“I do. You don’t need all this. You looked prettier this morning. Bed hair, no makeup, and pj’s.”
“Shut up, Brian.” Her lips drew into a line. “Why do you have to be such a sarcastic dick?”
His brows knit. “I’m being serious.”
“Well, then,” she said, shimmying to straighten her back, “I don’t need your pity.”
“No need to get defensive,” Brian said. “All I asked was what the point is. It’s going to get ruined anyway.”
“It’s waterproof makeup,” she pointed out as if it was obvious.
“Oh, is it?” he retorted. “Let’s test it, then.”
He scooped her up before she knew what was happening, and she screamed as he ran her to the ocean.
I cringed as he tossed her in easily. “He is so dead,” I muttered.
But she came up laughing.
“See?” David said. “They like each other.”
* * *
Gretchen and I splayed out on our towels, wrecked after two hours in the water.
“I think I could be really good at surfing,” I said to Gretchen. “I mean, I stood up almost every time. You only got up, like, twice, right? And you’ve had lessons before. David said I was a natural.”
“Whatever,” she said, huffing from behind her sunglasses. “It’s not a contest.”
“So, um . . .” I failed to hide a smile. “You and Brian were sort of chummy out there.”
“Wewere chummy?” She balked as she got up onto her elbows. “I’m pretty sure small children had to be removed from the beach because of you and David.”
“Oh, please,” I said, reddening. “A little making out never hurt anyone. I mean, have youseenDavid without a shirt?”
She lowered her sunglasses to look at me. “Good point.”
“So?” I asked. “You and Brian?”
“Ugh, what?” She flopped back onto the towel. “I don’t like him. He’s been actually tolerable today, but that doesn’t mean anything. Right now, I’m just trying not to think about Greg.”
I nodded. “You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just that David thinks he likes you.”
She popped back up on an elbow and lowered her sunglasses again. “He said that?”
“Yup.”
Her answering laugh sounded forced. “That’s crazy.”
“Is it?”
“Look, I never told you this, but after the one date we had . . .” She hesitated. “I kissed Brian.”
“I know. He told me.”
“Of course he did, the rat.” She narrowed her eyes toward the ocean, where David and Brian had gone back out with their boards. “Did he also tell you that he shot me down?”
“Yes,” I said. “So what? That was a while ago.”
