Born to Make You Smile

SEVEN

“What a beautiful day,” remarked Tina, squinting as I helped her place a white cloth on one of the tables she had set up in her backyard.

It was the last Sunday in August, a hot and sunny afternoon. The perfect day for our annual workplace barbecue. Every year at the end of summer, Tina and I organized a small gathering with everyone from work and their families. While hesitant at first, I decided to bring Ethan along. When I invited him, he was very enthusiastic about joining me. Refreshingly so.

The two of us arrived early to help Tina set up. Ethan immediately made himself useful, playing around with the chemicals and temperature of the pool. He grew up with a pool, so he knew exactly what to do.

Within the hour, plenty of laughter and chatter spread through the warm air as people trickled in.

The distinct roar of an engine sent my pulse into a tizzy. The sound of Gavin’s car was unmistakable.

Over the weeks, as I spent more time with Ethan, those strange feelings for Gavin had thankfully leveled off. They’d merely been a temporary misaligned blip. Such a relief. The last thing I wanted was for anything to affect my close relationship with Gavin or his daughters. My job.

I waved excitedly as Gavin strolled in with the girls. Michelle and Hunter followed, the boy clinging closely to his mother, who had a set of floaties and a large Spider-Man beach towel in her grasp. Michelle looked prim and elegant, dressed in a floral print dress, an oversized sun hat, and designer sunglasses on her face. Her drop earrings sparkled in the sun. Most definitely real diamonds.

I scurried up to them to say hello. The searing sun beat on my sunscreen-laden back and the blue maxi dress I was wearing. Charlotte and Mackenzie ran off toward the pool, removing, then draping their clothing and towels on a lounge chair. They already had their swimsuits on and joined Ethan and Tina’s children, who were in the water. A flash of concern hit me as I wondered if they had on sunscreen.

“Do they have…?” I started, turning to Gavin.

“Yes,” he said, answering before I could finish. “Applied before we left.” He nodded with a smirk, knowing he had just read my mind.

I turned to Hunter, who appeared tense and unsure. “Are you ready to swim?”

“Um.” Hunter’s eyes darted around, and he shifted on his feet. “I’m a little scared.”

Michelle rubbed her son’s back. “Honey, Charlotte and Mackenzie are in there.”

“And I’ll be in there too,” I added with a smile. “Plus, you have your floaties.”

Hunter returned my smile, and Michelle got him ready to swim.

I removed my dress and draped it on a lounge chair. I’d decided to wear a modest black bikini from my collection, one that didn’t overexpose my ample breasts and somewhat covered my large bum. It was a work function, after all. Ethan wore bright blue swim trunks. His body was phenomenal. Even more so in person and up close. Tanned, smooth chest and chiseled muscles—his abs were so defined, he looked to be cut from stone. I had to admit, I felt embarrassed next to him. It wasn’t as if I looked terrible, but his seemingly flawless physique made me feel unpolished. Not to mention the bright light of day put focus on the bit of extra padding around my belly as well as the cellulite and faded stretch marks on my thighs.

I sat on the edge of the pool and timidly lowered my body into the water next to Ethan.

“You’d better not splash me,” I warned as he came close with a mischievous glare in his eye.

“All right, I promise.” He kissed my cheek. “But what about this.” He grabbed my waist and lifted me as if I were a feather, then tossed me over his shoulder while I squealed and swatted his back.

“Ethan!”

He belted out a laugh and lowered me down into the water with care. My eyes instinctively moved to Gavin, who stared at us in the pool with a flat, cool expression. He swiftly shifted his attention to the beer bottle in his hand, fiddling with the label. Michelle stood by his side, happily chatting, her arms in the air as she conversed with Tina.

Gavin appeared a bit bothered and didn't seem to be enjoying himself. I wasn't sure why. He was so much more relaxed when it was just us two. His boyish, fun side that had surfaced lately was temporarily hidden away.

Nothing about him looked summer-ready. His charcoal-gray polo was buttoned to the top and neatly tucked into pressed khakis. His brown loafers were out of place around the pool.

I wished he would have let loose a little and joined us in the water. For a moment, I imagined him laughing, splashing, and playing with me and the girls. A quick vision of Gavin in a swimsuit flickered in my head. It occurred to me that I had never seen his bare chest before. Suddenly, it was all I could think about, and I became curious to know how he looked without a shirt. I wanted to see the whole man under all the clothing.

An uninvited zap of electricity ran through me, and I blinked the thoughts away. Perhaps it was better he wasn’t in the pool.

“I want to get out!” screamed Hunter, startling everyone around him. He was next to me and waved his floaty-covered arms in a panic, splashing me with water. “I want my Mommy.”

“Okay, Hunter, come with me,” I said, guiding him from the shallow end to the steps.

We got out together, and I removed Hunter’s floaties and draped him in his Spider-Man towel. I fetched Michelle, who promptly took Hunter inside to get him dressed. They ended up saying their goodbyes and left shortly after since Hunter wanted to go home.

“You aren't coming in?” I said to Gavin, who was now all by his lonesome. I adjusted my pink towel over my body, tightening it against my breasts. “The water is so warm but still refreshing.”

“God, no.” He waved his hand about. “I didn't bring my trunks. Besides, I’m too old to frolic in the water with the youth.” His eyes moved to the pool. “Not to mention, I'd really look aged next to your very strapping suitor there. God, is he ever in great shape. He must have a cot set up at the gym.”

“Yeah, Ethan works out a lot. But don’t sell yourself short. You could model in a dentist calendar.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “I doubt that even exists. I’m quite certain dentists don’t hold that kind of appeal for most people.”

He raked a hand through his luscious waves of hair.

“Then they’re missing out,” I said with a wink. I bounced on my toes, causing my towel to unravel and fall to the ground.

Gavin and I reached for it at the same time and bumped our heads in the process. He hit me a lot harder than I hit him, and the contact had me seeing stars. I smiled to diminish how much it actually hurt. We apologized to each other back and forth like some overly polite Canadian-British comedy skit. He picked up the towel and put it around me as I regained my vision.

“You have a small bump,” Gavin pointed out with a wince.

My head throbbed. I put my hand over the right side of my forehead and palpated the slight protrusion.

“Your hard head got me good!” I joked with a chuckle, running my eyes along his face. “You don't even have a mark.”

“Let me get you something cold. Please sit down.”

He held my arm and led me to the shade. I took a seat in a flimsy plastic lawn chair while Gavin went to the coolers. He jogged back with a bottle of water. Thanking him, I carefully placed it on my head, feeling the cold drips of condensation run down my face.

My attention moved to the pool. Ethan was playing volleyball with Charlotte, Mackenzie, and Tina's two teenaged daughters. With a smile, I watched Ethan coaching and assisting Mackenzie with her serving technique. Eventually, he looked over and saw me seated with a bottle to my head, and his face was overcome with immediate concern. He jumped out of the pool and made his way to me, not bothering with a towel. His tall, muscular body dripped wet as he bolted over, looking like a Baywatch lifeguard. He was quite a sight, and I couldn't help but notice the many eyes gawking at him.

“Grace. What happened?” asked Ethan with worry. “Are you hurt?”

He kneeled before me, placing his wet hand on my knee.

“It’s just a bump. No big deal,” I assured him.

“I accidentally knocked into her,” Gavin explained with a guilty wince.

“ We bumped heads,” I corrected.

“It looks pretty bad.” Ethan put his face in front of me and stared straight into my eyes. “I used to be a lifeguard. Do you have any headaches or blurred vision? Confusion of any kind?”

To have him care for me filled my insides with warmth. I shook my head. “No. Ethan, I’m fine.”

“Tell me that story again, the one you told me on our first date. Your favorite childhood memory. With the horse in Austria. The one with the strange name?”

“Oh! Yeah. When I was twelve years old, I was vacationing in Austria with my mother. She loved horses, so she took me to the stables at her cousin’s ranch. I rode a beautiful black stallion. Bucephalus. He was intimidating but so gentle. I fed him, and he licked my hand and followed me around after.”

Ethan laughed and patted my leg with assurance. “Atta girl. You’re good.”

I smiled. “Okay, thanks. You should get back in the pool. The kids are calling you.”

Ethan turned to see everyone waving for him to come back. He ran his thumb over my chin, then planted a long, slow kiss on my lips. I was a little embarrassed, considering Gavin was still standing right there.

Ethan headed back to the pool, and Gavin came up next to me.

“You never spoke about your trip to Austria and the horse before,” he said with a confused furrow. “It sounded like a lovely and special experience between you and your mum.”

“It was.” My voice cracked. “Very special.”

My expression fell, thinking back to the sweet memories of my mother. Memories that were already starting to fade. I felt my eyes prickle, and with a series of blinks, I turned away. God, I typically never fell apart in public. I wasn’t sure what was happening to me.

“Oh, Grace. I’m terribly sorry.” Gavin placed a firm hand on my bare shoulder, filling me with a mix of comfort and an uninvited burst of tingles.

“Lunch is served!” shouted Tina.

A very welcome interruption.

With our plates stacked high with delicious food, Ethan and I sat beside Kira, one of the hygienists, and her fiancé, Theo. They’d recently become engaged and enthusiastically discussed their upcoming New Year’s Eve wedding. Ethan's older brother got married last summer, so he shared advice and vendor recommendations with Kira. Seeing Ethan get along so well with my work family was wonderful.

By early evening, the sun had started to set, and glorious swirls of orange and pink painted the sky in that extra special way that happened at the end of summer. A melancholic reminder that another summer was soon passing by, and the bittersweet transition of seasons awaited us.

Ethan and I were getting ready to leave. I was back in my maxi dress, my hair damp in a messy but cute updo with a few curly tendrils hanging down.

Ethan went to use the bathroom inside and change out of his swimsuit while I hung out with Gavin.

“How is your head feeling, love? The swelling’s gone down, at least.” Gavin leaned in close. His warm breath grazed the top of my head, followed by the most gentle rub of his thumb over my bump. I shivered at the stinging sensation, pulling away from him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did that hurt?”

“No, don’t worry. It’s just sensitive.” I nodded, running a hand over my dress. “Tis but a scratch, Mr. Bond.”

He cocked his right brow, confused.

“You are James Bond, right?” I winked. “Who else would be driving that Aston Martin outside?”

“Hush now. Don’t be giving my identity away. I’m here on a very important assignment,” he whispered, leaning in with a finger on his nose. “I’m to track down the bugger who left that nasty bump on your head.”

I let out a giggle. “Let me know when you have a lead. I’d like a word with the bugger.”

“Not to worry. I’ll be sure to take care of him myself,” he said, his brows pulled down. “By the way, how did you know I didn’t take the Range Rover?”

“The sound of the engine pulling in. It’s a dead giveaway.” I knew the growl so well I could pick it out of an audio lineup.

“Ahh.” He gave a nod. “By the way, if you are going straight home, I can give you a lift. Unless of course you have plans with Ethan.”

He glanced at Tina’s patio door, then back at me.

“Actually, we do. We're meeting Dorina and her boyfriend for drinks. But thank you.”

His brows fell as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh, of course. All right,” he said with a flat smile. “Well, have fun.”

Ethan came to us, dressed in the fitted white button-down T-shirt and black shorts he’d arrived in, his hair perfectly damp and tousled.

“Dr. Brinley, it's been a pleasure as usual. Thank you so much. I'll see you soon, I hope.” The two men shook hands.

“Yes, of course,” Gavin said, then glanced at me with concern, scratching his forehead. “Grace, I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care of yourself.” He turned before I could reply and headed to his daughters.

His behavior was uncharacteristically odd and abrupt.

Ethan and I made our rounds and said our goodbyes to everyone else. He put his hand over my shoulder as we walked out of the backyard. I quickly glanced back and found Gavin staring at us. He appeared upset. Maybe he was still concerned about my minor injury. Or perhaps there was more to it than that.

***

“What happened to your head?” asked Dorina, clearly noticing the red mark on my forehead.

It was such an embarrassing story, and I wondered if there was any way I could lie about it. Unfortunately, Ethan, being aware of what had happened, answered for me.

“Her boss did it to her,” he stated with amusement.

Dorina narrowed her eyes, her gaze darting between Ethan and me. “What? I don’t...”

I shook my head at Ethan, then turned to her. “It was an accident . Gavin and I bumped heads reaching down to grab something. It's fine. It's just a little bump.”

Ethan leaned into me. “It was pretty big a few hours ago. I was worried you had a mild concussion.”

The guys got to discussing injuries. Will launched into a story about his concussion when he played football in high school.

“After that, my mom made me stop playing football. But I got into soccer, then I ended up tearing my damn ACL!” Will said, shaking his head of dirty blond hair.

I took a sip of my grapefruit martini and looked at Will. “Was it serious? Did you need surgery?”

“Yeah,” he said with defeat. “After that, I stopped with soccer and stuck to extreme sports like swimming and golf.”

We all laughed.

“Grace, remember when I fractured my ankle while walking on the ice outside my house!” Dorina said, looking over at me and then at Ethan and Will. “We were sixteen, and thank God Grace was with me. She took such good care of me. She even brought me food when I was recovering. She actually made me cachitos .”

“Yeah, that was a nasty fall,” I said.

“What’s a ca-heeto ?” asked Ethan with curiosity.

“They’re Venezuelan pastries. Like a sweet croissant with a ham filling.” Dorina stirred the straw of her whiskey sour, then took a sip.

Ethan nodded. “They sound good.”

“They are bomb, ” Will announced.

“I don’t know how she did it, but Grace managed to make them just like my abuela used to make.”

Perfecting the recipe definitely took plenty of trial and error. But I pushed myself, knowing how much it meant to Dorina.

“Okay, now I’m getting hungry,” said Will.

“You’re always hungry!” stated Dorina.

A pleasant warmth filled me as we continued to laugh and share stories. Having the four of us get along made me feel positive about the decision to take a chance and date Ethan. I was pleased with how our relationship had unfolded and hopeful for our future direction.

A little while later, Dorina and I headed to the ladies’ room together to freshen up. As I dried my hands, my phone pinged in my purse.

Gavin: Hi, Grace. I really feel terrible about what happened today. Let me know if you require the day off tomorrow.

I rolled my eyes. He was being so overly dramatic and protective as usual. I had to admit, it was kind of sweet.

Me: Don't be silly. I'm fine!

Gavin: Alright. Anyhow, so very sorry to interrupt. Have a great night.

Me: Nite, Gavin :)

“Whoa, pollita ,” Dorina said as she exited the bathroom stall to wash her hands. “Gavin really got you. I can see it under the light now. You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded. “You should have seen it before. Thank God I iced it at the party.”

“So how was the party?” she asked, tracing some pink gloss over her lips, then offering it to me.

“Good. Everyone showed up, and the weather was hot. I was in the pool most of the day.”

“Oh fun! It seems like things are going well with Ethan.” She nudged me. “Looks like you two are hitting it off.”

She nodded enthusiastically.

I smiled. “Yeah. He’s really great.”

“Told ya.” She winked, then put her gloss back into her purse. “Did you want to come shopping with me tomorrow, after work? I know you said you needed some new jeans.”

My stomach wobbled, knowing Dorina’s love for designer clothing. Clothing I could not afford right now.

“You know what, I’m gonna have to pass. I have a lot to do. And I can make my old jeans work for another season.”

“Are you sure everything is okay? Is this about your mortgage? Because, listen, I can help…”

“No,” I said firmly, waving my hand. “Please. I’m fine. I just need to save my next few paychecks, and I’ll be all caught up.”

A month after my mother died, Dorina wanted to cancel her summer grad trip to Venezuela. A trip she'd been looking forward to the entire last year of high school. She even offered to pay for me to come with her. But I politely declined. I told her I was staying with my cousin in Orillia for the summer—which was a lie. And while I appreciated her beyond sweet gesture, I couldn't bear the thought of Dorina upending her dream vacation for me or paying for my entire stay. I couldn’t place that burden on her. Not then, not now.

“Why don’t you ask Gavin for a raise?” Dorina suggested with a nod.

“He just gave me one in January.”

“Well. Maybe you can persuade him for a small upgrade, or at least some advances. He’d be easy to convince right now, especially after what he did to your head there.”

I laughed, then reminded her, “We bumped into each other.”

“I know.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “Like he’d ever deliberately hurt you. But seriously, I would ask. Remind him how much of an asset you are to his practice. You work so hard. You deserve it.”

“We’ll see,” I said, knowing full well I would not be asking Gavin for any more favors.