by Claire Adams
"I need to find a quiet place to sit and think. I've been waiting for this vacation all year." I closed my door and leaned against the car as my eyes moved across the faces of people walking by.
A cute guy waved and nodded as he called out, "Hi there."
"Hi." I smiled and turned back to the car as my cheeks warmed. I wasn't shy or a prude, but tucking myself away from the possibility of dating for the last few months had me feeling like a virgin again. Madonna started to play in the recess of my head, and I rolled my eyes at myself as I helped with the groceries.
"Did baggy brown-haired boy have a name?" Emily moved up beside me. "Were there any pleasantries exchanged or did he just spitball the invitation to you and run like hell?"
I chuckled. "You're so dramatic. Are you sure you don't want to look into something like acting? Your science degree will be used against you if you get all exaggerated like you always are."
"Whatever. Did he have a name?" She opened the door as Cindy and Dedra walked in ahead of us.
"Yeah. Cliff, maybe?" I walked into the kitchen and sat my stuff down before nabbing the last cookie on the plate.
"Clint." Dedra glanced over her shoulder as she worked to unpack one of the bags of groceries. "He was cute. Totally your type, Emily."
"Cliff? Where did you get that from?" Emily shook her head at me. "I swear you're losing brain cells, or maybe you writing off guys really is going to work this time."
"She hasn't written off guys." Cindy bent over to pull a large pot from the cabinet beside the stove. "Get this."
I walked over and took it from her. "Want me to put some water in it?"
"Yeah." She stood up and put a pan on the stove, looking at me over her shoulder. "You haven't given up on guys, right?"
"No, but I'm not actively looking, either." I walked toward the sink and started to fill the pot up as I glanced out the large window in front of me. A guy was pressing a girl to the side of my car, laughing and touching her face. "What the..."
"What's up?" Emily glanced up from chopping up lettuce as I walked past them.
I opened the door and moved out to the patio, putting my hand on my hips and clearing my throat. While I wasn't super materialistic, having some dude make out with his girl against the side of my new car was out.
They didn't pay me a bit of attention.
I took a few steps toward the stairs as the guy whispered something against the girl’s hair and turned to glance up at me.
"Oh. Shit. I'm sorry." He backed up and lifted his hands. "This yours?"
"Yes." I lifted an eyebrow at him. He was impossibly hot with his defined abs and tanned skin. His blue eyes moved across my face like he was trying to uncover some hidden secret.
"Brody," the girl called to him, touching his arm. "Do you know her?"
"No. He doesn't." I took another step toward them, waiting at the edge of the stairs. "Perhaps you can find somewhere else to seduce this chick besides the side of my new car."
"Her new car? I thought you said-” the girl started, but he wasn't paying her a bit of attention. He was still watching me.
Stalker. Hot stalker, but still a stalker, nevertheless.
"It's not mine. I lied." He walked to the bottom of the stairs as she made an angry sound and stomped off, cursing him all the way down the road.
"I see you have a way with the ladies." I lifted my eyebrow and held the smile that wanted to lift my lips under tight control. There was no way I was actually getting involved with anyone over the summer, least of all the playboy in front of me. He had several strikes against him, the first being his golden hair.
"Brody. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand.
I glanced down at it and scoffed. "Find someone else's car to covet."
"No introduction, hmm?" He chuckled as I turned and walked back to the door. "You could at least give me your name, seeing that you just ruined my afternoon."
"My bad." I rolled my eyes, wishing I were more disgusted than curious. My stomach tightened with desire, but I ignored it, not wanting to even begin to entertain the thought of conversing with this guy.
"I'll forgive you this once." He glanced over toward the car, giving me a few moments to let my eyes run over him. "I like your wheels. I bet they ride real good."
I stopped at the door and glanced over my shoulder, hating myself for being the cocky brat I fought not to be most of my life.
"Better than anything you've ever taken for a spin, I'm sure." I walked into the house and tried to still my racing heart. Just the idea of flirting with someone so insanely hot was nerve-wracking. It was going to be a long summer, as guys like him were a dime a dozen.
"What was that all about?" Emily handed me a bowl of salad. "Dressings are on the table."
"Some idiot had a girl pinned to my car, making out with her." I grumbled and walked to the kitchen table, dropping down across from Dedra and pouring salad dressing into my bowl.
"Was he hot?" She wagged her eyebrows as I glanced up.
"He was a white chocolate man." I laughed and took a big bite of my salad. "Yeah, he was hot."
"Most of the guys out here are, but be careful." Cindy walked into the dining room and sat a few wine glasses on the table. "I learned the hard way our first week here that they aren't looking for summer romances."
"No? I'm surprised to hear that." I moved over a chair as Emily joined us.
"Summer flings, yeah, but no romance. They just want a night of grunting and then they're gone." Cindy shrugged and lifted the glass of wine nearest her to her lips, downing the whole thing.
"Whoa." I watched her. "Obviously, you have some storytelling to do."
"After a few more glasses." She filled it back up and turned to go back into the kitchen.
"Do you need help?" I called after her.
"Nope. Just enjoy yourself and rest. It's your downtime for the next few days."
"And, after that?" I took a glass of wine and took a quick sip, hating how tart the dark liquid was. I was a beer drinker, but the smell turned my friends off completely, so I would abstain for our first night.
"After that, we're going to bike, hike, and boat the hell out of this place." Dedra picked up a piece of bread from the center of the table. "Don't overeat. I don't want you to have any excuses when I whoop your ass on the courts later tonight."
"Excuses? You're going to whoop me, regardless. I'm soon to be in law school, and you're a basketball star. Is this a joke? Am I being punked?" I glanced around as she chuckled.
"You're good enough to be on the team, and you know it. You just don't want to deal with your folks over it." She dipped her bread in her salad dressing and shrugged. "I get it. My parents expected me to play, and yours would have died had you brought it up."
"Why is your dad so strict? I never have figured out the why behind it all." Emily glanced over at me. "Was your grandfather strict?"
"He lost his parents when he was little." I took a big bite of my salad. I rarely talked about my parents. It wasn't a conversation that created warm fuzzy feelings inside of me, so I usually avoided it.
"And?" Dedra leaned back in her chair.
"And, it made him callous and overbearing. He sees how finite life really is and wants to make sure I get the most out of it." I glanced up as Cindy walked back in and sat down.
She pulled her salad toward her and stirred it around. "But whose right is it to define what 'most' looks like? Maybe you getting the most out of life is dancing on Broadway or cooking for the president."
"Has he seen you dance or cook?" Emily laughed, causing all of us to join in.
"You're right, but he is who he is. I love him either way, though I wish I could come up with a solid argument to fight him with. I don't want to be a lawyer. Not in the slightest." I took another bite of my salad. The summer with my friends was set up to be a great time, but the four of us had been friends for ages. It was hard not to dive deep into each other's lives. I expected tears, but not on the first night.
"You'll figure it out." Emily reached over and squeezed my arm. "When you get to the point where their disapproval doesn't outweigh your desire, you'll fight back."
"Very true." I leaned back as the image of the sexy guy against my car rolled through my mind. I snorted and shook my head.
"What?" Dedra lifted her eyebrow at me.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about that guy outside. He had some nerve telling that poor girl that my new Beamer was his. What if she asked for a ride?" I sat back and licked at my fork.
"Then he probably would have given her one. The ride of a lifetime." Dedra bit her lip seductively as we all laughed at her.
"How much longer until the lasagna is ready?" I pushed my bowl away and fought against the desire to get outside. I'd been cramped up all year. I wanted the freedom being out in nature would provide.
"About an hour and a half, maybe?" Cindy took a sip of her wine.
"Let's go shoot hoops for an hour and get back to clean up and eat?" I stood up, turning my attention back to Dedra.
"Sounds good to me." She bolted up. "I'd never give up the opportunity to play."
"You guys wanna come?" I turned my attention to Emily and Cindy.
"No." They answered in tandem.
"Let me change into some shorts." I moved out of the dining room and grabbed my suitcase, walking down the hall and taking the last bedroom available. They were all about the same size—not that I cared. I lugged my suitcase onto the bed and grabbed a pair of shorts, a tank top, and some thicker socks.
After changing as quickly as I could, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and walked back into the kitchen, finding Dedra already bouncing the basketball.
"Where is the court? Do we need to drive?" I reached for my keys.
"No. We can walk. They're about half a mile, but it's nice out. No more than a ten minute drive at most?" Dedra cupped the basketball against her chest and moved to the door. "You bums sure you don't want to join us?"
"Not only no, but hell no." Emily glanced over her shoulder as she slouched in her chair and yawned again.
"Suit yourself." I plucked a crouton from the large salad bowl on the table and walked out to the patio where Dedra waited for me.
"Thanks for this. I love Cindy, but I'm at my limit on shopping and ogling at men for the week. The month. The year?" She chuckled as she looked over at me.
"I'm just going to enjoy myself this summer." I reached over and took the ball from her. "If I want to shop, I'll shop. Sleep in? I'll do that, too."
"Have a one-night stand?" She took the ball back, bouncing it around me as we moved down the sidewalk. Her skills were incredible. It almost seemed like a waste to not watch her go into the WNBA, and yet her shoulders were giving her far too many issues to push her body to perform the way she would have to. She wasn't over the devastation of turning down the offer, nor did I think she would ever be.
"A one-night stand sounds fun, but I'm usually horrible with those." I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder. "Let's cross the street."
"I think a one-night stand would be perfectly acceptable. It's much better than falling for some guy that's headed to Maine after college and you having to stay here."
"This is true, but I'm not worried about any of it. Guys are the least of my worries, right now."
"Oh, yeah? What's your top worry?"
"How I'm going to hold my tongue when I whoop the Arizona State girls’ basketball captain at her own sport." I ran by her and stole the ball, laughing as she raced after me.
She might be on the team, but she was right about one thing: I could have been, too.
Chapter 6
Cora
Dedra let me get a few good shots in the night before, but once I got within ten points of her score, that was it. She pulled out the stops and stomped me to the ground without much effort on her part. Where I should have been upset, I wasn't at all. Seeing her come alive was well worth the massive loss on my part.
Dinner was outstanding, but with Cindy in the kitchen, it was expected. Her dream of opening her own restaurant seemed like a high possibility in the next ten years. She batted off our comments like she always did, and we settled down in front of a movie with our bottle of wine. I passed out before getting past the credits.
I woke the next morning from a dreamless night to the sound of someone pounding on my bedroom door.
"Come on, sleepyhead. We're making cinnamon rolls from scratch, and if you think you're missing out on this, you're wrong." Cindy poked her head into the room and gave me a big smile. Her red hair was a mess, leaving her looking beyond cute. Some guy was going to finally realize what a steal she was and treat her right. I could only pray he would show up before too many more of them used her and threw her away. How she had the strength to keep moving forward and give anyone a chance was beyond me.
"Alright. Give me five minutes to brush my teeth and wake up." I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair, stretching and letting out a yawn. The boy from the day before still played along the edge of my mind. That he was blond and a total dick should have sent me scurrying away from even the thought of him, but it would seem my hormones had a mind of their own.
"Let's go." Emily opened the door and gave me a look. "Your only job today is to help Cindy understand that we're not having an alarm clock this summer. Do I look happy?"
Emily's black hair framed her face and accentuated the blue of her eyes, making her almost look like a Goth princess.
"You do look happy now that I'm really looking." I tilted my head to the side and smiled. "Alright. I'll figure out a nice way to tell her."
"You're up to bat first, but if she keeps this Betty Crocker shit up, I'm going to hurt her feelings."
Dedra moved up beside Emily at the door of my room. "It's been a long two weeks."
I laughed and got up, tugging at my tank top to pull it back in place. "Alright. I get it. She's just excited, and I'd take a homemade cinnamon roll over a cold bowl of cereal any day. Both of you would, too."
I pushed past them and yawned again before making a beeline to one of the two bathrooms in the house. After brushing my hair and teeth, I put on my bikini, a tank top and some shorts. I made my way to the kitchen to find Cindy humming something.
"Coffee's ready." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Will you braid my hair after we eat breakfast? I want to go out on the boat today, and it gets in my face like crazy."
"Absolutely." I got a cup and poured the dark liquid into it before walking to the front door. "I'll be right back."
"Five minutes and we're making these cinnamon rolls!" She called after me in a perky tone.
"I wouldn't miss it." I closed the door behind me as I inhaled deeply. I didn't mind Cindy's excitement. It was almost refreshing, and getting up early wasn't too bad, either.
The soft sounds of birds chirping in the trees above me caused my heart to flutter in my chest. I didn't have to be anything or anyone but myself for the next six to eight weeks.
"Incredible." I leaned against the railing at the front of the house and watched the sun play across the lake. The house was nestled against the street that ran right in front of the large blue lake, and our boat bobbed up and down with the waves at the edge of our pier, tempting me to sneak away for a few hours.
The door behind me opened, and Emily walked out with a cup of coffee. "You owe Dedra a thank you."
"Why is that?" I took a sip of my coffee.
"She told Cindy that you and I needed to get out of here for a while and that they could make breakfast together. We have thirty minutes." She wagged her eyebrows. "I think she feels bad for slamming you on the courts last night."
"She didn't slam me." I gave her a silly grin. "Alright, yeah, she did."
Emily chuckled and nodded toward the lake. "Let's go sit on the pier; you want to?"
"Hell yeah." I followed her toward the lake, making sure to keep my eyes on the ground to avoid broken glass. There was no need to end up wi
th a staph infection in the hospital before the summer really started.
"You sleep alright?" Emily slowed a little, and I caught up to her.
"Yeah. I don't remember anything after us sitting down for the movie. Did you guys take me to my bed?" I took another drink of my coffee and turned as someone whistled just behind us.
A car full of guys slowed down, and the goofy-looking one half hanging out of the back window called out to us. "Party tonight at the big ass house as you drove in. Bring your own beer!"
"Got it. Thanks." I waved and turned back to Emily. "Sounds like everyone in the whole damn town got invited."
"You got up and went to bed yourself about halfway through the movie." She stood still as her gaze followed the guys down the road. "That guy looked familiar. I think he was in my Calculus class."
"Oh yeah?" I turned to look back down the road, honestly not caring. "I'm not sure I'm going tonight."
"What? Yes, you are. You're going." She lopped her arm into mine and walked with me down to the grassy bank of the lake. "I'm going, and that means you're going."
"Why do we have to go?" I took another sip of my coffee and walked out onto the pier, loving the way the sun warmed my skin.
"Because, Cora, it is summer break and we're in the middle of party central. Let's go meet all of these people, and if they suck, then we'll rent a bunch of movies and survive Cindy's cooking lessons instead." She smirked and sat down on the edge of the pier, letting her legs dangle off the edge.
"Are there alligators in this water?" I handed her my coffee before sitting down beside her.
"Doubtful, and even if there were, they wouldn't be over here. They're scared of humans." She moved over as I sat down beside her and let my feet skim over the warm water beneath us.
I took a deep breath. "You guys be nice to Cindy. She's a good person. Cooking is just her thing."
"I get it, but it's not mine." She handed me my coffee before leaning back and closing her eyes. "I'll behave, though. I love her; you know that."
"Yeah." I lost my train of thought as my eyes moved over the various boats across the lake. The one directly in front of us caught my attention. The guy from the day before was wrestling with some chick on his boat. His friends were laughing, and the girl was having far too much fun. "Ugh."