Chapter Twenty-Four
Em
THE FOURTH OF JULY had arrived, and the house buzzed with talk of which events to hit—if any.
Chatham was bustling with tourists, the town gearing up for the yearly fireworks show over the water.
But Lennon and Shae had other plans. They’d pulled together a group of friends to meet at the beach house for a small-scale Fourth of July celebration of their own.
Kira was set to arrive that afternoon, with the official start time pegged at seven. Julian would be coming too, because, in Seth’s words, he “would not be leaving the cape without a make-out sesh or more with Julian.”
Em strode into the kitchen to find Lennon frantically organizing the contents of her shopping extravaganza. Shae was sitting at the island, a notepad in front of her. She made checkmarks as Lennon placed each item on the counter.
The island was covered in party items with everything from streamers to food and drink, all arranged in large groups with like items.
“Organizing?” Em said, leaning down to place a kiss on Shae’s cheek.
“Painstakingly!” Shae said, flashing her eyes toward Lennon.
Lennon stepped back, leaning her back against the opposite side of the counter, a pensive expression on her face. “I think that’s everything we need. I left the fireworks up to Brodie. What do you think? Too little, too much?”
She flicked her eyes over at Em, then to Shae as she grabbed the red and blue solo cups from the counter, unwrapping them and placing them neatly off to the side.
The two glanced at each other in unison, Em nodding her head approvingly.
“Lennon, you know what I am going to say. Obviously, you’ve outdone yourself. This doesn’t have to be perfect, you know. We’ll have fun no matter what.”
Lennon avoided the comment, moving along to the next thing on her list.
The beach house brimmed with energy. String lights casting golden patterns across the walls, music spilling faintly from the speakers. Lennon moved with meticulous precision, still adjusting napkin placement, lining up drinks, and making sure the playlist flowed seamlessly.
She paused, tapping her pen against her cheek, surveying her handiwork.
“Okay… maybe one more touch,” she said.
Em padded over, setting down a tray of snacks.
“You’re being silly,” she said with a grin. “It’s already perfect. Nobody is going to notice if the napkins are two millimeters off.”
Lennon’s eyes sparkled. “Maybe. But I notice. That’s what counts. Besides, if it’s perfect, I can actually enjoy it without worrying.”
Em smiled, falling back to let Lennon do her thing.
She spotted Shae, who was sprawled across the couch in the living room now, a fancy-looking drink—probably one of Seth’s concoctions—in her hand.
She was chatting with Claire, who was still in lounge clothes, otherwise unfazed that a party would be starting soon.
Seeing Shae talking with Claire still set her a bit on edge, but she was trying to get better at letting things go. Shae had told her everything that had gone on between the two of them, and deep down, she knew that if Shae had wanted to choose Claire, she would have.
Everything about Shae drew her in, made her heart flutter; it always had. Though lately, she was feeling more than that. She was fighting back an ‘I love you’ so often now that she was afraid she might accidentally blurt it out at the most inopportune moment. It was starting to get to her.
“Girlie Pop,” a girl's voice rang out from the doorway.
Shae jumped up, and Em stood too, her eyes glancing around the corner toward the door as Kira dropped her bag, making a beeline toward Shae. Shae bounded toward Kira, lifting her from the ground in a tight hug.
“Long time no see,” Shae joked.
“Oh yeah, if by a long time you mean last week,” Kira said as Shae lowered her to the floor.
“It looks stellar in here! Lennon?” Kira asked.
“Yep, all me.” Lennon interrupted, sliding in between Kira and Shae, giving Kira a side hug, and handing her a drink in a red solo cup.
“Nice! What do we have here?” Kira sniffed at the drink in the cup, swishing it. “Heyyy, way to waste no time, babes. Best hostess ever!” Kira exclaimed, taking a sip of her drink.
A knock at the door interrupted the excitement.
“Oh, that’s my cue,” Lennon said, straightening her blue star-printed dress and adjusting her posture. She took the few steps toward the door before opening it, a slight look of disappointment in her eyes when Brodie’s football buddies appeared on the other side.
“Come in, come in,” she urged, semi-deflated. “Brodie is out back by the pool.” They all filtered in carrying drinks and snacks, joking loudly, filling the house with the pleasant hum of summer, of friendship.
A wave of guests began arriving back-to-back. Em hung back, watching the excitement in Lennon’s face when one of her own friends arrived over anyone else’s.
“Hey,” Shae said, from behind Em as she strolled up, and slid her hand into hers. “You good?”
She placed a kiss on Em’s shoulder, then took her other hand, leading her forward toward the crowd. “Come on. Come hang out. You're all alone over here, and I’m starting to miss you.”
The two made their way to the rest of the group as Seth pranced in, an extra spring in his step, dragging Julian along with a grin that suggested mischief was inevitable.
“Look at what the cat dragged in,” Seth said, biting at his pointer finger. “Grrrr.”
They all passed along hellos and hugs. Claire strolled over, all in red, her hair pulled half up, elegant as ever, joining in on the greetings.
Em scrutinized her own outfit, feeling a bit underdressed, having opted for a pair of red dress shorts and a white, cropped top with a flowy denim overshirt.
Claire settled into the circle of friends with ease, a mischievous smirk on her face as she surveyed the room like she was plotting minor chaos or perhaps looking for someone… Natalie, Em guessed.
Em looked around at the crowd. A tightness wound in her chest, which she pushed down, bringing her hand up to make slow circles against her breastbone.
Natalie arrived fashionably late, a pretty blonde girl with her.
The pair laughed as they slipped inside, bringing in a wave of energy that made everyone grin.
Everyone except Claire. Her face immediately went flat.
Now that was a look Em did know, a look she’d given many times when seeing Shae with someone new: jealousy.
Em let herself relax as she sipped her drink, leaning against Shae. The soft brush of Shae’s hand on her thigh sent tiny shivers up her spine. Shae’s eyes found hers, across the noise, and the world shrank down to that quiet, intimate space where only the two of them existed. Shae was her person.
“Hey, everyone, it’s eight o'clock. Fireworks are probably going to start soon. Anyone who wants to watch should make their way down to the water,” Lennon announced.
“Let’s go down, yeah?” Shae asked, planting a kiss on the side of Em’s head. Em took her hand, and they made their way out.
It was a perfect night. The sunset streaked the horizon in blooming shades of pink and gold as they drifted down, their laughter mingling with the crashing waves. Em was perched against Shae on the sand, Shae’s arm wrapped around her. She leaned in, planting a kiss on the top of Em’s head.
“I’m so excited!” Kira whooped. “It’s such a gorgeous night. Seth, come down to the water with me!”
Kira dropped her things next to where Em and Shae sat, clutching Seth’s hand and sprinting off toward the shoreline, both of them screeching with delight. Julian followed behind at his own pace.
Kira’s phone buzzed unexpectedly, lighting up against her jacket that sat in a bundle against the sand.
Em ignored it, watching Seth and Kira lock hands and spin in circles, their faces toward the sky, like two school-aged children playing.
Then came another buzz. Kira’s phone lit up, and slid down from atop the heap, falling onto the sand beside Em.
Em reached down, tapping around on the sand, “Kira’s phone,” she said, shifting her body toward Shae, “It fell.” She pulled it up casually, leaning to place it back on the jacket. It lit up again, the name flashing on the screen reading Elliot Briggs.
“What?” Em said, confused. “Why is Elliot…” She flashed the phone in Shae’s direction long enough for Shae to read the name before the buzzing ended and then started up again, the same name flashing across the screen. Em slid the phone open, answering it.
“Hello?”
“Em, don’t,” Shae urged, reaching to tug the phone away. But Em put her other hand out, blocking her.
“Hey, babe! I miss you. I know you said Shae said not to call, but I had to hear your voice.” The all-too-familiar voice on the other line said.
“Elliot?” Em said, confusion on her face. “Why are you calling Kira?”
Em’s stomach tightened. Her eyes moved to Shae, then to Kira dancing on the beach, piecing it together. A slow, sinking feeling twisted inside her stomach. “What is happening?” she said, her eyes meeting Shae’s.
Kira ran up the beach laughing, Seth right behind her.
Em rose abruptly, gripping Kira’s phone. She held it out to her. “It’s Elliot,” she said, dropping the phone into her hand. “He misses you.”
Kira’s voice was hesitant, “He… he’s—uh—I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to call.”
Em made her way up the beach back to the house, heaviness settling in her chest.
“Em,” Shae called from behind her. “Em, wait up.”
Em stopped, tucking her arms across her chest.
“Did you know about this? About Kira and Elliot? He said, you told Kira not to have him call. Have you known and not told me?”
She looked off toward the water. Kira was still watching them in the distance.
“Em, we weren’t even talking when they first got together, and it was—”
“How long were you going to hide it from me, Shae? I thought we were done keeping secrets. I thought we could trust each other.”
“I am done keeping secrets, Em. I just… I… this wasn’t my secret to tell...”