Authors: Erin Downing
“I like that you say what you want, and it’s fun when you fight back.” Adam tipped back his soda, offering no further explanation.
“It’s fun when I fight back?”
“Sure. That’s why I like hanging out with you—you’re a challenge. Don’t you get a rush when we fight?”
Is he serious?
Kate wondered. “Not really,” she answered, partially lying. “I don’t understand why you have to be such a jerk all the time,” she said truthfully.
Adam laughed. “Come on, now. I’m not a jerk. You just don’t see my side of the argument. I can’t be that bad. You liked me when we were kids.”
“You’re a total asshole now, though,” Kate declared. “You turned evil in sixth grade, when you spread that rumor about Alexis sleeping with Barbie dolls. It took her months to live that down.”
“
That’s
why you hate me?” Adam asked. “Because I told people about my cousin’s Barbie doll fascination?” He looked surprised, then amused. “That was a true story, you know.”
“Whatever.” Kate dismissed him with her hand. “It was a crappy thing to do, and I don’t like when people don’t treat my friends with respect.”
Adam was grinning. “Seriously? Your grudge against me is that I spread a rumor about my cousin in
sixth
grade? Well, aren’t you a loyal friend.”
“Yeah, I am. And you’re not such a great cousin. You took private information that you had only because you’re family and turned it into a rumor, just to be mean to Alexis.”
“Did you know…,” Adam started, then broke off.
Kate looked at him critically. “What? Did I know what?”
He took a swig of his soda and shook his head. “Nothing.”
They sat in silence, watching people walk by the frat house. Every few minutes someone would come out the front door, looking for relief from the noise and heat inside the party. Kate heard some girls talking about the length of the line for the bathroom, so she guessed Sierra was stuck in it.
The heat of the evening was oppressive, and Kate stretched her hands up, searching for a breeze in the sticky air. When she lowered her arms, she propped them behind her on the porch so she could lean back to look up at the brilliant stars that seemed almost dull back in Jersey.
Adam followed suit, and as he placed his hands on the disintegrating wood of the porch, his hand unintentionally grazed hers. He left it where it was, his pinky finger overlapping with hers. His relaxed posture suggested the touch meant nothing, but Kate was singularly focused on his hand, and her entire body, from the tips of her ears to her purple-painted baby toe, was buzzing.
Finally Adam said quietly, “In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that right before sixth grade Alexis told every single one of my friends that I wet the bed every time I slept over at her house. She also told them that her parents had bought a special plastic sheet with Teletubbies on it for the bed I slept on so that I wouldn’t ruin the mattress.” He smiled. “
That
is why I told people the very true story of Alexis and her Barbie dolls. Peeing the bed is not something to joke about. Man, I was
tortured
after she spread that story.”
“Was it true?” Kate asked, laughing. Adam sat up, causing their fingers to pop apart.
“No, it wasn’t true!” Adam feigned anger, but he was laughing, too. Suddenly he said, “We used to be friends, Kate.”
“I know. Stuff happens, I guess.”
“I always liked hanging out with you. Remember that summer when we canoed out to the island almost every day, just you and me? That was actually the summer I started to play the banjo too, if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah,” Kate answered, thinking back to one of their first summers in Love, when she and Adam had spent almost every afternoon together while everyone else went waterskiing. It was before the Barbie incident, and long before Lucas’s family had started coming to Cattail Cottages Resort. “You were the only other person that didn’t like to spend every second on the boat. My anti-waterskiing companion.”
“I actually really like waterskiing. I’m no good at it, but it’s still fun.”
“Why didn’t you go at all that summer?”
“Because…” Adam turned toward her. “Because then you would have been stuck all alone or gotten roped into riding around in the boat watching everyone else ski. Chilling out with just you was always a lot more fun anyway. You’ve always cracked me up, princess, and I liked hanging out with you…. Still do.”
Just then Alexis and Sierra both came barreling out the front door. Alexis was wild-eyed, and Sierra was laughing hysterically. “Let’s go!” Alexis called, running down the front steps. “We have to get away from Sierra’s lover.”
As they all took off down the sidewalk toward their car, they could hear a guy yelling, “Caitlin, don’t go! Caitlin!”
“What did you do?” Kate asked, breathing heavily as they ran down the sidewalk.
“I didn’t do anything!” Sierra declared. “Lex?”
Alexis laughed harder. When they were finally in the safety of their car, back on the road to the hotel, Alexis said, “I told the drunk guy that Sierra, or rather, Caitlin, was easily wooed by poetry. So the dumb guy stripped down to his underwear and started reading random Shakespearean sonnets to her from the landing between the first and second floors. It was freaking hilarious!”
“Poor guy.” Sierra laughed. “I feel bad for him.”
“He was drunk, Sierra! He’ll have no recollection that he did that, until someone reminds him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll realize he shouldn’t act like such a fool next time.”
“At least he’ll never see us again,” Kate offered. “Even though I’m sure he’d love to see you, Caitlin.” They pulled into the parking lot of their hotel. As they walked into the lobby, Kate’s phone rang. “Hey,” she murmured into the phone, waiting for a response on the other end. “I’m excited to see you, too.” She smiled to herself, but was fully aware that her friends were watching her. “Okay, g’ night.” When she hung up, the other three were waiting for her next to the front desk.
“Lover boy?” Alexis asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,”
Kate said. “I can’t believe I’ll see him in less than a day! I just keep visualizing that moment when we’ll pull up at the resort and Lucas will come greet me with a kiss. Mmmm,” Kate murmured, closing her eyes to picture the scene. When she opened them again, Adam was watching her closely. “What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He didn’t say anything, just shook his head.
“What?” she demanded. “Are you trying to find a way to kill my fantasy, just like your cousin?” Kate looked at him angrily, anticipating the rude comment he was sure to make. “Because you won’t, and your criticism will just piss me off.”
“No,” Adam said simply. “I’m happy for you, Kate. I hope it all unfolds exactly as it should.”
Kate stared at him and realized he was being genuine. “Thank you. That’s a nice thing to say.” They all headed off toward the elevator to go to their shared room, but as they passed the breakfast area off the lobby, someone singsonged, “Hello, girls!”
Inside the dining room were a bunch of white-haired women, smiling and waving. “Oh, hi!” Kate said, stepping into the room. “You were at the amusement park yesterday, right? What are you doing here?”
“This is the next stop on our tour,” one of the women said. “Lovely Ann Arbor. We move on to Chicago tomorrow. Then we’ll be making our way up into Wisconsin and the shores of the Great Lakes!”
Another woman shouted out, “If I have anything to say about it, we’re staying in Chicago until this money in my pocket is gone! I have some shopping to do.” All the other ladies laughed, despite the fact that her comment wasn’t funny. Inside joke, apparently.
“Okay…” Alexis was obviously eager to get out of there. “Well, have a good trip. Really nice to see you again.” She yawned and gestured toward the elevator.
As they were on their way out the door, one of the women said, “Do any of you kids play pinochle? Joyce went to bed, and Fern is missing her partner.” A woman—presumably Fern—waved at them.
“Yeah, sure, I play. Are you willing to play with a guy, or is this ladies-only?” Adam asked, and stepped into the room.
Fern stood up and shimmied a little, then said to the other women in the room, “Ooh-hoo, girls. Look at my luck! Of course I’ll play with a fellow. I’ve been on a bus tour with forty women for the last week and could use a little distraction!” She laughed, and Adam turned to look at Kate, who was struggling to keep from cracking up.
Adam wrapped his hand around Kate’s forearm, then announced, “I’ll only play if Kate agrees to stay and help me. What do you say, Kate?” Kate looked at Adam like he was crazy, then back at the roomful of women. They were all looking up at her hopefully, so she nodded.
Alexis and Sierra both giggled behind her before saying good luck and good night. Alexis whispered, “Sorry to ditch you, but…Well, I’m not sorry!” Then they hustled off down the hall toward the elevator. Kate knew Alexis and Sierra would settle into one of the beds while she and Adam were downstairs, meaning she would have to fight Adam for the roll-away.
As they made their way over to Fern’s table, Kate whispered, “Why are you doing this to me?”
“It will be fun,” Adam whispered back. “It’s quality together time for you, me, and the Q-tip tour.”
“Q-tip tour?”
“Sure,” Adam said, and grinned. “When they’re all sitting in the bus with their white hair peeking up over the windowsills, it looks like a bunch of Q-tips lined up in a row. So it’s a Q-tip tour.”
“Superfunny,” Kate deadpanned. They sat at Fern’s table and Adam picked up the hand of cards that had been dealt to him. For the next hour Kate watched as Adam charmed and flirted with the ladies on the Q-tip tour. She had to admit that she was impressed at how friendly and charming he could be.
But more than anything, Kate was surprised at how much fun she was having. Not only were the women hilarious, but she was having a great time with Adam. It was as though they were back in the fifth grade again, having a great time hanging out—and getting along.
At one point, after proudly laying down the ace of hearts, Fern looked up at Kate and Adam. Adam was whispering something to Kate, and Fern said, “You two sure do make a charming couple.” She pointed at Kate. “You’re a lucky girl.”
“Oh, no—,” Kate said, starting to explain that they were very much not a couple.
Adam cut her off to say, “Thanks, Fern.”
Before Kate could protest, the buzz of a text message in her pocket distracted her. She pulled out her cell and glanced at the screen.
The text was, of course, from Lucas, who had simply written: “Good night, sleep tight!” Kate took that as her cue to excuse herself from the game to head off to bed. The road trip had been fun, but she couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.
“Ah, nothing says home like the smell of rotting fish carcasses.” Adam rolled his window down as they passed the turtle pond that was just down the road from Cattail Cottages Resort. No one knew why it was known as the turtle pond, because in all the years they’d been coming to Love, the turtle pond had been nothing more than a boglike hole filled with mud that smelled like dead fish. Adam sniffed deeply, then coughed out, “You gotta love Love.”
They had just run into Sierra’s mom, who was out for a walk, and had dropped Sierra off to walk the few miles back to the resort with her. A few minutes later Alexis steered the car into the dirt parking lot at the end of the gravel road. They had been driving since very early that morning. They’d been eager to get there—Kate especially—so they’d just driven straight through with only a few quick bathroom breaks.
Alexis hopped out of the car and jogged over to the main house to grab a wagon they could use to pull their stuff from the car to their cabins. Lucas was nowhere nearby, so Kate started to unload the bags, eager to get to her cabin, where he’d surely be waiting.
Adam came up behind Kate and reached around her to get his arm into the trunk. “Can I help?” he murmured, gently pulling her hand off Alexis’s huge suitcase. His hand stayed on hers for what felt like a few seconds longer than necessary, and while his skin touched hers, Kate’s heart stood still. Her chest constricted, catching her breath between her ribs and holding it hostage there.
“Thanks,” she muttered when finally he pulled his hand and the bag back out of the trunk.
I guess I’m extra sensitive now that I’m finally so close to Lucas
, she reasoned.
Adam smiled his dopey grin at her, and walked away from the car. She shook the flirty sensation off and grabbed her duffel bag out of the trunk. When they had everything loaded up in the giant wagon, the three of them headed off toward the cabins near the lake.
Their families always rented the same cottages, so instinct led them each toward their usual summer homes. Kate’s family was in cabin four, Alexis’s was in two, and Adam’s family rented cabin number seven, which was sort of off by itself around a curve on the lakeshore. Lucas’s family rented one of the more distant cabins with greater privacy and better views of the lake. As they approached Kate’s and Alexis’s cabins, Adam grabbed his bag off the wagon and said, unceremoniously, “See you later. Thanks for the lift.”
Kate and Alexis split up a moment later, agreeing to meet before the bonfire that night. For as long as they could remember, every night there was a group barbecue, followed by a bonfire where all the under-twenties hung out until the mosquitoes got too persistent for anyone to stay outside any longer. The trick, Kate had learned, was to sit in the line of the campfire smoke, and the mosquitoes stayed away. That was her plan for that night, when she wanted to stretch her first evening with Lucas out until the last possible moment.
Kate stepped inside her family’s cabin, and was happy to see that nothing had changed from the summer before. There was a lumpy futon couch that divided the kitchenette from the living room. She and her sister fought every year over who got to sleep in the tiny second bedroom, and which of them was relegated to the futon in the common room. The “dining area” was defined by a warped card table that stood between the other side of the kitchenette and the bathroom. The table still had a small hole where Kate and Alexis had dropped a burning candle during a late-night giggle fest more than five years before.
As Kate surveyed her surroundings, the screen door burst open and her little sister, Gina, came charging in. “Oh.” Gina stopped short when she saw Kate. “You’re here. Mom! Kate’s here!”
“Hey, G,” Kate replied, and smiled at her sister. Gina was fourteen—and the boss of the family. Gina had been a competitive figure skater since she was four, and the whole family revolved around Gina’s skating practices, competitions, and performances. Kate had never excelled at anything, so she just tried to stay out of the way while everyone planned around Gina. “When did you guys get here?”
“Two days ago,” Gina replied, while applying a shiny lacquer to her lips. “You’re on the futon.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She would deal. It was easier to just relent than to fight with Gina, who would surely find a means to get her way. Kate planned to spend most of the summer with Lucas, anyway, so it’s not like she’d be hanging out in her room reading books or anything.
“Have you seen Lucas yet?” Gina asked, innocently enough.
“No. We just got here,” Kate responded as evenly as she could. “Why? Have you?”
Gina giggled. “He’s cute, Kate. Cuter than last year. And he’s been talking about you.” Gina was a romantic, just like her sister, and she knew all about Kate’s kiss from last summer. Even though Kate and her sister weren’t all that close, Kate enjoyed talking to her about guys. Gina
got
guys.
“Really?” Kate’s anticipation bubbled up inside, and she could hardly stop herself from running out of the cabin and straight into Lucas’s arms.
“But he’s out on the boat.” Gina frowned dramatically. “He and some of the other guys went out waterskiing about an hour ago. If it’s like yesterday, they probably won’t be back until it gets dark. Well…see ya! I’ll send Mom inside in a little bit to help you with your sunscreen. You need it, whitey.” Gina spun and flounced back out the door to go back down to the dock.
They won’t be back until dark?
Kate mused. It seemed her Lucas reunion would have to wait…but Kate didn’t know if she could stand the suspense.
Kate brushed her teeth for the third time in half an hour, carefully stretching the bristles to reach the way back teeth. After she rinsed, she rolled her tongue in her mouth, checking for any residual Cheetos film. All clear.
She trotted back out to the living room and grabbed her jeans. The cool evening buzzing with abundant mosquitoes and sand flies made long pants a wise choice. Kate was pleased, since she’d always felt her legs had never looked quite right in shorts. She had one of those better-naked sorts of bodies. Long pants were okay, but there was something about the way shorts cut her thighs in two that just didn’t work. She’d tried the long shorts style, but then her calves looked stumpy.
Kate was okay with her body, but struggled to find the right way to outfit it. She’d always wanted to be a skirt person, but her family didn’t have the right income to support a multifaceted wardrobe for Kate
and
a skating career for Gina. Kate could wear the same jeans most days and no one noticed or cared. But she worried it would be pretty obvious if she started wearing the same decorative skirt every Tuesday and Thursday. So she just stuck with her basic style.
She spun around, studying her reflection in the big picture window at the front of the cabin. It was getting dark out, and the light inside caused the window to function more like a mirror. She knew that people rarely used the hidden path that ran past the cottage, so she didn’t worry that anyone would see her checking herself out. She pulled her tank top on over her head, tugged it into place, and then promptly pulled it back off again. Too bland for her Lucas reunion.
A rejected green T-shirt, brown wrap top, and black halter later, Kate was still only half-dressed. A knock at the door startled her out of her clothing-induced frenzy. “Alexis, thank god,” Kate declared when the door creaked open. (Kate had covered up with a dish towel.) “I can’t find anything to wear.”
Alexis brushed past Kate and started pawing through the mounds of shirts piled up on the floor. “Try this one,” Alexis demanded, pulling off her own light blue cotton polo. Kate pulled Alexis’s still-warm shirt over her own head. It was tight, but in the good way. “Yep.” Alexis nodded. “That’s the one.”
“Really, Lex? You’re sure?”
“Yup. I’ve been looking for a good excuse to steal your hot pink tank, and I think I just found it. Deal?”
“Deal. Did you see him out there when you passed the fire pit?”
“Who, Adam?” Alexis teased. Kate was annoyed at the joke. “Oh,
Lucas
? No, he’s not there yet. The boat isn’t at the dock, so they must still be out on the lake.”
“Oh, well, that’s okay.” Kate pretended to be upbeat, but inside she was frustrated that Lucas hadn’t been around all day to see her. He had known she was getting to Love today, and she had really hoped he would be waiting for her when she arrived. Obviously that was silly, since Lucas couldn’t make his brothers and friends sit around waiting for him to go out waterskiing, but still…
Alexis could sense Kate’s frustration and reached out to touch her arm. “It’s not really okay,” Alexis verified. “He should have been around when we got here. You’ve been waiting all year.”
Just then the whir of the speedboat motor cut through the quiet evening, and they could hear guys’ voices down on the dock. Sierra came bursting into Kate’s cabin, out of breath. “Lucas is back!” Her dramatic flair made Alexis start laughing hysterically, while Kate paced in semi-freak-out mode. She’d been waiting so long for this moment, and it was finally here.
“So? Are you going to go grab him and make out?” Alexis nudged Kate toward the door. “Go on. Get your guy.”
Kate stepped out onto the cabin’s tiny front porch and made her way down the gravel path that led to the lake. She wanted her reunion with Lucas to be perfect and knew she had to be alone—so her friends hung back.
Her family’s cabin was close to the resort’s main beach and the docks, but the resort’s barbecue area stood between her and the lake. There was a huge group gathered near the barbecues, eating hot dogs and bratwurst. Kate’s parents stood chatting with Adam’s. Sierra’s parents cuddled together on a log bench, apparently getting along. Gina and Sierra’s little sister, Sasha, were giggling about something while Jake, one of the guys who worked at the resort, was working on getting the bonfire going. A group of guys hung around near Jake, tossing sticks into the fire. Kate tried to step past everyone to hurry down to the lake. Just when she thought she was in the clear, Adam stepped out of the group of guys and grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Let go.” Kate twisted away.
Adam looked startled. “Sorry,” he snapped back. “I just wanted to say hey. I got used to seeing you all day.”
“Oh.” Kate chewed her lip, feeling guilty for being snippy. She could see some of the guys unloading their gear from the boat onto the dock, and Kate knew she needed to hurry if she was going to catch Lucas before he made his way up the hill to his family’s cottage. “I have to go,” she said bluntly.
She turned away from Adam, and stopped short when she came face-to-face with the one she’d been dreaming about all year: green eyes, sandy blond hair, chiseled cheekbones—a perfect specimen of summer boy. “Adam,” she said, her smile cutting across her face. Then she realized what she’d said, and hastily corrected herself. “
Lucas
. Lucas…hi.”
“Hi, Kate.” Lucas was holding two wet life jackets. He handed them to Adam—who was standing right behind her—so he could pull Kate into a hug. “It’s great to see you,” he murmured into her ear.
All of Kate’s senses were buzzing. Everything felt right as she pressed against him, his bare chest separated from hers by only a tiny bit of shirt fabric. The hug lasted only a few seconds, but in those moments she could feel his breath rising and falling. The droplets of lake water in his hair ran down his neck and onto Kate’s cheek, which was pressed against his bare shoulder. The world around them faded away, and Kate could only feel the sensation of his body against hers.
“You look good. I missed your hot body,” Lucas said as he pulled away, which made Kate happy about her shirt choice, even if the body comment was a little bit crass.
“Wow.” Adam was still standing next to them, and he started clapping his hand against one of the life jackets. “That’s romantic, man.”
“What?” Lucas said, draping an arm around Kate’s shoulder. She melted into the warmth of his embrace, looking forward to time alone with him later. Alone—and away from Adam.
“Nothing. Carry on, Prince Charming.” He laughed obnoxiously, then passed the wet life jackets back to Lucas.
Kate spat out, “It’s fitting that you would comment on someone else’s charm, Adam.” Then she grabbed Lucas’s available arm and pulled him toward the fire pit. There was no way Adam was going to ruin the romantic reunion Kate had been planning all year. No way. Even though he was sort of right.
She noticed that Adam was still watching them when she settled in next to Lucas on an empty log bench near the bonfire. Kate closed her eyes, desperate to get Adam’s face out of her mind. When she did, Lucas took it as his cue to pick things up where they’d left off last summer.
He leaned in and touched her cheek, his lips close to hers. Startled that things were playing out the way she’d imagined them, Kate’s eyes snapped open, and the moment was lost. She closed them again, eager to recapture the moment, but nothing happened. When she cracked her lids open, Lucas was smiling at her and his face sparkled mischievously. “We have time,” he whispered, his hand cradling the back of her neck. “Let’s take this slow.”
Kate nuzzled against him as the sun dipped lower in the sky. He wrapped his big zip-up sweatshirt around her, and the rest of the world just melted away.