Chapter 18
Summer
In the morning I wake still wrapped up in Nick.
Looking across the room, I see Seb passed out on his stomach but no E.
Extracting myself from Nick, I grab a quick shower and dress for the day.
It’s supposed to be boiling and sunny, so I choose shorts and a tank top.
After braiding my hair, I head out to the living room.
As usual, E is in the kitchen and Alex is sitting at the island with a coffee. “Morning, guys.”
“Hey Summer,” E smiles.
“Good morning, Summer,” Alex greets. “I heard someone pushed you into the pool last night. Are you injured?”
“No, all’s fine, and it was an accident. Nick was nice enough to drive me back here.”
“Good,” Alex nods as E hands me a mug of tea.
“Thanks, E. What can I help with?”
“Nothing, there’s an egg bake in the oven cooking,” he replies, taking a seat beside me.
E has a glimmer in his eyes as he watches me. When I raise my eyebrows, he smiles and looks away. “So, did we miss anything last night?” I ask.
“Not much. A few girls got completely naked and went swimming,” E shrugs.
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” I reply. “When do you guys want to head to the carnival?”
“After lunch,” Alex replies. “It does not start until noon.”
“Okay. I’m going to call Zander.” Getting up, I walk to the couch and take a seat in the corner to make my phone call.
As we’re eating lunch, Seb asks for our attention. “Okay, everyone, even with all the stuff going on, we need to make plans for my favorite holiday. We need to go to the pumpkin patch, buy costumes, and make plans for Halloween. Let’s get our schedules set.”
“When did you want to go to the pumpkin patch?” Alex asks.
We discuss availability between ourselves and pick a day for costumes and pumpkins.
I also tell the guys about my plans to visit Virginia.
October is going to be a busy month between Halloween, plantation work, my upcoming trip to Virginia, and tests at school.
“Olivia would love to go with us,” Bay adds.
Seb texts Gabby and Troy while I text Zander to see if they’re interested.
When everyone has finished eating, we hop in the SUV and Jeep to drive to the carnival.
It's being held on the school’s baseball field.
When we arrive, we find a large circular area of booths.
Seb pulls me along beside him, stopping at the first game he finds.
“I’m gonna win you a prize, Sunshine,” he smiles, paying for us both to play ring toss.
I go first, missing 2 out of three, but Seb misses all three.
“Well, damn,” he says. “There’s a lot more to try. I promise I’ll win you something.”
Smiling up at him, I squeeze his hand. “You don’t need to win me anything, Hurry.”
“I know that, but I want to. Come on.” He pulls me along and stops at balloon darts.
“E, your reach is longer. Try it and win Sunshine something.” E does, but only gets one balloon to burst. Nick shoves his way forward, pays, and throws, bursting all three balloons.
When the attendant asks what he wants, Nick looks at me, raising an eyebrow, so I choose a grey stuffed cat.
Nick hands it to me as I give him a big smile.
“Thank you, Grumpy.”
“Welcome, Shortie,” he says, squeezing my hand quickly before stepping back.
Turning, I see Seb pouting. “What Hurry?”
“Challenge accepted. I declare I will also win you a prize before leaving this carnival,” he says, fisting his hand in the air.
“Uh, Seb. I appreciate the sentiment, really, but let’s just have fun today and not worry about prizes.”
“I’ll think about it, Sunshine. I need sustenance now. E lead the way.”
I shake my head at him, stepping between Alex and Nick as we follow Hurricane Seb.
E offers me a cotton candy stick from a vendor cart.
Sharing with the guys, we walk through the carnival together.
It’s weird not having Bay with us, but I hope he’s having fun with Penny.
We’ll probably run into them sometime this afternoon.
Seb stops at a water gun game after we’ve stuffed our faces with junk food.
There’s enough room for all of us to play, so we pay and take seats in a row.
I win the first game, and the attendant tells me I can have a small prize or keep playing for a bigger one.
“Oh, this is it. Let’s keep going, guys.
Attendant dude, we’re all playing together.
If one of us wins, add it to the lady’s win,” Seb tells him.
He shrugs and agrees as a few more people join us for the next round. It’s close, but Alex beats the newcomers. Seb is absolutely terrible at this game, coming in last again. “Yes,” Seb yells. “How many do we need to win to get the biggest prize?” He asks.
“Six rounds,” the attendant says.
“Okay, four more to go, guys. Let’s concentrate.”
Alex pays for four more rounds for us as we wait to begin.
Nick wins the next two rounds, then I win round number five.
Some newcomers join us for round six. As we start, a new guy jumps into the lead.
Seb abandons his gun and turns to the new guy.
“You gotta let us win, man. We’re one away from my girl getting a big prize.
Help a guy out. I’ll buy you another round.
Please,” he begs. The guy’s horse stops moving as Nick wins.
“Yes!” Seb shouts, punching his fist in the air.
He hands the guy some money before turning to me. “Pick your poison, Sunshine.”
I look around and spot a big purple and green dragon hanging near the back. “The dragon, please,” I say, pointing to him. The attendant pulls him down and hands him to me. He’s pretty big, like 3 feet tall and really soft. I hug him tight to my chest, all giddy inside. “Thanks, guys, I love him.”
“Goal accomplished,” Seb announces with a big smile. He lost all his games, but who am I to point that out when he’s so happy. He never fails to keep me entertained.
After too much food and lots of rides, we decide to leave. I spot Beth in the parking lot as soon as we pass the ticket booth. Squeezing Seb’s hand, I point to her. “Your mom, Hurry.”
“I’ll be right back,” he says, jogging over to her.
We keep our distance, quietly watching. Beth looks rough.
Her weight loss is clear, and she appears to have slept in her rumpled clothes.
It seems like Seb is trying to get her to come with him, but she keeps backing up instead.
He eventually pulls out his wallet, handing her a wad of cash.
She scurries unsteadily away from him as he stands there, watching her go, his posture slumping.
We walk over to him when she’s gone. “She doesn’t want help,” Seb whispers.
“How much money have you given her?” I ask.
“A lot,” Seb admits. “But I don’t know what else to do. She’s my mom.”
E puts an arm around him and steers him towards the vehicles.
We eat dinner at the condo that evening, before Alex and Bay leave to get ready for the dance.
Gabby does my hair and makeup for me before Seb and E drive me home to get dressed.
I picked out a floral ankle-length dress with off the shoulder straps and a scoop neckline.
It’s a soft cream color with white and yellow flowers, and it makes me feel pretty.
Seb and E are waiting in the living room when I emerge, in tan linen pants and white shirts.
Seb has the sleeves rolled up and his hair slicked back.
Is it hot in here? “You’re a vision, Sunshine,” he beams at me before picking me up into a twirl.
E is waiting for his hug when Seb sets me on my feet. “Beautiful Summer,” he smiles as I adjust his sand-colored tie. “You both are very handsome, E.” I’m a lucky, lucky girl to have such gorgeous dates tonight.
After Zander takes some pictures, Seb drives us to the dance.
When we arrive, Alex and Reesa are already standing beside a blue-covered table with silver candles dancing in the light.
Streamers cascade down the walls, fairy lights twinkle, and balloons in our school colors create a vibrant atmosphere.
This dance is the only one hosted by our school.
We take a seat at Alex's table. “You look pretty, Reesa, as always,” I smile.
“Thank you,” she responds. Despite the engagement fiasco, I won’t be rude to her. Alex knew who she was and went along with their relationship, anyway. Now he's paying the price, and I feel bad for him. As his friend, I want him happy, but the situation is as much his fault as hers.
Bay and Penny join us shortly after we arrive.
Penny looks pretty in a knee-length soft blue dress, closely matching the school color.
Bay has a white shirt and light blue tie on with black dress pants, and he’s gorgeous.
His blond hair has gotten longer and curls around his nape, and my heart lurches in my chest at the sight of him.
I really hope this gets easier soon. Taking a deep breath, I put on a bright smile.
“Hi guys.” Fake it until you make it, as the saying goes. For me, it’s fake it till you feel it.
“Hi everyone,” Penny smiles, taking a seat at the table across from us.
Seb and E each grab a hand of mine under the table in support.
These two are so understanding of my feelings.
I don’t know if I can ever express how grateful I am to them.
Despite never imagining loving anyone but Jake, their warm embrace, the comfort of their skin, and their friendship have shown me acceptance.
My complicated heart, once a tight knot of grief, now feels a tender expansion as their love enfolds me.
I’m falling for them, and it feels incredible, like a perfect beach day.
My love for Jake remains a familiar warmth, yet my heart, surprisingly, has space for others, a boundless love blossoming beside it.
Seb asks me to dance, which prompts Penny to pull Bay onto the dance floor, too. Wrapping my arms around Seb’s neck, I play with his hair as we sway to the slow song together, my head leaning on his warm chest. “Doing okay, Sunshine?”
“Yeah. Still adjusting. How are you?”
“Messed up about Beth. I got my hopes up about our relationship. We were getting along so well that I was even thinking about calling her mom.”
“I’m so sorry, Hurry.” I drop one arm to wrap around his waist, hugging him as close as I can. What else can I say? His heart is breaking, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
The music picks up as E joins us on the dance floor.
The three of us dance around one another as Holly and Jaxon arrive and join us.
“You look amazing,” I yell to her over the music.
She smiles and reciprocates. The five of us dance to several songs before taking a break.
Bay moved over to dance with Penny’s friends after the slow song.
E and Jaxon leave to grab us drinks while we take seats to rest. Alex and Reesa aren’t at the table anymore, but looking around, I find them talking to an older gentleman by the refreshment table.
After guzzling water, we chat about the carnival. I tell Holly about the dragon and cat the guys won me, and she shows me a picture of a teddy bear Jaxon got for her.
It’s a nice, low-key evening with no drama. The guys drop me off at home afterwards with hugs and kisses.