Author's note: I've added a scene to the first chapter. It's a little more exciting of a meeting between Steve and Emily. Go back and read it. I hope you enjoy! And thank you so much for reading!!!!!

A few days later I was in the garage with my dad. I stood with a rag in my hand, cleaning the hull of his old motorboat.

I rolled my eyes at a bit of paint that peeled off as I wiped.

"This thing's a piece of junk, Dad."

He looked up from the motor he was working on, wiping his brow. "That's why I'm getting rid of it."

"Who are you giving it to?"

"You." Dad smiled. "You've gotta have something to fish in."

"Oh," I tried to sound upbeat. "Thanks."

*****

"So what's new with you?"

I shrugged, then remembered that Emily couldn't see me through the phone. "My dad gave me his boat."

Emily gasped. "We have to go out on it!"

"Well," I said slowly, "it's pretty old. It doesn't really go that fast."

"I don't care, I just love being on the lake!" She assured me.

I thought about it. This would be another excuse to spend time with her.

"Okay," I agreed.

The next day I hooked the boat trailer to my dad's truck and drove to Emily's house. She ran out the front door the moment she saw me.

"Oh my gosh! I am so excited!"

She was dressed in flip flops and a pair of shorts over a pink one-piece swimsuit. Her hair was tied into the usual messy blonde bun. She looked perfect.

I smiled at her. She hurried into the truck, slamming the door in her haste. We pulled out of her driveway. Emily reached over and turned on the radio.

"Sing along!" She shouted over the blaring music.

Then, to my surprise, she stood up and stuck her head out of the sunroof.

"Emily!" I cried.

"I'm on top of the world!" She raised her arms and threw her head back laughing.

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back in. "What the heck are you doing?"

She shook her head at me. "Live a little, Steve. You try."

"I'm driving!"

Emily reached over me. "I'll drive."

"Sit down."

She rolled her eyes. "You're no fun."

We drove to the lake, Emily singing along to every song that came on the radio. The second we had pulled into the parking lot of the boat landing, Emily jumped out of the car and ran to the shore.

"Oh, it's gorgeous!"

I put the boat into the water and she got in. We took off at a snail's pace.

"Sorry it doesn't go that fast-"

"This is amazing!" Emily screamed from her seat on the floor at the bow. She held her arms out again.

I couldn't help but smile. She didn't seem to care that I was pretty sure the boat was leaking.

Suddenly she gasped and grabbed something off the floor beside her. "Is this an inner tube?"

I nodded. "It probably has a hole in it."

Emily tried to blow it up, but broke off after her second breath, wheezing.

"D-dang you CF!" She shook her fist.

I laughed and pulled a small battery-powered air pump out from under the seat. I blew the tube up as Emily cheered me on. I then threw the tube in the water.

"I can't promise we'll go over two miles an hour," I said.

Emily jumped onto the tube. "Go, go, go!"

I smiled and started the engine. We chugged along, practically drifting. I looked back at her. Emily looked rather silly squished down into the center of the donut-shaped inflatable. She had her eyes closed dreamily. She looked so relaxed.

After ten minutes of pulling her around, Emily opened her eyes.

"Put the flag up!"

I looked at her. "Why?"

She slid off the tube in response. I scrambled to grab the orange flag that signaled to other boaters that someone was in the water.

Emily swam over to me. "Come in!" She shouted.

I shook my head. "No way."

She looked up at me. "Stick in the mud!"

"I don't even have a swimsuit on."

Emily sighed. "Fine." Her eyes then widened.

I looked warily at her as she began to breathe harder. "Emily?"

"I can't breathe!"

I began to freak out. "Don't worry! I'll-I'll help you in."

She reached up to me. I grabbed her hands and tried to pull her up. I suddenly pitched forward into the water as she yanked downward.

"It's okay!" I gasped after I had resurfaced. "I can still push you up."

Emily looked at me and rolled her eyes, suddenly no longer wheezing. She gripped my shoulders and pushed me against the boat, kissing me.

I frowned when she pulled away. "You tricked me."

"You fell for it." She wrapped her legs around my waist.

I reluctantly held her. "That was evil."

"You know I played a bad girl. Maybe I wasn't entirely acting."

I climbed back into the boat. She reached up.

"I promise I won't try anything," she said when I hesitated. "Hurry, I'm cold."

I helped her in. Emily smiled at me. "See? Wasn't that fun?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I love you," she helped.

I huffed, but couldn't ignore the stars that burst in my chest.

After we had had our fill of gliding around the lake, we headed back to the car.

I frowned. "I'm not letting either of us back in the truck. We're both still soaked."

"Relax, Steve," Emily rolled her eyes. "I have an idea."

She strode purposefully over to a dumpster and pulled out the plastic remains of a water bottle flat.

"Sit on this."

"There's fish guts on it!" I retorted.

"You're a fish gut."

I sighed. "I guess we'll just have to stay here until we're dry."

"Or I could just sit in the back." Emily pulled herself into the bed of the truck.

"Yeah, 'cause that's legal."

Emily started to say something, then stopped. "When's your birthday?" She asked.

"Next month, why?" I responded.

"I'm going to book you a massage. You need to relax."

I shook my head and turned back toward the water. I wasn't even going to try to respond to that. I looked over the rippling water to the hills on the other side. It was beautiful.

Emily came to stand next to me. "Your shirt will dry fast. Maybe you should take it off and sit on it."

I looked sideways at her. She was smirking at me.

"Yeah, right," I responded. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't Hollywood. Guys in the real world don't have abs."

"What?" She nudged me. "You're so skinny you probably don't even have to exercise for them. They just pop right out."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine." I pulled off my t-shirt.

Emily squinted. "I don't know, there might be a little something here." She poked my rib. "Nope, just every bone in your body."

I twisted my shirt and smacked her with it.

"Hey!" She laughed.

She reached for it, but I pulled away, lifting my arm above my head.

"Oh, come on!" She jumped for the shirt. "You're playing that game? Real mature. You know short people love that."

I hopped away from her. She ran after me, chasing me to the shore. I stopped under a grove of oak trees.

"You're so mean!" Emily giggled.

I tossed the shirt, meaning to catch it, but at that moment the wind caught it and it was blown into a branch twelve feet off the ground.

I stopped. "Oops."

Emily stifled a laugh. "Good going."

I jumped up, trying to reach it.

"This is bad."

"It's just a shirt." Emily flicked her wrist. "I'll buy you a new one. It was what? Five dollars?"

"Except I won't be able to go into a store," I groaned, throwing a rock at the gray fabric in the hopes that it would move.

"Huh."

I turned to her. "I'll give you a boost and you get it."

"Uh, no thanks," Emily told me. "My bones are so brittle if I fall I'll break something."

"Come on, please?" I begged.

She rolled her eyes but stepped forward. I interlaced my fingers and stooped down. She placed her foot in my hands and used my head to push herself up.

"I--I can't reach it," she grunted, straining her arm.

"I'll throw you," I said.

"What?"

I have to get my shirt, Emily!"

She jumped down. "Sorry, Steve."

I sighed. "Let's just go."

We got in the truck and started down the road. After a moment Emily gasped and pointed to a small café.

"Pull over here!"

"Shirt, Emily."

She got out and stepped up to the outside window where the orders were taken. "Hi," she said to the waitress. "I'll have a burger." She pointed to me. "He'll take one, too. He lost his shirt so he can't come out."

I groaned and tried to scrunch down in my seat, avoiding the waitress's prying eyes. I felt naked.

Emily got the food and pranced back to the truck. We ate in silence.

"Thanks for bringing me to the lake," she said finally.

I nodded. "It was fun, minus my losing--"

"Your shirt, I know." Emily shook her head at me, smiling. "It's not the end of the world. Here, there's a souvenir shop right there. I'll go get you a new one."

I shook my head. "Let's just go home."