The next morning I felt like a giddy thirteen-year-old. My commitment to Jayme still fresh in my mind, my confidence soaring because I had spent the good part of the weekend engaged in wanton sex with two different men, I was on top of the world. At breakfast Derek eyed me suspiciously.
"What's with you?" he asked when I burst into laughter after Jayme dropped something in his lap and mumbled, "I don't know why my fingers aren't working today. Guess I didn't get enough sleep."
"Nothing," I sassed. "Mind your business. Eat your Frosted Flakes." And I stretched my leg under the table to poke him in the thigh with my bare toe.
"Quit," he warned.
I poked him again and he glared at me.
"What kind of trouble can we get into today?" I mused, flipping my hair off my shoulders. "I don't think I can do the beach or the pool again. I want to do something. I want to go somewhere."
"We could take the kayaks to Spider Island," Jayme suggested.
"Why?" asked Derek. "Nothing there...just that old fort we've seen like a million times. Probably a bunch of snakes this time of year."
"God, Derek, you're such a grumpy old man!" I teased. " 'Just a bunch of snakes and a stupid old fort.' We haven't even checked it out this summer. We go to it every summer. I think it's a great idea."
"Awesome," he said. "I think it's a stupid idea. So you guys go right ahead, and I'll stay here and play Xbox. How about that?"
I shrugged. "Works for me. Spider Island it is." I winked at Jayme.
The island was a tiny one, once privately owned but now owned by the county. It had the remnants of an old fort on it which had fascinated us as children. It was a summer tradition to make a pilgrimage out to it and spend the day on the island exploring and swimming and generally goofing off. Jayme had never gotten too old for these adventures and was usually the one who thought up some crazy dare for Derek or me. So it was a place I'd always loved, and it was also a golden opportunity to get away from everyone else in a very legitimate, unsuspicious way. I had butterflies at the thought of being alone with Jayme for the entire day.
We took the kayaks out, which was a treat in itself. It was so calm on the water, and I loved watching Jayme, who was so natural in any outdoor activity and so incredibly sexy. I still marveled at the fact that my uncle, whom I'd grown up with like a cousin, was now my secret lover. I was a jumble of powerful emotions, a live wire.
When we got to the island, we did our usual trek to the old fort, racing each other down the footpath and grappling with the undergrowth to get to it. When we got to it, we stood in front of it for a long time, just staring at it, and Jayme slipped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled my neck. "Skinny," he whispered.
"Uncle Jayme," I whispered back. I could feel him grinning against my neck.
"This has been a crazy-ass summer."
"Yeah." That was the understatement of a lifetime.