Next Summer (3 page)

The pier, as usual, looked like a scene out of
Laguna Beach
, except the setting was more earthy. Less glamorous. But the boys were rounded up in packs as if they were in line for a casting call. Ella wondered if this tiny little section of New England had suddenly become the spot where the world’s most eligible guys could hang out and look unequivocally scrumptious.

Ella led the way into the crowd, feeling self-assured as the party swept her into its loud chaos. She was lapping up the attention she was getting from all the boys who were checking out the little green tube-dress she’d picked out just for the occasion.

Ella might have decided to turn over a new leaf, but that didn’t mean she had to
dress
like a saint, did it?

A tall guy with toned arms and wavy auburn hair sidled up to Ella without a word and tried to wrap his arm around her
waist, so she shimmied a little bit and laughed at him as she pulled away. His buddy, who was cute-ish, but short, whistled low and deliberately, which made her smile. Beth and Kelsi nudged each other and rolled their eyes, weaving around Ella and the two drooling guys.

“Sorry, boys,” Ella said matter-of-factly, but with a grin. “This is strictly a girls’ night out.” Then she waved the guys away, feeling merry and powerful, surrounded by the music and salty air. She dodged a couple of kids making out and caught up with her sister and cousin, who’d come to a stop near the railing at the edge of the pier.

“I hate that Jamie’s not here,” Beth said, sadly looking around at the crowd. “She loved the pier.”

“She’s not dead, she’s in a summer program,” Kelsi pointed out, poking Beth in the side. “God, could you be any mopier?”

“She misses George,” Ella confided, loudly enough to alert half of Pebble Beach. She realized her volume and giggled. “Oops.”

Beth blushed, which she hardly ever did, and glanced down, clearly affected by Ella’s words.

“He’s not coming up at all?” Kelsi asked Beth softly.

Ella tried to listen, but her eyes were scanning the crowd, browsing for hotties. She was beginning to think that what she called her I-can-stop-anytime-I-want-to obsession with guys was actually a full-on addiction. Maybe she needed to wear a medicine patch on her arm or check herself into rehab. What was
wrong
with her? Why couldn’t she just stay focused on
her cousins? They were just as much fun as boys. More fun, maybe.

Okay, who was she kidding?

“He called me earlier and said that he won’t have any time off until August,” Beth replied with a shrug, wrinkling up her nose.

“I like George,” Ella said, managing to take her mind off the Taye Diggs look-alike who was winking at her. She sternly reminded herself of The Vow. “He’s a great guy.”

“Wow, that’s a first, Ella.” Beth shook her head in amazement. Ella usually made fun of George for being so boyish. “You almost sound like you mean it.”

“I do, actually. In fact, I think I want one for myself,” Ella added.

“He’s not a Kate Spade bag. He’s a person,” Beth pointed out.

Ella felt a bit offended by that remark, though she understood that it had some merit. Yes, she was notorious for being a little shallow and materialistic and boy-crazy. But since her sinful encounter with Peter last year, Ella had been working hard on trying to become less self-obsessed. A part of Ella
was
truly growing tired of the whole game. She wanted to meet someone she could really get close to. The only thing preventing that from happening was the
other
part of her that wanted to kiss whomever she pleased. Still, Ella was trying to reel herself in. She wanted—needed—to change for the better.

“Yeah, but George is the perfect boyfriend. Steady. Reliable.
I mean, every summer, it’s all about the hooking up and the chasing and the drama,” she complained to Kelsi and Beth.

“Did you even hook up last summer?” Kelsi interrupted.

Ella froze. Like she even wanted to touch that question. She sighed dramatically instead of answering.

“I was pretty preoccupied with the whole Peter mess,” Kelsi went on. “I can’t remember what your summer drama was, El.”

Beth just shook her head, and Kelsi swallowed a laugh.

“I’m serious, you guys. Listen, Beth. If you see me slipping and
accidentally
flirting with some hot summer boy, you have to promise to cut me off. Drag me away if necessary.”

“Why is this
my
job?” Beth asked, but she was grinning.

“Hey, if Jamie were here, I’d give
her
the job. She’s a lot stricter,” Ella replied.

“Well, if I’m going to spend the summer being your chastity belt, then I think you owe me a road trip down to Amherst.” Beth looked from one cousin to the other. “If Jamie can’t come to Pebble Beach, we should bring Pebble Beach to Jamie. For, like, a weekend or something. What do you say?”

“Awesome. I love road trips!” Ella replied enthusiastically.

“It’s a great idea,” Kelsi agreed. “Count me in. And I brought my car up, so I can drive.”

“Great,” Beth said with a grin. “But no way
you’re
doing all
the driving, Kelsi. By the time we get there, Jamie will have published her novel already.”

Ella laughed at her sister’s notoriously slow, careful driving, and dug out a cigarette from her bag. She put it to her lips, and was pleased when a guy leaned over and offered her his lighter. Ella did everything she could not to ogle his killer grin and sculpted shoulders, which were hiding beneath a blue hoodie.

“Aren’t you sweet,” Ella said, batting her eyes and letting out a perfect smoke ring.

Ella sighed heavily. Jamie would have been a lot more subtle than that.

“Let’s find something to drink,” Kelsi said, which was definitely a plan Ella could support. “It’s time to get this summer started.”

Ella gave the lighter-sporting cutie a special little smile, and then followed her sister deeper into the crowd.

Down on the beach, some guys had started a big bonfire closer to the dunes. While Kelsi went to grab beers, Ella settled herself on one of the rocks nearby. Immediately, two new guys came over to talk to her. All Ella had to do was just
be
and guys would practically come wandering out of the shrubbery to look at her adoringly.
Is there a silent whistle I could blow that would make them go away?
Ella wondered.
And if so, would I really want to use it?

“What’s your name?” one boy—the skinnier one—asked.
Neither one was her type (they both looked like Clay Aiken and were small enough to fit into her clothes), but Ella wasn’t one to let something so minor get in the way of a little innocent flirting. She started to reply when Beth appeared at her side.

“So, what about that pledge?” Beth asked, pinching Ella’s arm.

“What can I do?” Ella whispered. “They’re everywhere. I can only cope with so much temptation.” She waved her arm over the summer people milling around on the sand.

The bonfire crackled and smoked, and just outside the ring of heat, the night air was chilly and inky black. The waves rolled onto the beach, the water dark and mysterious as the tide came in. A pair of girls were playing what looked like drunken tag just a few steps away from the fire, while a group of boys who looked like they got lost on their way to a Phish concert cheered them on. There were even a few couples getting busy back where the rocks littered the beach.

Most important, there were a whole lot of guys. Guys Ella didn’t know. And among them, maybe, the one Ella was looking for.

“I don’t think you’re really
trying
to resist, El,” Beth said suspiciously.

As if to prove Beth wrong, Ella immediately rebuffed the two Clay Aiken boys—something she managed to do so smoothly the two of them looked as pleased, as if they’d actually gotten somewhere with her.

“See?” Ella flashed her cousin a grin. “I totally resisted those two.”

“Whatever,” Ella said, helping herself to one of the bottles of beer Kelsi was cradling against her chest. The three girls smiled at one another as Beth took a beer for herself.

“To new boys, fun parties, and the perfect tan,” Ella said grandly, holding her beer aloft.

“To a good summer,” Kelsi said, doing the same.

Beth, whose smile seemed a little dimmer, reluctantly opened her mouth to throw a toast in there, but Ella cut her off with a long, low whistle when she spotted a figure near the shore.

“What is
that
delicious thing?” she asked, her eyes widening. She clutched her beer and sat forward on the rock.

He had huge brown eyes and an artful mess of dark curly hair. He walked through the crowd with a different kind of grace than the other boys around him. He wore a forest green sweater and low-slung jeans, neither of which Ella could label-ID from a distance. But she noticed other details, like how his bare feet sank into the sand when he moved. He looked like some kind of cat, all lean and hungry, and he was headed straight for Ella.

Ella knew one thing for sure: Screw the stupid vow. She would not, and could not, say no to this guy.

“Of course, you’re going to resist him, right?” Kelsi snickered as Mr. Dark-and-Mysterious moved through the crowd. “Like you swore you would?”

“If this isn’t love, I don’t want to know what it is…” she replied.

“He hasn’t even said hello yet.” Beth shook her head.

“Sometimes words are unnecessary,” Ella murmured, and then she just smiled, because the hot guy was now front and center and looking mighty fine. When Ella looked up at him, she felt a shiver run through her.

“Come,” the boy said in a thick foreign accent that transformed him from plain old hot into scorching in one second flat. “We…talk.”

“Why can’t we
talk
here?” Ella asked, cocking her head to the side.

He smiled slowly. Ella felt herself quivering. This guy was sex personified.

“The things I wish to talk about are better in private,” he explained softly.

That was all the convincing Ella needed.

“Later,” she mouthed to Beth and Kelsi over her shoulder. Then she put her hand into his, and let him pull her to her feet.

The stranger escorted Ella just outside the light of the fire. They stood there, looking at each other. Ella watched the fire dance across his face, illuminating his incredible cheekbones and dark eyes. Still holding his hand, she angled herself toward him.

“I saw you and I knew,” he said simply.

What she’d said to Beth had been accurate. Sometimes words—or actual conversations—
weren’t
necessary.

As if the boy had read her mind, he slid his arm around Ella’s back, then drew her close to kiss her. The kiss was hot and long, and Ella felt her body exult in it. She pulled him closer and kissed him harder, feeling their tongues touch and the heat of the moment swell through her.

By the time Kelsi made it back across the sand to grab another beer, there was a crowd about five people deep around the cooler, all jostling for access.

This was the worst part about beach bonfires. On TV, they always looked like so much fun—bikini-clad girls lounging around, sipping drinks and chatting. The reality, at least in Pebble Beach, was that it was too chilly to wear a bikini at night, and the competing boom boxes made conversation nearly impossible. Indie rock to the right, hip-hop to the left.
Something for everyone,
Kelsi thought.

It was hard to walk across cold sand in the dark, with her feet slipping and her flip-flops almost sliding off. It was even harder to figure out where the beer was. Finally, she was able to duck through an unexpected opening in a wall of guys. Kelsi grabbed three beers when she got to the nearest cooler, pulling
them out of the ice so fast that the ice water sluiced down her jeans, sending a chill right through to her thighs. Then she had to shove her way back out of the mob. When she finally got free, she frowned down at the huge, damp marks on the front of her jeans.

“I hate it when that happens,” a deep voice said to her left, giving a small laugh.

Kelsi looked up, and had to take a quick breath to steady herself.

“Hi,” he said, flashing a grin. “I’m Tim.”

Tim was gorgeous.

As in Heath Ledger-type of gorgeous.

His dirty-blond hair curled at the edges, and his smile was practically divine. His arms looked muscled, but still lean, beneath the long-sleeved T-shirt he wore. His hazel eyes gleamed with laughter and that lazy confidence guys have when they know exactly how hot they are. His expression alone made Kelsi’s blood boil with both annoyance and apprehension. She had seen the likes of this cocky attitude before and it had given her nothing but trouble. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I feel it’s my duty to tell you that those beers are pretty much skunked beyond all recognition,” Tim said, seemingly unfazed by Kelsi’s scrutiny. “Hand to God. But if you step over this way, my buddies can hook you up with something you can actually drink.”

“And to what do I owe this honor?” Kelsi asked tartly.

“What a guy,” she replied in a sarcastic tone. Tim didn’t seem to notice.

“You bet,” he agreed, nudging Kelsi in the right direction with his arm. She liked the feel of his skin against her own, but was instantly annoyed at herself for even noticing. This guy was obviously a jerk. Clearly one of those jock types. She tried to keep her distance by hanging back as he went over to the big cooler where a group of guys were hanging out. Tim extracted a selection of cans from within.

“Hey, Miller!” one of his buddies complained. “Stop giving all our beer away!”

Tim ignored him and smiled at Kelsi.

“Allow me to take those off your hands,” he said, indicating the spoiled beers she held. “I’ll even get rid of them for you, because I’m full-service like that.” He frowned. “Sorry. I wish I knew why skunked beer happens.”

“Light,” Kelsi replied absently. She felt a little bit dizzy looking at his face, which was ruddy in the glow of the fire. Or maybe she was dizzy because she couldn’t believe she was this susceptible to Tim’s hot-itude. Regardless, it took her a moment to notice he was staring at her.

“What?” she asked, feeling defensive.

“You said ‘light,’” Tim reminded her. His mouth twitched, like he wanted to laugh.

“Um, there’s this chemical reaction when bright light hits
beer,” Kelsi said, leaning over and thrusting the cans in question into the sand. “That’s what makes it smell.”

Tim gazed at her for a long moment that stopped just short of uncomfortable.

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“I like science,” she muttered. Her face felt too hot, and she hoped it just looked like a by-product of the bonfire.

“You’re like an encyclopedia,” Tim told her with an approving smile. “Walking around in the body of Mandy Moore. This is obviously my lucky night.”

Kelsi gritted her teeth. She hated the fact he was flirting with her. And that she wanted to respond. It didn’t take much imagination to see where flirting with Tim would lead: Peter, part two. Kelsi refused to make that mistake twice. She didn’t want to meet his gaze, so she focused on his gray T-shirt instead.

“U Mass?” she asked, reading the red logo.
Probably going to play football there,
she thought.

He tilted his chin down as if he were trying to read it along with her. “I’m headed there in the fall,” Tim said proudly. “Like my brothers before me. Millers go to U Mass, pledge the same frat, and play mediocre football.”

Kelsi ignored her twinge of disappointment. She’d pegged this guy from the moment she’d laid eyes on him. Why was it a surprise that she was right? He was way too good-looking to be anything but a shallow jock.

“Thanks for the beer,” she said curtly, and took the ones he’d been holding.

Kelsi felt a slight pang—why couldn’t the gorgeous ones ever have some substance to them? And more to the point, why wasn’t she ever interested in guys with substance? Computer geeks, for example, or poets. Political activists. Why was it always the flashy ones who got her pulse racing? Rockers. Football players. Well, her pulse could race all it wanted, she decided firmly. She wasn’t following it anymore.

“See you around,” she said abruptly to Jock Boy, and turned away.
Good-bye, Peter part two
.

“Wait, you never even told me your name!” he shouted over the music.

His hazel eyes were bright when she looked at him over her shoulder. He made her heart ache a little bit and, oh yes, he knew it. But Kelsi decided she was stronger than Ella when it came to resisting boys.

“It’s Kelsi,” she told him. “But don’t worry, I don’t think you’ll need to remember it.”

She didn’t bother looking back again.