In my case, I was trying desperately not to think of something: Rick and Haley together.
“Yeah,” I finally caved, convinced it was the fastest way to get away from him. “I was a little lost in thought. I didn’t even think it was all that difficult.” I shrugged.
Rick studied me intensely for a moment. His eyes twinkled even in the shade. He finally nodded and broke his gaze. “Can I help you with these?”
I let Rick help me gather up the heavy canvas drapes and fold them up. We placed each piece on the cart. I glanced down at my sore fingers again once we were done. Rick reached into the bottom of the cart and pulled out one of the first aid kits that were scattered around the event. He pulled out a little green-labeled sample pack, ripped it open, and moved closer to me. He took one of my wrists and laid the back of my hand on his palm.
“Now, please don’t be a baby about this, but I’d like to put this on just to be safe. It’ll also relieve some of the pain.”
I didn’t say a word and let him apply the cool gel ointment on my fingers and palms.
Once he was done with both hands, I lifted them in the air and waved them around. “What now?” I joked.
Rick laughed and gently put my arms to my sides. “It’s just serving as a coolant and antibacterial. You don’t have to wrap it or anything.”
I smiled and stood back, leaning against the down-stage column, unsure if I could do or touch anything any-time soon.
“Are you going to the fireworks party tonight?”
“Was considering it. I mean, I do have so many other options.” I rolled my eyes.
“’Cause I was thinking maybe I should drive you there. You know, being that it’s probably best that you don’t turn any hard-leather steering wheels in the next twelve hours.”
“What about Haley?” I was surprised at my own honesty, but I’d figured there was no point in beating around it.
Rick gave me that same twinkling look again, this time with his head slightly tilted and a lazy smile forming on one side. “Haley does a great job pretending she is something that she’s not.”
I nodded slowly, feeling immensely relieved. “You know they give Emmys for that,” I joked again. It appeared to be all I could do.
“Well, this actress needs to know when the curtain has closed,” he suggested, his annoyance clear. When he focused on me again, his smile came back almost instantly. “So, pick you up at eight?”
An hour later, I opened the door to my room to find Rachel passed out on her bed. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t possibly have lain down. I had way too much going on in my head. It wasn’t just the excitement of Rick asking me to go to the fireworks party. There was something deeper and not good. It was eating away at me.
Emily.
Right about now, I would be calling her to tell her about Rick and the strange growing attraction. And our so-called date. She would be the one to tell me if it was a date or not. I flopped on my bed, holding my cell phone in my hands. I took a deep breath and dialed.
“It’s Emily. Leave a message.”
For a second, I considered leaving a message. I’d apologize and proceed to tell her that her life wasn’t as dull and simpleminded as I had implied. But then again, that may have been exactly what I was saying. Luckily, Em and I never left messages for each other, since we’d just call the other back. Only now there was little chance that Emily was going to call back.
I hung up and looked at Rachel. She was now awake and looking at me.
“Hi,” she said weakly.
“Hey. Are you feeling okay?” I walked over to the side of her bed and sat on the edge. She was a little sweaty and very red. I wondered if she was running a fever. I felt her forehead and arms. She was very warm.
“Ugh. I don’t feel so good. I feel nauseous and tired.” She tried to get up. “Oh…and dizzy.” She fell back on her pillow.
I’d seen these signs before, and it made sense in Rachel’s case, given her strenuous activities in the heat today. “Rach, I think you’ve got heat exhaustion.”
I got her a couple of icepacks from the freezer and ran some cold water over a paper towel. “You should lie back down.” I suggested.
She stubbornly sat back up in her bed. “No, no. I’ve been asleep for a while. That’s not good for heat exhaustion; you just get hotter when you sleep. I need to drink water and cool off. She placed the cool paper towel over her head. She kept her head up, facing the ceiling to keep the towel in place. “So, Peter told me about Jeff’s party today. Are you going?”
“I think so,” I started casually. “Rick said he would pick me up around eight.”
Rachel dropped her head, letting the paper towel fall to her lap. “Rick?”
I explained the quick exchange that Rick and I had earlier. I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss anything in case this evening was just “as friends.”
“Amy, that’s not Rick being considerate or polite. He’s asking you out.”
I playfully waved her off. “It’s barely that. He didn’t say anything about hanging out with me once we got there.”
“Well, he’s not taking Haley,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, um…I sort of asked him about that.”
Rachel’s eyes widened and her smile stretched. “That’s the last thing I would have expected you to do.”
“Well, I had to. It was…bothering me.”
By ten to eight, I was slipping into my light-blue cotton dress where the back fell a little shorter than the front, the front being just above my knees. Since the party was on the beach, I decided to wear my bathing suit under the dress and white flip-flops. It also helped dress down the outfit to appropriate beachwear. I looked over at Rachel, who was nowhere near getting ready. She was lying in bed, flat on her back with no pillow, staring at the ceiling.
“Rach?” I called, quietly.
She groaned.
That did it. I threw off my flip-flops and settled down next to her. “I’m going to stay with you.”
She jumped up into a sitting position. “Not a chance in hell,” she barked.
I shifted back, stunned at her sudden burst of energy, then raised an eyebrow at her. “Good thing I wasn’t giving you a choice.”
“Wow. You’re a terrible friend.”
I swallowed the hurtful words. They only hurt because of my recent fight with my best friend. I said nothing in response and just stared at her.
“Fine. Stay here with me. But all you’re going to do is make me hate myself for getting sick when you had your big date. I’ll just go on feeling like I let you down when I’m supposed to be cheering you on. So in the end, Amy, no one wins.”
My mouth dropped, and she held her challenging stare. There was a knock on our door.
“Wow. Sheesh, okay. I’ll go.” I stood warily and practically stumbled to the door.
CHAPTER 18
Rick stared at me for a moment, and his mouth opened a little before slowly forming into a smile. He wore a white buttondown short-sleeved shirt over a pair of tan cargo shorts. His tanned skin looked as smooth and touchable as ever.
“Hi,” I finally said.
“Hey,” he said, snapping out of his gaze. “You ready?” He looked over my shoulder. “Oh, hey Rachel, I thought Peter would have been picking you up. Do you want to come with us?”
I turned my head to look at Rachel on the bed. “She’s got heat exhaustion and won’t let me stay with her.” I stepped back to let him in.
Rick took a step in and looked at Rachel. Her skin still had some red patches, and beads of sweat were on her forehead. He feigned a shocked expression. “Whoa, Rach, you don’t look too hot.”
“I can assure you I am,” she joked. “There’s seriously nothing you guys can do for me.” Rachel insisted. “I’m okay. Enjoy the fireworks. If I’m feeling better, I’ll call Peter to come get me.”
Rick and I exchanged glances.
“Please let me know if you need anything, and I’ll come right back.”
Remembering Rick was my ride, I looked over at him, and he gave me a reassuring nod.
“I like you, Amy, but I’ll probably just call Peter to come over later.”
Rick parked along the boardwalk parking lot that was nearly filled. The sun was setting as we walked up a short ramp and onto the boardwalk. There were a few restaurants lined up along the strip to the right off the ramp entrance. Dan’s Crab House was the first and biggest establishment on the corner. There was also a surfboard and souvenir shop, a candy store, an ice-cream parlor, and a sports bar. The sports bar was the last on the strip before the next entrance ramp. After that it was mostly empty except for a few white benches. Farther down the strip was the Admiral Restaurant, a magnificent venue at night, surrounded by tree lights and hanging lanterns. Most of the yachts and boats were anchored along that end of the beach. I wondered what kind of events they usually had there.
“You should see it inside. It’s stunning,” Rick proclaimed, reading my thoughts. I must have been gawking in that direction.
“Come on. I think we can catch the rest of this sunset before the fireworks start.”
A gathering of familiar people from the camp and the club were spreading across the beach. A large blanket was spread in the middle, where Jeff and two other guys were lining up some fireworks. Two large coolers were placed on either end of the blanket, one filled with sodas and water bottles, the other with beer. A portable Mp3 player was stationed on one of four lounge chairs spread evenly around the blanket and coolers. From the way the party was set up, I gathered they didn’t plan on a huge turnout.
The thought made me look around for Peter.
“Hey guys, beer?” Jeff yelled over to us, holding up two bottles.
I shook my head. Rick turned from me to Jeff.
“Thanks, maybe later,” Rick shouted back.
“I might grab a bottle of water to cool off my hands.” I turned my palms up. “I don’t know why, but I feel like they’re still burning.”
“I have a better idea.” Rick took my hand and ran us over to the shore.
Realizing he was pulling us into the water, I kicked off my thongs.
“Run your hands through the water.” He called over the sound of crashing waves. “It might sting for a second, but the salt water is the best thing for it.”
I did what he suggested and immediately felt a rising sting and then a slow relief. A few seconds later, there was a sharper, instant sting, that flared with no warning at all. I jumped back and shrieked waving my hands in the air, violently. “You didn’t tell me there was an aftershock.”
Before I knew it, the sun had set, and Rick and I turned back to join the rest of the crowd. I noticed Haley had joined the crowd as well, and I pulled my hair behind my ears self-consciously—probably because she was looking extremely hot with a very revealing bikini top and supershort denim shorts. I couldn’t have been overdressed. Trish and Lindsey were wearing sundresses and so was the bartender’s date. Jeff handed me and Rick each a plate with a burger. I grabbed a beer off the cooler, and Rick and I sat on the edge of the blanket. I glanced over at Haley, who was flirting with Jeff now.
“You know you don’t have to hang out with me all night.” I told Rick after taking a swig of my beer and a bite of my overcooked burger.
Rick raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Oh, no,” he objected, shaking his head. “We’re talking about Amy Kragen. There’s never a dull moment with you around. Something’s about to happen, I just know it. I’ve been lucky enough to have witnessed—and been victim of—many events, but I’ll be damned if I miss even one.”
I laughed and playfully punched his arm. But I had a deeper temptation to slide my hand under the sleeve of his shirt to feel the skin behind it. I quickly turned away before acting on it.
“That is not true. I have many a dull moment,” I insisted.
“Name one since you got here.” He took another bite out of his burger and waited.
I searched my brain for anything that didn’t have something behind it. “Sarah’s weekly trainings.”
“You mean the one where you picked a fight with Jeff? Good stuff. What else you got?”
I frowned. That was one time, but I digressed.
“My date with Chris.”
“Are you kidding, that’s one for the books!” He laughed.
Suddenly, I heard sparks going off behind me. I turned and found Jeff standing with two hands full of firework sparkle sticks. These weren’t the kind I’d seen at New Year’s parties. They were longer and the sparklers much brighter.
“All right, everyone. Follow me.” Jeff called, running straight into the dark ocean.
He ran in until he was knee deep, holding up the sparklers and handing them out to everyone who followed him in. I stepped back, deciding not to participate in the wet activity, although I was wearing a bikini under my dress. Haley followed Jeff in. Trish and Lindsey, two of the other camp counselors, slipped out of their dresses and went in giggling. A bunch of others slowly joined until there was no one but me, Rick, and the DJ left on the beach. Suddenly, behind me, I felt Rick’s strong, big hands at my waist. I turned to face him. His green eyes locked into mine. His lips were just inches from mine. I glanced down at them.
“You ready?”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’d jump off a cliff, but you won’t get your feet wet?”
I made a sour face, which only seemed to encourage Rick more. As if he wasn’t close enough, he took a step toward me, looking deep into my eyes, and put his hands at my hips. He tugged lightly on my dress and scrunched up the cotton in his hands, slowly pulling it up until he’d reached the ends. His fingers lightly grazed my upper legs, as the lower part of my dress rested over his forearms. His eyes diverted to my lips for a moment before he met my eyes again and pulled the dress over my head. He tossed it lightly on the blanket and pulled his own shirt off.
He reached out his hand to me. “Come on. It’ll be worth it.”
I followed him, briefly looking around me, wondering if I had imagined what just happened.
We ran into the surprisingly warm ocean water and grabbed a pair of sparklers from Jeff. There must had been more than ten of us in the water at that point. Bob played the top ten Fourth of July party songs as we raised our sparklers into the air and slowly hopped through the small waves. The fiery sparks and bonfire were the primary sources of light in this pitch-black night—that is, until the first bang went off.
We all turned to witness the smoky air left behind as the first set of fireworks burst through the dark night. Vivid colors continued to ignite above us. Within minutes, our own sparklers went out, and the party slowly started making their way back to the beach. Rick and I slowly followed, but I stopped when the bright-yellow weeping willow firework came down on us. It was my favorite. Seeing it up close was extraordinary. The falling sparks seemed to disappear into the water. I broke from my mesmerized gaze, realizing my mouth was hanging open.
I immediately closed it and lowered my head to find Rick staring into my eyes. My feet were still in the water, that I knew for sure, but the rest of me went completely numb. I felt my heart racing, and I convinced myself it was from all the excitement.
Rick reached out and brushed a wet strand of hair away from my face. I expected his hand to drop after that, but it lingered just above my cheekbone. Then I felt his hand slide behind my ear and rest on the back of my neck. His foot swooshed beneath the surface of the water as he took a step toward me, his breath minty with a hint of saltwater. He leaned in until our noses were barely touching.
Before I could breathe or blink or say anything, Rick put his other arm around my waist and pulled me in to a kiss. It wasn’t innocent or sweet or anything like I’ve ever known a first kiss between two people to be. It was strong and hot. For a fraction of a second, I considered pulling away but immediately hated myself for even thinking it. Instead, I threw my arms around his neck and retu
rned the kiss with equal intensity.
CHAPTER 19
Later into the night I met a few of Rick’s friends that I remembered from the warehouse, all of whom were friendly and welcoming. A lot of them seemed to have stories that made them unique from the others. Slowly during the night, Rick and I would find ourselves talking to many of them at length about their hopes and dreams. Rick had teased that I brought that out in people.
It was almost midnight when the party started to clear out. Rick playfully tackled me on the sand while we were supposed to be folding up the blanket and cleaning.
“Do you want to head back now?” he said quietly while he stood an inch away from me.
Not really. This was the first time we’d been alone all night and I wasn’t ready to go back now.
“Feels kinda early.”
A smile played on his face. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He picked up both our shoes and reached for my hand. “C’mon, let’s walk for a while.”
We walked for a few minutes, talking about some of his friends and the funny ways they’d all met the others. The stories seemed funnier to more of the drunker listeners and storytellers.
“Yours takes the cake.” He winked.
I glanced back when some of the beachfront store and restaurant lights went out.
He stopped to see if I wanted to head back, but I tightened my grip on his hand and pulled forward. We walked up to a long, dark pier that was just south of the cliffs. That part of the beach was barely lit, especially with the tall, ominous, dark cliffs behind it. He stepped up onto the pier and pulled me up. We sat along the edge for a while, watching more fireworks burst into the night sky. After they were over, we talked for a while longer before falling into a comfortable silence. His fingers wrapped through mine, and I turned to find his green eyes focused on my lips.
Suddenly everything that had happened in the last few hours had become a blur, and I was right back to where we were when he first kissed me in the water. I wanted him to kiss me again, softly this time. He leaned in, and I closed my eyes. But instead of feeling the overwhelming sensation on my lips, I felt it on my legs. I shrieked as the cold suddenly thrashed against my warm skin.
A Summer of Chances Page 11