Unbreakable

by Jennifer Lazaris

“Sure. I want to get used to the water temperature slowly.”

  “Dock spiders, Em.”

  Emmy jumps to her feet with a shriek and falls ungracefully into the water, going completely under. She surfaces, sputtering madly and flapping her hands. “Was there one near me? Is something on me?”

  I try hard not to laugh, but I epically fail.

  “No, but you don’t want to hang out up there too long. It’s safer in the water.”

  She splashes me. “Oh, really? Safer in the water? You’ve obviously never seen Jaws.”

  “We’re not in the ocean,” I scoff, splashing her back.

  She floats away from me and closes her eyes. “Damn, this feels amazing.”

  I grab an inner tube and toss it in her direction. Then I ask the question that’s been on my mind since the party yesterday.

  “So, Brooke was telling me about your ZeeTube channel. She says you’ve got a shit load of followers on there or something.”

  Emmy flushes a deep shade of red. “She told you? Oh. It’s not a big deal. Just a side thing I do for fun.”

  God, she is such a sucky liar. “Nope, try again. What’s it all about, Sunshine Sullinger?”

  She sighs. “Fine. Well, it started out just for fun, but honestly, I think this could really go somewhere. I do makeup tutorials on my channel as well as some fashion stuff. I’ve even started making a little money off of it. I have a website and blog, too. People even recognize me on the street sometimes. It’s so weird, but it’s fun.”

  She hauls herself inside of the inner tube. “I’m saving up for more professional lighting equipment and learning how to take better photos for my Instagram account. It looks better if everything has a branded look across all of the social media platforms, you know?”

  She’s talking fast and waving her hands all around as she explains things, and her face is lit up like a Christmas tree. Obviously, this is something she loves.

  “I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” I prod.

  “I desperately want to pursue this, Mav. I mean, really pursue it. I want to go to school for makeup and learn how to do so much more than what I know right now. I want to find out how to run an online business and do more effective online marketing. I have so many ideas about how I can grow this and make a living at it. But seriously, can you imagine me telling my dad this? That I want to quit school to run a video makeup and fashion channel? He’ll kill me.”

  I’m pretty impressed with everything she’s told me. She’s animated and excited, and I can see that her heart is in this 100%. But making money off of ZeeTube stuff is a brand-new type of career path, and I can see why she’s scared to tell her dad.

  “Is that why you want to go to cosmetology school? To have something to fall back on if the channel doesn’t work out?”

  “Well, that too. It certainly can’t hurt, right? I love all this stuff. Maybe it seems silly, but when my roommate gave me a makeover, I felt like a brand-new person. By doing this, I get to help people feel better about themselves through my channel, you know?”

  She looks down at the water. “But right now, it’s all just a pipe dream. Dad will never let me quit school. Never.”

  “What if we talk to Sully about this, and then we can all go over to your Dad’s place and talk to him? You prepare a logical, detailed plan for him, and we’ll do whatever’s necessary to back you up. This is your life, Em. You can’t get stuck being a lawyer because it’s what your dad wants you to do. You need to find a career that makes you happy.”

  “You’d do that for me?” She bites her lower lip. “Sully doesn’t know about any of this, yet. I didn’t tell anyone because I wasn’t even sure what it was until a few months ago.”

  “Of course I’d do that for you. If this is your dream, you need to take a chance.”

  “I’ll have wasted so much money if I leave school,” she whispers. “My dad reminds me of that every time I mention quitting.”

  I reach out and touch her arm. “Since when is any amount of education a waste? Em, he’s a partner in one of the most successful law firms in Toronto. He’s not going to be financially dented by paying for those two years. Not even close. You just need to present him with a solid plan. Lay everything out logically. Appeal to the lawyer in him and argue your case. And don’t take no for an answer.”

  “Talking to him like that just seems impossible,” she says, shaking her head. “Between the divorce and his new girlfriend, I’m not sure he’ll even give me a chance to explain it all. He’s just so mad at me lately.”

  “Maybe his new girlfriend can help you out. If she wants to be your friend, what better way to start? Fill her in on all of this, then ask her to be there when you present your case. Get her to back you up.”

  Emmy’s mouth drops open. “Holy shit. That’s brilliant. He won’t want to look like a total ass in front of her, so he’d probably listen.”

  “Does his girlfriend seem like a decent person? She won’t run and tell him this behind your back?”

  Emmy slips from the inner tube as she floats over toward me. I grip the side of the dock and tread water.

  “She’s seems pretty decent. Nice enough and eager to be friends, so I don’t think she’d tell him if I asked her not to say anything.” Emmy slaps the water and gives an excited little shriek. “Oh my God. Will, this could actually work. Especially if you and Sully are there to back me up. I want to come home. God, I miss you guys so much.”

  She throws her arms around me, her big green eyes shining with happiness. I reach out and brush the back of my hand along her cheek. She’s so flushed with excitement that she’s practically glowing. But the moment I touch her, the entire dynamic between us changes. She’s so close that the bows of her bikini tickle my thigh with every ripple of the water.

  My heartbeat thunders in my ears and my brain is screaming for me to move. To do something to lighten the mood. But I can’t look away from her face, and I’ve lost the power of speech. Those jade eyes leave me hypnotized.

  “Will?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

  I’m so close to just saying fuck it all and kissing her. The way she’s looking at me right now—all sweet and dreamy—is like a siren song to my libido. I squeeze my eyes shut and mentally count to three, trying to gain some control back.

  Emmy releases me and quickly scrambles up the dock ladder. She grabs her bag and flees.

  Shit.

  “Em, wait!”

  But she’s gone, running along the dock toward the cottage.

  I haul myself up onto the dock and jog after her, swearing under my breath.

  Once inside, I follow the wet footprints upstairs, but her bathroom door is shut and the shower’s already running. Sagging back against the wall, I run my hands through my hair.

  I just had to reach out and stroke her face. Nope, couldn’t keep my hands to myself, not even for one second.

  Fuck. The only thing I can do is wait for her to come out so we can talk. Though I have no idea what the hell’s left to say.

  I trudge to my room and change into dry clothes before going back downstairs to wait. Forty-five agonizing minutes later, she comes into the living room, looking as fresh and sweet as a daisy.

  Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and she’s wearing a denim skirt and light yellow top that reveals one smooth, tanned shoulder. The scent of honeysuckle and violets fills the room, and my heart begins thudding in my chest.

  “Em, listen,” I say, standing up slowly. “I just—”

  She holds up a hand. “Look, let’s forget about it, okay?”

  I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “I’m sorry.”

  Emmy crosses her arms. “What exactly are you sorry for, Will?”

  “I’m sorry that I keep… that I can’t…” I hang my head and give it a shake. “Fuck. I’m sorry that I keep giving you mixed signals. I’m not doing it on purpose.”

  A pained look crosses her face. “Mav. You’re—”

  Her voi
ce breaks, and she tries to smile, but instead it comes out as a grimace. “You’re my very best friend, okay? And this attraction between us, it’s not something we’re used to. It’s new, and hard for us to wrap our heads around our feelings. But we’ll deal with it together. Even if that means we need a time out every once in a while.”

  She pauses. “And I’m sorry that I’ve been pushing you to try and make this into something more than friendship. I understand your reasons for why we can’t do this, okay?”

  It begins to sprinkle outside, and the tic-tic of the water pinging against the windows is the only sound in the room apart from our breathing.

  “Em, I really think we need to discuss this a little more.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t right now. I’m heading over to Jackson’s for the night, remember?”

  “You’re still going over there?” I can’t mask the outrage in my voice. I’m beyond that now. I’m beyond it all.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” she asks. “Nothing’s changed. I told you, I want to have fun this summer, and I meant what I said. You should be having fun too, Will. Brooke was really into you. There’s no reason you shouldn’t indulge a little. Let loose.”

  “I’m not interested in fucking Brooke,” I snap. “Jesus, Emmy!”

  She grabs her keys and purse. “I didn’t say you had to fuck her. But we have to shake off whatever this is between us, right?” Her voice rises, laced with desperation. “We have to!”

  “Just tell me this. What do you see in that guy?”

  She pauses at the front door before turning around to look at me. “I don’t see anything.”

  “You’re right. You don’t. And you didn’t see the hand-job gestures he was making behind your back at the party, but I did. He doesn’t give a single fuck about you, Em.”

  Her eyes fill with tears, and she draws in a sharp breath.

  Seeing her reaction makes me feel like total shit. It was a dick move to tell her, but she needs to know he’s not a good guy. The thought of her kissing him, touching him, having sex with him? It turns my stomach. He doesn’t cherish her. He doesn’t have a fucking clue about the girl standing in front of me.

  “Don’t do this,” I say quietly. “Don’t give yourself to him. He doesn’t deserve you.”

  Emmy doesn’t reply. She simply stands there, looking at me for a few heartbeats. Then she’s gone. Dashing out the front door and down the stairs into the rain.

  Chapter Ten

  EMMY

  Will and I are in such an awful, awkward place. The last thing I want to do is fight with him, because it hurts—badly. He’s always been the calm in every storm I’ve weathered, but the attraction we’re fighting is wearing us both down. It’s like a living, breathing entity surrounding us, and the temptation is just too much.

  Hot tears burn my eyes. They’re a drastic contrast to the cool rain that’s pelting my cheeks. I ran out of the cottage so fast I didn’t even grab my umbrella, and I’m going to be soaked through before long.

  Despite what I told Will, I’m not going to Jackson’s. Not after what just happened. That’s the very last place I want to be. I knew Jackson was cocky, but I didn’t realize he was that much of a jerk.

  My goals for this vacation, which seemed so simple before, are now all twisted up and confused. Everything holds a weight that I didn’t expect, and every single decision I make feels heavy and suffocating.

  It’s not supposed to be like this.

  Lightning streaks across the slowly darkening sky as the rain bounces off of the pavement. I hurry down the road, still unsure of where the hell I’m going. Not like it matters, as long as it’s not back to the cottage.

  When I told Will I was keeping my date with Jackson, he’d been hurt and angry. But the disappointment in his eyes had been the hardest part to bear. I don’t want to see that look on his face ever again.

  The wind picks up as I trudge through the storm, and mud from the dirt road up ahead flows freely over my favorite designer sandals. They’re completely ruined, and I can’t even bring myself to care.

  “Emmy! Emmy, wait!”

  I turn around and see Will jogging toward me. I stop, crossing my arms and hunching my shoulders against the storm as another gust of wind threatens to blow me over.

  “Mav? What are you doing out here?”

  Will stops directly in front of me, and our eyes lock.

  “This.”

  He moves as fast as the lightning had, striking before I know what hits me. His hand cups my face as his lips crash against mine. I gasp and stumble backward, but he wraps his arm securely around my waist and stops my fall. My knees go weak as his kiss grows hot and possessive.

  Letting out a low groan, he buries his face in my neck and presses his lips against my flushed, damp skin. Then he pulls back and looks at me.

  “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long, Em.” Will’s voice is barely a whisper as he brushes a wet lock of hair away from my face.

  “Then don’t stop.” Even I can hear the plea in my voice, but I don’t care. I want this. I want him.

  I don’t have to ask twice. Once we start kissing, we can’t bear to stop. His tongue slides gently against my own at first, soft and sweet as I cling to him. But as he claims my mouth over and over again, our kisses spiral out of control until thunder cracks overhead and startles us apart.

  I meet his eyes; they’re so full of desire, and I’m one hot second away from melting into a puddle at his feet. The look on his face is dangerous to my heart.

  “But… what about everything you said before?” I manage.

  “I can’t stand the thought of you with that guy.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “He doesn’t care about you.”

  Lightning flashes way too close, and I jump.

  “We have to go back, Em. It’s not safe out here.”

  Will takes my hand, and we run through the driving rain back to the cottage. We manage to get inside the screened-in porch just as a loud clap of thunder rattles the entire house. He closes the windows so the porch doesn’t flood, then turns around to face me.

  I’m still shaking from his hot kisses, and I don’t know what any of this really means.

  “Will, what about Sully? And our friendship? What about all of your reasons for not doing this in the first place?” The questions pour out of me, and I’m helpless to stop them. I need answers.

  He glances out of the window at the storm before bringing that intense blue gaze back to me. “I guess all of that depends on you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “This? Whatever’s going on between us? It has to end when everyone arrives.”

  My heart sinks. That’s only a few days away, and after those incredible kisses, I know that’s not going to be enough time.

  “Why? Can’t we just talk to Sully and—”

  “No,” he says firmly. “This is what you wanted. A summer hookup, right? We can have that, but it has to have an end date.”

  I bite down on my lower lip and consider this.

  “No one can know about this, Em. Ever. Or it can’t happen.”

  It’s suddenly very clear that Will’s in charge, and if I want this to happen, it has to happen according to his rules.

  It doesn’t take me long to weigh my options: a few amazing nights surrendering to his sweet kisses, or pretending none of this ever happened.

  I’m going with door number one.

  I let out a breath. “Okay. Yes.”

  “There’s one more thing,” he says softly.

  I peer up at him through my wet, stringy hair and brace myself for what he’s about to say. One more thing. I can do one more thing. No problem.

  I hope.

  He takes my hands. “If you think we can’t go back to being friends when this is all over, then we need to get off this train right now. I can live with the secret and the lie, but I can’t live without you in my life. Understand? I mean it, Em. If you can’t handle it, you need to tell me now.”


  “Why are you so sure that you’ll be able to handle it, but I won’t?” I ask curiously.

  A troubled gaze flashes across his face, but it’s gone a moment later. “Because I know myself. That leaves it up to you.”

  I swallow and glance down at the floor. Everything about this conversation feels so heavy that I’m buckling under the weight of it. The tension in the air is thick, and it’s hard to breathe.

  “I’ll try, Will.”

  He reaches out and strokes my face with his thumb. “I’m going to need more than that, sweetheart. You have to say ‘yes,’ or this ends right here.”

  “Then the answer is yes.”

  I’ll do whatever he needs. I can see on his face that he wants this as much as I do.

  “Good.” He nods. “Now, we need some ground rules.”

  And here I thought those were the ground rules. “Like what?”

  “Have you ever had a relationship that was just sex?” he asks bluntly.

  My cheeks grow hot. “Uh, no. Have you?”

  “Once or twice.”

  When he sees the surprised look on my face, he adds, “Not recently, though.”

  He studies me a moment before continuing. “This is going to be just sex, Em. Nothing else. So even though we’re friends, don’t confuse the friendship with the sex, because they’re not the same. Me making my friend Emmy happy isn’t the same as me kissing Emmy, the hot girl I find attractive. Understand?”

  “Yes.” I nod. “Okay.”

  “We’re hooking up and exploring this attraction between us. Nothing else,” he continues. “And when everyone gets here, it’s over. We have a few days to get this out of our system and move on.”

  Everything he’s saying seems so cold. I wonder if this is how puck bunnies feel. Not that he sees me as a puck bunny, but this speech is the equivalent of “get out of my bed when the sun comes up.”

  In our case, the sun comes up as soon as our friends arrive.

  “Is that what we’re doing? Getting it out of our systems?”

  “Yeah. I guess so.” He runs a hand through his wet hair, but his face suddenly grows so serious that I wonder if he’s reconsidering this arrangement.