The water hit their feet, but this time Rory didn’t react to the icy sensation.
“Okay,” Evan finally said. “That makes sense. I get it.” The wave went back out, and they watched as a band of tiny birds scattered across the wet sand, searching for food. “Can I still e-mail you every once in a while?” He looked down at her and smiled. “You never know, right?”
Rory chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. You never know.”
As they stood and looked out at the water, Rory felt Evan’s arm travel across her shoulders, and she leaned in close to him, putting her head against him.
“You’re a pretty cool guy, Evan Shanahan,” she said.
“I’m glad you finally noticed, Rory McShane,” he replied, making her laugh as he squeezed her close.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“So do you want some snacks for the trip?” Isabel asked, following Rory out the back door. “Or some energy drinks? Coconut water? Greek yogurt?”
“I’ll be fine,” Rory said. The light from the midday sun was starting to turn golden. “I should probably get on the road. You know how bad the traffic can get.” They walked to Rory’s Honda. Mrs. Rule’s Land Rover was gone. Mickey had taken her to the airport. Connor was back at his dad’s house. It already felt as if the summer was over. “You sure you’re going to be all right here by yourself?” Rory asked, shading her eyes from the sun. “I feel kind of bad leaving you like this.”
“I’ll be fine,” Isabel said. “I have to get ready for NYU anyway.”
“You know, your mom may have a lot of flaws, but she really does love you,” Rory said.
“I know,” Isabel said. “I guess I have to accept the fact that she’s never quite going to be the mom I want her to be.”
“Maybe not,” Rory agreed. She zipped up her suitcase and shut the trunk.
“I went to Mike’s today. He wasn’t home, but I left a message. I’ll let you know how it goes. And I hope you let Evan down easy.”
“I did. I have a feeling we might run into each other again.” She threw her arms around Isabel and hugged her. “I’ll miss you. Come to New Jersey before I leave for Cali. The Farm and Horse Show is starting next week.”
“Wow, so tempting,” Isabel said, pretending to roll her eyes. She hugged Rory back. “I’ll text you tonight.”
“ ’Kay,” Rory said. “See ya. And Isabel?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for inviting me this summer. I’m really glad I came.”
“Even with all the drama between you and me?”
“Absolutely,” Rory said. “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
“I would have,” Isabel said. “Just kidding.”
“Hey, you better visit me at school,” Rory said, walking to her car.
“I will. And by the way, don’t ever stop making films. Your stuff is a hundred times better than anything I saw at the East End Fest.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m your friend,” Rory said.
“Get in the car, already,” Isabel said.
She got into her car and shut the door. Isabel watched as she backed up, waved through the window, and drove down the path, eventually disappearing from sight as she made the turn toward the street.
Isabel stood on the gravel with her hands on her hips. It was hard to believe that she had this house to herself. A host of possibilities flashed through her head: throwing an enormous, raging party; going back to the city and catching up with some of her friends there doing internships; packing a bag and going to stay with her dad for a while. Her dad, she thought. Maybe that was where she belonged, at least for a few days. Then she could figure out a plan.
She turned back to the house, but the sound of crunching gravel made her stop. It was a car. Rory had probably forgotten something.
She turned back around and saw a dark red Xterra making its way up the drive. With her feet rooted to the ground and her heart beating wildly, she watched as the car came to a stop a few feet away, and the car door swung open. Mike hopped down onto the gravel. In his hand he held a bunch of wildflowers. The setting sun gave him a golden sheen as he came toward her.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She still couldn’t move.
“So these reminded me of you,” he said, offering her the flowers. “Wild and beautiful.” He touched her cheek.
She laughed and kissed him. “You wanna go surfing?” she asked.
“I’d be honored.”
“Let’s go,” she said, and reached for his hand.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to the wonderful team at Poppy and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, but especially Elizabeth Bewley and Farrin Jacobs for their perceptive notes, gentle guidance, and unwavering belief in these characters. To Joseph Veltre, my new agent: I am so grateful to be in your stable of writers. Tracy Shaw and Sammy Yuen designed another gorgeous cover image, and Christine Ma went over this manuscript with her usual unerring eye. JJ Philbin gave me the best first reading anyone could ask for.
And to Ben van der Veen and Annabelle, the new center of my world… a thousand hugs and a thousand kisses. I love you.
Also by JOANNA PHILBIN
The Daughters
The Daughters Break the Rules
The Daughters Take the Stage
The Daughters Join the Party
Rules of Summer
Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
JULY CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
AUGUST CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ALSO BY JOANNA PHILBIN
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Joanna Philbin
Cover photo © Getty Images
Title lettering by Alison Carmichael
Cover design by Tracy Shaw
Cover © 2014 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Poppy
Hachette Book Group
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Poppy is an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.
The Poppy name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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bsp; The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: June 2014
ISBN 978-0-316-21210-6
E3
For more about this book and author, visit Bookish.com.
Since Last Summer Page 23