After a brief struggle between annoyance and curiosity, Stevie shrugged and followed him. She couldn’t resist a challenge like that. Anyway, it wasn’t that late yet, and there were lots of people around. She would be safe enough—except from Matthew’s strange and exasperating personality, of course.
She stopped short as she stepped out from the narrow path between the buildings and saw the beach spread out before her. The sky was dark except for a three-quarter moon that spilled its cool white light over everything, making the smooth sand and the whitecaps on the breaking waves appear to be the same silvery color. It was beautiful.
Matthew had stopped and was looking back at her, taking in her reaction. “Nice, isn’t it?” he said casually.
She shot him an annoyed look. “Big deal. We have moonlight on the East Coast, too.”
“I’ve heard that.” Matthew’s mouth twitched with amusement. “But if you’ll humor me just a little longer, I think I can show you something you won’t see back home.”
Stevie sighed. She had come this far. What did she have to lose? “Whatever,” she said, trying to match his own casual tone. She kicked off her shoes and carried them, enjoying the feel of the still-warm sand between her toes. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll see when we get there. It isn’t far.”
I should probably be nervous, Stevie told herself, lengthening her stride to keep up with Matthew’s long, swinging step. Haven’t I seen a bunch of horror movies that start out this way? But she couldn’t make herself worry seriously. After all, there were tons of people strolling on the beach and even more thronging on the boardwalk just a few yards away. Besides, Stevie felt as though she had been worrying and brooding for a long time. When was the last time she had followed her nose to adventure? When was the last time she had done something new, something run? Probably about two months ago, I guess, she thought ruefully.
So she kept quiet and followed Matthew down the beach, wondering where on earth they were going. If he thought she was going to be impressed by a little moonlit beach scenery, she had news for him. She’d already seen it. And she wasn’t impressed. She still preferred the look of the moonlight filtering through the treetops during a late trail ride in the woods behind Pine Hollow.
They walked along in silence for about ten minutes. Finally, just ahead, Stevie noticed a rocky outcropping jutting out into the sand, stretching toward the breaking waves and hiding the beach beyond. Maybe that was where they were heading, Stevie thought. But why? Was it some kind of California lovers’ lane? Was that what this was about? Somehow she didn’t think so.
“What’s that?” Stevie tilted her head and listened. The slight ocean breeze had just brought her a faint, familiar sound over the noise of the waves. “Music?”
Matthew grinned. “We’re almost there.” He broke into an easy lope, and Stevie jogged after him. The music grew louder with every step until Stevie recognized a recent rock hit. Was Matthew taking her to another dance club? But the music seemed to be coming from the beach, not the boardwalk.
Before she could figure it out, they had reached the outcropping. Matthew led the way over it, and from there Stevie could see a secluded cove just beyond.
Secluded, but not deserted. There were at least a dozen people there, some lounging on the sand near a cranking boom box, others in the ocean itself, surfing on the six-foot waves that were breaking rhythmically on the sand. There were guys and girls in a wide range of ages, from a sandy-haired kid who looked about ten to a pair of women who had to be older than Stevie’s mother.
“Here we are,” Matthew announced. He turned to face Stevie and gave her a long, slow, slightly challenging grin. “In the moment.”
With that, he backed away and peeled off his shirt. He spun and raced toward the water, pausing just long enough to scoop up an unused surfboard lying near the boom box. As Stevie watched, he tossed the board over a breaking wave and crashed into the water after it.
Stevie hesitated. What was she supposed to do now?
Her first impulse was to go back to the club and find her friends. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave the scene at the cove. There was something about the moonlight, the music, and yes, even Matthew himself …
“What the heck,” she muttered. “You’re only young once, right?”
She tossed her shoes aside, then hurried toward the boom box. “Anybody have a board I can borrow?” she asked the beach at large. One of the older women pointed to a neon pink board with aqua zigzags, and Stevie grinned. “Thanks!”
The board was heavier than she had expected, but she hoisted it gamely. As she ran toward the water, she glanced down at her skirt and T-shirt.
Good thing Mom only lets me buy stuff that’s machine washable, she thought with glee. Became here goes nothing!
She raced headlong into the waves, shrieking involuntarily as the cool ocean water soaked her clothes. Matthew heard her and turned his head. He was paddling out on his board, stomach down.
“Come on!” he shouted. “I’ll give you some pointers.”
She nodded and concentrated on getting herself and her board out to where he was, beyond the breakers. She was a strong swimmer, so it didn’t take long, especially after she got out far enough to emulate Matthew’s stomach-down paddling. As soon as she was close enough, she slid down off her board. Treading water, she grabbed Matthew’s board … and with a swift yank, tipped him off of it into the ocean.
Taken by surprise, he plunged under for a second and came up laughing, wet hair in his eyes.
“Hey!” he cried, flipping his head back so that his hair flew out of his eyes and stuck straight up in front. “Is that the kind of thing they teach you back East?” He swam over and, before Stevie could wiggle away, dunked her soundly two or three times.
That led to an enthusiastic splash fight. Finally Stevie’s arms got so tired that she stopped and climbed onto her board again. “Truce?” she called over the roar of the waves.
“Truce,” Matthew agreed. “Now are you ready for some serious fun?”
That was when Stevie’s brief surfing lesson began. Matthew showed her how to pick her wave and demonstrated a few other basics in the relatively calm water out past the breakers. “Stay low and hold on, at least for the first few times. Don’t try to stand until you get the hang of it or you’ll fall off.”
“Got it, Coach.” Stevie nodded obediently. Then, when she spotted a wave she liked, she went for it—and once the wave grabbed her board, she stood precariously, her arms wind-milling desperately as she fought for balance. She grinned as she heard Matthew’s shout of amusement behind her. As she lost her balance for good and pitched off the board to one side, she saw him skim past expertly on his own board.
“Nice form—for a beginner,” he called as she came up for air and swam to retrieve her board.
“Thanks,” she called back. “I was just making a point. Stevie Lake is not afraid of falling off!”
After a few more tries, Stevie had the hang of it. As she swooped toward shore for about the tenth time, her clothes and hair soaking wet, her knees scraped from a wild wave that had caught her unaware, her eyes stinging from the salt water, she had to admit that she was having more fun than she’d had in longer than she could remember. She felt like a carefree little kid again, with all thoughts of car accidents, worrisome friends, and the uncertain future far from her mind.
For the first time in a long time, Stevie was living in the moment.
FOURTEEN
Stevie led a tall gray mare named Jewel to the mounting block at the end of the stable row. She swung aboard and settled herself in the saddle. “Ready to go?” she asked her friends.
Lisa nodded. She was mounted and waiting on Topsy. Carole had already ridden a few yards away on her horse for the day, a spirited bay, and was adjusting her stirrups.
Stevie waited until Lisa had swung Topsy around and headed toward the foothills at a walk. Then she followed
on Jewel, enjoying the feel of the mare’s long, smooth, easy stride and the warmth of the late-afternoon sunshine soaking through her thin cotton T-shirt. Carole quickly turned her horse to join them.
“It was really nice of Skye to arrange this for us,” Carole commented.
Lisa nodded. “I guess he remembered how much we like trail rides. It was all his idea. He wanted you guys to have fun on your last day here.” She cast a sidelong glance at Stevie. “Though maybe some of us have already had enough fun for one trip.”
Stevie grimaced. “Ha, ha,” she said heavily. Her friends had been teasing her all day about the previous night’s impromptu surfing adventure, and it was getting kind of old. However, she had noticed that they didn’t mention anything at all when Matthew was within hearing distance. She could tell they didn’t quite understand where he fit into it all, and she couldn’t really blame them. She didn’t understand it very well herself.
She knew now that Matthew was nothing like the character he played on TV. That much was obvious. It was also obvious that she had felt an attraction to him that she had felt to few other guys. That didn’t mean she cared any less about Phil, or that she wanted anything to happen between her and Matthew.
I wonder if that’s how Lisa feels about Skye and Alex, she mused. Maybe she’s got some murky more-than-a-friend feelings for Skye. She can’t help that if it’s true, any more than I can help the thing with Matthew. But it doesn’t mean she’s going to betray Alex. It doesn’t even mean she loves him any less. Does it?
She wasn’t sure. She could only speak for herself, and she knew that she was as committed to Phil as ever. So maybe it was possible. In any case, whatever else she took away from this trip, Matthew’s advice—to remember that life is lived in the moment, one day at a time—had struck a nerve with her, deeper than he would ever know. For the first time, she had realized that she wasn’t just worrying too much over the future, she was also still stuck in the past. The accident had happened two months before, but Stevie hadn’t moved past it in her mind. Callie had, Carole had, but she hadn’t. She had been trying to blame other people for that—Scott Forester and his resentful looks, the TV reporter, even concerned friends who seemed to be constantly asking her how she was doing. By doing so, Stevie realized, she had been no better than Summer, allowing what other people said or thought to control her life. Stevie wasn’t sure that Summer would ever realize that she had a choice about whether to give in to Jeremiah’s threats. And there wasn’t much that Stevie—or anyone else—could do about that. But Stevie finally saw her own situation a little more clearly, and she was determined to make a change for the better. It wouldn’t be easy—Scott would still be there waiting to trip her up, and so would all the others—but all she could do was try. And take it one day at a time.
After all, Stevie reminded herself, I don’t really have any other choice, do I?
At that moment Jewel stumbled over a rock, and Stevie snapped out of it. For a few minutes she had been so lost in thought that she had almost forgotten where she was. She glanced at her friends to see whether they had noticed how uncharacteristically quiet she was being. Even if she was starting to feel more comfortable with her weird feelings, she didn’t want them to guess that she was still thinking about Matthew.
But neither of them was even looking at her. Lisa’s face was pensive. Despite her new perspective, Stevie couldn’t help wondering what she was thinking about, and her stomach clenched as she thought of her brother sitting at home, lonely and missing his girlfriend.
Then she shook her head. Those kinds of thoughts didn’t help anyone. She might as well remember Matthew’s advice, live in the moment, enjoy the trail ride, and try to forget about the future for a while. Because in this particular instance, the future would be up to Lisa. Of course, Carole had tried to live in the moment, and look where that had gotten her. … Stevie turned to check on her. Carole was staring straight ahead, her face sunk into the expression she had worn off and on for the past two days—pained, thoughtful, and slightly wary.
Carole didn’t notice Stevie’s glance. She was rehashing her brief involvement with Jeremiah for the umpteenth time. She still had trouble understanding how it had gone so wrong. How could he have deceived her so completely? How could she know instantly when a horse wasn’t feeling well or was about to try something sneaky but not have the slightest idea when a person was out to hurt her? Was she really that clueless about guys?
She guessed maybe she was. She had always been more hesitant about dating and romance than Stevie and Lisa were. When they were all younger it hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, but lately Carole had begun to feel that she was missing out on something, that she had been left behind somehow without realizing it was happening. Both of her friends had serious relationships, and that sometimes made it seem as though they were members of a secret club she wasn’t yet qualified to join.
And right now she wasn’t sure she even wanted to join. After what had happened, she suspected it would be a while before she was ready to trust a guy again, no matter how much he flattered her. Going with the flow had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Carole knew that the price of a little recklessness and fun could be far too high.
Still, this trip hasn’t been all bad news, Carole reminded herself. At least I got to see Lisa again. And I think I’m finally starting to believe that every little tremor doesn’t signal the start of the Big One. She almost smiled at the thought. After surviving what Jeremiah had done to her, the idea of a little rumbling underfoot didn’t seem so scary anymore. She still didn’t understand how people could live in earthquake country, though. She would take the nice, still, solid ground back home any day.
Realizing that she had been quiet for a long time, she glanced at Stevie and Lisa to see if they had noticed. The last thing she wanted was for them to guess that she was thinking about Jeremiah and launch into one of their well-intentioned speeches. Luckily they both seemed wrapped up in their own thoughts. The three girls were so close that it sometimes seemed they could read one another’s minds, but at the moment it made Carole a little uncomfortable to try to imagine what they were thinking. She had done her best to hide her shock that Stevie had gone off with Matthew, but it wasn’t easy. The surprising part wasn’t that Stevie had gone surfing fully clothed—that was just like her. But since when did she suddenly go from completely disliking a guy to blushing whenever she passed him in the stable? What did it mean? Carole wasn’t sure she wanted to know. It just went to show that the relationships between guys and girls were more complicated than she had realized.
And then there was Lisa. Carole wanted to think that Lisa was so quiet because she was so overwhelmed with happiness at the thought of going home soon. But she knew it probably wasn’t that simple. She had been so wrapped up with her quest for romance and excitement that she hadn’t paid much attention to Stevie’s worries at first. But now that it was almost time to leave, Carole realized Lisa hadn’t said much about her return to Willow Creek. She hadn’t even said that much about Alex. Did that mean Stevie’s suspicions were correct? Had Lisa fallen in love with Skye this summer, or worse yet, with California? Was she actually wishing she could stay here instead of coming home?
Lisa was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she wasn’t aware that her friends were strangely silent as they rode. She was thinking back on all the things that had gone into making her summer in California so wonderful. It was hard to believe it was really coming to an end so soon.
Or is it? Lisa asked herself. I don’t have much time to make up my mind. I have to figure out where I belong—which place will be best for me.
She knew that the easiest option would be to sit back and go with the flow. That would mean automatically and obediently heading back to Virginia the following week, just as everyone expected her to. But letting that happen would mean she wasn’t in control of her own life. She was well aware that most people thought of her as a good girl, for better or for wor
se. Did she really have the strength to rebel for once, to make her own choice, even if that meant defying expectations?
She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to do. She knew that her father and Evelyn would be thrilled to have her stay. So would Skye and her other friends on the set. Maybe she would even be able to work out a part-time job for the school year. Staying would mean she would get to watch Lily grow up, to be a real part of her sister’s life. If she made that choice, her mother and her friends back home would just have to adjust. So would Alex, though Lisa was realistic enough to know that the prospects for continuing their relationship long-distance were iffy at best. Still, if they were meant to be together, they should be able to work it out. Right? It wasn’t as if it would always be easy, anyway—Lisa would be leaving for college before long, and who knew what would happen then?
Though she was trying to keep her thoughts as rational as possible, Lisa’s heart ached at the thought of being separated from Alex, being apart from Carole and Stevie. They had all been together so long… Still, she had friends in California now, too. Maybe they weren’t as close as her old friends yet, but who knew what could happen if she took the chance? Besides that, she had really loved working behind the scenes of Paradise Ranch this summer. Her job had given her the chance to see all the fascinating processes that went into producing a television show. She was even starting to think it was interesting enough to consider as a possible career someday. Of course, it was such a competitive business—the best way to have a shot at it would be to stay and get as much experience as she could.
Suddenly Lisa noticed that her friends were being awfully quiet. They had been riding for almost half an hour and nobody had said a word. She glanced at them and saw that they both looked thoughtful and rather somber. She guessed that Carole was still thinking about Jeremiah. And Stevie was probably back to brooding over the accident again, now that it was almost time for her to return home. Lisa didn’t envy either of her friends their problems, and she knew she would do whatever she could to help them through. But she also knew that there wasn’t much she could do in either case other than listen and be a supportive friend.
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