by Marta Brown
“Your mom and Thomas,” I clarify, and then I wonder if Ollie has had one too many himself when he still seems confused. “I know you can’t stand the guy right now, but maybe over time…”
He lets out a long, frustrated sigh as understanding seems to finally dawn on him. “Oh, yeah. That.”
Chapter 12
Oliver
Oh, shit. She thinks I’m upset about Mom and Thomas.
Well, I guess she’s half right. Thomas’s little speech—which seemed more like a self-promotional commercial for Garrison and Sons than anything else—coupled with that damn kiss did put me on edge, but it was Brad asking Katie out that shoved me over the cliff and sent me reeling.
Brad. Freaking. Garrison. The biggest jock on the island.
So much for my theory that Katie’s never thought of me as more than a friend because, to her, I’m just a stupid jock. But after watching her tonight with Brad, and seeing the excitement in her eyes when he asked her out, I need to accept she’s just not into me. And no amount of online classes, to show her there’s more to me than just kite surfing, is going to suddenly change her mind now.
I shake my head at myself. Maybe I am just a stupid jock. Why did I ever think that that plan would work, or that I ever had a chance with Katie in the first place? It’s not like she hasn’t made it clear, more than a few times, that all I am to her is a best friend.
And now, with Brad in the picture, what if I tell her how I feel and it ruins us?
I pull in a tight breath and steel my shoulders. I won’t do it. I’m not willing to risk losing Katie as a friend. So, if it means I need to reel my feelings in quicker than my kite in a lightning storm, I’ll do it. I want Katie in my life no matter what. Even if it means staying in the friend zone forever—or worse—watching her fall for Brad. Freaking. Garrison. FML.
“Ollie, I’m sure he’s not a bad guy. Maybe if you give him a chance?” Katie says, touching my bicep and pulling me out of my head and back to our conversation. The one in which she thinks I’m pissed off that Thomas was all over my mom.
“Uh… yeah, you’re probably right,” I say to cover the fact it was Brad flirting with her that got under my skin. “It just sucks since I know she would be better off with someone else.” I glance at Katie to see if she’s picked up on my double meaning, but the worry she’s still wearing on her face tells me she hasn’t.
“I know it’s hard, but he can’t be worse than the last one, right?” Katie lifts her brows and offers me a half smile. “And she does seem happy.”
“Yeah. Like Stepford happy.” I shrug as the lights of town get closer by the second. “It’s just… it’s what she does, you know? She starts dating a new guy, changes everything about herself to be more like him, and then ends up getting hurt in the end when it doesn’t work out,” I say before taking a deep breath and then letting it all out—along with some of the built-up tension in my shoulders.
Maybe my pissy mood isn’t completely about Brad after all. I guess the idea of Thomas dating my mom really has gotten under my skin, too. With a quick glance at Katie, I see nothing but understanding and friendship and I concede. “I guess he seems all right.”
Better than his son, anyway. I clench my jaw to keep my mouth shut.
“Yeah, that family seems like a nice bunch,” Katie says dismissively, but I can tell she’s ready to burst over Brad asking her out. She’s been vibrating ever since.
Stuffing down my jealousy and trying to act like the best friend I’m supposed to be, I nudge her in the side with my elbow and smile. “So? Brad Garrison, huh?”
Katie drops her eyes and tucks her chin into her chest as a rush of pink covers her beautiful cheeks. “What?” She smiles, and it makes the knot in my stomach feel more like an anchor. It weighs me down with the fact I’ve never made her smile quite like that. And I guess I never will.
“You know what?” I tease while swallowing down my feelings. “You must really be into him or something, considering you practically twisted my arm until I cried uncle to take your shift.”
Katie’s head whips up at my joke, her once-blushed cheeks now fire red. “I did not… Did I?” she asks, dropping her head into her hands to cover her face. “Was I that obvious?”
I can’t help but laugh, despite the uncomfortable lump lodged in my throat at having ‘girl talk’ with Katie about Brad. “Calm down.” I pry her hands away from her face, and then tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear when she finally looks up at me sheepishly. “I doubt he noticed. I swear.”
Katie lets out a shaky breath. “Calm down? Are you kidding me? I’m totally freaking.”
Yeah. I noticed. But again, I keep my mouth shut since it won’t help the situation, and there’s no need to freak her out any more than she already is.
“Hey, relax. It’s just a date,” I say, pushing off the railing as the boat slows into the marina and heads towards the dock. “It’s not like he asked you to go away with him for the weekend or anything.”
“Well, when you put it that way, sure, no big deal. Except…” She bites her lip, and it takes everything in me to tear my eyes away. “I’ve never actually been on a date before.”
Katie’s words bring me to a dead stop in the middle of the boat’s deck.
Never? As in, ever?
Raking my eyes over her, under the golden glow of the marina’s light, I’m completely dumbfounded how that’s even possible. Are all the guys in Connecticut blind? She’s smart, beautiful, and has no idea she’s either one. She’s the perfect girl.
“What?” Katie asks, suddenly looking uncomfortable under my gaze as she pulls on an invisible thread at the hem of her dress.
“Oh… uh…” I stutter, unsure how to even answer. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Oliver Hayes. I know you better than that.” She plants her hands on her hips. “What?”
Shit. She does know me.
But I don’t think now is the time, or place, to admit I was checking her out—since I’m trying to be a good friend and all. Scrambling, I let the first thing in my brain pop out of my mouth and then instantly regret it.
“I was just thinking—what if it wasn’t your first real date? Then you wouldn’t be so nervous, right?”
Cocking her head to the side with a suspicious glint in her eyes, she says, “Well, I guess so… but how exactly would I go about making my first date not really my first date? Considering it’s been eighteen years, I doubt I’ll be able to just go out and snag another first date by say, tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you could.” I shove my hands in my pockets and brace myself for what I’m about to say. “I mean—if it was with me.”
The look on Katie’s face as she processes what I’ve just thrown out is enough to make me want to jump off the side of the boat and swim the rest of the way in to avoid the inevitable laughter that’s about to come my way. But instead, it’s worse. It’s complete and utter silence.
I dig my hands out of my pocket as the boat docks, hoping she’ll at least make this swift. I don’t think I can take a long, drawn-out ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk, since I was just trying to help.
“Hey, Kate,” Brad calls out, catching Katie’s attention as he and a group of his friends make their way down the ramp and flood the dock with the sounds of high heels clicking against the wooden pier from the girls and rambunctious laughter from the guys who have obviously had too many drinks. “I’ll see ya Saturday.”
With a tight-lipped smile and an awkward wave, Katie looks even more nervous than she has all night. “Oh… yeah. See ya,” she says before whipping back around to me when Brad and his friends are finally out of sight, and we’re the only ones left on the boat besides the cleanup crew.
“You’d really do that for me? I mean, take me out on a date, for like, practice?”
Pulling in a tight breath through gritted teeth at the word practice, I realize that’s exactly what I’ve just offered. A mock date so she’ll be ready for her real one w
ith Brad on Saturday. Talk about friend zoning myself. I choke out the same answer I gave her when she asked me to pick up her shift. “What are friends for?” I shrug.
A smile breaks across Katie’s face, almost as big as the one she gave Brad after he asked her out, before she slips off her heels, clutches them in her hand, and rushes into my arms. “Thank you, Ollie,” she breathes against my neck. “I love you so much. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and breathe in her sweet, apple-scented hair and let the words tumble out, even though I know she won’t hear them in the way I truly mean them. “I love you too, Katie. I love you too.”
So much for reeling it in.
Chapter 13
Katie
The incessant banging on the front door the next morning stirs me awake at an unholy hour since Ollie and I actually did stay out until the two am curfew Pop gave me last night. Who knew there was so much stuff to do after midnight? Apparently me. Now.
Wiggling my feet underneath Grandma’s homemade, tie-dyed comforter, the sting from the blisters adorning my two pinky toes, thanks to Jessica’s high heels, sends a jolt of pain up my spine and causes my eyes to pop open. Or maybe the pain is from the fourth time Oliver and I rode the virtual 3-D roller coaster at the arcade last night. Either way, I’m sore and it’s way too early to be up on my day off.
“Katie, honey?” Grandma says, peeking her head into my room. “Oliver’s here. For your date?” Her tone is as quizzical as I imagine the look on my face must be at the moment. Our date?
Oh yeah. Our date. Or fake date, that is.
I sit up, let the covers pool around my waist, and yawn. “It’s not a date-date,” I say, even though it would take way more than simply saying the word ‘date’ twice to truly explain what Ollie and I are doing today.
With a quick look at the clock on my nightstand, I let out a groan at the ridiculous hour, toss off the covers, and slip out of bed. Thankful for the pair of sleep shorts I found last night of Jessica’s that actually cover both cheeks, I stomp down the hall to the top of the stairs.
“So, when you said last night you’d pick me up at six…” I trail off with crossed arms, despite his cheery morning smile and what looks to be two cups of coffee in his hands.
“DP, baby.” He lifts the steaming cup in my direction, giving it a small shake back and forth, like a taunt.
“DP? As in, date practice?” I ask, arching a brow as I trudge down the stairs and snatch the hot coffee from his grip. “You know, six pm would probably be a more fitting time to practice for say, a date. Don’t you think?”
Oliver takes a long sip of his drink while holding back a laugh. “Under normal circumstances, I would say yes, but we have nearly seventeen years to make up for in just one day.”
My cheeks catch fire at how inexperienced I am. And his little reminder leaves me wondering how in the world some silly, fake date is going to help when I’m obviously way beyond help at this point anyway. “You know what? I change my mind. I’m going back to bed.” Turning, I manage to take a single step before Oliver’s large, muscular arms wrap around my waist and pull me back against his chest.
“Oh no, you don’t,” he says, humor lacing every word as he loosens his hold just enough so I’m able to twist around and face him—the small cups of coffee providing the only space between our two bodies. “I have big plans for us today. But, first things first. We have dawn patrol.”
Oh. DP stands for dawn patrol. Wait. What the heck is that?
The look on my face must tip him off to the fact I have no idea what he’s talking about because before I can ask, he lets out a laugh and shakes his head. Although, I’m not sure if it’s directed at me or at himself.
“Dawn patrol is what we call an early morning kite-surfing session. If we want a chance at winning next week, we need practice. And you know what they say, don’t you?” Oliver grins as he lets the arm that was wrapped around my waist fall to his side before taking a small step back.
“Uh… no. What do they say?” I ask, slightly out of breath and strangely disappointed by the sudden amount of space between us.
“Easy.” He winks. “Practice makes perfect.”
Biting my lip, I don’t know if he’s talking about dating, kite surfing, or both. But by the way my heart is beating double time, I’m starting to think Oliver might just be the perfect guy to practice with either way.
…
Twenty minutes later, Oliver and I arrive at Smather’s Beach, with kites in hand and bathing suits on. Mine, or technically my sister’s, most modest one is hidden beneath a pair of white jean shorts and a fluttery, hot pink silk tank top because Oliver said to wear something we could go out in after practice. Where exactly he wouldn’t say, which spiked my nerves and never eased my heart.
“If you’re not going to tell me where we’re going after this, how do I know if I’m dressed appropriately?” I say one last time, the other half a dozen variations of this question either ignored or answered with a knowing smile. “Seriously, Oliver.” I stomp before slipping off my sandals and burying my feet into the cool, early morning sand while I wait for an answer.
“You know, when Romeo picks you up tomorrow night, you’re not going to have any idea where he’s taking you either, so quit asking,” Oliver says, keeping his words light, despite the tightness in his jaw. “And anyway, it doesn’t matter what you wear, you look beautiful no matter what.”
I bark out a laugh. Oh, he is good.
“Sure,” I say, rolling my eyes. “So I guess we’ve officially begun our fake date?”
Oliver hands me the inflated front edge of the kite. “Consider it on.” He shoots me a lopsided smirk as he slowly walks backwards, his smile and his steps never faltering as he straightens out the lines.
“So, if the date is officially on, and I ask you what we’re doing, then you have to tell me. Right?” I smile, feeling like I’ve got him there.
“Nice try, smarty pants, but it’s a surprise.”
Crap. I hadn’t considered that. So much for being smart.
“But,” Ollie says, motioning me over so he can strap me into the harness, “I will tell you that this is only part one of my five-part date, so get ready.”
“A five-part date?” I balk, obviously not giving my best friend enough credit. He’s really taking this whole fake date thing seriously.
“Yep,” he says after hooking me in and handing me the control bar. “I figure I better run the gambit of date scenarios so you’re fully prepared for anything Brad might throw your way.”
“You really think kite surfing will be on our agenda?” I lift my brows, knowing this part of our “date” is more about winning than preparing me for Saturday night, but I appreciate his effort, since he knows how nervous I get in new situations.
Dusting the sand off the kite, Oliver walks towards the water’s edge while gripping the kite above his head, looking more than ready to let it loose. “Hey, you never know what you’re gonna get with that guy,” he calls out over the sound of the surf and the whipping wind. His tone is somewhere between a warning and advice. “You ready?”
For a date with Brad? Not really. For kite surfing? Well… that’s up in the air, too.
Biting my lip, I take a deep breath and remind myself whether it’s learning to kite surf, going on my first date, or wearing my sister’s clothes, at least I’m gaining valuable experience that just might come in handy one day if I decide to pursue my dream of being a writer.
That is if I don’t kill myself first, considering how well my first kite-surfing lesson went. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I finally say, pinching my eyes closed as Ollie lets the kite go.
While expecting another face-plant to come my way the second the kite catches air, I slowly open my eyes to find I’ve managed to keep control of it this time. “Now what?” I call out to Oliver, making sure to keep the kite above my head in the twelve o’clock position—unlike la
st time.
“Relax and have fun,” he calls back with a smile as he watches me maneuver the kite between twelve o’clock and three o’clock on the imaginary dial in the sky, my confidence growing slowly with each gust of wind.
That is until Oliver says I’m ready for the water.
“Oh, no. No. No. No. No. No,” I say, backing further away from the water’s edge after getting the kite back on the ground. “I’m not ready yet.” For the water or the bathing suit.
Oliver takes a deep breath, and I sense he knows what I’m feeling. He hasn’t been back in the water since his accident last summer, so I know he gets what being scared feels like. “Katie, I know it’s scary the first time, but there’s no possible way you’re gonna be ready for the contest in time if you don’t. And I’m sure winning the thousand dollar prize couldn’t hurt your computer fund,” he says, trying to coax me in the water with the cash incentive. “Right?”
“You know, I’m not the only one here who’s avoiding the water,” I blurt out, not meaning it harshly, but letting it out with more sting than I intended. “I mean…”
Clenching his jaw, Oliver glances out at the water then back at me. “Fine. We’re both going in then.”
Crap. I didn’t expect that answer. “But—”
“No, you’re right. I need to do this,” Ollie says, grabbing his T-shirt from behind his neck and dragging it over his head to reveal his washboard abs and a deep, muscular V at the edge of his swim trunks—momentarily making me forget about being nervous at all.
“Are… are you sure?” I stutter, trying to shake it off since I’ve seen Ollie in his bathing suit a million times. “I didn’t mean to push if you’re not ready. I was just trying to stall.”
Oliver smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes quite the way the tension does. “I know you’re stalling. Best friend, remember?” He points to himself, then snatches up another harness from the ground near the rest of his kite equipment and slings it on. “And you obviously know I’m stalling too, so you’re right. We both need to get in the water, and it’s now or never.”