Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Mom smiles and hands me a stack of silverware from the utensil drawer. “Which picture?”
“The one of me after my first dinghy race.”
“Oh boy, I remember that day,” she says with a laugh. “Standing there at the marina, worrying my five-year-old son was going to drown. Gavin assured me you could handle it, and what do you know—he was right. You won. Your dad was practically bursting with pride.” She’s quiet for a beat, then says, “You’re spending a lot of time with Cassie.”
I lay down the silverware on the table. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Is it serious?”
I lift my head to see her fighting a smile. “Not really. It’s going to end when she goes back to school in September.”
“Do you want it to end?”
That gives me pause. “To be honest, I hadn’t considered the alternative.”
“But you like her.”
I do like her. I like her a lot. In fact, I’m getting impatient for dinner to start, because the sooner it starts, the sooner it ends and I can go pick Cassie up for the bonfire. I saw her all day and I’m already dying to see her again.
“Yes. I like her.”
“Then why does it have to end?” Mom asks.
For the life of me, I can’t think of a good answer to that.
* * *
Later, at the bonfire, I’m still thinking about my mother’s question.
Why does it have to end?
I mean … does it? Cassie and I agreed to a summer fling, but sometimes flings … evolve. My biggest fear was that I’d end up hurting her because of my need to keep things purely physical, but that need seems to have … evolved. We go out on the boat. We have dinner when I get home from work. Hell, I’ve gone for dinner with her and her mother. Somehow, without noticing it, I allowed all this to happen. And I don’t even care. I like it.
Fuck.
Whatever we have going on these days, it’s a lot more than physical.
I gaze across the fire where Cassie’s sitting with Genevieve and Heidi. She and Heidi are laughing about something, which is a bit shocking because Heidi isn’t the chatty, giggly type. She’s the type who eats her own young. That’s why she and Alana are such good friends. Stone hearts, those two.
Speaking of Alana, when I go to the coolers to grab another beer, my former flame sidles up to me. She looks gorgeous as always, and yet I’m startled to discover I’m not attracted to her anymore. She’s gone back to being the Alana I first met in junior high, just another one of the awesome girls in my platonic friend group, someone it wouldn’t even occur to me to sleep with.
“Hey,” she says.
“Hey.” I twist open a fresh beer.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
I glance over. “Not at all.”
“Oh really? So it just happens that we used to see each other all the time and now I haven’t seen you since …” Alana thinks it over. “Damn, since the last time we were here together.”
“Shit, really? That was more than a month ago.”
“Exactly.”
“I promise, I’m not avoiding you,” I assure her. “I’ve been slammed at work this entire summer. I haven’t really hung out with anyone other than Cassie.”
“Ah,” she says knowingly. “The other redhead.”
“Purely coincidental,” I reply with a grin, although I do find it funny.
“So you’re not avoiding me.”
“No.”
Those sharp eyes continue to study me. “I don’t think you’re lying.”
“I’m not. I’ve been at the dealership, the yacht club, chilling with Cassie. This weekend is Beach Games. Lots going on. I’ve gone out with Evan for a couple drinks, but that’s about it. And I’m housesitting for the Jacksons, so I’ve been away from the regular ’hood.”
“Oh yes, you’re lapping it up in the land of clone luxury.”
“Pretty much. How’ve you been?”
“I’m good. Got a job as an au pair.”
“You hate kids,” I remind her, grinning.
“These ones aren’t too bad. And the pay is great. I swear those clones like to throw their cash around like their entire life is one long strip club visit.”
I think about how much Gil offered me to sail the Surely Perfect and I have to agree. “You dating anybody?” I raise a brow.
“I am not … unlike some people.” Alana laughs. “It’s weird seeing you with a girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Uh-huh, that’s what they all say.” With that, Alana saunters off.
Beer in hand, I wander to the fire and grab a chair, dragging it next to Evan’s. Heidi’s gone, and Gen and Cassie are now near the deck in an intense huddle with Mackenzie and their Beach Games teammate Zale. When Cooper passes their huddle, Mac lifts her head and all but hisses at him like a feral cat. He holds his hands up in surrender and keeps walking, rolling his eyes when he approaches us.
“I just got accused of espionage for walking by their team,” Coop says cheerfully.