Chapter 50
fifty
ELLIE
What a whirlwind of a week.
I told my parents about work, made the breakup permanent with Charlie, and inserted myself into meeting Rowan’s dad. That last one was going to happen no matter what. If he had called me, and I was still across the country, I would have booked a flight and gone straight to him.
I’m lying in my bed when I hear someone walk in through the doors of the guest house. I don’t bother to get up since I am absolutely drained.
“Ellie?” my mom calls out.
I sit up and walk out of the bedroom to where my mom is standing in the living room. Her hair is tied up in a hair clip, and she wears a beautiful yellow, flowy dress.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“There you are.” She smiles at me. “I wanted to ask if you want to go around town and shop. I want to take advantage of the weather, and I haven’t really spent time with you. I’d like to get as much in before you leave in a couple of weeks.”
My stomach sinks when she says that last sentence. I have a couple of weeks left here before I need to go back to the busy life that I ran away from. This also means I need to speak with Chef Roberts about the position that’s waiting for me.
I push the thought out of my head.
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. I haven’t gone shopping yet, so I would love to pick up some new clothes, maybe get something for Rowan.” I shrug.
My mom grins at me. She can see right through me and what I’ve been up to this summer.
“Stop,” I whine and feel my cheeks heat.
She waves me off, shaking her head at me. “You act like you two haven’t dated before. You were in a relationship when you were teenagers. You had a crush on him that started in middle school. I’m your mother. How would I not notice these things?”
I gape and quickly change the subject. “Did you know August went on a date? I never asked him how it went.”
“You think your brother talks to me about his dating life? I just see women come and go, and I never ask. I don’t want to know what that boy is up to. He reminds me of your dad.”
We decided to walk down instead of driving. Mom insists she gets her steps in.
“Wait, what? August was like dad? I thought you and dad were together since you were young. I’ve seen the photo albums.”
“We were on and off throughout high school,” she says this like it’s no big deal.
“What? I thought dad was obsessed with you.”
“He was and still is.” She looks at me with a smirk. “He just had some growing up to do. We were kids, and I never held it against him. There were times when he wanted to have fun, and I wanted to have fun, so we would stay friends. We would date other people, but something always pulled us back together.”
Like me and Rowan.
“When did you guys finally decide to stop messing around?”
“When we graduated high school. He knew he wanted to be with me, and even though we were still incredibly young, he knew what he wanted and went after it.” She eyes me like she’s trying to get through to me with something.
I look at her, but I don’t say anything as we approach one of the shops. I look to see August talking to dad when we enter the Surf Shack. They have plenty of customers but have teenage employees taking care of them while they handle other business.
“Well, well, well. To what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you two,” Dad says as he walks to mom, giving her a big kiss on the cheek, and drapes his arm over her shoulder.
“I want to get something for Rowan,” I say, crossing my arms and smiling.
“Oh?” Dad grins.
I look at August with a tired look, hoping he would back me up, but all he does is wiggle his brows. Thanks, bro. I roll my eyes and walk away. I’m not sure what I want to get Rowan, but I figure if it has anything to do with surfing, he will like it either way.
I was never one to surf. I tried, and I’m bad at it. But any time Rowan wanted to surf, I would suck it up and go with him. When I felt defeated, I would drag my board back to the beach so I could watch him.
He was always so graceful when he was out on the water. He held so much control and made it look effortless. Not to mention he looked incredibly hot doing it, his hair slicked back when it got wet, his stomach tightening when he held his posture.
Now, my mind reels back to the night we had together. I can feel my eyes turn heavy when I think about the way he dominated in the bedroom. He’s such a sweetheart, kind and gentle. But when it came to the bedroom, he transformed into someone who knew what he wanted. I’ve never been more turned on.
I need to squeeze my legs together. I do not want to be turned on at my dad and brother’s shop. Remembering where I am snaps me out of it. I look at the display table where shirts are neatly folded, and jeans are displayed on the bottom shelf.
I love this space. It sits across from the beach, the path separating the shop from it. You can literally buy a board and run across to the beach. The door is always open because it’s the type that you need to lift, like a garage door, so people walking by can always look inside.
The walls are painted a cool green color, and surfboards hang from the ceiling and are perched against the walls. There’s a glass display on each side of the shop that shows surf accessories.
“Hey, August,” I say over my shoulder.
“What’s up?” He walks over to me. His tall, big frame hovers over me.
“Do you think I should get Rowan new board shorts? I don’t know how many he has.” I cock my head at the table, thinking.
“Lucky you, he was just telling the guys he was looking into getting new ones.”
I smile to myself and browse the table with different colored shorts to choose from.
“How did things go with the woman you were taking out?” I pick up a deep blue pair and hold them in front of me, then set them back down.
“It was fine. It was more of a friend vibe. She was chill, but nothing really sparked there.” August picks up board shorts in a copper tan color. I shake my head.
“Really? I’m sorry,” I say with a frown.
“Don’t be. I’m fine with it.” He shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets.
“You’re fine with it because you’re holding out for someone else.” I give him a smirk.
“No, I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looks around, exasperated.
“Enemies can make great lovers, August. You should read a romance book with that trope.”
“God, you’re annoying.”
I turn to laugh at him and then back to the table, picking up a pair of pale aqua board shorts. I angle my head side to side, picturing Rowan in them. His tan skin would look great with the color.
“What’s going on with you and Rowan?” he asks.
I hold on to the winning pair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ellie, you need to cut the shit. You’re only here for a little while longer, and you need to figure things out. Are you really going to leave again? Go back to a place that doesn’t even make you happy anymore?”
I roll my head back. This conversation. Again.
“What do you want me to do? Not take the promotion and stay in Mom and Dad’s guest house?”
“You can stay with me.” He points to himself with his hand.
“And deal with women coming in and out of your bedroom at all hours of the day? No thanks.”
“I can pause my sex life if it means you come home.”
I grimace. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Don’t need to do what?” Dad interrupts us.
We both turn to him and smile.
“Nothing,” I blurt out and then stare back at August, telepathically saying that this conversation is over.