by Hughes, Maya
“Preoccupied?” That didn’t even begin to cover it. “How about completely absent?”
If my mother’s Botoxed forehead could have moved, I was sure it would have been furrowed.
“Well, then, what better time than now to get reacquainted? I think it would be good for us all.” Her head on a swivel without a hair out of place, she glanced between me and my dad.
Looked like I was finally going to get some of that family time I’d always wanted, only about two decades too late.
* * *
Everyone from the board filed out onto the stage for the graduation ceremony. With Alyson as valedictorian, Avery was there in the crowd. I could feel it even if I couldn’t see her. It was like a homing beacon drew me straight to her no matter where I was.
I tried to brace myself as much as possible. There was no way she’d miss the ceremony. I tried to resist the urge to scan the crowd for her face, but I couldn’t help it. Front row—I locked eyes with her. The flare of recognition in her gaze matched the fire in mine.
The burning in my body wasn’t only in my stomach, which was another reason it pissed me off to see her. Why does she have to look like she does? Every bit the picture of the girl I’d fallen in love with, only now she was a woman. It was worse. The few times I’d seen her since high school had only made it harder to be around her.
My mom glanced over at me and smiled, then put her hand on top of mine again. It was becoming slightly unsettling how it no longer shocked me when that happened. We clapped for another speaker droning on, and my dad patted me on the shoulder. I was tempted to check behind their ears to make sure they weren’t evil pod people wearing masks.
Their invitation bounced around my head. I was supposed to be spending the summer with the guys, but this was that thing I’d stared up at my ceiling hoping for as a kid. I’d written actual letters to Santa asking for my parents to see me, to want to spend time with me.
A churning started in my stomach, the same kind I’d gotten every time I ran home from school with some new achievement to show them, hoping it would make them proud. It hadn’t, and I’d stopped trying, but I wasn’t a kid anymore. They didn’t even know me. I sure as hell didn’t know them. Do I want that to change? What if this is the chance for the relationship I’ve always wanted?
Splitting the summer would be the easiest way to handle things: hang with my parents in the Hamptons and then head down to the shore with the guys. If I turned my parents down, they might not ever extend an invitation again. After this summer, my friends’ schedules wouldn’t get any better, and they’d be able to bankroll anything they wanted once the season started and there were big new checks for everyone now that they’d be pros. Where did that leave me? My parents are my family, and family sticks together, right?
I clapped my hands automatically as everyone else around me broke into applause. Alyson stood up at the podium, looking so different. Gone was the plucky, sometimes annoying little tagalong, replaced by a full-on high school senior.
Like the dam had finally burst, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at Avery again. Her electric blue heels had drawn my eyes to her legs immediately, and the skirt of her dress skimmed just above her knees. I loved her legs. Her worn, ripped jeans had always shown off the perfect spots for me to run my fingers over when she’d sat beside me in my truck. The way she’d wrap them around me while I pumped into her, how she’d throw one over my hip when we slept—she was the brightly colored embodiment of every dream and nightmare I’d ever had. Gathering up those memories, I tried to lock them away.
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. There was so much love on her face as she stared up at her sister. I’d craved a hint of that. How could she be so different when it came to her sister versus me, the man she’d said she loved? Listening to Alyson’s speech, I knew Avery had done so much for her, sacrificed so much for her—why couldn’t she have let me help? Let me provide for her? Instead, she’d gotten down on her knees in front of that asshole Fischer and killed our future together. I fisted my hands on my lap and my jaw tightened so hard my teeth ached.
The scene replayed in my head as they called out the names of the students. I welcomed it and held on to the anger, trying to wipe away the pain, that sawing ache in my chest I forgot about only for the briefest of moments when I’d force myself to forget, or worse, when I kissed someone else and pretended it was her. Yeah, pretty fucked up.
As everyone stood at the end of the ceremony, I stole another glance at Avery and the easy way she interacted with Mak and Declan. Decision made. Tugging my phone out of my jacket pocket, I sent a message as all the students filed out.
Emmett: Can’t make it to the shore. I hope you all have a great time.
Colm: Are you bailing on the first summer in forever where we can all hang out?
Ford: …
Declan: Dude, get your head out of your ass! You’re coming
Heath: Just chill out…don’t make us come get you!
“Emmett!” Declan shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. I refused to look. Everyone on stage glad-handed their way toward the exits.
Emmett: My parents invited me along for a vacation, so I’m going.
Colm: Seriously?
Ford: ?!
Yes, shocker of the year, my parents invited me somewhere. I didn’t look up into the sea of well-wishers and family members of the graduating class.
Emmett: I’m not coming.
Declan: She’s not going to be there
Colm: You’re going to have to see her eventually. Maybe it would be best if you two finally had that talk you never got to have.
Colm, always the voice of reason.
Emmett: I’m not coming. I’m going to the Hamptons with my parents.
I clenched my jaw. Was it really so insane for me to spend some time with my parents? Well, yes. The guys probably thought I was under mental duress.
“Emmett, are you ready?” My mom placed her hand on my arm.
I tensed, but not a full-on flinch like the last time. The guys were headed down the aisle toward me with the crowds flowing in the opposite direction.
“I’m ready.”
If my friends got to me, they’d grill me about what was up and, frankly, I had no idea.
* * *
A week into the trip, I still didn’t understand what was going on. The family closeness and togetherness freaked me out. We went fishing, played tennis, and golfed. There was a squad of five people who followed us everywhere.
Borderline creepy questions were thrown into conversation, usually over drinks. “Have any girlfriends in college?” “Any issues with any of them?” “Anyone ever give you a hard time off the ice?” “How about altercations?” I’d learned not to get cornered by the pod people my parents had invited along on our “family” vacation. Harold was the worst by far. His tailored suits couldn’t hide the undercurrent of reptilian unpleasantness that radiated off him.
A chartered boat took us out onto the water for an overnight trip, and it wasn’t until they let me know we’d be having even more guests when we returned to the house that the little voice in the back of my head got a bit louder. They’d invited a longtime family friend, Arthur Chadwell, and his daughter, Sloane, as well. The longer I was there, the more it turned my stomach, like I was being force-fed a steady diet of almost-expired milk.
“We’re so proud of Emmett and how well he’s done in the NHL.” My dad took a sip of his Scotch.
“He’s an excellent goalie,” my mom added, taking a gulp of her gin. Her braised lamb was untouched. She was going for a liquid dinner.
I dropped my fork. It clattered onto my plate and all heads turned toward me. “I’m a wing.”
“Oh, of course. How could I have forgotten?” My mom’s cheeks looked like someone had taken a flame thrower to them. Not because she was embarrassed at forgetting my position. They’d gotten progressively redder with each never-ending glass of gin.
“Excellent question
.”
Sloane managed to steer the conversation away from the tense topic of me and how little my parents seemed to know about me. Wiping my mouth with my cloth napkin, I set it down as the kitchen staff came to clear the table, and then I headed to my room.
I checked my phone again. A video message had come in a few minutes earlier.
“You better get your ass down here for the Fourth or we’re coming up there to get you,” Declan shouted into the camera with a set of headphones on his head and a mic up to his mouth. He panned the camera and the rest of the guys smiled while each giving me a thumbs-up before he pointed it out the window at the beach. People and umbrellas made a dotted pattern across the sand.
I needed to get down there. What were they planning for the Forth? Did they want to have a party? I could totally plan a blowout.
I was one drawer into packing when Sloane slinked into my room and sat on my bed. Her skirt flipped up when she bounced on the mattress. She was the poster woman for country club princess: coiffed to a T, in shape, and could hold her own on the tennis court. I wasn’t even the slightest bit interested.
She stared at me for a beat as I jammed more clothes into my bag. “You know they’re trying to set us up, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I pieced that together. Should have known my parents were up to something.”
“Eh, it happens. You’ve got to roll with the punches.” She toyed with her sparkling tennis bracelet.
I cocked my head and stared at her. “You’re okay with your dad trying to set you up with me?”
“You’re definitely easy on the eyes, especially when you’re getting out of the pool.”
The muscles in my back tensed. I looked at the closed door.
“Don’t get your boxers in a twist. My dad is also not the best at paying attention. If he was, he’d have known I’ve been dating the same girl for the past three years.” She smiled. I knew I liked her.
I barked out a laugh as I shook my head, and she laughed along with me. I sat on the bed next to her, pushing in the last of my clothes.
“So what do you get out of all this?” I zipped my bag.
“He promised me he’d pay for a first-class trip around the world if I came here and did my best to show you the two of us could be a good match. I’ll trade the ticket in for a coach trip for two and have the time of my life.”
“And what happens when I’m not properly convinced? No blowback?”
“Nah, I’ll just tell him I think you’re probably gay,” she stage-whispered across the back of her hand.
That would throw my parents for a hell of a loop.
She laughed and hopped up off the bed. At the door, she spun around and stuck her hand out.
“Thanks for getting me my round-the-world trip, Emmett.”
“It was nice meeting you, Sloane.”
I rushed out of the house as quickly as I could. Slamming the trunk shut on one of the cars in the driveway, I came face to face with my dad. The look of concern on his face almost made me laugh. How many times had I longed for the concerned parent routine?
“Where are you going?” He stood beside me at the back of the car.
“I’m going to head down to the shore to see the guys for a little while.”
“But you’re already at the beach. We have guests, Emmett.” Dad’s words were clipped. I glanced back at the house.
Harold stood on the front steps with his arms crossed. Like I gave two shits what he thought.
“I understand, but I promised them I’d be there. I understand it isn’t ideal, but I’m going to have to cut this stay short. You said you’d be here all summer. I can come back later so we can spend some more quality time together.” I rounded the bumper of the silver Lexus.
“This won’t look good.” My dad stared back at me like my words weren’t computing.
“I don’t really care how it looks, Dad. This was a last-minute trip you sprung on me, and I shouldn’t have bailed on the guys in the first place.” Also, I didn’t appreciate my parents trying to set me up with someone. I was more than capable of starting my own screwed-up relationships all by myself.
“You’d rather spend time with your friends than spend some much needed time with your parents?”
I stared down at my reflection in the glass. “Those guys are my family too, Dad, and they’ve been there for me for a long time.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “This is a very important time, Emmett—a summer that could determine your future.” His fatherly concern had given way to a simmering testiness.
“I know what determines my future.” In two years, I’d have my inheritance, and then who knew what the hell I’d be doing. “I’ll see you later, Dad.”
I hopped in the car and closed the door without waiting for his reply. While I appreciated him contemplating his own mortality, luring me out there to set me up was not the way to make amends. They barely knew me—how the hell would they know who or what was best for me? I needed to get to my real family.
I already had the address from when I’d set everything up before I bailed, and I didn’t call anyone to tell them I was coming. I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when I surprised them. Running on a few Red Bulls and coffee, I got off the turnpike headed for Shore Points.
It was late, nearly midnight when the small bridge right outside of town finally came into view. Crossing over the marsh on the bay side of the island, I was finally there. I drummed my fingers along the steering wheel as I rolled down Main Street, making my way through the small beach town that butted up against one of the bigger shore destinations, which meant it wasn’t as busy this late at night. Rolling down my windows, I let the ocean sounds and smells fill my car.
There were light-colored bikes parked outside half of the houses, the kind you’d see in an 80s movie. It was like a mini time warp had happened on the small island. I double-checked the house number and pulled into one of the open spots in the driveway. The lights were still on. Smiling, I turned off the engine and jogged up the stairs along the side of the house leading to the door. The bass of loud music rumbled the wood under my feet.
I pulled the door open, ready for the fun to begin. It was going to be a kickass summer.
“I told my parents no way was I missing out on our epic last summer, so here I am.” I stood with my arms wide open and a huge smile on my face.
The ping pong ball Ford had in his hand fell to the floor, bouncing a few times before rolling under the table. Everyone was frozen in place, not a smile or a hug from anyone. Are they seriously still pissed?
“Don’t all look so happy to see me.” I dropped my arms and strode closer to the party setup.
“Okay, guys, I think you’re going to love these. We were going for a cotton candy flavor.” Mak came out from what must have been the kitchen and skidded to a halt. The smile on her face sank immediately when she saw me.
I bit back a curse. I knew she hated me, but we needed to get past it. My past with Avery shouldn’t tarnish what Declan had with Mak. I’d just put Avery out of my mind for the summer, no big deal. It wasn’t just Mak coming out of the kitchen, though, and whoever was behind her stopped short and let out a yelp.
“Jesus, Mak, you almost made me drop the tray.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I would have known that voice anywhere. Stepping out from behind Mak and fumbling with a tray of shots balanced on her hand was the last person I’d expected to see there. Okay, maybe not the last, but if the Pope had strolled out, I would have been less shocked. My gaze snapped to Avery’s.
“What the hell are you doing here?” we shouted at the same time, staring wide-eyed at one another. I’d only been gone for a few weeks and they were already inviting her along to take my spot?
“Oh shit.” Ford and everyone else looked back and forth between us.
Kara stepped up from behind Mak and Avery. “Okay, now will someone explain this to me? I’ve been dying to know what
the hell is going on!”
Colm walked over and took the tray of shots out of Avery’s shaking grasp. “Everybody drink up—except Olive. We’re going to need it.”
6
Avery
Colm shoved a glass into my hand and passed the rest out to everyone else. He had to physically lift Emmett’s hand and wrap his fingers around the shot to get him to hold it.
Those old fight-or-flight feelings kicked into high gear. My head whipped around, adrenaline pumping as I looked for the nearest exit. Maybe someone will give me a boost out the kitchen window?
Emmett stood between me and the exit. Like being trapped in a house with a grizzly bear, I was fairly sure he’d gnaw on my femur if I made any sudden movements. His light eyes weren’t filled with the casual displeasure or distaste he usually wore so well. Now they were burning, like back at the graduation ceremony. He glared at me so hard I ran a hand over my chest to make sure it wasn’t, in fact, singed.
Finished being our resident shot giver, Colm lifted his glass. The superman curl tickling his forehead was a bright white, just like the stripe that trailed up the back of Liv’s hair. “To a wonderful summer with old friends and new. May we all enjoy the time we have left before the real adulting begins. Cheers!” He slammed his shot. “Damn that’s good. Nice job, Avery. I need that recipe.” He put the glass back down on the tray balanced on the edge of the table. Were we all just pretending like Emmett and I weren’t in the same, non-auditorium-sized room for the first time in years?
I broke the staring contest and tossed back my shot. Maybe I should go back into the kitchen and grab the whole bottle, though the sweet burn did little to distract me from the knot in my stomach.
“Drink up, we’re having a party.” Heath tapped Emmett on the shoulder, and he glanced down at his hand like he’d been completely unaware of the whole exchange with Colm. The grim line of Emmett’s mouth set even deeper, and he put the glass on the table.