Spring Fling

by Sabrina James

  “I’m going to get some.”

  Danielle decided to order a crab salad, while Ethan went with the oysters and a lobster roll.

  As they waited for their food, Ethan and Danielle talked about everything from movies and TV shows to books and music. They also both confessed to being nervous about their upcoming SAT exams.

  “It boggles my mind that so much is riding on that one test,” Danielle said as she took a sip of lemonade.

  “Well, it’s not like everything is riding on it. Our school grades, extracurricular activities, and letters of reference also matter.”

  “I know, I know. But everyone is so focused on the SAT. It’s like THE BIG TEST!”

  “I’m sure you’ll ace it.”

  “We’ll see,” Danielle murmured. “Once I get home, I need to hit the books again.”

  “No more talk about serious stuff!” Ethan insisted. “We’re on spring break!”

  Just then their waiter, a fiftysomething guy with a full head of silver hair, pouchy eyes, and a deep tan, arrived with their food. After serving Danielle, he placed a plate of oysters in front of Ethan.

  “Sure you don’t want one?” Ethan asked as he squeezed some fresh lemon and added a dash of Tabasco sauce to his oysters.

  Danielle made a face. “They’re all yours.”

  Ethan popped an oyster into his mouth. And almost spit it back out! Danielle was right. It was slimy!

  “How’s it taste?” Danielle asked.

  Ethan forced himself to swallow.

  He couldn’t not eat it in front of Danielle.

  “Delicious,” he choked out.

  She pointed to his plate. “You’ve got five more to go.”

  Lucky me, Ethan thought as he brought another shell to his lips. Somehow, he managed to swallow all six oysters. Ugh! At least his lobster roll was edible.

  When it came to dessert, Danielle couldn’t make up her mind. “I don’t know if I want the chocolate mousse or the peach tart.”

  “How about you get the chocolate mousse and I’ll get the peach tart and we’ll share?”

  “Great!”

  Ethan had assumed they would each put part of the dessert on the other’s plate, but Danielle had her own idea. He was caught totally off guard when she brought a spoonful of her mousse to his lips.

  “Open up,” she said.

  Ethan had never had a girl feed him before. He opened his mouth, and Danielle slipped her spoon in.

  “Good, huh?”

  A speechless Ethan nodded. Then he gave Danielle a forkful of his peach tart.

  “Yummy!” she exclaimed.

  As Danielle licked a bit of whipped cream from the corner of her mouth, Ethan wondered what her lips would feel like pressed against his.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Danielle said.

  Yikes! He couldn’t tell her what he was thinking. Ethan’s mind scrambled. And then he remembered something.

  “You mentioned wanting to go to the beach tomorrow. When we were looking for a spot to put down our sheet, remember?”

  “Uh-huh,” Danielle said around a mouthful of mousse.

  “Still want to?”

  Ethan held his breath while waiting for Danielle’s answer.

  “Sure.”

  Yes!!!

  This day couldn’t get any better.

  “Your check,” their waiter announced as he returned to the table with a leather billfold. Ethan reached into his wallet and pulled out one of the two credit cards Cooper had given him, handing it to the waiter, who disappeared.

  Seconds later, their waiter returned.

  “We have a problem,” he said. “Your credit card has been declined.”

  “Declined?”

  “That means it’s no good.”

  “I know what it means!” Ethan testily snapped. He reached into his wallet and took out the other credit card. “Try this one.”

  The waiter left again and then came back. “Also declined. Since your credit cards aren’t working, you’ll have to pay in cash.”

  How could Cooper’s credit cards be declined? He hadn’t had a problem when he used one to go waterskiing that morning. Had he hit Cooper’s credit card limit? And of all days for it to happen, it had to be today?!

  Ethan knew how much money he had in his wallet and it wasn’t enough to pay the bill.

  This day couldn’t get any worse!

  “I’ll be right back,” he told Danielle, as he stepped away from the table to use his cell phone.

  Outside the restrooms, Ethan dialed Cooper’s number. But Cooper didn’t answer. Instead, the call went straight to voice mail.

  “Coop!” Ethan hissed. “Where are you? I’m in the middle of a super-embarrassing situation and it’s all your fault. Your credit cards are useless! Call me as soon as you get this message!”

  After Ethan got off the phone, he returned to the table. There was only one thing he could do. As much as he didn’t want to, he had no choice.

  “Is everything okay?” Danielle asked.

  “Danielle, I hate to ask, but could you help me pay the bill? There’s a problem with my credit cards and I don’t have enough cash on me.”

  Danielle reached into her tote bag. “You’re welcome to whatever I have, but it’s not a lot. I’m always afraid of losing my wallet when I go to the beach, so I never take a lot of money with me.”

  “Thanks,” he said when Danielle gave him what she had.

  “Are you ready to pay?” their waiter asked when he returned to the table.

  “We don’t have the full amount,” Ethan said, handing over the billfold.

  The waiter stared down at Ethan, making him feel like he was two inches tall. “Really?”

  “But we can come back with the rest,” Ethan promised, trying not to squirm in his seat. “Or we can call our friends and ask them to bring the difference.”

  “Stay right there,” the waiter said as he left with the billfold. “I’m going to speak with the manager.”

  Five minutes later, he came back. “Follow me. Both of you.”

  “Where are we going?” Ethan asked.

  He hadn’t called the police, had he? Were they going to jail?

  The waiter led them into the kitchen, where he pointed to a sink full of dirty dishes. “Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Once those dishes are washed and dried, your bill will be paid in full. And in the future, I strongly suggest you make sure you have enough money in your wallet before going to a restaurant that you can’t afford!”

  Ethan was mortified. Danielle probably thought she was on the date from hell. He turned to face her. “Danielle, I’m really, really, really sorry about this. All I wanted to do was take you to a nice lunch. I didn’t know I was going to have a problem with my credit cards.”

  And when I get back to the beach house, Coop is going to have an even bigger problem! Like my hands around his neck!

  “Don’t worry about it. These things happen. I guess we shouldn’t have ordered those two desserts, huh?”

  “You’re not mad?” Ethan asked in disbelief.

  “What’s the point of getting mad? It’s not going to change the situation.” She pointed to the pile of dishes they had to wash. “Let’s just get this over with so we can go back to the beach!”

  For a guy who hadn’t wanted to go to the beach with four girls, Mindy noticed Damian didn’t seem to be having a problem. Why would he? Wanda, Lacey, and Vivienne were fawning all over him. And he was loving it.

  That morning at breakfast, when she’d returned with the donuts, Mindy had announced that Damian was meeting them at the beach. He’d called her on her cell while she was at Donut World and confirmed their plans. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Wanda, Lacey, and Vivienne had raced back to their bedrooms to get ready.

  “How come you’re not rushing to make yourself gorgeous?” Carmela had asked as she started clearing the dining room table.

  “Damian is off-limits to me,” Mindy had answered. />
  “Do you want Damian to be off-limits?” Carmela had asked. “He must be something pretty special if those three are so excited.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want,” Mindy had said. “Not that I want Damian! All that matters is what they want. And my making it happen!”

  When they arrived at the beach, Damian had been waiting for them, sunning himself on a bench. He was wearing a tight white tank top and navy blue boxer-cut swim trunks. He’d slicked his dark hair back with gel, and mirrored sunglasses covered his eyes. He looked very cool and edgy.

  He definitely knew how to give off a badboy vibe.

  At the sight of Damian, Wanda had instantly rushed to his side and wrapped an arm around his, leading him through the crowded beach, while Vivienne and Lacey trailed behind, as always. Both Vivienne and Lacey had shot Mindy looks of distress, and she knew she had to do something to make sure each girl had some private time with Damian.

  Once they were settled on their sheets, Mindy had managed to get Vivienne and Damian to go searching for seashells together. Later, she had brought out the kite she had packed, and Damian and Lacey had gone off to fly it. Even Wanda had gotten some alone time with Damian when Mindy convinced Vivienne and Lacey to go with her for a swim.

  Now Mindy was floating on her back, trying to figure out what her next step should be, when she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

  “Your friends are all over me.”

  A startled Mindy turned her head to see Damian floating next to her.

  “I guess they think you’re a hottie,” she said.

  “And you don’t?” Damian asked in a hurt tone.

  “You know you’re hot,” Mindy scoffed. “You don’t need me to tell you.”

  “When am I going to get some alone time with you? You promised if I hung out with your friends, I would, remember?”

  If the words had come from any other guy, Mindy might have been flattered. But this was Damian. He probably said them hundreds of times. Guys like Damian saw girls as conquests. Once they succeeded in getting what they wanted, they moved on to the next one.

  “We’re alone now,” she said.

  “Damian!” Wanda called out. “Damian! Where are you?”

  “You were saying?” Damian pointed out.

  “I’ll go tell her where you are,” Mindy said, swimming back to shore.

  “You still owe me alone time,” Damian called after her. “This didn’t count!”

  When Mindy emerged from the water, Wanda caught sight of her. But before Mindy could tell her where Damian was, Wanda started talking.

  “There’s something you need to know about me, Mindy. I don’t like competition. At all. Damian doesn’t need to be distracted by Lacey and Vivienne. I want a clear playing field. All his attention should be focused on me. Do something about it.”

  Talk about mission impossible! All three of them were interested in Damian. Hmmm. She probably shouldn’t mention that she had just been swimming with Damian. That would probably be a big mistake.

  Mindy’s mind scrambled to find something to say. “But Damian will see how much hotter you are than them if they’re still around.” Then she went straight for Wanda’s ego and laid it on thick. “Let’s face it, Wanda, Lacey and Vivienne are no match for you. They just don’t measure up and they never will. You’re the best.”

  Wanda nodded with satisfaction. “That’s true. But it’s still not good enough.”

  “I’ll work on getting you alone with him,” Mindy said, although she had no idea how she was going to do it. “I promise.”

  “Good. Now, how about some lunch? I’m starving. And I’m sure everyone else is, too. Go get us some food.”

  “Whatever you want, Wanda,” Mindy said, eager to make an escape. “Whatever you want.”

  Ava couldn’t believe how rude she’d been to Cooper.

  She was mortified!

  All he’d done was offer to put some sunblock on her. Yet she was acting like he had wanted to have a make-out session. She needed to chill out!

  Ava was so lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and bumped into someone as she was climbing the steps to the boardwalk. It was Mindy, who was loaded down with five bags from the concession stand.

  “You seem like you’re a million miles away,” Mindy said.

  “Just thinking about something.”

  “Something or someone?” Mindy asked. “Josh?”

  “Actually, I wasn’t thinking of him.”

  “That’s a sign of improvement!”

  “I’ve still got a long way to go.”

  Ava stared at the bags Mindy was carrying. She could smell hamburgers and French fries. “You’re not going to eat that all yourself, are you?”

  “It’s for Wanda and the girls. And Damian.”

  “Who’s Damian?”

  “This guy I used to go to junior high with. He was at the barbecue. He’s staying in the beach house next to yours.”

  “He must be a friend of Cooper’s.”

  “Was that the guy you were with last night?”

  “I came to the beach with him today. We’re just friends.”

  “I wasn’t asking!” Mindy exclaimed.

  “But you were wondering.” Ava laughed.

  “Maybe a little,” Mindy admitted. “He’s cute.”

  “So, are you dating Damian?”

  “I’d be dead if I decided to date Damian.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Mindy sighed. “Let me fill you in.”

  Ava listened as Mindy filled her in on the Damian situation. When she was finished, Ava said, “I think you’re going about this the wrong way.”

  “If you’ve got any advice, I’ll take it. I’m desperate!”

  “Why don’t you talk to Damian? Maybe he can help you out. Each one of them wants to be alone with him, right? Well, maybe he can make it happen. All you have to worry about is this week. Once we get back home, it’s out of your hands. Damian will be back at South Ridge High and we’ll be at North Ridge. And Wanda will be busy with Rick!”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” Mindy gasped. “Ava, you’re a genius! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Maybe now I’ll get to enjoy the rest of my spring break!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Danielle and Ethan were leaving the beach at the end of the day when a voice called out to her.

  “You’re the girl I’ve been waiting for!”

  A guy with a brown buzz cut, wearing board shorts with a tropical pattern and a yellow T-shirt, jumped in front of her, waving a flyer. “You need to fill out one of these.”

  Danielle stared at the piece of paper. “Miss Spring Break?”

  “You have to enter.”

  Danielle laughed. “Me? In a beauty pageant?”

  “Why not?”

  Danielle said the first thing that popped into her head. “I wouldn’t win.”

  “All you have to do is look good in a swimsuit.” The guy slid his sunglasses down his nose, and his green eyes moved from Danielle’s red painted toes all the way up to her face. “And you look very good in a swimsuit.”

  Danielle blushed, glad she had tossed her cover-up jacket in her tote bag.

  “I’m Rory,” he said.

  “Danielle. And this is Ethan.”

  Rory glanced at Ethan but focused his attention back on Danielle.

  “I’ve got a good eye. You’re the prettiest girl I’ve talked to today.”

  “I bet you’ve been saying that all day.”

  “Maybe I have,” Rory coyly admitted. “But this time I mean it. You’re a knockout.”

  Hearing those words, a tiny thrill went up Danielle’s spine. It wasn’t often that a guy flirted with her. And Rory was definitely flirting with her! Over the years, she’d been around enough guys who were interested in Jade to recognize the signs.

  “Is there a Mr. Spring Break contest?” Danielle shot back. “Because if there is, you should definitely enter.”


  “Would I get your vote?” Rory asked.

  “You wouldn’t need my vote. You’d win first place.”

  “So would you. But if you didn’t win, I’d make it up to you with a night out.”

  Okay, message received loud and clear! Rory wasn’t just interested in having her enter the Miss Spring Break contest. He was interested in her!

  Suddenly, Danielle realized that during her entire conversation with Rory, Ethan hadn’t said anything. She turned to face him. “What do you think? Should I do it?”

  Rory didn’t give Ethan a chance to answer. “Of course you should do it! What’s stopping you?”

  Where to begin? What would her friends think? What would Jade say?

  She wasn’t a beauty contest girl.

  Then again…

  She wasn’t the old Danielle.

  This week she was a new Danielle.

  And lots of guys had been checking her out today. She’d noticed the way their eyes were following her. Just like yesterday at the mall.

  Maybe Rory was telling the truth and not just trying to get a date with her.

  Maybe she did have a chance of winning the Miss Spring Break contest.

  Maybe she should enter.

  The old Danielle would have said no, but not this week.

  This was her week to do the things she wouldn’t ordinarily do!

  What did she have to lose?

  She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a pen, filling out the entry form. “I’m in!”

  I’m not jealous.

  I’m not jealous.

  I’m not jealous.

  Ethan kept repeating the words to himself, but they weren’t sinking in.

  Because he WAS jealous!!!

  Ethan had eyes. He could tell that Rory liked Danielle, and he wanted to tell him to back off. But he couldn’t. So far, Rory hadn’t done anything wrong.

  But in his gut, Ethan knew Rory wanted to make a move on Danielle.

  And he probably would.

  The only question was how and when.

  Ethan sighed. How could he measure up to a guy like Rory? Even after a day at the beach, Rory was all shiny and polished, looking like a cover model. It was still a hot day and there wasn’t a drop of sweat anywhere on him. And he smelled good, too!