I roll out of bed at a quarter till eleven, feeling surprisingly refreshed. I thought I might have a hangover this morning, but I don’t. I find Mimi in the kitchen, prepping a make-your-own salad bar for lunch today.
“What’s everyone up to today?” I ask her.
“Mostly either fishing or out in one of the boats. Damon, Haley, and Chase were out with your father earlier. Damon flew off the tube so violently, and I figured he’d come up with a concussion, but he hopped right back on the thing, laughing. They just went over to the resort. I believe they plan to have lunch there and play some sand volleyball, if you’re interested in joining them.”
“I might do that. I need to make a call first,” I say, going into the office for privacy while thinking about Hunter. Even though I told him I wouldn’t call him today, I’m going to. Say I didn’t realize that the contest wasn’t until later or something.
Again, there’s no answer when I call.
Again, I leave a message, asking him to call me back.
Then, I wait for him to.
This is such bullshit.
After twenty minutes with no return call, I go straight to the resort’s business office, log on to my social media account, and see if he at least messaged me back.
Nothing.
He hasn’t even read it.
Tears fill my eyes, but I shake my head and bat them away. I am not crying over him. He’s not worth it.
Except that he is.
All the sweet things he said float through my head.
You’d better not get so wrapped up in all the family fun that you forget.
Just so you know, I’m serious about you, Dani.
I can’t wait for you to come back home, and I can’t wait to have you cheering for me on the sidelines this fall.
I’ll be team captain, and you’re the head cheerleader. It will be perfect.
I check Taylor’s profile to see if they are back together, but instead, I find a photo of her wrapped around who I am assuming is the really hot college guy she might have dumped Hunter for.
I shake my head. I’m done with this. I’m not calling him again.
I find my brother, Haley, and Chase engaged in a sand volleyball game against a guy and two girls. I’m assuming the one with the long and dark hair, curvy figure, and skimpy thong bikini is the “little hottie over at the resort” that my brother was referring to last night and that the muscular, dark-haired guy is Mitch, her “not-so-little brother.” The other girl playing with them is a tall, skinny blonde. Both are equally pretty.
I take a seat, watching them play. Watching them interact.
Watching the blonde flirt excessively with Chase.
And watching him flirt back.
As in he’s totally putting on the charm.
When it’s Haley’s turn to serve, she sends a burner straight down the sideline with the other team unable to even touch it. Two more aces, and the game is over.
The three high-five each other and then go under the net to tell the other team, “Good game.”
And apparently, the blonde thinks in order to be a good sport, she should stick her boobs in Chase’s face while rubbing on his bicep.
And he isn’t stopping her.
Instead, he’s grinning back at her, and he gives her butt a little smack, like guys do to each other after a good play. For Chase, it means he’s just being his usual cute self.
But to the girl, it signals he likes her. She giggles, smiles at him coyly, and kisses him on the cheek.
From the moment Chase took the field as quarterback during the state playoffs, a lot of girls have been crushing on him at school. And who could blame them? The fact that he’s pretty oblivious to it all is just another reason why I love him.
Well, I did until I saw that with this girl, he’s eating it up. He’s flirting back.
Like legitimately flirting.
I let out a sigh, tapping my foot on the ground in irritation while thinking.
I could walk over there, grab Chase’s hand, and save him from the girl.
But that would just make her more competitive.
No, I have a better way.
I stand up and manage to catch Chase’s eye from across the court.
I give him a grin and crook my finger in his direction, motioning for him to come over here.
He immediately walks away from the girl, and I can’t help but smile as he does.
Part of me wants to pump my fist in the air and yell, I won!
But I don’t. That might be too obvious. Of what, I have no idea.
“When did you become like that?” I ask Chase when he joins me.
“Like what?”
“All sexy-like. A flirt. You’re confident.”
“I’ve always been confident,” he says.
“Yeah, but something is different. You’re a little cockier.” Honestly, he now has swagger. “Was it the modeling or the football camp? It’s like you’ve gotten a big head.”
He looks down, toward his pants, and then looks up at me with a wry grin.
I tap my finger on his forehead. “I’m talking about this head—the one that thinks and makes rational decisions, not the one that has a mind of its own.”
He just shrugs. “Did you need something?”
I’m taken aback. “Uh, no. I just got here. Thought you might want to hang out.”
He shifts his weight in the sand and bites his lip. He looks nervous. And it’s so adorable.
“Dani, I told you last night that we’ll always be best friends. You and me. We’re everything. But it’s painfully obvious that you aren’t interested in being anything other than friends. I guess I’m just done waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me? What do you mean?”
He takes a step closer to me, invading my personal space. Normally, I welcome it, but right now, it seems like he’s mad. “I’m done waiting for you to figure out that I’m the guy.”
“What guy?” I ask, now totally confused.
“Your forever guy. The dream guy. I’m yours. You just don’t seem to know it yet.”
I laugh out loud. “Yeah, right.”
“My point.” He grabs my hand, holding it tight. “And for the record, you didn’t just get here. I saw exactly when you sat down. I know you watched us play. Even when the game was done, you didn’t come over. It wasn’t until that girl started flirting with me that you caught my eye, gave me that gorgeous smile of yours, tousled your hair, and then waggled your finger in my direction. And I came running. This time. But, Dani, unless you can tell me right now that you’re interested in me as more than a friend, I’m gonna go back and talk to her.”
“That’s not it at all.” I bristle. “I just thought maybe we should head home now. Like, so that no one worries.”
“I told my parents where I was going and when I’d be back, so don’t use that as an excuse. You got jealous. Plain and simple.”
“Seriously, Chase?” I scoff. “You know I’m seeing Hunter.”
“Awesome. Hasn’t stopped you from checking me out though.” He takes my hand, which he is still holding, and runs it down his chest, across those new abs, and then drops it like it’s hot.
Then, he pivots, turning his back to me and heading back to the court.
I’m a little perplexed by all this, to be honest. What has happened to him? Like, seriously?
I watch as he starts talking to the girl again.
As she leans toward him, grasps on to his muscular bicep again, sticks out her chest, smiles and laughs, and flips her hair around, I suddenly see Chase through different eyes—through her eyes.
I notice how his hair has gotten a little darker. The little bit of scruff on his formerly smooth face. How tall he is. The muscles. The eyes that were blue like his mom’s when he was born but now have a ring of light brown around the pupils, making you want to stare at them for days.
Chase has grown up.
He’s gone from the cute boy I know and love—to something else.
To something different.
And I realize what’s happened.
Chase. Mackenzie. Has. Gotten. Hot.
And I can’t deny it anymore.
But I have a boyfriend.
Not a boyfriend. I have a guy who I’m talking to. Well, supposed to be talking to. Okay, maybe he’s just a crush. A crush who says he likes me.
A crush who has also missed every single one of my phone calls.
I watch as Chase effortlessly picks up the girl. She has long blonde hair, is skinny, and as Mimi would say, she has perky boobs. Mimi says perky boobs win a man. Well, that, and your cooking.
As if that’s all you need to fall in love.
I watch.
And watch some more.
My brother is now kissing the girl who seems to like him.
Haley and the dark-haired guy are going to cool off in the lake together.
And Chase is still just flirting.
Actually, that’s not true because although he’s looking at the girl like he cares about what she’s saying, he keeps glancing at me.
My first thought is that I need to prove something to him. That what he wants is for me to march over there and rescue him from the girl’s clutches. Because that’s what friends do, right? I mean, it’s quite clear, based on the fact that she’s draped all over him, that she’s going to be a stage-five clinger.
That, or he’s right, and I am jealous.
Either way, I’m done watching the flirt-fest.
I don’t bother to say good-bye to anyone. I just hop on the golf cart and race back home, the hot, humid air hitting my chest like a ton of bricks and making me feel like I can’t breathe.
Chase’s words spin through my brain.
Your forever guy.
The dream guy.
I’m yours.
I know that he believes what he said, but part of me thinks he was just trying to make a point.
And part of me knows that he’s right.
The house smells amazing when I step inside, and I find Jadyn is in the kitchen by herself, a mixing bowl in front of her and baking ingredients spread across the island.
I take a seat at one of the barstools. “Hey, Auntie Jay, need any help?”
“Would you like to frost some cupcakes?”
“Yeah, I would.”
“Awesome. I just need to finish whipping the frosting. The cupcakes should be cool enough.” She turns the hand mixer on, beats the frosting, and adds a little vanilla and then a little more milk before turning it off. She sets the bowl in front of me along with an icing spatula and then turns around, retrieves the cupcakes, and sets them on the island.
I put the spatula in the icing and get to work, my mind still replaying what Chase said.
“Did you and my dad ever date?” I blurt out.
“Interesting question,” Jadyn says. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I was just wondering. You know, my mom always says girls and boys can’t be just friends. And I wondered if when you were younger—”
“Does this have to do with you and Chase?” she astutely asks.
I take in a deep breath, trying to calm myself before exhaling loudly. “Sort of. It’s no big deal. You don’t have to answer if you aren’t comfortable with it.”
“I’m completely comfortable with answering your question. It’s just more complicated than a simple yes or no. Like, what would you say about you and Chase? You’ve kissed.”
“Yeah, but …”
“Exactly. Phillip was my first kiss. We were swinging sideways on the swings, out behind school, when, out of the blue, he reached over, grabbed my swing, and kissed me. It was the perfect first kiss, but we were in the fourth grade, and we got teased mercilessly about it. Your dad moved next door when I was in the fifth grade. He was the new boy in town. All the girls crushed on him, and I could see why. He was cocky and blond and had those brilliant blue eyes. But he was mean to me, told me girls couldn’t play football.”
“That’s when you punched him, right?” I say with a laugh. This part of the story I have heard many times. “And you’ve been best friends ever since.”
“Yes,” she says with a big grin. “And then, at Lisa’s fourteenth birthday party, I ended up in the Seven Minutes in Heaven closet with Neil even though I liked someone else.”
“Like Katie and Neil Neil?”
“Yep. And a girl named Mary Beth crushed on Phillip and when we played spin the bottle later, he spun and it landed on me, not her. And he gave me a really good kiss—I’m talking, he didn’t just lean across the bottle and give me a peck. He grabbed me, pushed me back, laid on top of me, and kissed me silly. I could barely think straight when the group scattered and he pulled me up.” She laughs. “I’ll never forget what I said. I asked him if he was secretly in love with me or if he was just trying to break up the game, so he wouldn’t have to kiss Mary Beth.”
“And what did he say?” I’ve got my hand resting on my chin now, ignoring the cupcakes. I could listen to stories about her and Phillip all day. They are always so romantic.
She blushes and grins. “He said that he was definitely in love with me. But then I saw him smile when Mary Beth stormed out of the party, and I called him a liar. We didn’t kiss again until our senior year of college.” She swirls icing across the top of a cupcake and then sets it down. “But going back to when I was a freshman in high school, I had a huge crush on a senior boy named Ryan Marshall and was so excited when he asked me on a date.”
She sighs dreamily, and I can totally imagine how she felt. The second Hunter texted me, I started wondering how Devaney Lansford would sound.
“I pictured us married. Jadyn Marshall. But then I started freaking out because I had a problem. I was going on a date with a senior, and I didn’t know how to kiss. Like, I had kissed some boys, but I had never French-kissed. So, believe it or not, I asked your dad to teach me. He had more experience than Phillip.”
“You didn’t?!” I screech-laugh. “Wasn’t that so embarrassing?”
“Totally, but I was desperate.”
“And what happened?”
“Well, keep in mind, even though we were best friends, I wasn’t immune to your father’s charm. You know how there’s that one guy at school who everyone crushes on?”
“Hunter Lansford,” I say with my own dreamy sigh.
“I heard he and Taylor broke up and that you’ve been spending some time with him.”
“Was, before this trip. I think they are back together now.”
“Did he tell you that when you spoke?”
“We haven’t spoken. He’s missed all our planned calls, but who cares? Let’s get back to you and my dad.”
“Well, it started with me kissing a pillow, and then I think my hand, but I felt so ridiculous. I just kept laughing. Finally, he was like, Screw it, and he showed me with his lips. We actually made out for a bit. But, then his mom came home, and I got caught in his bedroom. Which was very much against the rules. Danny wasn’t supposed to have girls over when he was home alone.”
“Did Mimi freak out?”
“No, but your dad did. Usually, he could talk his way out of anything.”
“Like Damon?”
“Exactly like Damon, but your dad just stood there like a deer in headlights, looking totally guilty. I came to the rescue though. I mean, I didn’t want him to get in trouble for helping me.”
“In your time of need?” I tease.
“Exactly. I made up some story about spying on Phillip from his window, and we didn’t get in trouble. And, in case you are wondering, my date with Ryan Marshall went very well. He’s now a fireman in Westown.”
“And that’s it? That’s the only time you kissed?”
“Oh, no,” she says. “Not at all.”
“What are you all talking about?” Jennifer asks as my eyes go wide.
“About my dad and Auntie Jay kissing,” I blurt out before I realize that maybe this isn’t a conversation we should have in front of Jennifer.
But her eyes light up. “Do tell. I love hearing stories about you all when you were young.”
“You won’t get jealous?” I ask her.
Jennifer laughs. “No, honey. I’m well aware that your father had a life before me. Just like I did.”
“Okay, good. Keep going,” I tell Jadyn. I’m dying to hear the rest.
“Fast-forward to April of my senior year. It was a week before prom, and there was a big party one night. I’d been dating a guy named Jake off and on for about a year. I was trying to decide if I loved him enough to lose my virginity to him. Two things were driving that decision. One, I did not want to go to college a virgin. Which, in retrospect, was dumb, but I was the only one of my friends who hadn’t. Anyway, Jake and I were going to prom together. In all my wisdom, I didn’t want to be cliché and do it on prom night, so I decided that this was the night. I had Lisa get me all dolled up, which was unusual for me. I tended to wear sneakers most of the time along with a little mascara and some lip gloss. I’ll never forget what I wore—a fuchsia-and-black stretch lace bra and matching thong panties; low-rise, dark denim jeans; a pair of my mom’s high-heeled sandals; and a shrunken raspberry cashmere sweater. I thought I would look ridiculous since the party was a cornfield kegger, but I was meeting Jake there and wanted to make an impression.”
“Sounds about like my high school parties,” Jennifer says. “Only ours were by the lake.”
“When Lisa and I got there, I was informed by the guys in charge of the party that Jake was there with another girl.”
“Oh my gosh. Were you heartbroken?” I ask, instantly feeling bad for her. I can’t imagine … well, actually, I can. Something like that caused my breakup with Matt. “Did you leave?”
“The guys had a reputation as being practical jokers, so I didn’t really believe them. I went in the party and headed straight for the keg, where Phillip was waiting for me. He was shocked, I think, by how I looked,” she says with a smile. “Told me I looked beautiful and wanted to know when Jake and I had broken up and why I hadn’t told him. For a second, I thought maybe he was in on the joke, and when I told him that tonight was supposed to be the night, he got really mad. Wanted to go beat him up.
“It’s funny to think back to that moment because he told me that at least one good thing would come out of this. That I would not be doing it with Jake. He told me if I wanted to do it that bad, I should do it with a friend. I know now that he was offering himself, but I thought of all my guy friends but him and told him that would be stupid.
“Anyway, Phillip hugged me and told me we should leave. Go get ice cream. Which was really considerate of him since I knew he and the girl he was dating at the time were going to hook up that night.
“Then, I finally realized that it was true. That I had planned to sleep with this guy, gotten all dressed up for him, only to find out he’d brought someone else to the party without breaking up with me first. I told Phillip that I needed to go get something out of the car, but what I really needed was a moment to think about how I wanted to handle the situation.”
“I think I would have wanted to march straight over there and punch him in the face,” Jennifer says. “But I don’t know if I would have. What about you, Dani? What would you do in that situation, hypothetically?”
“No hypothetical about it,” I admit. “I was put in a similar situation by Matt.”
Jadyn’s eyes get huge, and she reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Is that why you finally broke up?”
“Yeah. He made a fool of me. Had been cheating on me, probably the whole time we were dating. I slapped him across the face and walked out. I just wish I hadn’t been crying when I did it. It made me look weak.”
“I get that. I always cry when I get mad,” Jennifer says, patting my back. “And it makes me madder.”
“I’m sorry you went through that,” Jadyn says.
“I didn’t tell anyone because, well—”
“You didn’t want to hear that we told you so, right?” Jadyn says softly.
“Yeah, it was bad enough, you know?”
“I do know, sweetie,” she says.
“So, what did you do—that night at the party?” I ask, getting back to the story.
“Well, when I was walking to the car, someone showed up. Someone I hadn’t expected to see that night. Your dad.”
“Why didn’t you expect to see him?”
“Because he was away at college. We talked often. Visited often. But it’d been a couple weeks since I’d seen him. I guess he’d decided on a whim to come.”
“So, what?” a deep voice says from behind us. “You’ve had enough of hot coeds and wild fraternity parties, and you just wanted to drink from a keg in a cornfield?”
I turn around and see my dad. He has a big grin on his face.
“That’s what she yelled to me that night. I took off running toward her. I couldn’t wait to hug her. I missed my best friends. But when I saw her, I did a double take.”
“He told me I looked hot, but he asked it like a question. Like he couldn’t believe it.” Jadyn laughs. “He was with two nice-looking college boys. And in that moment, I had the brilliant idea that instead of confronting Jake, I would throw myself all over one of his friends in an attempt to make him crazy jealous. I wanted Jake to know that he hadn’t hurt me. But then I knew I couldn’t do it. I just spoke the words out loud. I said, Jake and I broke up. Then, just like Phillip had, your dad asked why I hadn’t told him.”
“And you told me,” my dad says to Jadyn, “it was because you didn’t know you had broken up until he brought another girl to the party. I was instantly pissed. Phillip and I hated that guy. I followed her out to the car, listened to her complete meltdown, and shut her up by kissing her.”
“Of course, the practical jokers saw us kiss and told Danny that if we did that in the party, there would be a fight and that they would have his back. Which meant they came in the party with us, stood around the fire, passed around the Jack Daniel’s, and waited for the trouble to start.”
“You drank at a high school party?” I say to my dad, putting my hand to my chest and pretending to be aghast.
“Times were different back then,” my dad says sternly. “So, anyway, I kissed her neck in a spot she’s apparently super ticklish. It made her sort of scream-laugh, and it caught Jake’s attention.”
“And your dad was the one guy who could make Jake really jealous.”
“Yeah, he always hated me because he was a quarterback, too, and never got to start until I left for college,” Dad agrees.
“And it worked,” Jadyn says. “Jake noticed, rushed over, grabbed my shoulder, and was like, What the hell, JJ? I always practiced saying comebacks in front of the mirror at home, but then I’d screw up if happened in real life. This was like a scene from a movie, almost perfectly scripted. I said, Danny was just kissing a very ticklish spot on my neck. One that you’ve never managed to find, and, well, you’re interrupting. I raised my eyebrows at him and shrugged my shoulders.”
“And Jake, that ass, walked right into it,” my dad says with a chuckle. I can tell he’s having fun, reminiscing. “Although, to give him credit, he did manage to say it calmly.”
“What did he say?” I ask. Who knew our parents had so much drama in their lives?
“He said, I didn’t realize the two of you had stayed so close,” Jadyn says with a laugh. “And then your dad was so bad. He goes, Well, I guess you could call it that, and then he kissed my neck and suggestively ran his hand down my side. The look on Jake’s face was priceless. But then … it took a turn for the worse, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed in my life.”
“Why?” Jennifer and I ask at the same time.
“Jake literally snorted with laughter and shouted out so everyone could hear, Well, hotshot, don’t think you’re gonna get anything from that. Then, the girl he was there with seemed to magically appear at his side, and he tossed his arm around her. They both laughed, and he was like, I had to go elsewhere. Needless to say, I was humiliated by the fact that my virginity was being discussed in front of half the student population. That’s when I decided punching him in the face was the right option.”
“I held her back though,” my dad says. “I ran my hand across her thigh, laughed at Jake, and said what, Jay?”
A wide smile forms on Jadyn’s face. “Hey, Jake, ya think maybe there’s a reason she’s never done it with you? I could tell the thought never crossed the asshole’s mind. And then your dad continues and says, Might explain all them trips to Lincoln.”
My eyes get huge.
“I know,” Jadyn says. “It wasn’t true at all, but it sounded bad. And it’s no surprise that’s when the fight broke out.”
“And I rescued you from it all,” Phillip says, sneaking up from behind Jadyn and wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Rescued me?” she scoffs, wagging her finger at him. “I was equally pissed at you for dragging me away from the party.”
And I realize that Jadyn and I are a lot alike. At least when it comes to our best friends thinking they know what’s best for us.
“I know,” Phillip says, his smile turning downward.
I can tell that it bothered him back then that she was mad. But I can see that he only wanted to protect her. Is that what Chase does to me?
Jadyn turns around and faces Phillip. “But, in retrospect, I’m sure glad you did. I needed you that night.”
“It was the night of her parents’ car accident,” my dad says solemnly. “The night they died.”
The three of them let out a collective sigh, and I know the conversation is over.
I finish frosting the cupcakes and then go outside and play horseshoes with Papa until we all load up in the boats to go to dinner. It’s a big night, and the kids are excited—well, we’re all excited because every Friday night, there are fireworks over a big bridge that spans the lake.
Right before the bridge, there is a fun pizza place where we have dinner, and then we swim and hang out on the boats until dark when the fireworks start.
I’d like to say I have a good time, but even though I do enjoy the pizza, swimming, and the beautiful fireworks, things don’t feel right.
I don’t feel right.
Because Chase isn’t next to me.
Since the moment he, Damon, and Haley rolled back to the resort, seconds before we were scheduled to leave, they’ve been gushing about how fun of a day they had, laughing with each other, and telling inside jokes.
And I don’t like it.
Not one bit.
