The Choice - Nicholas Sparks [36]
Gabby blinked, unsure she’d heard her right. “Excuse me?”
A minute earlier, Stephanie had walked over wearing a long T-shirt and holding a couple of beers. Handing one to Gabby, she’d introduced herself as Travis’s sister and led her to some chairs along the back deck while Travis finished up.
“Oh, not right now.” Stephanie waved. “It usually takes a couple of beers before everyone is loose enough to drop their drawers.”
“Skinny-dipping?”
“You did know that Travis is a nudist, right?” She nodded toward the slip-and-slide Travis had set up earlier. “After that, we generally go slip-and-sliding.”
Though her head felt as though it were spinning, Gabby nodded almost imperceptibly as she felt things click into place: the fact that Travis usually seemed only half-dressed, his utter lack of discomfort at conversing with his chest bared, an explanation for why he worked out so much.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Stephanie’s laughter.
“I was kidding!” she hooted. “Do you honestly think I’d go skinny-dipping with my brother around? Ewww! That’s gross!”
Gabby felt a red-hot flush work its way up from her neck to her face. “I knew you were kidding.”
Stephanie eyed Gabby over her beer. “You did think I was serious! Oh, that’s a hoot! But I’m sorry. My brother warned me to take it easy on you. For whatever reason, he thinks my humor takes some getting used to.”
Gee, I wonder why. “Really?” Gabby said instead.
“Yeah, but if you ask me, we’re two peas in a pod. Where do you think I learned it?” Stephanie leaned back in her seat as she adjusted her sunglasses. “Travis tells me you’re a physician assistant?”
“Yeah. I work at the children’s clinic.”
“How is it?”
“I enjoy it,” she said, thinking it best not to mention her pervert boss or the occasionally overbearing parent. “How about you?”
“I’m a student,” she said. She took a sip of beer. “I’m thinking of making it my career.”
For the first time, Gabby laughed and felt herself begin to relax. “Do you know who else is coming?”
“Oh, probably the same old crew. Travis has these three friends he’s known forever, and I’m sure they’ll be here along with their wives and kids. Travis doesn’t bring the parasail boat out too much anymore, which is why he keeps it docked at the marina. Usually he uses the ski boat, because wakeboarding or skiing is a lot easier. Just get in the boat, lower the lift, and go. You can wakeboard or ski or skurf almost anywhere. But parasailing is great. Why do you think I’m here? I should be studying, and I actually ditched some lab work I was supposed to do this weekend. Have you ever been parasailing?”
“No.”
“You’ll love it. And Travis knows what he’s doing. That’s how he earned extra spending money while he was in college. Or, at least, that’s what he claims. Actually, I’m fairly certain that everything he earned was used to buy the boat; they’re manufactured by CWS exclusively for parasailing, and they’re very expensive. And even though Joe, Matt, and Laird are his friends, they still insisted on getting paid when they took the tourists out during their student days. I’m pretty sure Travis never earned a nickel of profit.”
“So he’s quite the shrewd businessman, huh?”
Stephanie laughed. “Oh yeah. My brother. A budding Donald Trump, right? Actually, he doesn’t much care about money and never has. I mean, sure, he earns a living and pays his own way, but anything left over goes to new boats or Jet Skis or trips here and there. It seems like he’s been everywhere. Europe, Central and South America, Australia, Africa, Bali, China, Nepal . . .”
“Really?’
“You sound surprised.”
“I guess I am.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s because . . .”
“Because he seems like such a goof-off? Like everything’s a party?”
“No!”
“You sure about that?”
“Well . . .” Gabby trailed off, and Stephanie laughed again.
“He’s a goof-off, and a worldly young man . . . but underneath, he’s really just a small-town boy like the rest of them. Otherwise he wouldn’t be living here, right?”
“Right,” Gabby said,