The Time Keepers

Chapter 49

CHAPTER 49

I T HAD BEEN A LONG AFTERNOON FOR K ATIE AT THE POOL AND she was counting the hours until her shift ended. Buddy had brought Clayton to the club as his guest and the two of them thought it would be a great idea to bring toy water pistols to the kiddie pool and start shooting them at the children. They knew they’d only have a few minutes to spray the kids until someone shut them down. Today, that job fell on Katie, who blew her whistle loud and clear, halting their ridiculous prank.

Buddy threw his gun on the ground and looked up at her in the tower. To him, she looked like a Valkyrie, a Norse goddess ready to choose who she’d let into her realm and who she’d throw out. Buddy was happy to be thrown out if it gave him even the slightest chance to look down her bathing suit.

“Next time, you’re banished from swimming here at all,” she said, squinting and pointing her finger at them. She enjoyed the power and would have liked nothing less to make sure neither of them ever showed their face again at the pool. Buddy was a pest, but Clayton looked at her in a way that made her blood grow cold.

“We’re sorry, Your Majesty,” Buddy mocked, trying to impress his friend. “Please don’t banish us from your kingdom.”

“Cut it out,” she answered back quickly. “Why are the two of you such jerks?”

Clayton made an obscene gesture to her, which she answered by giving him the finger. As soon as she had done it, she regretted it because she knew if one of the adults caught her behaving like that, she’d be fired.

So when Buddy hollered something back at her, she chose to ignore him this time. One thing was certain: neither of them was worth her losing her job over.