by Jamie Berris
The countertops were piled high with bags of licorice, chips, homemade puppy chow, and homemade trail mix. She remembered how much Sadie loved puppy chow and Jayna the trail mix with peanut M&Ms.
The cooler was stashed prematurely with fixings for chicken kabobs, summer beer, chocolate milk boxes, sodas, fresh cut melon, the sweetest berries, veggies, homemade ranch and dill dips, an assortment of cheeses, summer sausage, and beef sticks. She would have to stop and replace the ice on the way, she knew, but this was what Marissa did when she was in a tizzy. She went overboard. She tried to please everyone. She was sucking up!
What would Kurt think of all the fuss she had gone to? Already loaded in her car were a bag chock-full of sand toys, glow sticks, water balloons, Frisbees, a paddle ball game, a new dart gun for Nicholas, and a couple of extra boogie boards.
It was a day trip to the beach, and she had enough food, drinks, and gear for a week. Then there was Paige. What did Paige really think of all this? What would this do to Paige and Sadie? Was Marissa putting Paige in danger of getting hurt too?
Last night Paige seemed excited to be going to Pentwater, but when Marissa had brought it up, she also noticed Paige trying to act somewhat cool about it. As the blender roared to life, swirling her spinach, banana, avocado, celery, and almond milk to a beautiful bright green, she scolded herself for all her irrational behavior. “Get a grip,” she told herself out loud.
“No doubt!” Paige scowled with a yawn. “What the heck are you doing?” she asked her mother, looking around the disarrayed kitchen.
“Oh sorry, did I wake you?”
“You could say that.” Paige moaned, while filling a glass with water. “Timers beeping, the mixer whirling, the blender screaming . . . who could sleep?”
Paige grabbed a cookie and started to head back up the stairs.
“Where are you going?” asked Marissa. “I thought you would help me start loading all this food in the car.”
“Jeez, it’s not even 6:00 a.m., Mom!”
Marissa let out a sigh as she stuck a straw in her smoothie and told herself to calm down.
Chapter 26
Sadie
Andrea was just walking out the sliding door onto the porch as Sadie came up the stairs. The two cottages were identical structures but painted and decorated differently. The Bookers always stayed in the red cottage with the blue door, and the Sutherlands always stayed in the blue cottage with the red door.
Andrea’s eyes immediately went from Sadie’s red, puffy face to Kurt, who was diligently sweeping sand off the porch next door.
“Are you ready?” asked Sadie as she turned back down the steps, her eyes fixated on the shoreline.
Andrea could barely keep up with Sadie as they walked in silence for a few minutes. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Marissa is coming here today. I hate it. I hate it that he has to like her, and I hate it that she’s coming here. Of all places, why here?” Sadie flung her arms in the air. “Dad says that he and Marissa didn’t have anything going on before Mom died, but I think it’s a lie. I think they had an affair. What else could it have been?”
Andrea pressed her lips together. “Sadie, your dad and Marissa did not have an affair. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Then tell me what did happen.”
Andrea shook her head. “No, Sadie.”
They walked in silence again for several minutes. “Sadie, you know your mother was so proud of you. She used to talk about what a good tennis player you were and how she was sure you were going to go pro one day.
“Your mom and I would meet at a café halfway between our houses in the winters for lunch so we could catch up. For dessert, your mom always ordered the triple fudge brownie, smothered in hot caramel sauce, served with peanut butter cup ice cream. Of course, this was after her spinach and kale salad loaded with beets, broccoli, and tomatoes.” Andrea laughed. “She loved her dessert, and it somehow never clung to her. I bet you never knew your mom was a soap-opera addict. She secretly taped ‘Days of our Lives’ and watched it either when you kids were napping or later when you were in school full-time and your dad was at work. She never wanted anyone to know.
“Oh, and when you kids were little, we used to set the clocks ahead to get you to bed early so we could have some peace and quiet around the fire at night. And your mom told me more than once that she had always dreamed of taking guitar lessons. Which reminds me what a pretty voice she had—she used to sing you to sleep and it was beautiful.”
Andrea went on and told story after story about Lydia, helping Sadie forget about her dad and Marissa for the time being. Before Sadie knew it, she was actually smiling and laughing, remembering her mother.
“She was such a beautiful woman, Sadie.”
~*~
When Sadie got back from her walk with Andrea, her family, including Liz, was just sitting down at the picnic table for breakfast. The bacon and hot syrup smelled amazing, but the last thing she wanted to do was eat breakfast near her father.
Nicholas begged Sadie to sit next to him. She noticed her dad’s coffee mug next to the empty plate on the other side of Nicholas. At least she wouldn’t have to look at him, she thought. Sadie helped Nicholas cut up his pancake as her dad walked out on the porch with a bowl of pineapple and strawberries. Pancakes, bacon, and fruit—this was huge for him, and to Sadie’s surprise, it all looked edible.
Jayna and Liz were gossiping about some girl from the beach, giggling that she had no boobs to fill out her bikini top. Kurt overheard the girls and cleared his throat, giving Jayna the “shut-up and do not talk like that especially in front of Nicholas” look. They snickered and changed the subject to what color wire Liz was going to get at her next orthodontist visit.
Sadie was mid-bite in her pancake when she noticed Travis and Cody walk out on their porch with bowls of cereal in hand. They plopped down on their red Adirondack chairs, looking half asleep.
Cody took a sideward glance towards their cottage, most likely looking for Liz. But what really caught her attention was that Travis didn’t even bother to peek at their porch. She knew he could certainly hear them, and a cold shoulder wasn’t normally his style. She felt a pang of guilt in her stomach and wondered what was going through his head?
Was he going to ignore her for the next week and a half? Sadie hoped not.
After breakfast, she took a long shower, shaved her legs and underarms, and then slathered lotion from head to toe. From the bathroom, she could hear her phone on the dresser blowing up with text messages.
There was even a text from Paige, warning Sadie that she and her mother were on their way to Pentwater.
Sadie wasn’t so sure what Paige thought about their parents dating. At first she seemed equally annoyed; she eagerly volunteered to spy on them and report back to Sadie. But lately she acted like it was no big deal. Maybe it was easier for Paige since her dad had moved on to another woman long ago. Maybe she thought the fight was Lydia’s fault?
Whatever the case, Sadie had a mission, and that was to make sure Paige put up just as much of a stink as she did. She liked Paige well enough—they were inseparable as kids—but their parents becoming a real couple, nah-uh, not going to happen.
Sadie didn’t feel much like going down to the beach quite yet and decided to ride her bike into town and shop instead—nothing like a little retail therapy, she reasoned.
She quickly sent Travis a Bitmoji before she could talk herself out of it. It was generic; she was holding a spray can with the word SUP? above it.
Several suspenseful minutes later he texted back, and Sadie was disappointed with the YO he was sitting on. What did she expect? Something with hearts? No, but something more.
The cottage was empty when she came out of her room. She left a note and hopped on her bike. She took her time and rode through the campground and down by the pavilion and by the channel on her way, stopping at a coffee shop for a frozen mango smoothie. It felt kind of good to be alone—
at home, she always had Nicholas clinging to her side.
She walked in and out of the surf shops, trying on bathing suits, summer skirts, sunglasses, and countless tanks and shorts before deciding on a purple cotton strapless dress studded with tiny rhinestones across the top. When she was checking out, she found some earrings and a toe ring.
Sadie walked out of the store at noon. The town whistle blew loudly as little kids covered their ears. Sadie loved it that they still blew the noon whistle every day.
The air was thick and sticky. The digital readout on the bank sign read eighty-four degrees. The temperature was expected to reach ninety today, which meant the water would feel refreshing.
As she tied her bag around the handle bars and lifted the kick stand up, the whistle died down and she heard two familiar voices from around the corner. “I can’t believe you got away with that, Jayna. You are the master. I was freaking out the whole time! What a rush that was!”
Sadie held still. What were Jayna and Liz up to now?
“It’s so easy, Liz. Why don’t you just try it? The secret is to do it right in front of the clerk so they won’t suspect it. It’s not like they count the rings on your fingers when you walk in the store.”
“But what about cameras—doesn’t that freak you out?”
Was Sadie hearing what she thought she was? Was Jayna stealing?
“They don’t have someone sitting in the back staring at cameras all day, Liz. Those are for nighttime robberies. Besides, I doubt these little stores have cameras. It’s only a couple of bucks anyway, big deal.”
“I’m still too chicken,” said Liz. “Besides, my grandma would hand me a twenty everyday if I asked.”
Sadie wheeled her bike around the corner to find Jayna and Liz sitting at a café table, sipping frozen Cokes. Jayna’s back was to Sadie, but Liz’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Sadie peering down on her little sister.
“Or maybe Liz is just honest, Jayna. Did you rip off the drinks too?”
Jayna whipped around and glared at her sister. “What are you talking about, Sadie?”
“Don’t play stupid with me.” Sadie grabbed Jayna’s hand and looked at the silver ring with pink stones in the shape of a peace sign. “What would possess you to steal this? And what else have you stolen?”
Liz took a nervous drink from her straw and looked down at the table. Jayna pushed her chair back, grabbing her purse and drink. “Nothing, this was the first time, and I’ll never do it again, so just keep your mouth shut, Sadie. I don’t need another lecture from you.”
Jayna began walking down the sidewalk, and Liz quickly got up to follow. “The ring is all she took, I swear. Give her a break, Sadie. Lay off a little.” Liz picked up her pace to catch up with Jayna, and Sadie just stood and watched them go.
Riding all the shady back roads to the cottage, Sadie decided to forget the stolen ring. She figured, if Jayna wanted to be stupid enough to steal, she could risk getting caught. She was done dealing with Jayna.
However, Sadie couldn’t help but wonder what went through her sister’s head. One minute she was happy, the next pissed off at the world. One day she did something stupid and swore she’d never act like that again, and sure enough, within a couple of days, she was back at square one. Did she think anything through? Did she have a conscience?
Back at the cottage, Sadie slipped on her suit, grabbed her phone and ear buds and went out to the beach. She had no idea where her dad and Nicholas were, but if it meant no Marissa, she didn’t care. Sadie laid her head back on her beach chair, closed her eyes, and sang along with Adele, One Direction, The Weekend, and Taylor Swift.
Just as she started to drift off, Cody came up from behind her and held an ice cold Gatorade on her cheek, which sent Sadie flying out of her chair.
“Nice, couldn’t you see I was relaxing,” Sadie said.
“Sorry, where’s your sister and Liz?”
Sadie bit her tongue, even though she wanted to make a sarcastic remark about Liz being into more boys than just Cody. She really liked Cody and didn’t want to see him get hurt, but maybe he was just having a fun little fling too. “Isn’t she too young for you?”
“She’s only a year and two months younger. Isn’t Dylan, like, two years older than you?”
“That’s different. I’m sixteen and she’s only fourteen.”
Cody rolled his eyes. “She’ll be fifteen in three weeks.”
“So the calendar says. Are you sure you want to get involved with her? I mean I just don’t see you two as a couple. You’re, like, way sweet and she’s kinda trouble.”
Cody smirked. “I know what this is about, Sadie. You want me. I didn’t see it before, but it all makes sense now. How could I have been so blind?”
Sadie laughed. “Shut up, Cody.”
Cody grabbed Sadie by the shoulders and gently shook her. “What is it? My physique? My charm? My athletic ability? Tell me, Sadie, what is it about me that turns you on? Why do I set you on fire?” Cody started pushing her towards the water.
“It’s not your brain, that’s for sure, cuz I’m not so sure it’s all there!”
“That does it!” Cody scooped Sadie up and began running towards the water with her kicking and screaming. She chucked her iPhone on her towel as he carried her away. They had barely made it five steps in the water when Cody tripped over the surf, and they both tumbled face first into the lake.
They were barely knee deep, but Sadie was laughing so hard she couldn’t get up and felt sand rushing in to her bikini bottom. She grabbed a fistful of sand from the lake bottom and threw it at Cody’s head. He reciprocated, and before long, they were covered in thick, wet sand.
Sadie had sand in her ears, hair, mouth, just about every crevice of her body. She ran and dove out into deeper water to wash off and Cody followed. “Game over,” she said when she came up for air. “You can find out for yourself what you’re getting into.”
“Thank you,” said Cody. “How do you know I’m not just a player anyway?”
Sadie only frowned at Cody. She knew he wasn’t, and she also knew she was butting in his business, so she kept quiet.
When Sadie and Cody reached the shore, she froze at the sight before her. Marissa and Paige had arrived and were making their presence known. It looked as if they were getting reacquainted with the Sutherlands. Benton and Andrea were greeting Marissa with hugs, and Travis even gave Paige a hug. What was up with that? They hadn’t seen each other in six years. Why would he give her a hug?
“Who’s that?” asked Cody.
“My worst nightmare,” Sadie said coldly. “My dead mother’s enemy—now my dad’s girlfriend.”
“Oh, ouch,” said Cody. “Let’s play catch.” Cody threw the football at Sadie, hitting her in the stomach. She picked it up and chucked it back at him. He knew just what she needed to get her aggression out.
Sadie was doing a good job of ignoring their guests for about three minutes until Paige ran up to say hi. Sadie was a little irritated that she and Travis hugged, and she wasn’t so sure they were on the same team when it came to their parents.
Paige was sweet, but kind of a floater, always hanging out with different crowds, like she wasn’t sure where she belonged. Besides tennis, she was kind of a book worm. Paige would end up being valedictorian; that was for sure.
Sadie introduced Paige and Cody and asked her if she wanted to play catch with them—surprisingly, she did. A few minutes later, Travis joined them, and Sadie attempted to make eye contact with him, but it was impossible. He wouldn’t give her the time of day. Marissa’s laughter suddenly echoed out, making Sadie glance towards the cottage. Her dad, Marissa, Andrea, and Benton were all laughing about something, and it made Sadie’s stomach churn. She wished Andrea would send Marissa on her merry way, at the very least talk some sense into her dad.
A few minutes later, Kurt and Marissa came walking closer to the shore with Nicholas running ahead of them. After he begged to play catch, Sadie told him he co
uld be on her team.
Marissa stopped at the beach chairs and set her bag down in the sand and waved to Sadie. “Hey, Sadie, how are you?”
Sadie managed a not-so-polite “fine” and half smile. A twinge of resentment swept over her when she noticed the way Paige eyed her. She had to remember that Marissa was Paige’s mother, and she would of course defend her to the end.
Kurt and Marissa took seats next to each other and began chatting. The sight was irritating to say the least. Sadie tried hard to put her mom’s face on Marissa, but for the life of her, she couldn’t get a mental picture of her mom in her head, which made Sadie want to cry or, better, scratch that woman’s eyes out!
~*~
Travis spread his towel down on the other side of Paige, and anger seared through Sadie. Paige was usually quiet and reserved, but Sadie swore she was flirting with Travis and he was flirting back.
So here she sat, wanting to reach over Paige and pull Travis next to her and ask him what he was doing. Paige and her mother were quickly becoming double trouble.
Was Travis acting like this because of Dylan’s threat, trying to prove he didn’t care about Sadie at all? Or was he really attracted to Paige? She could understand if he was; Paige was beautiful and one of the nicest girls Sadie knew. That bothered Sadie even more and made her feel selfish and cruel. Who was she to stand in the way if they liked each other? Travis certainly wasn’t hers.
Before Sadie knew what she was doing, she had grabbed her sunscreen, walked around to Travis’s towel, and started squirting lotion on his back, telling him she was worried that he was getting burnt. Halfway through, she realized what an idiot she looked like. He had propped up on his elbows, turned his head, and gave her the strangest look.
She was so embarrassed, mortified, so she made the excuse that she had to rinse her hands off in the water and practically sprinted to the shore. You idiot, Sadie, what were you thinking?
It was obvious Sadie was jealous, and she hated herself for it. She never swam out to the swim buoys by herself, even though she was an excellent swimmer, but for some reason she was drawn to them. Usually the thought of not being able to touch the bottom while swimming in Lake Michigan bothered her, but this time she felt like she could swim clear across to Wisconsin to escape her family, Dylan, Travis, and most of all, herself.