Chapter 29 Summer
“Hey, Dad! Just wanted to fill you in on how things went at Rocky Ridge. It was… well, a little tough if I’m honest with you.
I’m not where I was a few years ago. I know, I know—it’s exactly what you used to tell me.
I’m in my head too much. But I really think that if you could get away for a couple of hours to come to the next one, I could do better?
Having you there always helped, you know?
Oh—and have I mentioned I’m trying to make the tour again?
I forgot how much I used to want it, before…
Anyway. Call me back if you can. I miss you. ”
“That was a rough one.”
Sliding back onto my board in the shallow, foamy water, I find a young blond girl grinning over at me. She’s probably in her early twenties, wearing an adorable polka-dotted rash guard and matching swimsuit bottoms, floating on a board that looks like it’s seen better days.
“Sadly, they’re all rough ones these days,” I tell her.
She just witnessed me getting rag-dolled by yet another wave.
I’ve been surfing every evening after work, hoping the repetition helps get me out of my head long enough to make it out of a barrel, in addition to my morning surfs with Parker.
Which, lately, have come with a hefty dose of distraction considering the…
Let’s just say I’ll never look at a drawstring the same way again.
“You’re Summer, right?”
“Yes!” I stare back at the girl, quickly trying to place her. “I’m so sorry, do we know each other?”
She shakes her head. “I’m Celia. My friends and I used to watch you compete growing up.” She jabs a thumb over her shoulder at the lineup of surfers farther out, where two girls around her age eye us with interest. “You’re surf royalty around here.”
“Oh!” I give a small laugh. “That’s very sweet, but you should’ve seen me at Rocky Ridge the other day.”
“We were there. You did a snap in the third round that would’ve broken my back if I tried it. Not to mention it was your first event in years—can’t believe how good you were. You’re so inspiring.”
“Wow, I had no idea I had such a fan club.” I dust the shoulder of my rash guard, laughing, but something truly pleased blossoms inside me.
My gaze snags on a group on shore. There’s a family of four standing out among the dwindling crowd.
Two young kids are burying their father in the sand, laughing hysterically, while their mother reads on a beach towel.
I picture Dad on his day off, doing exactly that with his twins, and my smile fades.
“Your family?” Celia asks.
I look down at my board. “I’m here alone. Reforming clinger, learning to enjoy solo time.”
“Solo time I’m ruining.”
“No, this is nice,” I say with a smile. “It’s part of it, you know? It’s an individual sport, but the best thing about surfing is this.” I gesture at the lineup. “The fact that you can be alone, but not alone when you’re out here.”
“Then I’m glad I worked up the courage to say hi.” Celia gives an awkward laugh. “I’ve been chickening out for weeks.”
“Have you really?” God, I’m so pathetically attention-starved that a lump actually rises in my throat.
You’re surrounded by love, Sum.
It’s foolish to have let Parker’s words from that B&B take root in me, given the backlog of voicemails currently occupying my father’s phone. But I so badly want to be the girl Parker sees when he looks at me—someone who’s worth spending time on, occupying the background on a lock screen.
Sometimes, I close my eyes and simply picture the way he looked at me after we kissed. Think about us in those matching Hawaiian shirts. And I’ll feel exactly that—worth the time.
I hesitate, nerves bubbling inside me. But I force myself to say, “If you girls ever feel like a snap tutorial, you could come find me. Anytime.”
Celia’s body jolts with such shock, she palms her board to steady herself. “Forget the tutorial. Wanna come surf with us?”
“Oh! Yeah—yes. Absolutely.” A shaky laugh blows out of me. “Do you want to go ask your friends if they’re okay with me crashing?”
“Are you kidding? They’re going to lose it to be surfing with you. Let’s go.” Celia flattens to her board, leading me to the lineup.
I keep my eyes on her friends as I approach, a little embarrassed to have inserted myself into their group. But the girls wave at me—wide-eyed, as though this just made their whole day.
Really, they kind of just made mine.
I step out onto the busy cobblestones making up downtown Oakwood, the bell above the door announcing my departure from the local surf shop. After two consecutive nights of surfing and mini lessons with Celia and her friends, I decided it was time I venture back into town.
It’s steaming hot for an evening, the humidity instantly making clothes feel damp against my skin. I hustle down the sidewalk toward my apartment, hat so low over my face that I only notice the familiar pair of shoes ahead a split second before I smash into their owner.
“Oh, I’m so sorry—Summer?”
I poke my hat a fraction up my forehead to find Shy ducking to get a better look at me.
“Shy!” I sweep her into a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you see our messages? I’m meeting Melody and Zac at Oakley’s—you were invited.
” With an impatient sound, she plucks the hat off my head, revealing the sidewalk and pedestrians I don’t recognize out in droves.
This influx happens every summer, between the tourists escaping the city’s heat and those coming to watch Surf’s Up.
“Why are you walking around practically blindfolded?”
“Same reason I’m not meeting you for dinner. I’m trying to be low-key. You know, on account of the harbinger of adultery thing.”
I still haven’t had the courage to visit Lisa and Jim at Oakley’s, or Callie’s shop, or to drop in on Wynn at the diner.
Haven’t had it in me to set the record straight about the situation with Denny, unsure if they’d believe me and not wanting to add them to the list of people who’ve let me down.
They were, after all, part of what still made Oakwood feel like a home once my parents left.
“I’m sure people are over that by now,” Shy says kindly, inching closer as a group of tourists edges around us on the sidewalk.
“Oh, you sweet summer child. If they’re over it, then why did Jory Thomas keep gesticulating with his left hand while he rang me up at the surf shop just now?
” She stares blankly. “His left hand, Shy. He was flashing his wedding band! And then there was Heather Sims asking her husband to fetch something from up in their apartment the second I walked by earlier. Like she expected me to jump him then and there.”
“I can’t stand small towns sometimes.” Shy shakes her head. “What have you been up to these days? We haven’t seen much of you.”
“Oh, you know…”
Letting Parker tie me up in a B&B.
Developing a not-so-little crush on him, and simultaneously working my ass off to qualify for years’ worth of travel without him.
“Little bit of this, little bit of that,” I finish with a laugh.
“Anywho! I’ve been meaning to pin you all down.
I’ve almost got the details for Mel and Parker’s birthday locked in—Zac offered up their place in the city.
I saw the Sabres are playing an afternoon game that Saturday, which Park would love.
And I’ve made us a reservation at the rooftop brunch spot Mels always raves about. You know the one I mean?”
“I think so. Sounds fun.” Shy nods. “But how was Rocky Ridge?”
“What?” I squeak. I haven’t uttered a word about last weekend—Parker or my competing again—to anyone. “Why do you ask?”
Shy gives me a funny look. “Why wouldn’t I ask? You love that volunteer job.”
“Oh, right.” I fiddle with my brown paper shopping bag. “It was great. A raging success.”
Her eyes narrow. “Summer.”
“What?”
“Did something happen with Parker? I heard you stayed overnight.” There’s a warning in her face now. A very plain don’t you dare lie to me.
Which is exactly what I plan on doing.
If there’s one lesson I learned from the ordeal with Denny, it’s that I need to see where things go with Parker before allowing any other excited voices into my head.
She’d enable me like she has in the past. Letting me get ahead of myself over things that might not mean what my heart wants them to.
“Don’t be absurd—what could possibly have happened?
” I give a breezy laugh but her disapproving parent look is one hell of a thing.
I’m a guilty perp, sweating under a harsh fluorescent light and my friend’s apparent ability to weaponize silence.
Shy doesn’t say anything, just continues to stare at me so quietly, for so long, that a guilty stream of words push up my throat just for the sake of ending it.
“It’s me and Parker, for God’s sake. We have boundaries and friendly parameters neither of us would ever dream of blurring with things like…
God, I wouldn’t even know, would I? Maybe, like, canceled rooms and drawstrings, dark nooks, or even—”
“Drawstrings?” Shy blinks, visibly working to keep up. Then her eyes go wide. “Did you two—”
“Keep it down!” I squeak, peering over my shoulder. “The last thing I need is to defend my poor decision-making to the entire county.”
“How could this be a poor decision? It’s Parker, Sum.” Her smile takes over her entire face. “Haven’t you ever wondered? What if this was always meant to happen?”
I hurry to beat back the thrill rising in my chest. I’ve wondered plenty in the past five days. We kissed, and it was incredible. We touched, and it was mind-altering.
But no conversations have been had to confirm that it was anything more than a fondle in a hallway, so that’s the direction under which I’m going to keep operating for once.
It’s for the best, anyway. I’m still well within reach of a qualifying spot for the Champions Tour, if I can get out of my head long enough to rack up more points.
I let my heart hold me back once, put my ambitions on the back burner in favor of rescuing my relationship with Dad.
Wrestling with unrequited feelings for Parker this time around won’t do me any good.
“It’s not like that—it was a heat of the moment thing.
A tiny kiss.” Shy looks about to say something, defend her excitement to the death, but I shake my head.
“Please don’t. I am the queen of getting my hopes up only to get slapped with a reality check.
Trust me, I don’t need you playing into it, too. ”
Shy takes my hands and squeezes them between hers. “But this is Parker we’re talking about.”
“Exactly. It would break me to be wrong about this one. Please, don’t tell anyone else. I need to sort this out before you all start planning a wedding.”
“All right.” Shy’s shoulders soften. She nods her chin at something behind me. “But I’m only letting this go because there’s a very eager man parting a sea of tourists to get at you.”
I turn to find Grant, my old head-volunteer, carving a path toward us on the sidewalk, eyes glued to me and a huge smile on his face. His dark, shaggy hair blows in the breeze. I glimpsed him at Rocky Ridge, but I haven’t spoken to him since I bowed out of my volunteer duties to compete.
“Summer, I was wondering if I’d bump into you here.”
“Well… here I am!” I wave at him. “What are you doing in Oakwood?”
“Helping Danica with your pop-up market. Divide and conquer, and all that.” Grant drops his voice, leaning closer. “Between you and me, she’s not quite as organized as you are.”
My shoulders square. “So you’re saying you miss your star volunteer?”
“Like crazy.”
I glance at Shy, expecting to exchange a pleased smile at Danica’s expense. But she’s staring back at me, eyes wide. Trying to convey something I’m not quite grasping.
“Was that bad to admit?” Grants says with a small laugh.
“Why would it be?” I tear my eyes off Shy. “Please tell me the markets are earning enough for Wynn’s repairs, at least?” I’ve been keeping an eye on the dilapidated building, and the lack of construction activity has had my heart hurting for Wynn.
“They’re doing great. We handed over the first donation installment earlier this week.”
Relief pours into me. Handing over the program to Danica had hurt, badly. But it’s been nothing compared to the fear that we might’ve wasted an opportunity to do some good in the community. “Thanks for picking up my slack, Grant. I’m glad it’s in capable hands.”
“It was a fantastic idea.” There’s something a little sheepish about it, the way his fingers run through his hair. “So, listen, Summer… I was wondering if you were seeing someone?”
“Grant!” I rear back. “I had no idea you felt that way.”
“How could I not?” He gestures at me. Shy gives a little sigh. “Obviously, I couldn’t do anything about it before. The whole position of authority thing, right? But seeing as that’s over… Can I take you out?”
My gaze flies across the street, skimming the apartment level of the strip and settling on Parker’s living room window. I don’t know what I’m hoping for. He isn’t even home.
What am I supposed to say here, exactly?
Sorry, Grant. I can’t go out with you even though you’re a perfectly nice guy, because I can’t stop fantasizing about my best friend who woke up one day deciding to drive me insane with flirting and kissing and a new pair of glasses which I secretly enjoy and it’s all bound to blow up in my face when he eventually snaps out of it but I have a massive crush on him anyway and, oh, also, I can’t go a single day without touching myself thinking about him and the way he sounds when he’s turned on—
And then I notice Shy. Staring at me with a knowing smile as I stared at Parker’s apartment. My cheeks flush.
She’s thrilled by my hesitation. So completely convinced that this is it for me—me and Parker, meant to be. My heart thrums, pleased by the very idea, and it’s exactly what I didn’t want.
No getting my hopes up. No letting my friends gas me up the way they had with Denny.
“Or I can cook you dinner at my place,” Grant gently prompts me. “We can keep it casual. See where it goes.”
Shy’s smile grows with every second that passes. I can feel it. Her excitement seeping into me.
My panic spikes with it.
Grant is… nice. I don’t have romantic feelings for him whatsoever but maybe this is just the thing to help slow the ones I do have for Parker. A distraction from the faint wedding bells singing in my heart, growing louder with every dimpled smile he gives me.
A casual, low-stakes dinner. I could handle that.
I force my brightest smile. “Okay. Let’s do it.”