Summer's Road (13 page)

Briefly closing my eyes, I let out the breath I’d been holding. “I’m going inside to get settled.” I got exactly three feet.

“You’re lying to yourself,” he said to my retreating back.

Limit? Reached.

I spun around so quickly it almost knocked him off his feet. Pushing him in the chest, I got nose to nose with him. “Don’t you do that. Don’t you dare, Rick. Not you, of all people. Don’t make me feel bad for wanting to be happy. Matt is a good guy. He loves me. He can give me what Ian never will, and you know it.”

He froze, made a sound of duress, and grabbed me by the wrists. He hauled me against him, wrapping his arms around my back and pinning me to his chest. As if jarred as much as me, he shook, tension knotting his shoulders. His reaction quashed the rage and hurt simmering inside me. We were solid. He had my back, always.

His heavy sigh ruffled my hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His kissed the top of my head. “Just talk to Ian, okay?”

I nodded, still pinned against his chest.

“Things will work out. Don’t worry, okay? I’m here.”

Ian

“
T
hat was Jenny on the phone,” I said, descending the stairs to join the others. “We’re supposed to pick her up on the way.”

We were heading farther into South Myrtle tonight, where local bands played on the beach and venders sold hush puppies and various other unhealthy foods. Locals and tourists alike crammed into pavilions and onto the dunes to celebrate, drink, and lose sight of inhibitions. The third of July bonfire has been a tradition since childhood.

Summer glanced up from the wicker chair she was curled in, looking past me instead of at me. The mention of Jenny’s name should have pulled some reaction from her, but no. Nothing. Summer liked Jenny, always had. Well, maybe more like tolerated her. Jenny was a local woman I hooked up with once a year while we were on vacation. Nothing serious, friendly even. Of course, I didn’t plan on sleeping with her this trip, not after everything with Summer, but Jenny had hung around our circle since we were teens and to leave her out felt unnecessary.

Summer stared over my shoulder as if she hadn’t heard me. I couldn’t read a damn thing from her. My plan was to pull her aside tonight, after the bonfire, while we could be alone in her bedroom, and have the discussion that had been weighing on me half my life. The last thing I wanted was to do this in front of everyone and raise tension even higher. Though acid was eating at the lining of my stomach, I knew my best friend, and this was the best way to handle things.

Rick and Dee acknowledged my comment with a nod.

I sighed and glanced around the living room of my parents’ home. The white brick fireplace laid in wait for a cold night later in the year. On its mantle sat a barrage of colored bottles my mother was fond of collecting. Above the bottles was an acrylic painting of the ocean at dusk that Summer had painted for them when they’d retired. The antiqued wainscoting walls held dozens of photos of us through the years.

An irritating chirp from a phone broke through the excruciatingly loud silence. Summer dug in the front pocket of her jeans, pulled out her cell, and glanced at the screen. Her shoulders slumped. “It’s Matt.” Her voice was almost inaudible.

She met my gaze briefly from across the room before she swiped the screen. She’d skilled her expression blank so I didn’t have any idea what she was thinking. Which didn’t do anything for my anxiety level. She stepped through the sliding door and onto the back deck to take the call.

Matt.
I wasn’t sure if I should punch something or scream. Both, maybe.

Summer paced outside, phone to her ear, while I struggled to keep upright. My chest was tight and I had this effing ache behind my eyes. I wondered what they were talking about. Had she told Matt about our kiss? I stared, ignoring Rick’s glare indicating I should stop.

It was a long conversation she was having, each second ticking levels off my patience. Considering Matt was supposed to be driving down today, what was so important they had to blah-blah this long? After eons, she nodded, put her hand on her abdomen, and laughed.

I stilled. She hadn’t laughed like that with me in a long time. Not since before Tom died, really. At least it seemed that way. Even though it had been Matt who’d pulled the happy from her, I basked at the light in her eyes, the curve of her lips.

The last noble grain inside me wondered if I should let her go, let her be with him and not say anything to her at all about wanting more than friendship. I had no doubt she knew how I felt, at least on a superficial level, but we hadn’t laid anything out. Yet, I’d never seen any chemistry between her and Matt. Nothing more than comfortable companionship. But maybe I was wrong.

My gut bottomed out. Hell, if he made her happy...

What were her plans with Matt? That was part of what I wanted to discuss with her tonight. Was she finally going to make love to him? That would be the nail in the coffin. Summer only had sex if she really felt a connection to the person. Needless to say, that hadn’t been often. Matt’s religious beliefs meant he hadn’t an inclination to push. And for a guy to be moving two hours closer just to be with her, intimacy seemed inevitable.

I forced my gaze away only to find Rick watching me, understanding and something close to pity in his eyes. I pulled my hands through my hair, frustration knotting my shoulders.

Summer glared at the phone for two long beats before returning it to her pocket and coming inside. The errant smile was gone and replaced with a wrinkle between her brows. “Matt will be over at six. He says he can pick up Jenny for you, if you like.”

My eyes narrowed as my head pounded. “I think I can handle it.”

She rubbed her left forearm and looked away, which meant she wasn’t okay. “Are we grilling out for supper?”

Supper.
Supper?
I’d kissed her until there was no oxygen left in the atmosphere the other night. She’d responded like a cat in heat, her boyfriend was on his way over, and she wondered about supper? I opened my mouth, surely to insert my foot, but Dee rose from the couch where she’d been cuddling with Rick.

“I’ll throw something in the oven.” If she noticed the tension between us, she didn’t show it.

Summer trailed after her to the kitchen without another word.

I glanced at Rick, flustered as shit. A hard, impenetrable glare looked back at me as if this clusterfuck was all on my shoulders.

Screw it. I shook my head and went outside.

Summer

“
I
don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear that dress,” Dee said, sitting on the toilet lid, watching me put on my makeup in the bathroom upstairs.

“I bought it years ago. I better wear it before everything sags and I can’t.” It was also incredibly comfortable—a requirement in my universe.

She laughed.

I glanced at her through the mirror as I put the finishing touches on my lipstick. Dee stared down at her own outfit—red, of course, being her favorite color. A long simple sundress with wide straps at the shoulders that left everything to the imagination. She was acting unusually placid. “What’s wrong, Dee?”

She pressed her lips into a thin line of worry. “I think I’m pregnant.”

I grabbed the counter. Totally wasn’t expecting that. “Oh. Wow. Have you told Rick? Taken a test?”

She shook her head. “I’m tired all the time, my stomach gets upset in the afternoon, and I’m two weeks late.” Her watery gaze met mine. “We’ve been trying. I’m scared as hell.”

I crouched next to her. “Don’t be scared. You’re going to be a great mom. We’ll pick up a test tomorrow, okay?”

Grinning ear to ear, she nodded. “You’d paint the nursery for us?”

“Are you kidding? Heck, yeah.” Ah, man. A little niece or nephew. Imagine that! Excitement wiggled through my doubt and anxiety since arriving.

She sucked in a breath, seemingly calmer. “You better hurry. The guys are waiting. That dress is perfect. It goes really well with your skin tone.”

“You think?” I took stock in the mirror, wearing the blue dress I almost hadn’t packed. It was far from racy, but was more revealing than my typical style. It was loose around my knees, spaghetti strap, and just low enough to show the girls if I bent over.

Dee grinned. “Matt is going to go nuts.”

Well, crap. Matt. I still didn’t know what to do. Telling him about Ian would only churn murky water. Yes, Ian and I needed to talk, to sort things out, but I was determined to ignore the pull between us for the greater good, no matter what my best friend said. Matt was my future. Right?

Jenny was tagging along tonight. Unlike the rest of us, she lived in Myrtle. She and Ian had been hooking up on and off for years. I couldn’t help but wonder how strong Ian’s supposed feelings for me were if he had no qualms about having her around. It kind of solidified my suspicion this was all physical.

I closed my cosmetic case and stared at the sink. What would my father want me to do? He’d been a hopeless romantic at heart. I’d gotten that from him. Except he’d acted on his passion and I only dreamed about it. He’d never loved again after Sharon left. He hadn’t so much as looked at another woman. Would he say,
Go ahead, have a wild fling with the guy next door
? Or be more level-headed and say,
Pick the stable choice with Matt
?

“Dee.”

“Yes?” She smoothed out her dress and stood.

“Do you think my dad would be proud?” Hot tears formed a ball in my throat “I teach more than I paint. I haven’t fallen in love or made plans for a family.”

She grabbed my shoulders and gave me a firm shake. “Look at you. Beautiful, sweet, smart, talented. You give everything to your students and they adore you. The love and family part will come. What’s not to be proud of?” Her soft gaze met mine. “Your daddy loved you so much. You know that. And he knows you loved him.”

I dropped my forehead to her shoulder, swamped with immeasurable gratitude I had the best friends in the world. They picked me up, time and time again. The pressure behind my ribs eased and I was able to fend off tears. “You’re the best, Dee.”

“Well, no duh. Now, enough of this. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

I laughed, the sound catching in my throat. “Let’s go.”

The bonfire festivities on the beach were already crowded by nightfall. People swarmed to buy popcorn and cotton candy and barbequed pork, the smells wafting through the air and tempting my uneasy stomach. Children ran about, laughing and playing with glow sticks and sparklers, delighted to be free of their standard bedtime.

The six of us were gathered around a picnic table, sipping beer and taking it all in. Off to one side, mindful of the tide, a band was setting up a stage just outside of an enormous, open gazebo. It was the ideal spot because those wanting to catch the music could gather on the beach, and others wishing to dance could do so inside the gazebo.

It was my favorite part of the evening, usually. Watching the crowd, the hum of music, dancing with Matt and losing reality to the joy of Fourth week. The freedom from sick kids and board meetings and deadlines.

But I wasn’t thinking about Matt. I was trying not to be obvious about watching Ian with Jenny. They hadn’t made out or gotten cutesy, but he’d had his arm around her half the night, would casually murmur or laugh in her ear at some private joke.