“Scared?” Chloe teased, her eyes glinting.

He held out his hand. After a stunned beat, Chloe, delighted by the chaos, dropped the wad of slick, lime-green fabric into his palm. It weighed almost nothing. He stood up, his legs trembling slightly, and walked toward the rickety changing shed behind the big pine tree.

Chloe laughed. “You? Leo, it’s a bikini.”

Mia had frozen, a grape halfway to her lips. Her eyes darted to the rumpled mess of fabric Chloe dangled from one finger. Her confident smirk flickered. For a split second, Leo saw it: a flash of genuine, animal panic in her eyes. She was terrified.

He walked past her, into the lake. The cool water kissed his hot skin, a shock of relief. He waded out until he was waist-deep, then turned to face the stunned crowd.

“You’re insane,” she whispered, but it sounded like a compliment.

“You know,” she said, a real, un-armored smile blooming on her face, “green is totally your color.”