Finally...One Summer (Just One of the Guys)

by Kristi Pelton

  What do u think?

  I let out the breath I held, sighing with the assumption that he wasn’t doing well either.

  Austin respectfully tapped on the door at 7a.m. and I hurled myself down the stairs so he didn’t wake anyone.

  “Hey,” I said never having to worry if he dressed appropriately. He was the king of dress. His khaki cargo shorts were pressed and the plaid un-tucked button down showed off his olive complexion. I would be the envy of any girl today. But then again, I’d been the envy of girls forever…only it had always been by association.

  “You ready?” He asked.

  “You kids be careful,” Dad said coming from the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand.

  “We will, Matt. Thank you.”

  When I stepped onto the porch, my mouth fell open as I looked in the drive and saw a shiny black Range Rover. Oh my God.

  I slugged him in the shoulder. “Are you kidding me?”

  He grabbed my neck and playfully pushed me down the front steps. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you drive.”

  After opening my door for me, my cheeks flushed scarlet when he boosted me up.

  “Good Lord. This thing is a tank,” I laughed.

  “Buckle up,” he directed and reversed.

  It didn’t take us long to get out of the city limits and tank was a good description of this automobile. We sat above every car on the road. Luckily I took my motion sickness medicine before we left.

  “I probably should have told you this before I said yes to coming, but…I’m not a great traveler…especially the 101 between Depot Bay and Florence.”

  “Is it the cliffs or curves?” He seemed humored at this.

  “Uh…both.”

  With a fist, he teasingly hit my knee and I thought about what my dad had said. I didn’t want Austin’s touch to feel good, but my heart picked up it’s pace with the simple gesture. I shifted away and I think he noticed.

  “You’ll be fine. Though at the next stop…I’m grabbin’ a paper sack.” He smiled. “Have you ever ridden the dunes?”

  I raised my brows. “You mean like in a dune buggy?”

  He nodded.

  “No.”

  “Sweet. We are so doing it today.”

  “Really. Will we have time?”

  “We’ll make time. You have to do it.”

  I quietly laughed at his enthusiasm. “Is there anything in this world that you haven’t done?”

  He narrowed his eyes like he was thinking hard. “I’ve never…” he paused.

  My eyes rolled instantly. “You have to be kidding.” It annoyed me that I had nothing to offer him. “There must be something.”

  “I was getting there.” His voice was gentle. “I’ve never been a lot of places. I’ve never driven a race car.”

  “Oh my God! Who has?”

  “Well, Jimmie Johnson has.”

  Confusion swept over me. “The old football coach?”

  He pinched his eyes closed and shook his head. “No. Not the ex-football coach. The NASCAR driver dummy.”

  “Ok…whatever. Next,” I said.

  “Well, I’ve never spent the night in a cemetery.”

  “Austin.” Either he wasn’t taking this seriously or he’d really done everything.

  He raised his brows. “What?”

  “OK. I know you are so much older than me and I’m sure I’m just an irritating little kid to you but…”

  He pursed his lips and glanced in my direction. “But what?”

  I didn’t like that he didn’t correct me. “We should make a bucket list. You know of things we want to do.”

  He nodded. “Good idea. Let’s do it.” He reached behind his seat and fumbled with a back pack pulling out a white legal pad. “Here…start the list.”

  I smiled eagerly and got a pen from my purse.

  By the time we’d made the twists and turns of the highway, stopped for lunch and entered the North Bend city limits, our list was complete.

  1. A cemetery sleepover

  2. Conquer biggest fear—Emma-heights and Austin-spiders

  3. Skinny-dip in Pacific

  4. Race car driving

  5. Go streaking on Beach

  6. Bungee jump

  7. Attend Chicago Cubs game

  8. Get drunk

  9. Get a tattoo

  10. Karaoke

  11. Do charity work

  Number seven would be the most difficult for us to do together but we agreed the others we had less than two weeks to meet.

  After he dropped off the stuff he needed to for his father, we headed toward the beach. North Bend wasn’t quite as cool as Cannon and the sun seemed alive and well. It felt good to see a cloudless sky.

  Austin paid for a two-hour rental and rented me a very attractive purple helmet. I’d walked on the dunes in Florence but never ridden them. An attendant leaned over me tightening my harness beyond breathable squashing my breasts. Austin harnessed himself, then the attendant checked him over. He was fine. We both slid on our sunglasses.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  My thumbs up was shaky at best.

  “Hold on,” he encouraged with a warm smile and gave the buggy gas. My head snapped back and hit the head rest behind. The tires spun out emitting a shower of sand flying into the air. The wind was cold and sand slapped my face as we’d turn. As the tires moved up and over the dune, the buggy took flight then jarred us as we landed.

  “Yeah buddy!” Austin yelled and I nervously laughed out loud unsure if he was in complete control. He patted my knee again, but given the rough ride, I was unable to measure my response this time.

  The windswept dunes were magnificently beautiful today and the islands of trees splattered throughout the dunes were unique in a way I’d never seen as we dodged them. There were times he drove the buggy near the shore and water spewed up spitting on us. I covered my mouth as the sea water seeped in and slugged Austin for doing it. His contagious laughter made me laugh. The magnitude of a few of the dunes towered easily over five hundred feet.

  When we finished our ride and parked where the attendant directed, I exhaled the breath I’d held for two solid hours.

  “Well?”

  “That was totally awesome.”

  Austin unhooked his harness and started on mine. “I’m glad you had fun. Sorry about the water. You’re kind of a mess.” He winked.

  “Thank you and no you’re not sorry. Don’t even act like you are.” I shivered as I said it.

  He unhooked the last latch of my harness and his expression hardened. I tried to catch his eyes but he avoided my glance.

  “I was only kidding about the water. I don’t mind.”

  He smiled but it didn’t touch his eyes. “Let’s get to the car.” His tone was rough.

  When I grabbed his arm his eyes finally met mine and they were tense. Too tense. We had just had so much fun together. “Austin, what’s wrong?”

  “Emma. Look at me.”

  I was looking at him.

  “I want to leave now. Let’s walk to the Rover.”

  I didn’t know what I’d done, but he was angry.

  “Let’s go,” he nearly ordered.

  I forced my body away from him and started toward the SUV. What the hell was wrong with him? What had I done?

  The wind was colder than before against my wet clothes. He was following me close.

  “Oh Zach! Look, it’s Emma.” The shrill voice echoed across the parking lot.

  “Shit,” Austin hissed, and I felt his hand at the small of my back as I spun around.

  My body spun around at his name before I even realized it was Jaycee talking. Zach stood near his Jeep with wide eyes locked on me. Brett, Clair and Jaycee were with him. Connor and Estelle were coming from the building. Jaycee moved toward Zach and wrapped her arm through his. When I broke our eye contact and glanced at Jaycee, he looked at her too and untangled his arm. I thought I’d been punched in the stomach as I stood frozen struggling for ai
r. I rubbed my forehead fighting the impulse to cry. I found Austin.

  “What’d you wanna do?” he asked fist bumping Connor and Brett as they ran over.

  “Hey Em!” Connor said while Brett squashed me in a bear hug.

  I opened my mouth but nothing came. Zach jogged over to us.

  “Em.” His expression was shocked. “What are you doing here?”

  Austin walked to the hood of the Rover with Connor and Brett, leaving us.

  “Um. Austin and I…we…” I couldn’t finish as I looked at his sun kissed face.

  He wrapped his arms around me and I was as limp as a rag doll. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered and his scent enveloped me.

  I shook my head trying to understand his words. “Yeah. It looks like it.” My eyes flickered from his to Jaycee’s.

  He closed his eyes and his chest moved slowly in and out. “Em. It’s not what you think.”

  “Did she ride with you?”

  “Em. Listen.”

  “Did she?”

  “They all did. You know there is nothing going on. You know I love you.”

  I scratched my head. “Why her? Why would you come with her? You know that would hurt me but you did it anyway. You didn’t expect to see me here so you thought it would be OK.” I was too angry for tears.

  “See ya, Runt,” Brett yelled and he and Connor headed back over to the queen bee bitches.

  Zach grabbed my shoulders. “Don’t do this, bab…” he stopped himself. “Please don’t do this. I offered to drive. That’s it. I’d never done the dunes.”

  “That’s sweet. So sweet. You can share something with her that you’ve never done before,” I said almost beneath my breath and turned toward Austin. “Can we go?”

  Austin nodded and looked at Zach who held up his index finger.

  “You’re here with Austin. You don’t see me freakin out.”

  Freaking out? I wasn’t freaking out. “Austin is my friend.”

  “And Jaycee is mine,” he explained.

  “Really?? Bullshit! She’s never been your friend. She wants to be with you and you know it. And she hates me…isn’t that enough for you?”

  “You and Austin are here together and there is nothing going on.”

  My angry fists clenched. “Zach. You’ve seen my social circle. All guys. I didn’t have a choice. You did. And why didn’t you tell me. You could have told me if you felt so right about it.” It scared me that I wanted to hit him.

  “WE haven’t been talking a lot, you know.” He took hold of my right hand and touched the silver ring.

  The tears were there now and I couldn’t control them. “I just wish…” I cried.

  His hand slid behind my ear as his thumb dried my tears. “Wish what?”

  “I wish we hadn’t…” I trailed off and his hand fell from my face. He knew the words I hadn’t spoken and his eyes stared past me.

  “You regret…” This time he couldn’t find the words.

  “You all have fun,” I cried. “Austin, I want to go!”

  He was immediately there opening my door.

  “Austin. Wait, man. Give me one more minute,” Zach asked.

  Austin walked around, got in his door and started the Rover. As we backed out, Zach stood where I left him, eyes closed.

  Chapter 20—Zach

  She regrets being with me…me fucking her... No! It wasn’t a fuck. It was so much more, and I knew it was to her too. Why would she say that? She cried afterward. There was no doubt she was ready…she was sure. Did I misread that? Had I pushed her into it?

  How did she get things so wrong? She was with Austin. I was with eight people. But I’m the one in the wrong! Damn. I couldn’t do anything right at this point.

  MY girl was hurting and who was she with…Austin. A feeling deep in my gut told me the rich douche bag was enjoying this. Didn’t he have better things to do than spend his summer with a sixteen-year-old girl? I swiped my hands down my face trying to ease the tension. I could only imagine what he was doing with a sixteen-year-old.

  “Zach, dude...let’s go,” Connor yelled.

  I nodded and decided today I was having fun.

  Chapter 21—Emma

  Austin drove quietly for a bit then grabbed some clothes from the backseat handing them to me. “Why don’t you change into some dry clothes?”

  I took off my shoes and climbed over the seat. The clothes smelled like fabric softener. The sweatshirt was ginormous and I slid the elastic up till my hands were out then tied the sweat shorts tight around my waist. They hung to my calves as I maneuvered back to the front seat.

  “You alright?” He asked in a soft tone.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Why would he be with her?”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “Do you?” I asked.

  He grinned. “I believe he doesn’t want to hurt you.”

  I grimaced. “Too late.”

  The road whizzed past and I glanced at the dashboard. “Austin, slow down.” The speedometer read eighty-five.

  He smiled and I felt the release of the gas pedal. “Hungry?”

  I shook my head. “No. But I’m sure you are…let’s stop.”

  We drove another half hour before he pulled into a convenience store. I stayed in the car as he darted in then returned with a sack.

  “I grabbed some comfort food.” He winked and veered back onto the highway.

  “Comfort food…that would be more along the lines of crab legs and drawn butter,” I smiled.

  He nodded. “Noted. And sounds good.”

  “Do you mind if we pull over when we get to the lighthouse south of Newport?”

  “Not at all. Why?”

  “I love that beach.”

  “It’ll be dark. Help me watch for the turn.”

  “I will.”

  “Emma?”

  “What?” I asked opening my eyes.

  We were on a steep grade going down. We were there. I recognized the hill.

  “I fell asleep?”

  “I pulled in hoping you still wanted to stop,” He said.

  “Thanks.”

  His headlights shone on the road then turned into the parking lot. I’d never seen this place empty. During the day, it was packed with visitors who hiked up to the lighthouse.

  Two massive cliffs nested on each side of the small beach and it was one beach that a sign wasn’t posted about riptides. The full moon lit the area and the thunderous waves brought me comfort.

  Outside of the car, there was little wind and he allowed me the lead. I walked to the water’s edge.

  “Don’t get wet. I have no other clothes,” he teased.

  I smiled. “I didn’t get myself wet to begin with.”

  “OK. Well, don’t get me wet either.”

  “Do you cheat?” I asked.

  He stared at me. “I don’t think he was cheating. I think he came to ride the dunes with a group of friends.”

  I spun away from him. Of course he would defend a guy. They were all in this together. I slowed my pace reconsidering taking this out on Austin. I spun back around.

  “You didn’t answer my question. Do you?” I stepped toward him.

  He took two steps back. Clearly my closeness bothered him. “Cheat?”

  He was uncomfortable. He didn’t want to have this conversation. I stared at him.

  “I have. I don’t think that makes me a cheater.”

  “What does it make you?”

  “It doesn’t make me anything. I’ve dated girls that I haven’t cheated on too.” His hands were in his pockets and the waves were gradually getting closer.

  My heart beat faster. “Would you cheat with me?”

  His eyes narrowed. “On you? No.”

  I stepped closer. “I didn’t say on me…I said with me.”

  His eyes scrutinized my face. “I’m not dating anyone right now so it doesn’t matter.” This time he shifted away from me and casually walked in a different direction. I fo
llowed.

  I laughed. He was avoiding me now. Did I make him uncomfortable? I giggled at the thought.

  “OK. Hypothetically speaking, would you cheat on a buddy?”

  He kept moving. “Which buddy?”

  “Zach.”

  He scrunched up his nose. “I’m not really interested in Zach.”

  I smiled. “What about Zach’s girlfriend?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think Jaycee is all that pretty.”

  I was startled by his response and my forehead creased. “That wasn’t funny.”

  He smiled and took hold of my arms. “It was a little funny,” he whispered.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Maybe to change the subject.” He kicked the sand.

  “Do you ever think about our kiss a few months ago? Or kissing me period?” I quietly asked, unsure if he heard me. His eyes met mine as the words came out and I knew as he moved toward me that he had. Both hands slid into my tangled hair and he brushed a kiss across my forehead.

  I sighed as he took my hand in his.

  “Let’s go,” he said pulling me toward the Rover.

  “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  He was quiet.

  “Austin?” I jumped over a piece of driftwood.

  Silence.

  We’d made it to the blacktop. “Whatever…just friggin ignore me,” I said dropping his hand.

  He opened my door then shut it more forcefully than normal. I locked the doors. He tried to open the door then glared in the window. He unlocked it with the remote, and I countered by locking it again from inside laughing.

  “Emma, unlock it,” he said through the glass.

  I took off my sandy shoes and climbed to his seat. “Do you think about it?” I said loudly.

  He tried the remote again. Locked. I grinned, giggling. He did too.

  “Answer me.”

  He shook his head. “Emma. This is not a good idea.”

  I shrugged. “It’s simple, Austin. Give me one reason why it’s not a good idea.”

  “Let me in and I’ll give you five.”