Sun-Kissed Summer

by Marta Brown

  I bite my lip to keep from smiling when she releases me from her grip, but the warm blush running up my neck must give me away. Boy, has she missed a lot.

  “Wait,” she says with wide eyes and a loose jaw, and I can’t help but laugh at the sight of her stunned by me. It’s usually the other way around. “This isn’t the first time?”

  I start to shake my head no—since technically, the first time was the night I stayed at Oliver’s after getting too drunk for my own good—when Jessica grabs my hand and begins to drag me up the stairs.

  “Grandma, Pops,” she yells down the hall when we hit the landing right in front of our room, “Katie’s home safe and sound…” My sister lowers her voice to barely above a whisper so only I can hear her next question. “And Oliver? Is he okay, too? Because Pop’s been stressing all morning. He was about to start calling hospitals if you guys didn’t show up soon. Said Oliver kite surfed in the middle of the storm to make sure you were okay.”

  I can’t stop the smile that breaks across my face at the mention of his name or what he did for me, and just like last night, and then again this morning, my heart beats wilder than the storm itself. “Ollie’s fine. Actually…” I beam. “He’s more than fine. He’s perfect.”

  Jessica arches an eyebrow at my declaration before shouting back down the hall, “And Oliver is alive too, so you can stop worrying. So, if you need us, we’ll be in our room sorting out the whole suitcase switch-a-roo for a little bit, kay?”

  Before Grandma or Pop can even reply to the news I’m home, Jess throws open our door and shoves me in. “Whoa, what’s the hurry?” I say after she shuts the door behind us. “Miss your clothes that much?”

  Crossing the room, she jumps onto the twin bed sitting next to mine and it strikes me that even though she’s home and finally reunited with her clothes, she’s still wearing one of my favorite T-shirts and a pair of loose, boyfriend-style Capri pants.

  “Oh, we’ll get to that.” She waves me off like fixing our switched suitcases is the last thing she cares about at the moment, which takes me by surprise. “First, I want to hear about how you ended up staying the night with Oliver when the last time we talked, you were going to go out and let loose with Brad Garrison and my old ID. And for the record,” Jessica gives me a knowing smile, “if your morning-after hair and blissed-out smile are any indication, you and your best friend did a little bit more than make forts and watch movies like usual.”

  I glance at the mirror, expecting Jessica’s morning-after hair and blissed-out smile comments to be exaggerations, but find that the girl looking back at me is all that and more. I’m glowing.

  “I don’t know what to say.” I shrug before falling onto my bed with a giggle at how much has changed. “It’s been a couple of crazy weeks. But one thing is for sure, I’m head over heels in love. And I know you say all guys are jerks, so I’m sure you’ll be the first to tell me this is never going to work long distance when the summer ends, but I love him—like right out of a fairy tale kinda love, Jess.”

  All of Jessica’s features soften in a way that takes me completely by surprise since I’m expecting one of her quick-witted retorts to my rose-colored ideas on love and romance. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it’s like you said, there are still some good ones out there. And for both our sakes, I hope the long-distance thing can work, too.”

  For both our sakes?

  I furrow my brow, trying to figure out why Jess would care so much about Oliver and I making it work long distance when I realize I’m not the only one in the room wearing a blissed-out smile. How did I not see it before?

  “Omg.” I jump onto my knees and start to clap like a little kid. “You met someone, didn’t you?”

  “Ugh,” Jessica says, trying to bury her rosy cheeks behind a curtain of her long, blonde hair but failing completely. “I blame you.”

  I scrunch my nose, trying to follow, but this time, I’m the one who fails. “You blame me why?”

  “I think I might have read too many of your romance novels on that damn boat, because I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with a guy who is the complete opposite of me. And I’m kinda crazy about him. And I’m pretty sure he’s crazy about me, too,” she says, biting her lip shyly, like a guy being crazy about her is something new.

  “I’m not at all surprised,” I say, giving my sister a supportive smile. “You’re amazing. But what I can’t figure out is why you’re so surprised? Guys are always crazy about you.”

  Rolling her eyes, Jess flops onto her belly and then rests her chin on her folded arms. “Thanks, sis, even though that’s so not true. But I guess this one just feels different. Like, he really likes me for me, and not all the makeup or clothes, or you know—the sparkly things that usually gets attention from boys. ”

  Oh, I know. Now. “For the first time, I think I know exactly what you mean,” I say, hopping off my bed and making my way to the closet. I flip through the mass of dresses until a wave of happiness crashes over me when I finally find what I’m looking for.

  The intricate crystal beading on the top of the light blue dress I wore out with Ollie on our fake date catches the light streaming in through the window, casting an almost magical sparkle on the wall like glittering butterflies.

  “But, there’s nothing wrong with a few sparkly things, right?”

  “Right.” Jessica smiles, rushing to the closet before throwing her arms wide open and hugging all of her long-lost clothes in the same way I’m about to hug all my long-lost books, my favorite zip-up hoodie, and in a couple of more hours… my very own boyfriend.

  Epilogue

  Katie

  “Katie, hurry up or we’re going to be late,” Jessica shouts from downstairs, her bright pink suitcase with the white polka dots already sitting at the front door for the last two days. “I’m giving you two ten more minutes, and then I’m coming in there and dragging you out if I have to.”

  I can’t stop the giggle that bubbles up at how much has changed in the last two months as I finish tossing my clothes haphazardly into my suitcase. Well, everything except my sister is still a walking parade swirling inside the storm-force winds of a hurricane—now with just a little less glitter and much better reading materials.

  “It’s kinda crazy that Jess is the one worrying about being late to make our flight while I’m the one too busy making out with my boyfriend to care,” I say, zipping up my bag with a smile and then hopping onto the bed next to Ollie. “Right?”

  “Hey, you won’t hear me complaining.” Oliver laughs as he wraps me in his arms and lays a kiss on the top of my head, causing a kaleidoscope of butterflies in my belly—a side effect I hope never goes away.

  Especially after we’re fifteen-hundred miles apart.

  “I can’t believe I’m not going to be able to see you until Thanksgiving break,” I say, snuggling deeper into his side. “After listening to Jessica complain all summer long about being apart from Wes, I’m starting to get it. Except, it’s going to be way worse for us.” I rest my chin on Ollie’s firm chest and look up at him through my lashes. “They only had to be apart for a few months. And once school starts next week, they’ll only be three hours apart.”

  Ollie leans his head down and gives me a gentle peck. “Hey,” he whispers against my lips, “we’ll only be three hours apart too.”

  “A three-hour plane ride from Florida to Connecticut is not the same thing as a couple of hours’ drive from UConn to Linden U,” I say, trying to bite back the tears threatening to spill over, since I know he’s just trying to keep me from breaking down like I did last night. And the night before. And pretty much every single night since my going-away party at the hotel last weekend. A perk of Susan’s new title as hotel manager, and luckily for everyone, except maybe Thomas and Sons—after she canceled the boat contract and kicked him to the curb—not the future Mrs. Garrison.

  “I know, but Thanksgiving will be right around the corner, and then there’s winter break, and then spring br
eak. And before we know it, it’ll be summer all over again,” Ollie says, brushing his thumb across my cheek and managing to coax out a small smile.

  “And speaking of school…” Ollie shifts his weight to the side and pulls out a folded-up piece of paper from his back pocket, the movement causing his shirt to ride up just enough to reveal a sliver of his six pack—and just enough to make me start silently counting the days until November. “I’ve been doing some research and… well… UConn does have some really good business courses. So I was thinking that once I finish this year’s online classes, I could apply.” He unfolds the paper and hands me the application requirements he’s printed up.

  A smile bigger and brighter than the sun outside breaks across my face. “That’s funny, because I’ve been doing some research myself,” I say, scrambling off the bed and grabbing my phone from the vanity.

  I launch the browser before handing it over as a nervous energy buzzes through my body. Hopefully, this can work. For both of us.

  He glances at the small screen and then back to me with furrowed brows, clearly waiting for an explanation. “University of Miami-Dade?”

  Jumping back on the bed, I take the phone, click another link, and then hand it back again. “Not only does it have a world-renowned hotel and restaurant management program that would be perfect for you, it’s also has a kite-surfing team.”

  Ollie readjusts so he’s sitting up with his back against my headboard. “I know, I looked into applying there, but it’s still three hours away. In a plane. Remember?”

  “Not if I’m there, too.”

  “Wait…” Oliver’s eyes go wide. “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” I say, leaning over and clicking the page for the university’s creative writing program. “It’s an incredible program, and I’ve already cleared the idea with Mom and Dad, so as long as I’m accepted—”

  Before I can even finish my sentence, Oliver grabs my hand, pulls me close, and crashes his lips to mine, leaving me almost breathless when we finally come up for fresh air.

  “So, I take that as a yes?”

  “Are you crazy? Of course, yes,” he says, hardly able to contain his excitement, a far cry from the boy a few years ago who had no interest in school at all. But, then again, what hasn’t changed this summer?

  Soaking in every feature of his face, from his deep green eyes to his stubble-covered jaw, I smile as Ollie busily reads about the writing program that for the first time in my life, I think I’m actually ready for.

  Oliver’s head suddenly snaps up, taking me by surprise. “It says if you’re transferring in, you have to submit a ten-to-twenty page story as part of your application, along with a bunch of other required credits.”

  A blush creeps up my neck and across my cheeks as I take a deep breath. It’s now or never. And if I’m really serious about writing, I’m going to have to let someone read my work eventually.

  I reach across Oliver’s body and slip a thick stack of pages, bound together with a piece of string from the tattered kite Ollie used to board to the island the night of the hurricane, the night I decided I had a story to tell, out of the bedside drawer.

  “Actually… I… already have something I plan to submit,” I say tentatively before handing it to him and biting my lip. “I mean, it’s just the first draft, but—”

  Running his hand over the pages like he somehow knows he’s holding my heart—that he’s holding our story—he looks up at me in awe. “You’d think after ten years of being best friends, there’s not much you could do to surprise me. But nope.” He shakes his head. “You somehow manage to do it on a daily basis, which is just one of the reasons why I’m so crazy about you.”

  “Well, that’s good, because I’m crazy about you too,” I say as I take the book from his hands, set it back on the bedside table, and then crawl into his lap, savoring the last few moments we have together.

  “So,” he tucks a stray hair behind my ear, “does your story have a title yet, or do I have to wait and read it to find out?”

  I give him a soft smile, letting every minute of our summer together come rushing back. “I called it Sun-Kissed Summer. And it may, or may not, have a kite-surfing contest, a devastatingly handsome hero, and a girl who ends up with the wrong suitcase in it. And spoiler alert.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “They fall in love.”

  “They sure do,” my best friend says with a lopsided smile before cupping my face in his hands, pulling me to his mouth, and kissing me so soundly that the taste of summer still lingers on my lips—sunshine, powdered sugar and true love.

  The End

  Thanks

  First and foremost, a huge thank you goes out to my amazing editor, Cynthia Shepp, my critique partner Kathie, and my beta’s Tauna and Pam. I couldn’t have done this without you four ladies and I’m so lucky to have you in my corner helping me shine!

  I’d also like to give a very special thank you to kite-surfing aficionado, JB Slim, for all of his kite-boarding expertise. Seriously! Your input was invaluable.

  Thank you to all of my family and friends (especially my mom and husband) for your unwavering love and support. I love you all so much!

  And finally, to all of the amazing readers, book bloggers and fellow writers out there—thank you, thank you, thank you! You are a daily reminder of just how lucky I am to be a part of such an amazing community of booklovers.

  I am forever grateful to each and every one of you and cannot thank you enough for all of your kindness, encouragement, reviews, tweets and emails. You make being a writer the very best job in the world! Thank you always!

  About the Author

  Marta Brown grew up in the Pacific Northwest and was a teenager when Doc Martens, Pearl Jam and flannel were the norm, and Dylan loved Kelly forever. (Beverly Hills, 90210 shout out!) She still lives just outside Seattle, now with her husband and cat, and loves the rain. When she’s not writing about cute boys, first kisses and the magic and wonder of being seventeen, she’s watching The CW. And she sleeps in. Late.

  If you would like to know more about Marta and her upcoming projects:

  Check out her website at:

  www.martabrownbooks.com

  Follow her on Twitter:

  @MartaBrownBooks

  Become a fan on Goodreads:

  Marta Brown

  Other Books by Marta Brown

  For Emily, going to camp the summer before college starts, means leaving her feuding parents alone for the next eight weeks, and coming back to divorce papers is a risk she can’t take. But no matter how many meddling phone calls, questionable hair decisions, and possibly illegal hookups she plans, her parents still march her off to Camp Champ totally against her will.

  No matter. A few broken rules and Em will be home free.

  That is, until she learns Tyler Ford, her baseball coach father’s star player and her drunken party hookup, is at camp, too. And for Tyler, summer is the onramp to the biggest decision of his life: med school or major leagues. Mega hot, possibly underage Emily? A complication he does not need.

  As the summer heats up with strikeouts and stolen bases will Tyler and Emily hit a home run and get what they’re after? Or will they both be thrown a curveball in the game of love?

  Get it now!

  Other Books by Marta Brown

  On the picturesque island of Martha's Vineyard, there are two kinds of residents. Locals and Stays.

  When hard working local boy, Lane McCarthy, doesn’t receive the financial aid he needs for the prestigious Ivy League school he’s been accepted to in the fall, he sets out to do whatever is necessary to achieve his dream—even if it means parking cars at the island’s most exclusive country club.

  The same country club where Summer Stay, Ashley Whitmore, of the Connecticut Whitmore’s, and her elite group of friends plan to spend the summer working as well. Working on their tans, their backhands, and their social standings.

  As the summer heat goes up on the island so does the ante wh
en an unexpected bet from Ashley’s ex, Gregory, provides Lane not only a chance to make a quick buck, but to learn an even quicker lesson. Gregory Chase hates to lose and will stop at nothing to win.

  With stakes as high as the surf, and hopes as high as the midday sun, will Lane and Ashley decide they’re willing to wager anything—even each other—in order to follow their dreams?

  Or will they risk everything and go all in together?

  Get it now!