end of the pool and do a somersault, kicking my feet against the side as I swim back to the other end.

We spend another hour lounging in the pool before Jamie announces that he needs to get home. By now, the sun has decided to leave its perch in the sky as it slowly swims toward the horizon. I float aimlessly on my back, the last of the day's warmth kissing my cheeks while I wait for Jamie to reattach his prosthetic.

I'm pretty proud of myself. As curious as I am about what lies beneath the plastic and metal contraption that he now calls a leg, I never once tried to snag a glance at it. I can't open my eyes under water anyway—I'm a wuss and don't like the sting—but I never even attempted to glance at it through the water. Though, it's only a matter of time before I start making demands. It'll be fun to see how he handles that.

"I'll see you later," Jamie calls from behind me, breaking me from my moment of internal self-praise.

I twist around, planting my feet on the floor of the pool as I wave him goodbye with a 'See ya!'

I watch him head toward the wood fence, but just as he reaches for the latch, he pauses and turns back to face me. A thoughtful smile makes his eyes shine as he meets my gaze.

"It's kinda cool though, right?"

"What?" I ask, tilting my head in question.

"We're both missing a piece of who were once were," he explains. "Your kidney. My leg."

"Hmm. Maybe we're meant to be," I joke, my eyes teasing him as I waggle my eyebrows seductively.

"Yeah," he laughs, but I don't miss the contemplative look in his eyes as he nods a couple times before turning back around. And then, just before he slips out of sight, I swear I hear him mumble a soft "maybe."

---

Kind of a fun chapter, right? I love Lynn's POV.

Which POV do you enjoy reading most? Lynn's or Jamie's?

TEASER: A big moment for Jamie when he finally allows Lynn to... (hehe)