Yes, I think.All the time.
But I get bored around Tanner too. His dad works for mine, and we’ve gone to school together since kindergarten. He’s attractive and occasionally charming, but that’s about all I can list as his positive attributes.
“I don’t like the smell of smoke,” I say, then keep walking.
Leah’s house is unlocked and empty. Screeches and splashes echo from the backyard pool, so I follow the sounds through the first floor and outside.
“WREN!” Gia greets me with an overeager hug, nearly splashing me with the contents of her cup. “Finally.”
“I’m only”—I check my phone—“two hours late. That’s practically a record for me.”
Gia grabs my wrist, pulling me over to the outdoor kitchen. “Strawberry margarita?”
“How sweet are they?”
“Sweeter than you,” she teases.
I take the cup offered by Maya Lauren, another former—that’s still weird to say—classmate, and sip. The cocktail is sweet, but the lime juice and salt rim cut it some. It’s delicious, the burn of alcohol barely there.
“Are you reallyworkingthis summer, Wren?” Mabel Stewart asks, strolling over.
“Yep,” I reply, swallowing more margarita.
“You are?” Gia asks, sounding stunned. “Since when? Where?”
“This was my first week. I’m waitressing at the yacht club restaurant.” I shrug a shoulder. “My mom’s project is going to last all summer. Wanted to stay busy.”
“Busywaitressing?” Gia says, her tone thick with disbelief.
“I can’t believe your parents let you pick UCLA and …” Leah’s voice trails off as I glare at her.
Some hostess she is turning out to be.
I arch an eyebrow. “And?”
Wisely, she reaches for her drink, adding nothing.
I know everyone was surprised by my choice of college. It’s a good school, but it’s not an Ivy. It’s not where I was expected to go because I could have gone anywhere.
“My parents support me,” I tell Leah. “Sorry if yours don’t.”
Her lips purse, but her mouth stays shut.
“What’s working at the yacht club like?” Mabel asks me. “My parents rented a boat there last summer, and the guys who worked there were really cute. There was one with dark hair who was super broody and not very friendly, but he was sohot.” She pretends to fan herself, making Gia laugh.
“I don’t see the marina guys much,” I say. “The restaurant is separate from the boat stuff.”
“Maybe Dad will want to rent a boat again,” Mabel muses. “I’ll have to ask.”
God, I hope not. Not only would it be weird, waiting on a friend, but I’m ninety percent sure the hot guy she’s talking about is Sawyer. And watching Mabel flirt with him, no matter his level of interest in her, would be … awful.
“I hate boats,” I announce, prompting scattered laughter.
“It wasn’t that much fun,” Mabel admits. “Sort of boring.”
“Right?” I say. “Nothing to do, and you’re literally stuck in the middle of a giant puddle. What if the motor breaks down? Or there’s a storm and you’re getting tossed around like a toy ship?”
“We went sailing, so there wasn’t even an engine,” Mabel says, laughing. “Maybe I won’t say anything to Dad.”
