Chapter 18
Summer
Zander helps me make cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning.
He’s still uneasy about baking, but he usually does well.
We make a double batch, so I have enough to take with me to the beach.
I was told I only needed sunscreen, a towel, and my swimsuit today.
After I empty my backpack, I fill it with a hat, towel, water, and snacks, along with my sunscreen.
I’ve got a decent tan from all the running I’ve been doing outdoors already, so I should have some interesting tan lines.
“Good morning. I’ll just grab my bag. Come on in.” We walk into the kitchen where Zander is eating a cinnamon roll and drinking coffee at the island.
“Morning, Bay,” Zander greets.
“We’re off to the beach. I’ll text you when we leave there, Zander.”
“Okay darling. Have fun,” he smiles.
I offer to drive my Jeep, so Bay hops into the passenger seat. “Where to?”
“We’re going to Alex’s beach cottage today. It’s in Folly Beach.”
“Oh wow. I didn’t realize he had another house.
” Apparently, it was the house his mother grew up in, and she left it to Alex when she passed away.
We talk about the shop, school, and Olivia during the drive.
Stories about Olivia have me chuckling at her.
She’s going to be a handful when she gets older.
I pull into a driveway 50 minutes later and see a two-story house raised up off the ground.
It’s a white house with blue shutters and is very pretty.
Alex’s SUV is already in the driveway. We get out and grab our bags, and I follow Bay up the stairs into the back door.
White walls and light hardwood greet us in the hallway.
It opens into a large area with a kitchen tucked into the left side along the hallway we just walked along and the most amazing view of the ocean in front of me.
Sliding doors are open to a large deck with couches and chairs scattered in front of them.
A dining table is on the left. There is a fireplace on the right wall with a large tv above.
Several rugs cover the floor area. The décor is beachy with white walls, light woods in various tones, and blue and green accents.
“Sunshine,” Seb calls, walking over to give me a hug.
“Come get a tour. E is making lunch,” he smiles.
He shows me down a hall past the kitchen with a rec room on the left looking out over the backyard.
There’s a huge tv, a pool table, a pinball machine, and several game consoles.
On the right is a library and office with more patio doors leading to the front deck.
Upstairs has a primary suite and four other bedrooms, and two bathrooms. “You get the last bedroom, Sunshine,” Seb smiles. He opens the last door on the right of the house. “E and I share a room across the hall from you.”
“Why hasn’t someone claimed the ocean view before?”
“It was Bay’s old room, but when we met you, he offered it up and took a room across the hall.”
“What? How long ago did this happen?”
“Uh, sometime earlier this month, I think. Alex has the place ready for the May long weekend every year. He had the rooms redone then.”
“You guys are unbelievable, Hurry,” I say, shaking my head.
My room has white walls and the same light hardwood underfoot.
A huge wicker king bed faces the ocean with white bedding and a navy blanket.
White nightstands flank the bed, and a tall dresser sits along the right wall with a cozy looking plush armchair and bookshelf.
There is a door on the wall with the bed in the far corner.
A window on the left wall shows a mass of green trees, hiding the view of the neighbor.
Patio doors are open to the second-story deck.
A blue rug runs under the bed, and there are several plants scattered in the room, including a large purple orchid on a table under the window. It’s simply perfect.
I walk out onto the deck and take a deep breath of the salty air. “I love this place,” I tell Seb.
“It’s pretty nice, Sunshine, and it’s in Alex’s name. It was his mother’s home.”
“Bay told me. I’m glad he has it.”
“Me too. Let’s go back downstairs,” he says, grabbing my hand. We walk back through my room and down the stairs to the kitchen.
“Alex,” I say, “I’m coming in for a hug,” I warn him. He smiles and wraps his arms around me. “My room is a dream. Thank you so much. Please know you didn’t need to do that, though.”
“I know,” he smiles. “It was my pleasure,” he tells me as we step back from each other.
I turn and walk over to Bay, sitting on a stool at the island. He spreads his legs so I can give him a hug, too. “You didn’t need to move rooms for me. I would have been happy on the other side of the house, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Summer. I’ve been near the ocean my whole life, so I was happy to let you enjoy the view.”
I step back with a smile and take a seat between Bay and Nick on the island. E serves up lunch and passes us each a plate of pasta salad and a wrap. It’s delicious as always.
We head out to the beach after we finish eating.
I grab my bag, and Nick carries a large cooler.
I follow the guys under the house to a storage room where they grab a canopy, a folding table, folding chairs, a backpack, and a bucket.
Alex smiles and hands me two blankets. “There is a changing room and bathroom on the right,” he says, pointing to the side.
I nod as we follow him down the sandy path to the beach.
The water is bright blue with little waves crashing.
The tide is out I think, as there’s a lot of wet sand stretching out before us.
Nick and E set up the canopy as I spread a blanket out under it and the other in the sun.
Seb unfolds a few chairs in each spot as well.
Bay has a bucket of rocks he uses to weigh down the edges of the blankets as Nick and E walk back towards the house. “What are they doing?” I ask.
“Getting the volleyball net,” Bay replies. “I’m going to get the charcoal and the grill.”
“I’ll help,” Seb says, and follows him.
“You guys have a system,” I say to Alex as I take a seat in one of the folding chairs under the sun.
“Yes, we do,” he smiles. He pulls off his t-shirt and hangs it on the bar under the canopy, then opens the bag he carried down here. He comes to sit beside me with a tube of sunscreen.
I stare at the waves as Alex applies his sunscreen, purposely ignoring all the abs. Nick and E come back carrying a large net between them. “Need help?” I ask.
“No, we’re good,” E replies. I watch them move a few feet away and start digging in the sand with a shovel I hadn’t noticed.
“Summer, would you mind putting sunscreen on my back?” Alex asks.
Turning, I see him holding out the tube to me. “Oh, sure,” I reply. I squeeze some cream into my hands as Alex stands and turns his back to me. Getting up, I rub it into his skin. “This stuff is really thick,” I comment.
“Yes. I tend to burn instead of tan,” he replies.
I look at his arms and notice the whiteness coating his skin. “Do you take astaxanthin?”
“No, what is that?”
“A carotenoid. Studies have proven it helps prevent UV damage to the skin. It takes a couple of months to be effective, but it should help prevent sunburn.”
“I will look into it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Okay, your back is done,” I say, stepping back. “Be careful what brand you buy, though. There are many poor quality ones on the market. I can text you a list of reputable brands later.”
“That would be helpful. I appreciate it,” he smiles.
I hand him back his sunscreen and walk under the canopy to my bag. Unzipping it, I grab my towel and wipe the excess sunscreen on the corner. My t-shirt and shorts get stuffed into the bag after I remove my water, sunscreen, and the cinnamon rolls to the table.
Bay and Seb are back with a charcoal grill and a large bag of charcoal.
They set them down under the canopy by the table.
“Oh, someone has been baking,” Seb says excitedly, removing the cover from the container.
He grabs two cinnamon rolls and takes a huge bite of one, groaning.
“Oh damn, these are so good. Thanks Sunshine.”
I smile as Bay takes one, then offers the container to Alex, who had joined us.
I take my sunscreen and water back to the chair I’ve claimed and apply the cream.
Seb lies out on the blanket beside me, shirtless, and does the same.
We offer each other our tubes to do our backs.
As Seb is finishing my back for me, Bay stands in front of me.
“My turn,” he smiles, so I rub sunscreen on his back as well.
Nick and E walk back towards us, so I tell them to lose their shirts so I can get their backs, too.
Seb chuckles at me. “This is much better than us doing each other or getting sunburned. Yay for Sunshine,” he says, stretching back out on the blanket.
I shake my head at him as I get to work on the last two guys.
I’m definitely not noticing all the sculpted backs and hard warm muscles as I rub in the sunscreen. Nope, not at all. I love Jake.
Once everyone is full of sunscreen and cinnamon rolls, we spread out between the chairs and blanket in the sun to let it absorb.
Seb only lasts about 20 minutes before getting up and pulling on my hand to follow him into the water.
I laugh and let him drag me along as the rest of the guys follow us.
We swim and float and splash each other and just have fun. It’s wonderful.
When I get tired, I move back to the blanket to rest and bake. It must be near 90 degrees today, despite it being only May. The water is cold, but it’s refreshing with the heat of the sun. I drink some water as Nick walks by. “Hey. Did you invite Ceres?”
He pulls a juice out of the cooler and takes a seat beside me. “Yeah, they’re coming,” he answers.