by Carrie Banks
“Why don’t you do me a favor Mr. Hotshot and stop playing with Tess.”
“I’m not playing—I’m falling in love.”
She stares suspiciously. “You better not break her heart. Or I’ll plant the tip of my heel—”
I raise my hand silencing her. “The only heart you should be worried about is your own.”
A stain spreads across both her cheekbones. “My heart’s just fine,” she finally snaps.
“Look. I’m glad Tess had a friend like you, having her back, okay? I just want her to give us a chance. That’s it.”
She shrugs as she answers the ringing phone on her desk, flipping me the bird as I walk out.
Barron has his hands full with that one. I shake my head and text Tess as I walk back to my rental.
Miss you already babe. Can’t wait for the weekend.
She types back:
Me too. I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.
It’s okay, babe. My track record hasn’t been that great. But I swear It’s only you.
My heart picks up speed as I remember our night together. How she felt in my arms; all golden skin and hair moving under me. My hands clench on the wheel. I’ll never get enough of this girl. Thoughts of us fill my head, making the drive north seem faster than it was.
After returning the rental and hopping on the T to take make into Cambridge, I walk up from the underground transit and enter campus. It’s just past twilight and a few stars spread across the sky. The city of Boston is lit behind me. God, I miss Abbs so much I feel it every time I breath. I lost her but found Tessa. I just wish I could have them both.
But life’s sick and twisted like that. Leaving your heart, a tangled-up mess and your head trying to balance all the shit coming your way.
“Ry?”
She catches me off guard, sitting on the floor down the wall waiting for me to enter my dorm room.
“B? Why are you here?”
“Is it true?” She sniffles.
“I follow Barron on Instagram. I saw the pictures of you and that Sea Crest girl on Block. Are you with…her?” I unlock my room without even looking at her.
“B—don’t do this to yourself. What we had… it’s been over a long time. We both know that.”
“It wasn’t for me. It still isn’t,” she whispers huskily.
I hang my head. I’m tired as fuck and worn out from my workday and from thinking I had lost Tess.
“What do you want from me. What else can I say?” I take my suit jacket off and hang it up.
“You. I want you back.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Her face changes, morphs into something twisted and ugly. I catch her hands as she raises it. “She’s a dirty, townie slut. I bet she spread her legs for you…what? After ten seconds?”
I feel my jaw tighten. “Don’t talk about her like that. You’re embarrassing yourself, B. Cut your losses and just leave. How did you even find me, anyway?”
“It wasn’t hard,” she shrugs, “what does the Sea Crest girl have, that I don’t?”
“My heart, B. She has my heart.”
An eerie sound halfway between a scream and a wail comes from her. She beats the wooden door with her fists. “Two years, Ry. We had two years and you just moved on like it was nothing? I thought I had your heart.”
“It’s been seven months. But I was over it before then, I can’t re-hash this. I won’t. And your behavior is souring any fond memories I had of those two years. Look B, I’m only saying this one more time. I did love you—I did. But I was a boy—a kid. We had something but it’s over now. You need to move on.”
She grabs the shoulder strap of her purse tightly and looks at me one last time as her shaking hand rests on the doorknob. “You’re going to ruin that girl. Just like you ruined me.”
“Fuck!” My fist meets the drywall and goes right through. B’s words are ringing in my head. Sure, I know she said them out of spite, but she struck a nerve. One of my worst fears is that I might mess up Tess. I’m not as confident as I’d like to be that my demons are under control. But one thing I do know for sure is that my feelings for her already run deeper than anything I felt for B.
I’m loving Tess with the heart of a man, not a boy’s. Sometimes it scares the shit out of me just how hard I’m falling. But I can’t stop it. It’s like the tide. All I can do is hope it lasts.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TESSA
The rest of the week passes by quickly. Ryan and I text or call one another constantly. The only cloud on my horizon is JD. I haven’t spoken to him since the disastrous ferry ride and I miss him. We’ve never gone this long without talking, but I’m not ready to make the first move. I know he’s going to be pissed I didn’t take his advice.
My phone lights up with a text from Gabby, letting me know she just got off work and will be here in five.
Barron’s invited her to his house Saturday night for dinner because he’s ready to tell his father they’re together.
She freaked out, partly in excitement and partly in fear that Mr. Foster won’t approve so she wants back up.
It’s turned into a double date with Ryan and I attending. I can’t wait to meet Charles Foster. He’s as infamous as his son, probably more.
I’m also curious to see his reaction when he finds out that Gabby’s in a relationship with Barron; his purebred son and only heir.
From what I’ve heard, Mr. Foster is uptight and formal—a real stuffed shirt and Gabby’s…well she’s Gabby.
There’s nothing prim and proper about her.
“You ready, chica?”
“Yep, just let me grab my purse.”
I walk into the back office where Anna’s printing up new flyers for the hotel. She barely talks to me now, unless it’s about work.
It’s awkward.
Picking up my handbag I clock out not even bothering to say goodbye.
***
The second-hand boutique is about a mile from the inn, but after spending all day inside the small lobby, I’m eager to get outside and walk.
“I hope we can find something suitable for dinner at the Hill’s Head House. Are you ready for this?”
“I’m only nervous because Charles is my boss. Barron’s so considerate. He wants to tell his father first before we go public with our relationship.”
“There will be a lot of broken hearts in Sea Crest when word gets out,” I exclaim, putting the back of my hand against my head, “why do they call it Hill’s Head House, anyway?”
“Oh, because you know…it’s just the family summer home. They have a small sales office in South Beach and spend winter breaks there.”
“Must be nice.”
“I know.”
We turn the corner by the train station, it’s five-thirty and an Amtrak from Manhattan just pulled in. Tourists are lugging suitcases while looking confused, probably wondering where the heck town is.
I feel bad for them; all sweaty and tired from the long ride and now they are standing in the humid air looking lost.
“You want to go that way about a quarter mile,” I tell the crowd with a smile pointing behind us. A few wave back in appreciation while others groan that they have to lug suitcases down the street.
“You’re too sweet. I would’ve just let them swelter.”
“You’re so jaded even though I have more reason to be than you.”
“You’re loca and I love you, but you are so clueless at how easy life is for you.”
“That’s not true.”
“When I first met you—I called you skinny bitch in my head. I only became your friend because you were the only other girl in the cafeteria no one would sit with.”
“Are you serious? You never told me this before.”
“Sí, but I’m so glad we were both losers, look at us now,” she says playfully, hooking her arm in mine. “Chica, you don’t have a mean bone in your body. It’s what I love about you. I’ve always admired your ability
to see the good in life.”
“We balance each other out then because you are such a pessimist. Promise me we’ll always be there for one another.”
“Sí. Su mi Hermana.”
“You’re my sister, too,” I reply, teary-eyed. Jesus, this was supposed to be a shopping trip.”
“Vamos.”
She leads me across the street, and we enter the second-hand boutique.
My wallet is thick with the money I took out of the ATM machine when I was on lunch break.
We browse through the racks, but nothing’s standing out to me. I see a few Lily Pulitzer dresses I could afford, but the thought of dressing like Emily, ruins them.
I find a pair of Tory Burch flip flops in excellent condition for thirty bucks and snatch them off the counter.
“What do you think?” Gabby holds up a dark rose-colored dress with a v-neckline that has ruffles around the edges.
“It’s perfect.”
The color of the dress complements her hair and eyes.
“It’s Marc Jacobs and on sale for $225.”
She goes into the dressing room and tries it on.
I finger through the dresses on the racks and find a soft peach peplum dress. It’s perfect for a dinner party, but I could also wear it to Yale if I decide to pledge to a sorority. I check the tag, its $250, but the label says Carolina Herrera.
I turn in the full-length mirror and seeing Gabby reflected in the glass behind me. “Tess, you look great, with your blonde hair and summer tan, that dress is it.”
“Thanks, you look beautiful, too.”
We get dressed again and head to the register to pay. I reluctantly put down the Tory Burch sandals, not having enough money for them and the dress. I take out my cash and count the bills while Gabby rolls her eyes. “Cash? Just use your debit card.”
“Ha, no—I wish. My dad taught me how to budget. He says only take out a certain amount of cash and spend that amount. That way you never go over, it’s easy to overspend if you just swipe.”
“Huh, that’s a great tip.”
“Here you go, sweetie,” the cashier says, handing me a twenty percent-off coupon.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Shoot, look at that rip,” the cashier exclaims.
Puzzled, Gabby and I stare at the dress but there’s no imperfection.
“That’ll be another twenty percent off since it’s damaged.”
She punches numbers into a calculator next to the register, “Okay, with the coupon and the discount for the tear it comes to $160. She picks up the flip flops putting them back next to the dress and rings me up.
“Thanks,” I smile gratefully.
She gives me a wink and I hand over my cash. I even have a few twenties left to put back in my pocket.
“It’s only 6:15. We have plenty of time to make the beach concert if you want to go,” Gabby says as we exit the shop.
“I don’t know. It’s just…going to East Beach used to be the highlight of my week every Thursday of the summer, and now we haven’t been back in four weeks. I don’t feel like running into the Pine Point crowd. It’s weird. I’ve lived here my whole life and never met any of them there before.”
“It’s not. Blaire went to prep school with Ryan in Boston but has an aunt that lives in Hills Head. That’s why she’s circling around…hoping Ryan takes her back. Anyway, Barron said he’s not going to the concert tonight but spending time with his dad. I thought we could go. We could sit in the back on a few beach chairs and eat dinner there without participating in the whole scene.”
“I’d like that. I guess I just need to get over it and hold my head high, and not let those people ruin my favorite summer tradition.”
“That’s my girl.”
My phone buzzes in my purse. I take it out hoping it’s him.
Hey Sweetie, working late thinking of you, Xoxoxo.
My fingers type back, Thinking of you too, about to return to the scene of the crime :)
Be good ☺ No one else sees that a** but me now. He writes.
Yes, Master!
Good. P.S. stay away from the crazy cop!
Will do. Call you before I go to bed. Xoxoxo.
I put my phone away with a sigh, “I hope Kyle’s not there.”
“Christo, I totally forgot about him. Don’t worry, I’ll tase his ass,” she says pulling out what appears to be a taser gun.
“Holy shit, where did you get that?”
“My mom bought it for me, you know, since I’m taking classes at the community college at night.”
“Put it away…you can’t tase, Kyle, as much as I’d love nothing more.”
“Well, I can always do it in my mind.”
I laugh with her, and we climb into my car parked behind the hotel.
“East Beach, here we come,” I say as we pull out onto Route 1, crossing the bridge.
I pull over at the Sea Crest Market and we pick up a few salads to go, in no time we’re at East and I pull up on a small clump of grass past the beach and put the car in park. Gabby grabs my beach chairs from the trunk, and we find a place to set up close to the road to the left of the stage.
“Oh, God,” I say.
“What?”
“The dune behind us is the very one I tried to hide behind last time I was here. You know, when I puked my guts out?”
She shakes her head at me and sits.
“Tessa.”
My whole body tenses.
“What in the hell do you want?” I slap my leg and put my food down, standing up to face him. He’s off duty, and I admit, dressed in his street clothes he looks like the boy I loved last summer. He has a heavy build, compact like a wrestler, but emanates an All-American boy charm when he turns it on.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
I raise my eyebrows at him. He needs a serious kick in the ass. I already gave him a kick in the balls.
“Kyle—”
“Tessa, please. I need to talk to you,” he interrupts.
I know he’s not going to leave me alone until I let him say what he needs. I feel eyes on me. Glancing around, I notice we’re gathering attention. I motion over toward an empty patch of sand by the road. The end of our relationship was hot gossip for some time, and I don’t need any of it starting back up. But Kyle won’t budge. His feet are firmly planted in the sand.
“Can’t you just leave it in the past? I’ve moved on. I see some forty-year-old women over there—maybe you should go chat them up and see if any of them are lonely housewives.” I sit back down and pretend he’s not standing in front of me.
“Are you seeing that preppy guy—Barron Foster’s friend?”
I pick at my salad and glance at Gabby mouthing, ‘what the hell?’
“Don’t be naïve, Tess. I can’t believe you think that guy is better for you than me.”
“Do you want another kick in the balls?”
“Okay, Kyle, it’s time for you to leave. Now!” Gabby yells.
She stands, invading his personal space so close the tips of her shoes almost touch his. With matching faces of frustration, they engage in a staring contest.
She wins.
As dense as he is—Kyle has enough sense to back down when facing off against her.
He gives me one last long look, before fading away into the crowd.
“I don’t get it. Why did he cheat on me, only to want me back?”
“Because he thought he could.”
“There you two are. You’ve been MIA all summer!” Minka and Kelly come over and join us. “What was that about?” Kelly asks, looking over in Kyle’s direction. “Damn, Tessa how do you do it? Kyle, Tyson, and now I hear you’ve snagged some Pine Point hunk?”
“He’s not Pine Point, he’s Harvard,” Gabby brags.
“What have you been up to?” I decided to change the subject from my love life.
“Hanging with Tank on his Uncle’s boat. We were also on Block but missed you. Ty was home from camp over the Fou
rth. He asked about you.”
I shrug. “We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. Just wait until summer’s over. You’re Harvard guy will be in Cambridge and you’ll be still stuck here at Sea Crest.”
I move my sunglasses down from my head to shield the hurt in my eyes. Kelly is such a frenemy. She knows exactly what her words are doing.
“Jealousy isn’t your color, Kel.” Gabby kicks a pile of sand in her direction. Kelly’s cheeks turn pink and her fingers clench around the aluminum water bottle that probably holds anything but water. “Did you hear who I’m seeing?”
Both Minka and Kelly inch forward. “I caught he biggest fish in Sea Crest…reeled that sucker right in.”
“You?” Kelly starts snickering. “No way. If you mean who I think you do…I heard curvy, and Latin is not his type.”
“What does that supposed to mean?”
“Drop it,” Mink warns. “Let’s just catch up and have fun.”
“Sounds good to me.”
But the rest of the beach concert is weird. The vibe between the four of us is all wrong. I wished Ry was here and I could just sink back into his arms and drift off to the sound of the ocean. But I know all those days are still ahead.
***
“Ryan, you should’ve seen the look on Kyle’s face. Gabby intimidated the heck out of him. Even though she barely reached his shoulder he was terrified of her. Barron better not screw up with her. He has no idea the wrath that would rain down on his head.”
My window air-conditioning unit hums, drowning out my voice, keeping my parents blissfully unaware of my late-night phone calls.
Twining a few strands of hair around my finger I look up at the plastic stars glowing back down at me. The sound of his deep voice fills me with longing. I wish we could be together in person. This distance sucks.
“It angers me that Kyle’s always around, lurking in the background especially when I’m not there.”
“I know. I miss you so much. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about, Kyle’s a complete loser. I don’t have feelings for him anymore.”