Island Girls (And Boys)

by Rachel Hawthorne

  ISLAND GIRLS (AND BOYS)

  RACHEL HAWTHORNE

  For Amanda Maciel

  Whose guiding hand

  made this story so much more fun!

  Thanks for the

  �unexpected journey.�

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  You’re going to take an unexpected journey.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Why do you get the main bedroom?”

  CHAPTER 3

  I’d attended a funeral that was more joyful than we…

  CHAPTER 4

  I loved being on the island as dawn hovered, not…

  CHAPTER 5

  I watched as the guys got on their motorcycles, visible…

  CHAPTER 6

  Our usual shift was ten until four, but with the…

  CHAPTER 7

  We ended up going to the Sandpiper, a restaurant in…

  CHAPTER 8

  “This is cute,” Chelsea said.

  CHAPTER 9

  “When is Noah leaving?” I asked.

  CHAPTER 10

  I wasn’t even irritated that Noah was camped out on…

  CHAPTER 11

  We returned to the house to see if anyone wanted…

  CHAPTER 12

  “What else do we need?” Chelsea asked.

  CHAPTER 13

  I’d never been to a drive-in before. The designated parking…

  CHAPTER 14

  The movie was over a little after midnight, and we…

  CHAPTER 15

  The next morning I woke up to the patter of…

  CHAPTER 16

  “Do you know karate? Because your body sure is kickin’.”

  CHAPTER 17

  The rain stopped and the sun came out just a…

  CHAPTER 18

  By the time we got to the house, Dylan and…

  CHAPTER 19

  Hunger returned with a vengeance, though. We sat on the…

  CHAPTER 20

  I drank the wine cooler, because I didn’t want to…

  CHAPTER 21

  I loved it!

  CHAPTER 22

  I dragged myself out of bed the next morning, my…

  CHAPTER 23

  The hours slowly ticked by. The campground was full and…

  CHAPTER 24

  I felt wickedly wonderful. Not a shred of guilt. Okay.

  CHAPTER 25

  While I puttered around in the kitchen fixing lunch, I…

  CHAPTER 26

  I was in the bathroom getting ready for my big…

  CHAPTER 27

  Wednesday morning I basked in the luxury of sleeping in.

  CHAPTER 28

  I needed to talk with someone. And I couldn’t talk…

  CHAPTER 29

  It was early evening before I finally found the energy…

  CHAPTER 30

  “We are so over!”

  CHAPTER 31

  We sat on the couch in the dark with a…

  CHAPTER 32

  “I quit.”

  CHAPTER 33

  “What was that for?” Amy asked.

  CHAPTER 34

  Tonight Cupid will have you within his sights�retreat if you…

  CHAPTER 35

  “You what?!” Chelsea asked.

  CHAPTER 36

  It was almost two in the morning when we returned…

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  OTHER BOOKS BY RACHEL HAWTHORNE

  COPYRIGHT

  ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

  Chapter 1

  You�re going to take an unexpected journey.

  My horoscope for the day. Totally inaccurate. I was taking a journey all right, but it was one I�d been planning for months. I was exactly where I expected to be: crammed in the backseat of Amy�s tiny car. Boxes were pressed against my side, a heavy sack of groceries rested on my knees, and assorted smaller items had been wedged around my feet, which were now numb.

  This summer�the last before I started college�was going to be the absolute best of my life. I was embarking on my first summer of total independence, of saying good-bye to high school, good-bye to friends. The last�saying good-bye to friends�would be the most difficult, but I planned to spend three months doing it, saying farewell to the best of the best: Chelsea Franklin and Amy Riley.

  We were going to be together the entire summer�just the three of us. Working, living, playing. Saving up our memories for the days, weeks, and months ahead when only phone calls and an occasional weekend spent together would strengthen our bonds of friendship.

  �How long before we�re officially island girls?� Chelsea asked.

  She was sitting in the front passenger seat with no more room than me. This was our third�and final�trip for the day. When we got to the island, we were staying for the summer.

  �I think Jen and I already look like island girls,� Amy said.

  And we did. We were wearing shorts, tank tops, sneakers, and baseball caps. Amy�s dark hair was held in place with a clip, and she�d pulled the long strands through the opening in the back of her cap. I�d done the same with my blond hair. Chelsea was also in shorts and a tank, but�

  �Are you saying that I don�t look like an island girl?� Chelsea asked.

  �You�re too put together,� Amy said.

  Chelsea�s black hair was cut short and fluffed out at various angles. She had deep blue eyes that were almost violet. She was tall, slender, and already totally tan, thanks to a gift certificate to a tanning salon that she�d received as a graduation present.

  �This is called the ocean breeze look,� Chelsea said indignantly. �I spent three hours working on it.�

  �That�s my point,� Amy said. �I don�t think island girls spend a lot of time primping. They�re more relaxed with their looks.�

  �And they�re way more tan than us,� I said. My skin was almost too pale to believe, almost as pale as my hair. I had to use X-Men-strength sunscreen, while Amy and Chelsea seldom worried if they forgot to use any at all. Two minutes in the sun and I was like a boiled lobster.

  �I still can�t believe we�re doing this,� Amy said.

  It had been my scathingly brilliant idea: getting jobs on the island, staying at my grandparents� beach house over the summer.

  A week ago, Grandma and Granddad had left for an extended vacation in Europe. Wouldn�t need the house for several months. We could have it. As long as we agreed in writing to pay for the utilities, maintain the house, fix whatever broke, not have any wild parties�the last was stressed several times�and never make them regret leaving it in our care.

  Not a chance were they going to regret it. We wanted this too much not to play by their rules.

  Convincing our parents had been absolute torture: a series of arguments, pleadings, and promises. My mom had caved in first, narrowing her eyes and saying, �Jennifer Taylor, you�d better make darn sure that we don�t come to regret our decision.�

  I didn�t see how they could. It wasn�t like we planned to do anything more than work and spend time together.

  �I already miss Noah so much,� Chelsea said with a low moan.

  All right. So Chelsea also planned to miss Noah. Her boyfriend�when he was in town. Which wasn�t very often.

  Noah shared a dorm room with Chelsea�s older brother. He�d come to town to visit her brother during Christmas break�and had ended up visiting with Chelsea more. He�d seen her several times since. I didn�t know him well, but he seemed okay�except for the way that he always leaned on Chelsea like he didn�t have the strength in his legs to hold himself up. Although I had to admit that it was cool to have a boyfriend who was already in college. Heck, it would be cool t
o have a boyfriend. I didn�t and neither did Amy. But at least we didn�t have to think about anyone except ourselves.

  �You wouldn�t have seen him that much anyway, Chels. It�s not like he lives near you on the mainland,� I said.

  Not seeing him was the big objection she�d had to my idea. It had irritated me at the time. Still did. It was such a small inconvenience compared to the brilliance of my plan.

  �Yeah, but if I�m working, and he comes to visit, when will I see him?�

  I�d gotten us jobs at Coastal Campground Resorts where I�d worked last summer.

  �There are twenty-four hours in the day,� I reminded her. �You�ll work six. The rest are yours. How many would Noah need?�

  �Every single one!�

  �You�re crazy.�

  �We�re still defining our relationship, and I just don�t know if I should have made this kind of major decision without considering him. Noah and I hadn�t really talked much about our summer plans. Since you don�t have a boyfriend, I don�t expect you to understand.�

  Nice, Chels.

  Chelsea and I were supertight, but since Noah had come into her life, she�d started acting like she thought she was the first girl in the history of the world to have a boyfriend.

  �I�ve had a boyfriend,� I pointed out. Over a year ago. But I had had a boyfriend. So I did know what it was like. �Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.�

  �I never understood what that meant.�

  �By the end of the summer, he�ll care more about you than he does now.�

  �I don�t see how, if he never sees me.� Chelsea threw up her hands.

  �That�s the whole point. Since he never sees you, he dreams about you all the time so he misses you more and you become like a fantasy for him.�

  �I�d rather be a reality.�

  �Trust me. By the end of the summer, he�ll want you way more than he does now.�

  �Speaking of summer, I can�t believe we�re going to be living completely alone,� Amy said, gracefully changing the subject. She was the peacekeeper of our group.

  �We�ve never even had a weekend completely alone together,� she continued, �and we�re going to have three whole months. I don�t think it really hit me how alone we were going to be until we brought our first load of stuff over. Did anyone else get a really creepy feeling walking through the house? You know, like isolation?�

  I knew we shouldn�t have rented Dawn of the Dead. Amy is a quiet soul, a total nurturer. One of the reasons that she wants to be a veterinarian�she and animals can relate.

  �Thank goodness!� Chelsea said. �I thought I was the only one who noticed. That house really creaks and moans.�

  �It�s old, guys, that�s all. Rustic. Quaint,� I tried to reassure them.

  �But what if there are like�dangers?� Amy asked.

  �My grandparents have spent thirty summers there. It�s completely safe. And the Coast Guard station is like a block down the road.�

  �I thought they just took care of stuff at sea,� Chelsea said.

  �If we call, the Coasties will come. They�re not going to tell us to jump in a boat first.�

  �There�s the bridge!� Amy shouted excitedly, just as she had every time that we�d neared it today.

  Like she thought we couldn�t look out the window and see the bridge that connected the mainland of Texas to this island. We lived an hour away, so it wasn�t a complete mystery to us.

  �Hope this old rattletrap can make it over the bridge one more time,� Chelsea said.

  �It�s not a rattletrap,� Amy said indignantly. �Besides, if you don�t like riding in it, you should have said something sooner. We would have taken your car.�

  �I don�t have a car,� Chelsea said.

  Amy gave her a satisfied smirk. �Exactly.�

  Amy�s car was an ancient Gremlin her parents had bought to get her through the summer. Since it was our only mode of quick transportation�quick being a relative term�I wasn�t complaining. I�d tied my bicycle to the roof when we took our first run so I�d have it handy for short trips and emergencies.

  In a pinch, I figured I could even cycle to work. The island was a narrow strip of land about twenty miles long, with the bay on one side and the gulf on the other.

  �It�ll get us over the bridge,� I said, hoping that it would. The bridge had a high arch because it had to allow room for boats and barges to move beneath it along the waterway.

  We reached the arch. A sense of peace filled me as I took in the spectacular view, just before we started our descent. Palm trees lined the road that divided the island�the ocean was on one side, the coastal waterway on the other. So much sand and water. Sun and surf. Freedom!

  In the distance, I saw Surf Town. It was a typical beach community, with small shops weathered by the wind and salt air. A few restaurants. The bold owners built right on the land. The not-so-bold, or, as I thought of them, the wise, built on stilts so they were protected from flooding when the tide unexpectedly rose more than normal.

  And of course, along the beach were the usual touristy things: surfboard rentals, horse rentals, snow cone shacks.

  Amy brought us to a lurching stop at the intersection. Straight ahead was the beach, but we weren�t ready to go there yet. Soon, though. Very soon.

  Amy turned right, and her little Gremlin puttered along. My grandparents� beach house was located at the far end, on the back side of the island.

  �Do we need to stop at the convenience store?� Amy asked, as we neared a small store where the marquee boasted, LIVE BAIT!

  �No,� Chelsea said. �Let�s just get to the house. My feet are going to sleep.�

  �Not the house,� I corrected her. �Our house��

  ��for the summer!� we all finished at once.

  �No parents!� Chelsea said.

  �No brothers or sisters!� Amy said.

  �No hassles!� I said.

  �We can come and go when we want,� Amy said.

  �Not if your car breaks down,� Chelsea teased.

  �It�s not going to break down,� I said. �Be optimistic.�

  �I can�t believe my parents agreed to this,� Amy said.

  �Why not?� Chelsea asked. �We�ll all be going to college in the fall. They�ll have no idea what we�re doing then. So we�re getting a head start.�

  �But we�re not going to do anything they�d have a problem with, are we?� Amy asked.

  Chelsea rolled her eyes. �Of course not. We�ll be good girls.� Although the way she said good made it sound like she meant the absolute opposite. That maybe she had plans to be a little bit bad. Then she laughed. �We�re on our own!�

  We reached the end of the island, and Amy turned toward the bay. We passed the Coast Guard station and drove further along the sand-packed road.

  Then the beach house came into view. White, wooden, it stood on stilts, surrounded on two sides by the bay. It had never looked more beautiful to me.

  Amy brought the car to a halt beside the house.

  �We�re here!� she cried.

  �Let�s get everything inside,� I said. �We have a lot of planning to do.�

  I opened the door and climbed out, my legs stiff and prickling as the blood rushed to my feet. I held the groceries in one arm, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and picked up another bag that had been at my feet.

  The excitement grew intense as I led the way to the door. Although the main portion of the house was on stilts, there was a utility room on the ground where we went in.

  At the top of the stairs was a short hallway. The door ahead of us led into the living room, where we�d dumped all our boxes during our previous trips. To the right was the kitchen. I went in and put the sacks on the counter.

  All the blinds were open. I could look through the windows and see the dolphins jumping in the bay. I could hear the seag
ulls and the wind. I could smell the salt of the ocean and hear the roar of the surf.

  I couldn�t stop myself from bubbling up with exhilaration and anticipation as I faced my two best friends and flung my arms wide open.

  �I hereby announce that as of this moment we�re officially island girls! Let the best summer ever begin!�

  CHAPTER 2

  �Why do you get the main bedroom?�

  I stared at Chelsea, unable to believe she�d asked. The room in question was the large bedroom on the main floor. Like the living room, it had a door that led out onto the balcony. It also had a private bathroom.

  On the floor above us were three bedrooms and a shared bathroom in the hallway. Above that floor was a crow�s nest, a small room open on four sides. You can see the entire island from up there, and the ocean and the ships on the horizon. But the crow�s nest wasn�t the issue.

  �Because it�s my grandparents� house?� I asked, not bothering to disguise my sarcasm. She was being ridiculous to even bring up the subject!

  �This is supposed to be our house,� Chelsea said.

  �Well, yeah, but�� It had never occurred to me that I wouldn�t have my grandparents� bedroom. It had a queen-size bed, a lovely antique dresser, a rocking chair, nightstands. The other rooms were nice, but they were for guests. The room in question had personality, history.

  �This was my idea, the whole summer, working on the island, sharing the beach house�it was all my idea,� I pointed out.

  �So what? You want us thanking you for the next three months?�

  I shook my head in disbelief. �Of course not.�

  �Then what? You think because it was your idea that you get to be in charge? That we have absolutely no say about how things are done?�