Juliet raises an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sure I’m not his type.”
“Maybe not,” she says. “Although, I don’t know, maybe you should be. Just don’t tell me you’re saying that because you don’t think you’re pretty enough. That’s ridiculous. He wishes he could get someone as beautiful as you.”
I smile. “Thanks, Jules.”
Finn comes back over, wiping a towel across the bar. “What are you girls chatting about?”
“Lucas,” Juliet says.
“What about him?”
“You know, how he is with women,” she says. “I was warning Becca to keep her guard up.”
Finn laughs. “He’s not that bad.”
Juliet looks at Finn like he’s crazy. “Yeah, he is.”
“How so?”
“When was the last time Lucas had an actual girlfriend?” Juliet asks. “Has he ever been in a relationship? Or is it always the flavor of the week?”
“Hey,” Finn says. “Lucas had a serious girlfriend when he lived in New York. They lived together. Granted, that was a few years ago, I guess.”
“Well, whatever,” Juliet says. “I’m not shit talking Lucas. He’s great. I just don’t want my sweet Becca here to be another notch on his bedpost.”
I take another sip of my drink, trying not to prickle at Juliet’s my sweet Becca comment. I don’t need her to take care of me. “You don’t need to worry. I can handle myself.”
“Speaking of Lucas,” Finn says, “I need to text him and see if we’re still on for this weekend.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Juliet says.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask.
“Lucas is taking us surfing,” Juliet says, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh, wow,” I say. I’ve never even considered going surfing—it sounds way too scary—but I’m still a little bummed they didn’t invite me along.
“Who all is going?” I ask. “Just you three?”
“I’m going to drag Gabe with us,” Finn says. “He’ll say he has to work, but that’s why we’re going early. His restaurant will survive without him for a little while.”
Gabe is Finn and Lucas’s other good friend. He’s a chef and restaurant owner. Before I moved out here, Juliet kept bugging me about coming to visit so we could have dinner at his restaurant.
“And who knows with Lucas,” Juliet says. “He might bring ten other people. I’m excited. Last time we went it was so much fun, even though I was terrible at it.”
Finn reaches across the bar and taps Juliet’s nose. “You weren’t terrible.”
“No, I was objectively terrible,” she says. “But it was still a good time.”
At this point I can’t ask to be invited—that would be too awkward. And why would I want to go surfing anyway? I’d probably end up hanging out in someone’s car while they all have fun because I’d be too scared to get in the water. But I guess my disappointment shows, because Juliet puts her hand on my arm.
“Hey,” she says. “You can come if you want. I didn’t invite you because I figured there’s no way you’d ever go surfing.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say. “You’re right. I wouldn’t get in the water.”
“Who’s getting in the water?” Lucas says behind me.
I gasp, startled. I didn’t hear him come in.
“Us, this weekend,” Juliet says. “Are we still on?”
“Fuck yeah, we’re on,” Lucas says.
He grins at me, a crooked smile that makes him look mischievous. He’s dressed in a gray t-shirt and jeans, his clothes hanging perfectly off his toned body.
Man-whore, Becca. Not your type. You are not thinking about how ridiculously gorgeous he is.
He sits on the stool next to me and playfully tugs on my ponytail. “Hey, neighbor.”
“Hey.”
Juliet gives him a weird look.
“Finn,” he says. “Beer me, buddy.”
Finn already has a beer for him. He hands it over and Finn lifts it up, smiling at me again.
“Cheers,” he says.
I clink my glass against his beer bottle. “Cheers.”
“Hey, Jules,” Lucas says, holding up his beer. “So Becca, did you get the rest of your pictures hung and everything?”
“Most of them, yeah,” I say. “Thanks again for your help.”
“Anytime.”
Juliet touches my arm, like she’s trying to get my attention. “When do you start your new job?”
“Monday,” I say. “I went in earlier today and met with the director again. Everything looks really great. I think I’m going to love it there.”
“What do you do?” Lucas asks.
“I’m a preschool teacher.”
His eyebrows lift and he starts laughing.
I set my drink down. “Are you laughing at me?”
“No,” he says. “I’m not. I swear. But of course you’re a preschool teacher.”
Okay, I don’t care if Lucas is cute; he’s annoying me right now. I try to be nice, but it’s hard to keep the edge from my voice. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he says with a shrug. “It just fits. I should have guessed that’s what you do.”
I still feel like he’s making fun of me. I scowl at him and shift in my seat so he’s partially behind me.
Juliet leans so she can see Lucas past me. “She’s an amazing preschool teacher. She has a gift.”
“I have no doubt,” Lucas says. “You seem like you’d be great with kids.”
He sounds sincere, and that was a nice thing to say. “Thanks. I love what I do.”
“You know, that’s a big deal,” he says. “Too many people go through life hating their job. That’s no way to live.”
I turn back toward Lucas. “I agree. My parents still hint that they think I should get a better job. But I don’t think I’d be happier making more money doing something else.”
He tips his beer toward me. “I feel you. I have the same issue with my old man. Although I’d make less money doing what he wants me to do. But the whole parental scorn thing? I get it.”
Juliet checks her phone. “I’m sorry I can’t stay, but I have to drive to Seattle in the morning, so I have to get up at like five.” She gets down from her stool and hugs me. “I’ll text you, okay?”
“Yep. I’ll see you later.”
Finn comes around and gathers her up in his arms. “Night, sprinkles. I won’t be too late.”
I glance away while they kiss. They’re so adorable. Juliet leaves and Finn goes back to the kitchen, leaving me and Lucas alone. There’s no one else in the pub tonight. I feel a twinge of nervousness at being alone with him.
“So, big plans for tonight?” Lucas asks. “Are you meeting a hot date or something?”
I laugh. “Hardly. I’m happily single right now.”
It’s probably my imagination, but it seems like Lucas smiles a little at that.
“What about this weekend?” He nudges my arm. “Want to come surfing with us?”
“Thanks, but no.” I could just tell him I’d be afraid to go surfing, but for some reason, I don’t want to admit that to him. “I still have so much unpacking to do. Maybe another time.”
He shrugs and takes another drink of his beer. “Fair enough.”
There’s a part of me that wishes he didn’t drop the subject so quickly. But that’s silly, because it isn’t like I want to go.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but I’m feeling deflated. I shouldn’t. It’s my first week in my new apartment, in a new town, and I’m doing fine.
Maybe fine isn’t enough. Or maybe I’m still reeling from all the changes I’ve made over the last several weeks. I just wish I could shake this feeling that there’s something I’m missing—something more I should be doing.
I pull out some money for my drink, set it on the bar, and slide off the barstool. “I think I’m going to head home.”
&nbs
p; Lucas smiles. “Okay. I’ll see you around.”
“Tell Finn I said bye.”
“Will do.”
I head out, wondering what it’s going to take to shake this feeling of being dissatisfied.
6
Becca
I go out back to get some fresh air. I have a little concrete patio with a bistro table and two chairs, so I take a seat. The sun has long since set, but the night is mild. A light breeze blows through the trees and I clutch a mug of hot tea.
It’s bothering me more than it should that Juliet and Finn are going surfing with Lucas this weekend and I wasn’t invited. Okay, so she did kind of invite me, but it was clearly a pity invite that she fully expected me to decline. And I said no to Lucas when he brought it up. So I shouldn’t feel bad about it.
The problem is, I know Juliet’s right. I would have said no. Me, in the ocean? Not a chance. That water is freezing, for one. And the waves are scary. I’m a decent swimmer, but that’s in a pool—clear, chlorinated, and safe from riptides and predatory animals.
If my friend Madison were here, she’d go surfing. She’s always brave. Juliet is too, in her own way. It was bravery that got her together with Finn. I wouldn’t have had the guts to ask a guy to take me back to his place, like she did. And look how that turned out for her. She’s supremely happy with an amazing guy.
I feel like I keep letting other people decide things for me. I always take the well-worn path. People see me as sweet and innocent, and I’m not… except I kind of am. I always play it safe. I live by the rules, color inside the lines, and do what I’m supposed to do. A lot of people explore their wild side when they’re in their teens or early twenties. Me? I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday nights either at the movies with friends, or on low-key dates with nice boys my parents approved of. My parents practically hand-picked Brandon for me. Even when I lived with Madison and Juliet, I steered clear of anything that struck me as dangerous or risky.
When was the last time I did something really unexpected? I guess moving to Jetty Beach was unexpected, at least to my parents. But that’s hardly a big thing. People move all the time. It’s a step in the right direction, and I love the freedom I have. But it isn’t enough.
I need to figure out who I am. Not who I am as a daughter, or a friend, or a girlfriend. Not who everyone else expects me to be.
I’m tired of being what they expect.
I feel like Sandy in Grease. The cute, naive blond girl. Maybe I need my friends to give me a slutty makeover so I can wow the bad boy and drive off into the sky in a cool car.
Okay, that last part, not so much.
I also can’t help but wonder if those Internet theories about Sandy being dead the whole time are true.
But I’m getting off track.
Sandy had a wild side, didn’t she? She just needed to bring it out. I’d love to think I have a wild side too. Maybe not dress in head-to-toe black and high heels, smoking a cigarette wild. But I wish I wasn’t so scared to take risks. I wish I had the guts to go surfing. To kiss a guy I barely know, just because I want to. To do something naughty with a guy where we might get caught. To do something that scares me.
Lucas’s back porch light turns on and I gasp. Crap, that startled me. The backyard is open without a barrier between my place and his. I lean back in my chair a little until I can see his sliding glass door. It looks empty inside.
Lucas appears at the door, seemingly out of nowhere, and I yelp. Crap, he scared me again. The door opens, and he steps out.
“Hey,” he says with a laugh. “Sorry, did I scare you?”
God, does everything have to scare me? “Just startled me a little.”
He walks over and touches the back of the other chair. “Want some company?”
“Sure.”
The chair scrapes against the concrete as he pulls it away from the table. He sits down. “So, how do you like living at the beach so far?”
“It’s good,” I say. “My apartment is nice, and I think my job is going to be great. This was a good move for me.”
He nods. “Awesome. It’s nice having someone normal live next door. The guy before you was a real weirdo.”
“Was he?”
“Yeah,” Lucas says. “He liked to cook, but he burnt everything, so the smoke alarms went off at least a few times a week. And he was a really loud talker. I heard all his phone conversations. That was awkward.”
“Well, I guess now you have me.”
He grins and it sends a tingle down my spine. “That I do, darling. And I’ve already had the pleasure of getting you to say a naughty word.”
I laugh. “You’re hoping I’ll say it again right now, aren’t you?”
“Kinda.”
I nibble on my bottom lip for a second and glance away. “Fuck.”
Lucas laughs. “I don’t know why that’s so much fun, but it really is.”
“I’m glad to be your amusement tonight.”
“Why are you so squeamish about swearing, anyway?” he asks. “Strict parents?”
“Yeah, I suppose they were,” I say. “They never swore and I wasn’t allowed to see R-rated movies until… well, I didn’t see one until after I moved out and went to college, if that tells you anything. It’s just not in my nature. They raised me to be a lady.”
“Yeah, but you can be a lady and still say fuck and stuff,” he says. “In this day and age, there’s no reason to be stuffy.”
“I’m not stuffy!”
“No, I didn’t mean you are,” he says. “And there’s a time and a place for more rigid manners. But hey, we’re just hanging out on a nice evening. What’s a little fuck between friends?”
I cross my legs to suppress the rush of arousal at his comment. I’m glad it’s dark out here, because I’m positive I’m blushing like crazy. He’s smiling like he’s trying to get a rise out of me.
But thinking about swearing—and Lucas—is giving me an idea.
I need someone to do the slutty makeover, except not with big hair and leather. And not actually slutty. Just… someone who can help me be a little more daring. Take a few risks. Lucas got me to say the f-word for the first time in my life. Maybe he can help me do a few more things to loosen up a little.
Because the problem is, I have no idea where to start.
“Have you seen Grease?” I ask, before I lose my nerve.
Lucas sings, “Summer lovin’, had me a blast.”
He sings.
And he’s really good.
“Wow,” I say. “Impressive.”
He laughs. “Thanks. It’s one of my karaoke favorites. But yeah, I’ve seen it. Why?”
“Will you promise not to a laugh at me?”
“At this point, I don’t think I can promise anything of the sort.”
“Come on, give me a break,” I say. “I might need your help with something. But this is kind of embarrassing.”
He leans forward in his chair. “Now I’m intrigued. Okay, I won’t laugh.”
I take a deep breath. “This might come as a surprise to you, but I’m basically Sandy.”
He tilts his head and looks at me. “Holy shit, you are.”
I roll my eyes. “Sort of. I’m not exactly like Sandy, and I haven’t had a summer fling with a bad boy who’s actually really sweet or whatever. But I do have the tendency to play it safe.”
“I have no idea where you’re going with this, but I’m fascinated right now,” he says.
“Are you making fun of me?”
“No,” he says with a laugh. “Go on.”
“Well, you were right about swearing,” I say. “I’d never actually uttered that word before.”
“Fuck?”
“Yes, that one.”
“You should say it again, right now,” he says.
“Oh my god, focus,” I say. “This isn’t about swearing. I’m living totally on my own for the first time, and that’s great. But I’m still missing something. I think I miss out on a lot of thi
ngs because I’m too timid to take chances.”
“I can see that,” he says.
“I want to, I don’t know, loosen up,” I say. “Take a few risks. Nothing huge. I don’t want to do anything really foolish or get hurt. But maybe bring out my naughty side. Just a tiny bit.”
Lucas clears his throat and shifts in his seat. “So, why are you telling me?”
“The problem is, I don’t know where to start,” I say. “Just saying a bad word isn’t all that risky. But I can’t think of what else I’d do. So, I was wondering if you had any ideas.”
“Ideas to bring out your naughty side?”
“Yeah, sort of. I want to be more like Sandy at the end of Grease, rather than the beginning.”
“Can we dress you in black leather and heels?” he asks.
I laugh. “No, clothes aren’t the point.”
Lucas puts a hand to his chin and looks out over the dark yard for a long moment. “Yeah, I have a few ideas.”
A twinge of nervousness zings through me. I wonder if I’m going to regret this. I barely know Lucas. Maybe I should have asked Juliet. But I have a feeling Juliet’s version of helping me be naughty wouldn’t be enough.
“Okay, cool,” I say.
“How do you feel about tequila?” he asks.
I laugh. “Tequila is great, especially in margarita form. I’ve been drunk lots of times, if that’s what you’re hinting at. I’m not that innocent.”
“Damn, I was kind of hoping I’d be able to get you drunk for the first time,” he says. “That would be fun. Oh well, maybe we’ll get drunk anyway.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“You know what? You did the right thing in coming to me. This is going to be fun.”
I bite my lower lip and my hands feel shaky. “Yeah?”
“Absolutely,” he says. “But tell me first, what are your rules? Do you have any hard limits?”
“Well, yeah,” I say. “I don’t want to break the law or do anything that could get me into trouble.”
“Hmm,” he says. “Agreed about law-breaking. Mostly. But we might have to push the boundaries of getting in trouble, just a little.”
“But—”
“Hey,” he says, putting his finger up. “Naughty side, right? Some rules can be bent. You’ll see.”
Could Be the One: (Lucas and Becca) (A Back to Jetty Beach Romance Book 2) Page 4