After a brief talk with the caterers, Drake headed back to the yacht, walking leisurely. He couldn’t wait to see Riley’s face when she saw the surprise he–Liam, he corrected himself mentally, had planned for her. The race was almost over by the time he got back, but he didn’t mind; he’d much rather do the sailing than watch.
“Did everything go well?” asked Liam, a nearly empty glass of champagne in his hand, as soon as Drake appeared beside him.
“Yeah, we’re all set.”
“Thanks, Drake. Oh, I’ve been meaning to give you some good news.”
“Really? What is it?”
“In fact, I just realized there are two! One for you and one for me.” Liam smiled dazzlingly.
“Well, don’t just stand there smiling like Cordonia depends on it! Spit it out!”
Liam chuckled. “Fine. You really have no patience at all, you know that?” When Drake looked like he might shake him if he didn’t get on with it, he continued, “I noticed a certain Lady Kiara looking over at you before the races. Not only that, but when she saw me looking, she asked about you. She seemed like she hoped to spend time with you at the beach party…” Liam waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“How can I get you to stop doing that? Forever?” Drake rolled his eyes at him.
He was slightly alarmed to find he only felt the tiniest twinge of excitement after finding out that one of the hottest ladies in court wanted to “spend time” with him. What the hell?
Liam laughed, then asked, “So, will you look for her at the party?”
“I don’t know, man. Sure, it’s an ego boost but I think I’d rather spend time with AAA… –r friends. Uh, our friends.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably, relieved he’d caught himself on time and panicked he’d nearly said that at all.
“Oh. I thought you liked her but, of course, if that is what you wish to do, then I hope you have fun. Speaking of which…” Liam got that starry-eyed look he had whenever he talked about Riley and which Drake had come to dread. “Remember I said I wanted to spend more time with Riley?”
“I sure do!” Drake answered, too loudly.
“Well, that is my other good news: I plan on starting at the beach party! I have planned a romantic hike for us. I am hoping to show her how beautiful Cordonia’s nature can be. What do you think? Do you think she’ll say yes?”
Liam looked so anxious that Drake almost felt for him… Almost.
“Liam, it’s you. You could ask a girl to go dumpster-diving and she would be knee-deep in it, no questions asked.”
Liam shook his head. “Always exaggerating. But I will take that as a vote of confidence.”
“It is. There is no way you could… fail.” Drake could not understand why he felt choked up all of a sudden. Must be the heat.
“I will drink to that,” said Liam with a smile, draining the last gulp of champagne from his glass. “And it seems the race is over. You go on ahead to the beach party, I need to find my father.”
“Cool, see you later. Good luck on your, um, date.”
Drake left before Liam could thank him for anything else. It was a short walk from the royal yacht to the private beach where the party was going to be held, yet he still found it almost unbearable. The heat was definitely stifling, but his level of discomfort was off the charts. He felt itchy all over and at the same time like he wanted someone to punch him. Huh, that’s a new one, I usually prefer to do the punching.
He had been so absorbed by his vaguely angry thoughts he hadn’t noticed he was practically there. A few feet ahead he saw several long picnic tables and small groups of people milling about. He spotted his friends at the back and his gaze was drawn straight to Riley, who looked lovely and vibrant in a white bikini with a turquoise beach wrap covering most of it.
Damn. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there or even how long he would have stayed if the sand hadn’t started burning his feet. Get it together. What is wrong with you? I’m fine… I’m fine. The only reason I noticed Addams first was ‘cause of the bright colors. Or maybe I’m having a heatstroke.
Drake was probably the only person who had ever though that and felt relieved. Having regained his composure, he walked to the picnic table nearest to his friends, who had been trying the fancy seafood canapés. Hana seemed completely at ease, but the same could not be said about Maxwell and Riley, who both looked like they were wishing they could eat anything else.
Drake announced his presence with the best news they could have hoped for, “I hope you all came hungry because the real food has arrived.” He smiled and waved them over to the table, which was laden with pulled pork, chicken, ribs and other kinds of meat accompanied by barbecue sauce, and sloppy joes. Riley ran – or tried to, it was difficult in the sand – toward him, a huge grin on her face. Maxwell followed not too far behind, even less gracefully, with Hana bringing up the rear in a striking contrast of elegance.
Maxwell’s mouth was open. “There’s so much of it.”
“Is this barbecue?” Hana asked while looking curiously at the food.
“Oh, yes.” Drake did his best fancy chef impression, “Classic Americana. You’ve got your pulled pork, chicken kebabs, brisket, ribs, vegetables, and sauces unique to regions around the world. And you can’t forget the classic sloppy joe.”
Riley giggled. She hadn’t spoken a word, still taking in the familiar feast.
“A… what?” Hana was the picture of confusion.
Heh. She probably thinks Sloppy Joe is a person.
Drake smiled at her and explained, “Seasoned ground beef with onions, tomato sauce, and whatever else you feel like throwing in there.”
“You had me at ‘not fish,’” shrugged Maxwell.
“It looks messy…” Hana looked at the dish dubiously, possibly dreading getting it on her clothes. Then she smiled slightly, “but intriguing.”
Riley grabbed Drake’s arm all of a sudden. “Drake, I love sloppy joes! They were basically all I ate through middle school.” Her eyes were wide and she looked more excited than a simple sloppy joe would merit. Drake felt a huge smile spread across his face.
“Thank you, Addams.” He was on the verge of saying he knew from playing Two Truths and Lie, then thought twice about it when he realized he might come off as some kind of stalker. He settled for a one armed hug and saying, “Somebody else around here can appreciate a simple dish.”
Riley nodded and made no attempt to move away. Drake found that he was breathing too fast.
“It does seem a little strange to have such casual food here,” commented Hana.
Okay, here we go. He let go of Riley under the pretext of directing his next words to her more easily. “Liam thought Addams would appreciate it. A little taste of home.”
Riley seemed surprised, but she smiled nonetheless. “This was his idea?”
Say yes. Just yes. It was his idea, just say it. “Mostly.” Damn it. He knew he could leave it there and change the subject, but he couldn’t resist saying, “From a purely selfish angle, I’m not exactly a caviar and oysters kind of guy, so…” He scratched the back of his neck, feeling an odd mixture of guilt and pride. Well, I’m nothing if not thorough; when I screw up, I screw up good.
Riley shook her head at him. Her smile was huge and she bit her lip as if to keep from laughing. “Got it.”
Drake swallowed. “Anyway, let’s dig in. I love a good barbecue. Reminds me of cookouts on the lawn or summers with family…” He was babbling, which was a first for him, usually a man of few words.
“Aww, Drake, that’s actually kind of sweet…” Riley teased him.
“It is not,” he replied firmly. “Now, would you rather talk or would you rather eat?”
“Let’s talk about what happened to the real Drake,” Riley said. Actually, yeah, I’d love to know what happened to him. Drake grimaced.
“You’re being awfully nice.” she arched an eyebrow. “Sharing food with us… talking about family cookouts… You need to frown or something. This isn’t right.”
Drake immediately scowled dramatically, then turned to look at Riley, who could barely contain her laughter. “… Happy?”
“Mildly… I’m keeping my eye on you.” she answered, making the “I’m watching you” gesture with her hand.
Drake smirked. “Don’t strain yourself.”
They held each other’s gaze for a beat too long… again. How long do people usually make eye contact for? Was that too long? Since when do I think of this shit?!
Maxwell and Hana, who had been having a separate conversation, joined them in grabbing sloppy joes from the table.
“So… how does one eat a ‘sloppy joe’?” asked Hana uncertainly. “Utensils or hands?”
Drake patted her back. “It’s your choice.”
“There’s no protocol? How are you supposed to elegantly eat at social gatherings?”
Drake snorted and shook his head at Hana, though not unkindly. “It’s a sloppy joe. There’s not going to be anything elegant about this.”
“Oh my…” Hana looked in equal parts frightened and thrilled at the prospect. Drake and Riley exchanged amused looks.
“You have to stop caring what everyone thinks, Hana. Like this.” Maxwell took a huge bite of his sloppy joe, getting it all over his face. He smiled at her, looking like a very happy – if sloppy – chipmunk.
Hana giggled while Riley nodded approvingly.
“Now you’re getting it,” Drake said proudly.
Hana shuddered. “I think my parents would murder me if they saw me doing that.”
She got a knife and fork from the table instead, cut a dainty bite from her sloppy joe and tried it. Her eyes widened with delight.
“Oh, this is delicious.”
Maxwell, his mouth still full from his second huge bite said, “Mmm, rich, tangy, sweet… and sooooo good!”
“I accept tokens of appreciation in cash, credit, or check,” Drake joked.
Hana looked shocked. “…What?”
Drake rolled his eyes at her and Riley chuckled, saying, “You, uh… you’re looking pretty saucy there, Hana…”
Hana had a little barbecue on her chin, despite eating it with utensils. Her hand jumped to cover her mouth. Flustered, she tried wiping it off, not noticing she’d gotten it on her hand too. She ended up smearing half her face.
She reddened and said, “Ohmygosh!” hand back to covering her mouth.
Drake and Maxwell burst into laughter, while Riley kindly told her, “Hana, don’t worry. Barbecue sauce is a good look for you.”
Hana removed her hand from her face and smiled sheepishly. “This may not be quite as embarrassing as the time I accidentally applied blush instead of powder to half my face.”
She and Riley giggled. Maxwell gave Drake a confused look to which Drake shrugged; he’d lived with two women after all, he knew the basics of make up, he’d explain it to Maxwell later.
Riley grabbed a napkin from the table and gave it to Hana, who hastily wiped the barbecue off her face.
Maxwell hugged Hana. “Hey, according to Drake, getting messy is half the point!”
“Exactly,” seconded Drake, giving Hana an encouraging smile.
Riley pointed at Maxwell. “Well, Maxwell, it looks like a sauce container exploded on you, so mission accomplished.”
Maxwell was, indeed, covered in barbecue sauce; not just his face, but even his black shirt looked sticky and dirty.
“That’s how the Beaumonts do it. Or at least the younger one.” He did finger guns at Riley. He grabbed the last bite of his sloppy joe and somehow managed to spill half the insides onto his shirt and pants.
It took them some time to stop laughing, while Maxwell took handfuls of napkins from the table to try to salvage his outfit.
“Well, that’ll have to do.”
“Why don’t you take it off, Maxwell?” asked Hana. She blushed furiously and clarified, “To clean it more easily, that is.”
“Oh, um, that’s a… good idea, Hana. I can’t really think of any reason not to…” Maxwell stayed quiet for a few seconds, he seemed like he was struggling with something. “Except… except that I want to, uh, keep some of the sauce. Yeah, that’s it. I want to keep it so that the chef at Ramsford can reverse engineer it.”
Drake instantly knew something was up, and Maxwell’s secrets tended to amuse him. “Oh, that’s not a problem, we could just ask the cate–”
“Nope. We wouldn’t want to bother them, Drake.” Maxwell gave him an uncharacteristically harsh look, so Drake chose to let it go. For now.
He and Riley exchanged curious looks. She motioned with her hear to walk with her. Once they were a few feet away from the others, Riley asked, “What do you think that was all about?”
“Beats me. It was weird, though, even by Maxwell’s standards.”
“Well now I desperately want him to take his shirt off.”
Drake raised an eyebrow at her. She pushed him playfully. “Oh come on, you know what I mean, and I know you want him to, too.”
“Yeah, but how? I can’t think of any way to somehow trick him into it.”
“Giving up so easily? Pfft, I bet I can have him out of that shirt by the end of today.”
She had such a mischievous look in her eyes that Drake got a little worried… for Liam, of course. “Oh? And how do you plan on doing that, Addams?”
“… Okay, I don’t know yet, but you’ll see.”
“You’ll tell me, though? What his secret is?”
“Hmm, I don’t know, Drake. What would I get in return?” she took a step towards him. She was standing too close. He could feel the heat and sweat radiating off her skin. For the life of him he could not think of a single word to say.
He went on autopilot. “We should go back with the others.” He turned quickly, but not too quickly to miss Riley’s face falling.
As soon as they were back with the others, Maxwell turned to Drake and said, gesturing to the food, “Again. That was sooooo good…”
Hana nodded. “I’ll have to ask the chefs back home to add barbecue chicken to the rotation.”
Drake stretched his arms and said, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to enjoy the water.”
Maxwell shook his head. “I’m ready to stretch out like a beached whale.” He waved goodbye and headed off towards the shade.
“Suit yourself.” Drake called after him. “You coming with me, Addams? Hana?”
Riley nodded eagerly and Hana agreed, but followed up with, “Hang on, we need to put on sunscreen before we go.”
“Do we really?” Drake whined.
“I would love some sunscreen.” Riley admitted.
“Luckily, I brought enough for everyone.” From her huge beach bag, Hana brought out two bottles, one spf 50 and one spf 75. Drake took his shirt off and took the lower one. Better get this over with.
Riley, now having taken off her beach wrap came over to him. “Here, I’ll do you…” Before he could even register what was happening, she’d taken the bottle from his hand and squirted some sunscreen onto hers.
Drake felt giddy, somewhere between panic and a strange, worrying thrill. “This really doesn’t seem necessary.”
“Sun safety is no joke,” replied Riley with a wink.
The sunscreen felt blessedly cold on Drake’s back, though it slowly warmed up as Riley’s small hands rubbed it in. She went over his back more times than seemed necessary to him altogether. Once, he thought he heard her inhale sharply and he smirked involuntarily.
Too soon, and after what seemed like hours, she was no longer touching him. “Is the lady satisfied?” he asked sarcastically.
“Put some on your face, or you’ll burn there.” She smeared his nose.
“Hey!” Riley laughed while Drake spread it on his face, hoping to avoid white streaks.
It took him all that time, plus most of his courage to say, “Then you probably want me to put some on your back.”
He could swear the few seconds that Riley took to respond almost killed him. “Actually, yes, I do.”
“You’re killing me, Addams.” That about sums it up.
Riley reached up and wiped some sunscreen off his cheek with her thumb. Her hand lingered there for a second, when–
“Ready to go?” Hana had taken her dress off and was waiting nearby.
Riley dropped her hand.
“More than ready,” said Drake. “I hope you’re not wearing your swimsuit for nothing, Addams.” He let his gaze travel the length of her body as slowly as he dared. Riley seemed to notice anyway, arching an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. “Who’s joining me?”
“Me!” Hana enthused.
“Let’s do this!” Riley agreed.
Drake took off running, eager to cool off – and not just from the sun. The refreshing water hit his shins and splashed all around him; he felt cool drops land on his upper body. He kept going, albeit with less momentum, until the water reached up to his chest.
“Wooooo!” Riley was right behind him and caught up soon, along with Hana.
The latter crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. “It’s colder than I thought.”
“You just need to adjust. Here, let me help.” Drake splashed Hana, who closed her eyes just in time for her face to get soaked.
“Pfffttbbb,” she spit out the water she’d swallowed in surprise. “That was a cheap shot.”
Drake laughed, which proved a mistake seconds later when Hana splashed him back and he got half the ocean in his mouth.
He coughed it out, still laughing. “Now we’re talking.” He made as if to splash Hana again. She flinched, but at the last second he turned towards Riley and splashed her instead.
Riley wiped her eyes and glared at him.
“He’s declaring war,” Hana said.
Drake put his hands up, conciliatory. “It was a warning shot.”
The last word had barely left his mouth when Riley splashed him with all her might.
It took him by surprise. “Ahhhhh.”
He proceeded to have another coughing fit, in the middle of which he heard Hana yell, “Get him!”
Unseeing, Drake splashed with both hands in the general direction of Hana and Riley, but it was two against one. Soon, he started thinking if he didn’t back down he might actually drown.
“Okay,” Drake put his hands up in surrender, still coughing. “I get it.”
Riley smiled triumphantly and showed off her biceps, “Don’t mess with these water cannons.”
Drake scoffed at her and said, “While we’re having competitions, let’s race, Addams.”
The way she answered, “You’re a glutton for punishment today,” with a twinkle in her eyes made him think he’d been wrong before; this was how he might drown.
Drake chuckled, more to stall while he thought of something to say than anything else. “We’ll see how scary you are without Hana helping you out.”
“Alright. You’re on.”
“Where are we at on our bet again?”
“Does it matter? You’re gonna lose anyway,” she smirked.
“Heh. Cocky… but wrong. And someday you’ll have to pay up.” Their eyes met and there was a challenge in both; Drake wasn’t sure what it was anymore.
“We’ll see.”
“I’ll be the judge!” volunteered Hana. Not for the first time since he’d known her, Drake had forgotten she was there. I’m such an asshole.
To make up for it, he gave her a one-armed hug and pointed towards the goal. “We’ll swim to the far end of the beach and back to these rocks.”
“Agreed,” said Riley.
They got in position, side by side, looking towards the beach.
“Ready, set… channel you inner mermaid!” Hana yelled.
Drake swam furiously, a blur of limbs and splashes. Although he knew he was in the lead, he’d learned by now not to underestimate Riley. He felt the water at the back of his feet stir and knew she was closing in.
His fears were confirmed when he heard a loud, “Yes!” not far behind him. They’d reached the beach. He turned around as fast as he could and started the swim back. With Riley even closer now, he tried to speed up when he felt something close around his left foot and yank him back.
He was so startled he stopped, only to find Riley looking at him with the smuggest grin on her face.
“Hey! What was that?”
“Seaweed?” she replied innocently.
Drake would have been pissed had she not looked so – Goddamn it – adorable.
“I hope you’re ready to lose, Drake!” With that she swam on. Drake followed immediately and slowly gained on her again.
He heard her mutter, “Not gonna lose to Drake…” and laughed to himself. His joy was short-lived, though, as Riley caught up and then overtook him right before they reached Hana.
“Riley wins!” Hana clapped and cheered.
“Yes!” Riley pumped her fist.
“I thought I had it,” Drake pouted. Riley stuck her tongue out at him.
“Real mature. And you cheated.”
“I don’t remember you saying I couldn’t sabotage you.” Riley shrugged.
“Right, ‘cause you normally say that before any race.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I’m the judge and I say she won. Sorry, Drake,” interjected Hana.
He narrowed her eyes at her; Hana only smiled wider.
“Riley, in celebration of your victory, I want to give you something.”
“Is it a treasure chest?” Riley asked.
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Hana dove under the surface for a few seconds and came back up with a beautiful seashell in her hand. She put it in Riley’s and closed her fingers over it.
“Wow…” Riley said, looking genuinely touched.
Hana was staring at Riley so fondly that Drake felt like he was interrupting something. She murmured, “Surprise.”
Riley looked up from her seashell at Hana. “How did you find this?”
Hana shrugged. “I saw it sitting at the bottom while you were racing. They’re quite common in the area.”
“It’s so pretty.” Riley had gone back to admiring her prize.
Drake turned to Hana indignantly. “How come I don’t get anything?”
“Should’ve swam faster,” Riley offered.
“Ha ha.”
“Oh, I know,” said Hana, diving under once more. She resurfaced with a small, chipped sand dollar.
She proffered it ceremoniously to Drake. “For you.”
“What am I supposed to do with this?” he complained.
“You should wear it as a hat.” Riley giggled, taking it from him and putting it on his head.
“That’s stupid. This thing is stupid.” Drake shook it off and watched it fall to the ocean floor.
Riley shrugged. “Your loss. It would’ve made a great hat… like a cute sand beret.” She pinched his cheek, teasing.
Drake slapped her hand off with a small laugh. “Whatever you say, Addams.”
Hana chimed in, “I’m starting to feel cold, so I think it’s time for some sunbathing.”
Drake agreed with her, relieved he had remained hazily aware of her presence. “Yeah. I’m feeling pretty done here myself.”
Riley seemed resigned. “It was nice to get in the water for a bit though.” She smiled at Drake a little sadly and they all made their way back to the shore in silence.
Riley went to lie down next to Maxwell. Drake was about to head off with no destination in mind, when Hana grabbed his arm.
“Drake, I wanted to say… I know it has been a bit awkward between us and I feel responsible. I am very sorry I made those offensive comments. I didn’t mean for them to be, but that’s no excuse, I–”
“Hana, it’s okay.” He smiled at her to show her he was being honest. “So we got off on the wrong foot a couple times, it’s not like it was just your fault! I was being an ass the whole time, and now that I know you better, I know you’re not like the other stuck-up nobles… most of the time.”
“Hey!”
“Kidding. But yeah, are we good?”
“Yes.” Hana smiled. “And Drake, thank you for… you know, being discreet,” she said with a subtle glance towards Riley and Maxwell. “I know you know and… you have been so understanding.”
“Of course I understand,” he replied, too quickly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, who hasn’t had a crush before, huh?”
Hana just sighed and said, “Well, I must go mingle with the other suitors, but I’m glad I could talk to you.”
“Yeah, me too. Have fun.”
Drake turned to go in the opposite direction and saw Liam and Riley talking very intimately, in his opinion. His stomach churned – It’s probably the sloppy joe – and he looked around frantically for someone to go talk to.
He spotted Bastien a ways off, keeping an eye on Liam from a considerate distance. He marched towards him, annoyed at the sand, the sun, pretty much everything.
“Drake? What’s wrong with you?”
“Wrong? There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Are you sure? Because it looked like you wanted to stomp the sand to death on your way here…”
“I’m just hot, okay? Been hot all day.”
“I don’t know about that, you seemed quite content to me when you were with Lady Riley… and the others, of course.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means Drake. It’s clear you have feelings for her and if you don’t say or do something about it, it will eat you up inside.”
Drake’s mouth fell open. “That’s disgusting. And wrong. I don’t even get– why would– I’ve never had feelings for anyone, anywhere. It’s none of your– you have– the nerve, the audacity. Riley is a suitor, technically. And she is terrible, face-wise. And how- how- do I know, frankly, that you don’t have feelings for her? Maybe you do. Maybe you’re trying to throw me off? Hmm, check and mate.”
Drake stomped off before Bastien could say another word.