Chapter 28
Summer
The phone rings not long after Bobby picks up Anita for a doctor appointment.
Storytelling was over about an hour ago, but I still feel like I’m recovering from the group of small children running around the store.
Anita was right, though, the parents spent money, and other than having to straighten the store after they left, I think it was a success.
“Ocean Beach Books,” I say into the receiver.
“Summer!”
“Hey, Mom,” I reshelf a row of books that an exuberant three-year-old pulled off the shelf. “How’s Oregon?”
“Cold,” she says. “I miss my spring weather. How’s the beach? The store?”
“The beach is good, warm, and not too crowded yet. The store is amazing. You did a great job.”
“Oh, it was hardly just me. Richard and Sugar were a huge help with location ideas. Once I brought Anita on as an employee, she really brought in a lot of great ideas.”
“Like Toddler Tuesday?”
“Did that start today?”
“Yep.” I bend down and sweep up a pile of graham crackers into my hand.
“How did it go?”
“Well, it felt like a tornado came through here, but I think overall it went well. Lots of kids and happy moms.”
“Great. I’m telling you, she thinks of everything. She’s been a life-saver.”
The store is currently empty and I move to sit on one of the soft, red couches. “Tell me about your trip.”
“It’s been a whirlwind, too. One night in each city. I know I’ve done this before, but I was younger then. It’s wearing me out.”
“Don’t get sick,” I say, knowing she will. She always does on book tours. “Make sure you sleep and eat healthy. You can’t just eat French fries and candy.”
My mother is a French fry and candy junkie.
“Richard’s here and he’s keeping me in line.”
“Good.”
“How are Justin and the other boys?”
“I saw them last night. Everyone seems great—relieved summer vacation is here.”
“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Her voice lowers.
“Okay sure, what’s up?”
“I know you’re seeing Justin…and well, maybe not just him. I’m not sure what’s going on with all that, but I trust you to make the right decision. I also want to be able to trust you to be safe.”
“Safe…” Oh, my god.
The sex talk? Now? On the phone?
“Mom, I’m fine. And safe. I promise.”
“I know that in the moment, things can get heated—”
“Nope. No. Stop.”
“Summer, I will not. It’s my obligation as mother to make sure this is discussed.”
“You’ve said it. We’re good. I promise.”
The bell at the front chimes and I say, “Oh look, a customer came in. Gotta run!”
“Summe—”
I hang up on her and brush my hair away from my face, flustered. I look to the front door and see two girls around my age, maybe a little younger, weave through the display tables and shelves of books. They’re wearing cute clothes, stylish rompers and flats.
“Let me know if I can help you,” I call, walking to the trash to throw away a half-eaten banana I find on a bookshelf. Gross.
“Is Anita here?” one of the girls asks.
“Oh, no, she had an appointment. She’ll be back in tomorrow, though.”
“Oh, bummer,” one girl says. She’s got flaming red, long hair.
The other girl has dark hair cut in a bob with equally blunt bangs.
She nods at the disappointment of missing Anita.
They cruise around a bit more but I feel their eyes assessing me.
I’m about to ask if they want to leave a message but they walk to the door and the red-head tosses out, “Bye,” and they go as quickly as they came.
The rest of the afternoon is the same and since we’re still in off-season hours I lock the front door at five, flipping over the sign and closing the curtain.
A few minutes later I’m going over the closing list of instructions when I hear a small tap on the door.
I walk over, prepared to tell the customer that we’re closed until morning, already not liking the feeling of doing that, when I push back the curtain and am graced with Justin’s handsome face.
A different feeling blooms inside me at the sight of him.
His cheeks and nose are red from the first days of summer sun—his skin getting used to it again. He’s grown the sides of his brown hair out a little, but the front still sticks up, away from his forehead. I open the door and he slips in, giving me a quick kiss.
“Hi,” he says.
“I didn’t know you were coming.” I re-lock the door.
“I got off work early and wanted to see how your first day as a townie went.”
“Pretty good, I guess. Anita set up a toddler class that was a little crazy. Two girls came in, eyed me, and walked back out, and my mom called and gave me a weird, over-the-phone sex talk.”
His eyebrows rise. “Hmmm…did you tell her that ship had sailed?”
“I told her we were being safe.” The student center gave me a prescription for birth control pills and I took them religiously.
The truth, though, is that we hadn’t had sex in a long time. Distance and time made it hard, but now that we’re together again, just being around him made my body tingle all over. I touch his chest—the part over his heart where the marina logo is stitched.
“Do you have any plans tonight?” he asks; there’s a lightness to the question. It’s false. He wants the same thing I want.
“Just closing up. Finding some dinner—” His lips capture mine. My heart hammers. “Maybe hanging out with you.”
“Maybe?”
I shrug playfully. “What would a townie do on a night like this?”
He smiles and it’s like looking into the sun. God, I’ve missed him. “Well, a real townie would buy a six-pack of beer and some food, then maybe walk down to the Camp and hang out for a while. If you’re a guy like me, you’re hoping some hot chick will let you make out with her behind the dunes.”
“What’s the Camp?”
“Have none of us ever taken you there?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Come on, let’s go to the Grill and get some food. Then we’ll pop your townie cherry.” His fingers link with mine.
I finish closing up and lock the front door.
I have this moment of wondering if I should call my mom and let her know where I’m going, but then realize I’m on my own right now.
No adults. No obligations except showing up for work in the morning.
I take Justin’s hand and let him lead me down the road—ready to embrace the unknown excitement of the night ahead.
Turns out The Camp is actually an old, abandoned camp on the undeveloped end of the island.
The remaining cabins are made of cinderblock and long boarded up.
I hadn’t even noticed the area during the daylight, most of the buildings obscured by dunes and long, wild-growing sea grass.
Justin takes my hand and a lantern out of the back of the Jeep.
I carry the bag of greasy food from the Grill.
Together, we walk down a sandy path through the heart of the dunes.
“Back in the day, boys were sent here for the summer—kind of a reform type thing.”
“So it was for troubled kids?” I ask.
“I guess. I know Richard did a stint out here one year when his mother was tired of chasing him down.”
“Richard. Got in trouble.” I’m astounded. Richard is a lawyer and business man—he seems like the last person to get sent away.
Justin smiles down at me. “Why do you think he’s got a soft spot for me and the guys? He sees himself in us.”
I hear the sound of something zipping across pavement—followed by drags and scrapes. The noise is unfamiliar and as it gets louder we get closer to a glowing light, then voices lift on the wind.
The dunes part and everything clicks into place. The sounds, the voices…everything.
“You guys turned it into a skate park?”
A wide swath of pavement sits between the graffiti-covered, abandoned buildings. Massive ramps arc on each end along with some smaller obstacles around the edges. A group of boys and a few girls zip along the concrete, wheels rolling over the curved wooden ramps.
“It’s been here for years.” He holds up his arm and reveals a nasty scar on his elbow. “I got that falling over there.” He points to the larger ramp where a kid just tumbled, his board falling with a clatter. He hops up quickly.
“I think I like surfing better. Less dangerous.”
He makes a face. “Sharks are less dangerous?”
“What? You’re always telling me sharks aren’t a risk!”
He wraps his arms around me and squeezes me tight. “You’re adorable.”
“You do too many dangerous sports.”
“How about tonight we just hang out and watch?”
I agree and he leads me to a bench and we pull out our food.
Everyone at the Camp knows him, stopping by for handshakes or fist bumps.
They ask about college, the guys, and the marina.
They all give me a side, questioning look; the guys and girls.
A few times, he introduces me. Other times he doesn’t seem to feel the need.
It’s all overwhelming but an interesting peek into his life.
Across the way I spot two girls staring and realize I’ve seen them before.
“Who are those girls?” I ask.
Justin looks across the park, skateboarders zooming through the space. “Jessica Park and Isabel Higgs. They’re a few years younger than me.” He licks mustard off his thumb. “Why?”
“They’re the ones that came in the store today.”
“Ah,” he nods. “They work at the boutique next door. Jessica’s mom owns it.”
“Oh, okay.” Not sure why they didn’t just say that in the first place.
A guy with a black skull-cap rolls up. His dark hair curls from under the hat and he’s tall and lanky, with baggy shorts and beat-up sneakers.
“Hey, man,” he says, bumping fists with Justin.
He seems a bit older than most the kids down here—not a lot, just definitely out of high school if not college.
They talk a little about the marina and the lack of jobs around the town and how tourist season sucks.
His eyes flit to me a few times and Justin finally gets a clue.
“Avery.” He nods at me. “This is Summer Barnes.”
His eyes widen. “Oh, you’re Julia’s daughter?”
I tilt my head. “You know my mom?”
“I know of her. She’s basically my favorite super famous author.”
“She’d be happy to know you consider her famous.”
“We don’t have a lot of celebrities around here. She counts as mega famous.” He sits on the bench next to me. I shift into Justin, giving him some room. “I read her book on Gaskins. Hell, I’ve read all her books. She’s an incredible writer.”
“So, you like true crime?”
“Absolutely.” His voice carries a southern, surfer-skater lilt. “Do you think she’d sign my Gaskins book?”
I smile. “I’m sure she would. She’s on a book tour right now, but bring it by the bookstore and I’ll make sure.”
“Awesome!” His face lights up. “Thanks, Summer.”
He drops his board with a clatter, stands, and rolls off.
“Wow, so he’s…”
“Different,” Justin says. “I’ve known Avery forever. He’s a little odd. Hangs out down here all the time. Dropped out of school.” He grins. “You know that guy in Dazed and Confused? The one that hits on all the teenagers?”
I shake my head.
“It’s a classic. You’ve got to watch it. If you want any idea on what it’s like to be a townie—check that out.” He looks across the pavement at Avery attempting a jump. And failing. “Ouch. Anyway, that’s him. The guy that never really grows up.”
“He doesn’t spend all his time figuring out how to maximize his uncle’s business and dorking out in accounting classes?”
He lifts his leg so he’s straddling the bench, facing me. “Hey, not everyone can just be a pretty face. I can’t help that I have a massive brain.”
“Oh, you mean Pete?”
I copy his move and we’re face to face. He pushes the food garbage to the ground and grabs my hips, pulling me close.
“You think you’re funny, don’t you, Summer Barnes?”
What I think falls away as the sounds of the skate park vanish, drowned out by the thundering of my heart.
Justin’s got me pinned with the touch of his hand against my hip and a look.
A hard look, and it makes every inch of my body want to combust. My breath catches when he touches my chin, lifting my mouth to his for a sweet kiss.
When we part, my hand is fisted in the hem of his shirt. After composing myself, I ask, “WWATD?”
Justin tilts his head. “What?”
“What Would A Townie Do? Right now. After a kiss like that?”
He licks his lips and his eyes dance in the shadowy light. “I’d make my move. Slide my arm around your shoulder. Lead you back behind that dune. Hope I’d get lucky.”
I snuggle under his arm and ask, “Want to go back to my place instead?”
Before he kisses me again, he says, “Hell yes,” and this time I lead him back to the dunes and through the darkness.