by Elle Viviani
Maddison nudges me with her elbow. “It’ll be fun.”
“Fun for you and Bryce. Not fun for Koa and me.”
“You don’t know that.”
I look back and find Koa. He’s dragging Bryce up the dock by his thick arm. I can feel his displeasure from here. “Oh, but I do.”
Bryce brings his hands up to his mouth and cups them around his lips. “Hey, bring your suits. We go swimming at midnight!”
Koa shoves his friend in front of him as they reach the parking lot. I watch them head up the hill for a second before whirling on my own brazen friend. “What did you just get us into?!”
She’s not listening, though, she’s got a dazed, faraway look in her eyes as she watches Bryce and Koa walk up the hill. Probably just Bryce.
I snap my fingers in front of her face. “Earth to Maddie! Are you in there?”
She drags her eyes to mine. “Sorry. I was just having the most amazing thought.”
“What? Because right now, all I can think about is how I’m going to stand being around Koa all night.”
Maddie’s face comes alive. “And all I can think about is Bryce in a bathing suit.”
13
Koa
Bryce hands me a beer with a grin and a hard slap on the back. “Having fun yet, birthday boy?”
I scowl. “No. Am I supposed to be?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Bryce motions to the party raging around us. Most of the crowd is clustered around the bright bonfire and food and drink coolers. In classic Bryce Hill efficiency, he’s assigned a group of guys to the grill and keg, and another group to setting up tents and chairs a few yards away. I don’t know if these guys even know him, but when a giant hunk of rock orders you to do something, you do it. Well.
Normally, you have to apply for a permit for a party like this on the beach, which takes forever, but of course, Bryce knew someone who knew someone, and he got the green light in record time.
“Because there are way too many people here,” I answer.
“Exactly. You’ve got friends—”
“I don’t know half of these people.”
“Beer—”
“You know I prefer gin.”
“Scantily clad women?”
“Oh, right. My idea of a ‘good time’ is being surrounded by annoying drunk women.”
Bryce frowns. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
I roll my eyes. “Where did you find all these people, anyway?”
“They’re friends.”
I scan the horde of people and pick out three people I know. I wouldn’t call any of them “friends.” Of course, Bryce knows more people in my hometown than I do. “They may be your friends, Hill, but I don’t know ’em.”
He shrugs. “Okay. Then try to get to know them.” He watches me glance past him toward the top of the path, like I have been every ten minutes for the last hour. “What was that?”
I snap my attention back to him. “What?”
“That. You’re looking up the path like you’re…” Bryce raises his eyebrows. “Wait—you’re looking for Summer!”
“What? No I’m not.”
His lips press together, a move I know well when Bryce is trying to hold back his “I told you so” face.
“How many beers have you had, Bryce?”
“Don’t turn this around on me. You’re into this chick.”
I taking a long pull of beer instead of answering.
“Admit it,” Bryce demands, punching me on the arm.
I scowl and rub my bicep. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Hill.”
Bryce smirks at me. “Who says I can’t?”
I pretend to take another sip of beer, but then feint to the left. Bryce falls for it, and I land a right hook on his left arm.
“Christ, Rendell! That was low.”
“You deserved it.”
“Deserved what?”
Bryce and I spin around to see Summer and Maddison standing behind us. They’re looking at us like we have two heads. Well, Summer is. Maddison is back to mutely staring at Bryce.
“Did we interrupt something?” Summer continues.
“Nope.” Bryce pushes me out of the way and steps toward the girls. “Just two men, talking.”
A small smile tugs up the corners of her lips. “Right. Talking.”
“Glad you came…” Bryce turns to Maddison. “You too, Maddie.”
Maddison turns bright pink. “Th-thanks for inviting us.”
“I was surprised my buddy here didn’t invite you already.” I bite back a groan as Bryce claps me on the arm that he punched. “Not every day a man turns thirty.”
Summer’s growing smile vanishes. “It’s your birthday?”
“Oh. Uh, yeah.”
“And you also didn’t think to mention that yesterday?”
I shrug. “Didn’t really come up.”
“You’re kidding. I asked you what you were doing this—”
Maddison lays a hand on her friend’s arm and tugs it down. “It probably just slipped Koa’s mind.”
Summer snorts, telling me exactly what she thought of that lame explanation. Maddison rolls her eyes and turns to Bryce. “It’s so pretty here, I’d love a look around.”
Bryce jumps on the suggestion. “I’d be happy to show you around. Been coming here for years.”
“Bryce,” I mutter, grabbing his arm. I’m about to beg him not to leave me alone with Summer when he whirls around.
“Be nice,” he hisses. He gives me a warning look, and then turns back to Maddison. “Ready?”
She nods and turns to Summer. “I’ll be right back.”
“But—!” Summer cuts off as some sort of silent conversation takes place between them. Maddison must win, because a few moments later, Summer rocks back on her heels and sighs. “Fine.”
We watch our friends move away with panicked expressions, knowing we’re helpless without their buffer. I meet Summer’s gaze as the world’s most awkward silence descends between us.
“So…” Summer says after what feels like an eternity. “I’m glad the weather held out for your birthday party.”
I ignore the veiled barb. “It’s a nice night.” Another impossibly long pause. “Maddie having a good time in Portland?”
“Yeah. We walked around a bunch, then went to lunch.”
“Where?”
“Portland Lobster Company? Their lobster rolls are amazing.”
“Good place. Got lobster rolls today, ourselves.”
“Really? Where?”
“Silly’s.”
Summer nods. “Cool.”
I nod. “Yup.”
I shove my hands in my pockets and stare at the sand between us. This is probably the longest we’ve ever gone without fighting…and I’m bored to tears.
“Do you like milkshakes?”
Summer gives me a puzzled look. “Love them.”
“Try Duckfat, then. It’s a Belgian restaurant,” I add, seeing her reaction. “Their waffles and milkshakes are pretty good.”
“Oh, well—” She furrows her brow. “Thanks for the suggestion.”
Another impossibility long pause. I glance over at her, take a deep breath, and end this. “I’m sorry, Summer.”
Her body tenses. “What?”
“I’m sorry for yesterday. For ordering your around like that and then…uh…”
“Leaving?” she says.
My shoulders inch up to my ears. “Yeah. For that.”
Her lips purse slightly as she studies me, then her body relaxes with a long breath. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for always fighting with you.”
“Oh, well…ditto, I guess.” I shove my hands in my pockets as her eyes drift over my shoulder to the crowd beyond. “How’re Captain and Grandma Jane?” I ask, shifting to a safer subject. She doesn’t answer. “Summer?”
“They’re good,” she says, her eyes distant as she stares behind me. She nods over my shoulder with a frown. “I’m
surprised by Maddie.”
“Why?”
“How she went off with Bryce like that.” She looks at me. “Maddie hasn’t been this confident around a guy since I’ve known her.”
“Most women find Bryce an easy guy to talk to.”
“It’s more than that, though.” She studies me for a moment, then shrugs. “I guess I can tell you. Maddie told me today that she’s putting herself back on the market after a terrible breakup she had a couple years ago.”
“That sucks.”
“It does. The guy really did a number on her. They were dating throughout college and then he broke up with her at graduation.”
“Rough.”
“I’d say. Made her choose between him and grad school, apparently.”
I frown. “Why?”
“He was in the Air Force, about to be deployed or something. Kinda sprang it on her from what I can gather.”
I nod slowly. “That’s the military.”
“Oh, right. I forgot you were in.”
“That’s where I met Bryce, actually. We were deployed together. I got out later, but Bryce made a career out of it. Ex-Navy SEAL.”
“That explains it. The man looks like…”
“Thor?” I laugh when Summer’s eyes go wide. “Believe me, a lot of people mistake him for Hemsworth.”
“And now he’s a bodyguard for some star?”
“Autumn Hart. Ever heard of—” I stop as Summer’s jaw drops open. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
“You don’t?”
I shrug.
“She’s only, like, the biggest star in country music right now.”
“Oh.” I run a hand through my hair. “Not my scene.” Summer rolls her eyes, no doubt remembering what happened the last time I said that. “But it’s not going well. Apparently she’s giving him issues.”
“Bad boss?”
“More like he’s in too deep. They’ve been friends since grad school, but now I think Bryce wants more—though don’t tell him that. I’m not sure he realizes it yet.”
“Oh. I see.”
I frown. “What’s the matter?”
“Maddie doesn’t stand a chance, does she?”
“Is she interested?”
Summer laughs. “That’s putting it lightly.”
I scan the party and spot Bryce immediately. He’s always a foot taller than anyone around him. His head’s thrown back and he waves his arms around as Maddie breaks down in giggles. I can’t tell what they’re talking about, though I can hazard a guess. Bryce loves recounting our embarrassing Navy stories—embarrassing for me, not Bryce. But I can definitely can tell from here that Maddie’s enthralled.
“Probably not,” I admit, turning back to Summer. “Nothing against her, it’s just that Bryce is in over his head with this country chick.”
“Right,” Summer murmurs, her eyes dropping to the rocky sand between us.
I tense up as she grows quiet, a wave of guilt washing over me like it’s somehow my fault that Summer’s sad. Suddenly, all I want to do is ease her pain. “But you never know. Bryce could figure out that this girl’s not worth his time.”
Summer tries to shrug it off. “No, it’s okay. It’s good, in fact. At least Maddie’s trying.”
Another awkward silence falls between us, filled by the hoots and laughter of drunk strangers getting drunker. I secretly study Summer’s face, enjoying the delicate curve of her full lips and the graceful line of her high cheekbones in the bright moonlight. She’s beautiful when she’s not biting my head off. “Wanna go on a walk? The beach is gorgeous this time of year, even at night.”
Summer smiles. “Sure. I’d like that.”
We start walking, heading away from the noisy crowd of people I hardly know. Soon it’s just us and the soft lapping of the waves. I glance over at Summer, her face aglow in the moonlight. “So, how are—”
“By the way—” she starts at the same time. We look at each other and laugh.
“Go ahead,” I say.
“You sure? I was only going to say that we told Gran that Bryce was in town, she made three blueberry pies. They’re waiting for him to take back to Nashville.”
“Of course she did. That lady’s amazing.”
“I know.”
“No.” I stop and wait for her to meet my eyes before going on. “I mean it. You probably don’t know how lucky you are to have them.”
“I know they’re great.”
“They’re more than great. They’re like family to me.”
She pushes a strand of hair off her cheek as she tilts her head, sending the sweet smell of honey and cream wafting toward me. “What about your dad? Didn’t you say he lives in Portland?”
I fight the urge to turn on my heel and head back down the beach, putting an end to this discussion. I don’t talk about my dad. I don’t talk about myself. I don’t really like to talk, period. But as the silence draws out, I remember the situation I got myself into this morning. Did I really want to continue pushing Summer away?
I force the air out of my lungs as I start down memory lane. A lane I usually try to avoid. “My dad’s a touchy subject.”
“We don’t have to talk about it.”
“No, it’s okay,” I say, glancing over at her. “He does live in town. But my dad, well, he’s not like your grandparents.”
“What do you mean?”
We pause as we reach the end of the peninsula. It’s beautiful out here, especially at night when all the tourists are gone. It’s just us and the dark water and the pale white moon.
“He’s colder, not as…” I stare into her rich golden eyes for a long moment before looking back out across the water. “Present.”
Summer nods and turns around, slowly leading the way back to the bonfire. The silence is no longer awkward between us. It’s just there, like a comfortable veil between us. “You know,” she say after a few minutes, “sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side.”
“What?”
“You’re upset that your dad isn’t ‘present.’ Well, the opposite can be said for my parents.”
“How so?”
“My mom. She takes it upon herself to run my life.” She glances over at me. “My love life.”
My low whistle gets caught up by the breeze and swept down the rocky beach. “Ah. That’s tough.”
“You have no idea. I doubt your dad sets you up on blind dates every other Saturday. And I doubt your dad tells you that ‘twenty-four is getting to be too old’ and that you’d better ‘settle down and marry’ before ‘all the good ones are gone’.”
“Christ, Summer, that’s crazy. How many has it been?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Dates. How many guys has she tried to tempt you with?”
Summer breaks out in laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“The word ‘tempt’ couldn’t be further from the truth.” She pushes her light blonde hair out of her eyes. “They’re usually from Wall Street or some pretentious lawyer. Basically everything I’m not looking for in a man.”
“That so?” I say slowly, thinking over this interesting information.
“Actually, that’s a lie. I’m not looking for a man, period.”
I arch an eyebrow.
“Yup,” she says with a quick nod. “I don’t really get what the big deal is with love.”
“Sounds like you’ve never been in it.”
“Bingo, and I’m in no hurry.”
I stop, shocked at having finally met someone who shares my sentiments about this relationship nonsense.
“What?” she asks, stopping too.
We’re at the edge of the party now. The light from the bonfire illuminates half her face, throwing the rest in shadow. She looks beautiful and formidable all at once, which describes this woman perfectly. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me. Any girl, at least.”
“Oh,” she mumbles, “well, I…”
“I don
’t mean that in a bad way. I totally agree.”
“You do?”
“Yup. I just want to focus on my job and doing it well. A girl would just distract me.”
Summer nods excitedly. “That’s why I came up here! To get away from the slew of men my mother had lined up for me.”
I grimace. “I don’t blame you.”
“Love,” she says with a shrug. “Who needs it?”
“Exactly.” I hold up my hand between us. “Well, here’s to a summer without love.”
She smiles at my half-assed pun and slaps her palm in mine. “To a summer without love.”
I stare into her eyes as I think about what we just high-fived to. Avoiding love will be easy, right? Because a summer with love, a summer with an annoying, headstrong, distracting girl in my life, would be worse.
My pulse quickens as a tiny seed of doubt plants itself in my mind. I gaze at the beautiful woman standing in front of me and remind myself that she drives me crazy. In a bad way. I think. At least I’m pretty sure.
I abandon the thought, not liking where that rabbit hole’s taking me.
“Koa, Summer!” I snap my head around as Bryce’s voice rings out across the sand. He and Maddie start toward us. “Come on, it’s time to swim!”
“I thought that’s at midnight?” Summer says next to me.
“It’s supposed to be.”
Dread fills me as my friend tugs his shirt over his head and drops it on the ground. Every woman in a twenty-foot radius stops and stares at Bryce. But not Summer, she frowning down at her phone. “But it’s only ten thirty.” She glances up and sees my eyes on her. “What?”
“Nothing,” I say with a small smile.
She gives me a funny look, still ignoring the half-naked god a few yards away.
“Okay, weirdo.”
“You two ready?” Bryce asks, coming to a stop in front of us. “Time to get wet.”
I wince at his choice of words. “Summer just pointed out that it’s not midnight. That’s not tradition, buddy.”
“Screw tradition. Some traditions are meant to be broken.”
“What’s the tradition for?” Maddison pipes up, coming out from behind him. She wears the same dazed look that every woman has in Bryce’s presence. Except Summer, apparently.
“Koa’s birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” Bryce explains, “so we go in right when he turns thirty.”