Killer Beach Reads

by Gemma Halliday Publishing

  Her birthday cake is ruined.

  "Stop it! Stop it!" Evie boldly steps in. But she ducks just in time to miss a blow to the head.

  The only thing strong enough to break this up is a police siren.

  I guess when you invite unsavory people, you get an unsavory party.

  * * *

  "Poor Tansy," Evie says quietly. She drags her trash bag through the family room and picks up as many cups and crumbled napkins as she can. It's 3:00 a.m., and the party's officially over. "I can't believe the police showed up."

  "I'm kind of relieved," I admit. "Things were getting way out of hand." I attempt to scrub a wine stain out of the carpet. My eyes feel heavy, but I force myself to keep cleaning for Tansy's sake. Her parents might murder her if they see their place in this state.

  "Let's do this later," Evie whines. "I'm going to pass out."

  "All these stains will be harder to clean by then," I point out. "And I'm sure the neighbors will let slip that the cops were here. Her parents could swing by today. You never know."

  "I hate it when you're right." She resumes picking up trash.

  The house is quiet, and the windows are dark. The sun won't be rising for a couple of hours, and I hope to get some sleep before then. Kaime cleaned Kara's cut, and moved her to their room before the cops showed up. Turns out the cut was small. Kaime was able to get Kara to keep her eyes open, but something seemed off. Kara kept stumbling and laughing as Kaime helped her to her bed. She even tried to speak, and the words came out slurred. She didn't seem drunk like that before she collapsed.

  "I'm almost done with the floor." I scrub as hard as I can until the carpet returns to a dull shade of beige.

  "No more food spills in here." She drags the trash bag back to the kitchen. "Can we go to bed now? I feel nauseous."

  I stand up, and my stomach growls. I eye an unopened box of chocolate chip cookies I salvaged from the mess. One of the few food items that wasn't thrown or stepped on. It's a good thing that Zeke and Presley decided to find a hotel. That box of cookies would be gone already if Zeke was still here.

  "Fine," I agree.

  "We can talk about all this in the morning." Evie surveys the aftermath—still messy but less sticky. "If Kaime and Kara don't find a way to make it up to her I swear—"

  "Save the threats for breakfast," I butt in.

  The two of us head toward our room. Evie opens the door and comes to a sudden halt.

  "What the hell?" she blurts out. I look over her shoulder.

  "Did you let anyone in here?" I ask.

  "No," Evie barks. "Like I want people I don't even know putting their grubby hands all over my stuff. This door was closed all night. I'm sure of it."

  The same tornado that blew through the rest of the house looks like it blew through our room. The bed is a wreck. Pillows and sheets are scattered in each and every direction. Both of our suitcases are open, and our clothes are on the floor in piles. Evie immediately looks through her things, shaking her head.

  "Are you missing anything?" I ask, trying to account for all my stuff too.

  "I don't think so…wait." She stops, briefly lifting the corner of her top and glimpsing down her shirt. "Yep." She kicks the side of her bag in frustration. "It's gone. My favorite bra. The one with polka dots."

  I dig through my clothes. I only brought the bra I'm wearing. I find my bikini, and all my makeup, but…

  "No way," I say quietly.

  "You're missing a bra too? What kind of sick town is this?" She falls back onto the bed and stares at the ceiling. A breeze blows past us, and her eyes dart to the open window. I don't remember opening it.

  "No," I correct her. "Underwear. All of it."

  "Gross." She sits up and squirms. "I don't suppose you left the window open, did you?" I shake my head. "Of course. It seems we had more than just freeloaders at the party."

  "I think I'm officially creeped out."

  "There's a perv around here somewhere." Evie finishes her thought as she glares out the window.

  ICE CREAM & SPRINKLES

  Tansy has a bright pink flower on her head. It's a headband given to her by the one and only Kaime as an early birthday gift. It's not really Tansy's style. Kaime can pull it off, but Tansy looks uncomfortable wearing it.

  "Sorry about last night," Evie says. She smiles as our waitress sets a plate of hotcakes in front of her. The three of us woke up before noon, finished sanitizing the danger zones at the beach house, and went into town. Evie insisted on buying Tansy a birthday breakfast.

  "It's okay." Tansy shrugs, stabbing her fork into her French toast with strawberry sauce. "I know it got way out of hand but…I mean, it was an awesome party, right?"

  Evie looks at me, and I nod.

  "Yeah," Evie forces herself to agree. "It's definitely a story to tell."

  "Do you think Kara will be okay?" Tansy finally digs into her French toast. The three of us chose one of the only restaurants in Sugar Beach that serves more than just burgers or fish and chips. A tiny place with a view of the ocean called Mel's Diner. The restaurant is nautical-themed with antique fishing equipment hanging on the walls.

  "Yeah," Evie responds. "But she's going to have a splitting headache when she wakes up."

  "Probably," Tansy gulps.

  I cut a portion of my omelet and take a bite, indulging in the gooey cheddar melted on top. I do like cheese on my eggs.

  Looking out at the ocean reminds me of Presley. I've met guys like him before—the hot ones who are followed by their own pack of groupies. Presley is the sort of guy you brag about nabbing but feel the need to be checking his phone every night. There's clearly a spark between us, but maybe I'm better off not knowing what could have been?

  "You're awfully quiet," Evie comments, glancing at my omelet. I pull myself out of my Presley trance.

  "Just thinking," I reply.

  "About?" She pours a heap of maple syrup over her pancakes and cuts her first bite into a perfect triangle. It looks like a miniature piece of cake on her fork.

  "Last night, I guess," I answer. "Kara. The fight. The cops."

  Tansy shifts uncomfortably in her chair.

  "Oh, speaking of all that," Evie cuts in, pointing at Tansy. "When you went to bed last night did anything seem different to you?" She cuts another piece of her pancake breakfast and waits for Tansy to respond.

  "What do you mean?" Tansy sets down her fork, slouching her shoulders.

  "Like did anyone hang out in your room during the party?"

  "No. The rooms were off limits. I made that clear." Tansy is staying in the master suite—a room which houses much of her folks' personal property.

  "So nothing was moved or anything like that?" Evie studies her expression.

  "No," Tansy insists. "Absolutely not."

  "Okay." Evie sets down her fork and quickly puts her hands up in surrender. "It was just a question."

  "Did something happen?" Tansy asks. She clasps her hands together looking too nervous to finish her meal.

  "It's nothing," I chime in.

  "Nothing?" Evie mutters as she turns to me. "We should go to the cops."

  "And say what?" I slice another sliver of egg and cheese. "Um, excuse me, officer, someone may or may not have stolen all my panties. Yeah…they were lace thongs." Tansy giggles at my high-pitched impersonation of myself at the station. "That'll go over real well."

  "Uh, our underwear was definitely stolen. Am I the only one taking this seriously?" Evie narrows her eyes, looking from me to Tansy.

  "I know," I tease her. "Let's get Kaime and Kara to report it. Everyone stands at attention when they walk by."

  Tansy giggles again.

  Evie presses her lips firmly together but soon gives in. She laughs and fills her mouth with more syrupy pancake.

  "If you're so worried about it, Evie, why don't you investigate yourself? That's a major part of being a journalist, right? You can hunt for clues and everything like that Nancy Drew chick you were obsesse
d with in Ms. Grover's class."

  Evie stares at me with wide eyes and a permanent grin.

  "That's brilliant, Poppy."

  At first, I think she's kidding. We snipe at each other so much, and all in good fun, that there are times I can't tell her sarcasm from the real thing. Evie chews and lets her gaze wander away from Mel's Diner and out the door. Her mind must be back at the beach house or examining the events of last night.

  "Can I get you ladies anything else?" Our waitress comes to the table with our check. Evie takes a deep breath and rejoins the here and now.

  "Oh," she blurts. "What do you do for birthdays?"

  Tansy tightly grips her fork and blushes.

  "Nothing too fancy," our waitress responds. "Just a scoop of vanilla ice cream."

  "Simple is better," Evie comments. "She'll have that." Evie tilts her head towards Tansy.

  "Excellent. Do you want that with sprinkles?"

  Tansy touches the fake flower on her head and nods.

  Who can say no to sprinkles?

  Especially the rainbow kind.

  * * *

  Presley and Zeke are at the beach house when we return, and Kaime and Kara are up and dressed for the day. Kara looks like her usual self—attitude and all. She hits on Zeke as he opens the bag of chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. I knew I should've eaten those.

  "We want to make it up to you, Tans," Presley says. He scratches his head, scanning the family room with awe. "Wow. This place looks…back to normal."

  "Thanks to Poppy and Evie," Tansy responds. When Presley hears my name he immediately looks at me. Our eyes lock, and a spark of excitement travels through my whole torso.

  "And Kara is doing much better," Kaime cuts in. She tugs the edge of her flowy top so that her cleavage is more prominent.

  "Good," Presley responds.

  "Yeah, I'm doing much better." Kara repeats the sentence as she sits next to Zeke at the kitchen table.

  "What happened exactly?" Evie asks.

  "Oh," Kara replies. She rubs the side of her head. "I think I was just dancing and I…hit my head on something."

  "What?" Evie's investigating has begun. She wrinkles her forehead, observing Kara as she thinks back to her strange accident last night.

  "I don't know. The fireplace mantle?"

  Evie briskly walks over to the fireplace and studies its corners. She runs her hand along edges and shrugs.

  "I don't see any blood," Evie points out.

  "So?" Kaime places her hand on her hip. "That doesn't mean that's not what happened."

  "Do you have a list of everyone you invited last night?" Evie inquires.

  "Dang, Evie." Zeke manages to chuckle in between bites. "You sound like the cops from last night."

  Evie shakes her head.

  My suggestion that she investigate the theft of our delicates might have been a pointless one. Pulling information out of Kara is next to impossible, especially since her memory seems to be foggy. On top of that, Kaime likes to play defense whenever Evie opens her mouth. Maybe we should cut our losses and leave for Portland early?

  "It was just friends from school and a few locals," Tansy jumps in. "Right, Kaime?" Tansy waits for Kaime's look of approval.

  "Exactly," Kaime agrees. "Haven't you ever been to a house party, Evie?" She smirks and makes eye contact with Kara. "Last night wasn't that unusual. In fact, I'd say it was more on the tame side."

  "Totally on the tame side," Kara chimes in. She nudges Zeke, and Tansy watches. Tansy's eyes slowly stare down at her shoes. She crosses her arms and backs farther into the corner until she's close enough to lean against the wall.

  "So we should all do something wild tonight to make up for it," Kaime suggests. "Let's go to the pub in town and stir up trouble."

  "I'm in." Kara giggles.

  "What do you say, boys?" Kaime looks from Presley to Zeke.

  "Okay." Zeke doesn't need any time to make up his mind. He shoves the last chocolate chip cookie in his mouth and glances around the kitchen looking for more.

  "Presley?" Kaime takes a few steps closer to him, eyeing his mane of rich, chocolaty locks. "Are you in, or are you out?"

  Presley turns to me, and all at once my lungs feel stiff like a batch of Grandma's Easter fudge. Kaime glares at me. Her eyes narrow, and she watches my expression. She's pissed, and she's jealous. A not-so-friendly combination.

  "Poppy," Presley finally says. The sound of his voice, directed right at me, only adds to the pounding in my chest. Play it cool, Poppy. "What are you doing tonight?"

  "I don't know." I answer. The pub does sound nice, but not if another brawl breaks out. If last night was tame, I don't think I want to see Kaime's idea of stirring up trouble. I'd rather sit at home watching reality TV with a pan of brownies.

  Sweets are my idea of getting into trouble.

  "I don't know either," he promptly responds.

  Kaime's cheeks go rosy. She opens her mouth, and I brace myself for some kind of lecture about having fun while you're still young. Maybe even a few more put downs about my fashion sense or the fact that I'm too skinny. Kaime clears her throat seemingly thinking twice about the situation before speaking.

  "Fine," she says calmly. "We'll go have fun, and you all can sit around with buckets of Häagen-Dazs for all I care." She whips her blonde hair over her shoulder as she retreats to her room. Kara follows her. She rolls her eyes when she passes Presley.

  "Gosh, Presley," Kara comments, "since when did you become boring?"

  Presley sneaks another glance in my direction.

  "Trust me," he says quietly. "I'm not bored."

  * * *

  Presley and I sit on the couch watching the local news. My eyes stare at the television, but I'm hardly paying attention. I can barely focus. I can hardly breathe normally. I hear myself swallow, and I anxiously wonder if he heard it too.

  Our shoulders touch first.

  My hand is empty and in plain sight. An open invitation to something more than just sitting alone. Presley glances down. Whenever he looks at me, my heart jumps. I think about his toned abs. The ones I saw at the beach. The ones that are right in front of me underneath his baby blue T-shirt. His skin is tanner than mine, and sitting next to him is like being next to a cozy furnace. Oh, why won't he wrap his arms around me? Why doesn't Tansy own any horror flicks?

  Presley finally gathers the courage to make a move. He carefully reaches for my hand, watching my reaction. I smile. He gently brushes my palm with the tips of his fingers before taking my hand. My dainty fingers are lost in his giant fist, and taking each other's hand is only the beginning.

  Now my heart isn't just racing, it's soaring. I'm scared it might flutter right out the window. My eyes are glossy as I stare at the same spot on the television screen without blinking. I can't think. I force myself to take long, steady breaths. I have no idea what to say, or if I should say anything at all.

  The clock on the wall says that only minutes have passed, but it feels like hours. Time is playing tricks on me. When Presley and I first sat next to each other, I wished the night wasn't almost over. Now that time seems to be frozen, I want it to speed up again.

  Presley leans closer to me. His firm biceps graze across my arm. I look at him, and he looks at me. His eyes are dark. So dark that I'm intrigued. I want to know what secrets they hold. I get a better look at his smoky iris as he leans in even more.

  Our faces are inches away. My limbs start to tingle. His hand caresses my cheek as he discovers the curvatures of my face. The rest of the world is blurred out around us. Only this moment matters. I nervously wait for that moment when our lips touch, wondering what it will feel like. Is his kiss as electric as his touch?

  "Wake up, Poppy!"

  I open my eyes to Evie desperately shaking my shoulders. I sit up, disappointed. She interrupted my dream during the best part. The part that didn't happen last night because Presley got a panicked phone call from Zeke and left early.

  "You ru
ined it," I mutter. "Now I'll never know what it's like to kiss an Oregon Duck."

  "He's back," she whispers. Evie drags me out of bed and pulls me to the floor.

  "I heard a noise outside so I looked out the window and…" She gulps. "I think it's the pervert. You know—the panty thief?" She crawls to the window and cautiously peeks through an open spot in the blinds. "Look."

  "It's probably just the wind," I say. "Or maybe an animal?"

  "No," she whispers, shaking her head. "Someone is snooping around the yard."

  "And you're sure this someone isn't furry and on all fours?" I casually join her at the window.

  "Poppy," Evie mutters. "It's the guy. I swear it's the creep who took our stuff last night."

  "You don't know—" My jaw drops as I glance out the window and see a shadow in the distance. It moves closer until I can make out a human-like figure wearing a black hoodie. The figure moves from window to window. It steps through the brush like making too much noise doesn't matter. My stomach goes sour.

  "See, I'm right."

  I drop to the floor, joining Evie.

  "What does it want?" My breathing speeds up. "All my thongs are gone."

  "He's doing what pervs do," Evie answers. "Peeping through windows like a scumbag." Her voice returns to its normal tone. She runs to her suitcase and throws on a pair of pants and a jacket. She grabs her phone and sports a stern game face.

  "Evie," I slowly say. "Don't tell me you're going to—"

  "Yep," she finishes. "I'm sick of this. All of it. I'm going to scare the little bastard off."

  "I'm sorry I didn't take this seriously before, but let the police handle it."

  "No time," she responds.

  I get dressed as quickly as I can, but Evie is too fast for me. By the time I'm dressed and ready for a midnight jog, she's already out the door. I hesitate, looking down at my cell phone. This might not end well. I dial 9-1-1 and wait for the operator to answer.

  Evie's feet pound on the wooden deck out back.

  She's going to run right up to him!