“That is a vast exaggeration,” he says, but sets me on my feet. “And since when do you have a fear of heights?”
“I don’t,” I admit, and then take off sprinting down the beach, my heels kicking up sand behind me.
“You little liar!” he calls after me, already starting the chase. He catches up to me so quickly it’s pathetic, wrapping his arms around my stomach from behind and swinging me in circles. When we’re dizzy from spinning and our ribs hurt from laughing so hard, he releases me, and we both stumble in the sand as we regain our balance, our smiles infectious.
We spend the next half-hour walking along the shoreline, scoping out shells and dodging the crashing waves. I shiver against the ocean breeze, though I find the cool, salty air invigorating. After weeks of the uncomfortable tightness in my chest, I finally feel like I can breathe out here.
“There you guys are!” calls a voice, drawing our attention back up to the path. Kaden, Ben, and a girl I don’t recognize stand at the edge of the dunes, none of them as eager to get sandy feet as us. Wes waves back before taking my hand, and we walk up the beach to greet them.
Kaden gives Wes’s wet pants a pointed look. “You better change before you die of hypothermia. That water must be twenty degrees.”
“Ivy dared me to go in,” Wes says with a grin. “She has no concern for my health.”
My mouth drops open. “I did not.”
“You guys better wash off the sand before you trek it through the house,” says Ben, wrinkling his nose at our feet.
Wes snickers. “Yes, Mom.”
Ben rolls his eyes and gestures to the quiet girl beside him. She’s tall, with chin-length brown hair styled in a chic bob. “Ivy, have you met Chloe?”
I shake my head, my social anxiety flaring up around an unfamiliar person. I clear my throat and say, too quietly, “It’s nice to meet you.”
She gives me a shy smile in return. “You, too.”
Ben points to the man beside me. “And you remember Wes, Chloe?”
“Of course. Hi again,” she says, giving a bit of an awkward wave that has my body relaxing. I immediately feel a kinship to her, grateful to be surrounded by someone who’s not outgoing for once in my life.
“Hey, Chloe,” says Wes, flashing her his signature charming smile that instantly puts people at ease. “Great to see you again. I like the haircut.”
“Oh!” she says, clearly surprised. Her hand flies up to touch one of the shorter strands at her chin. “Thank you.”
“Should we check out the house?” asks Kaden. “Claim the best rooms before everyone else gets here?”
“I think it’s just us today,” says Ben. “Paul and Malorie aren’t coming until tomorrow. Did you hear from Ace and Cory?”
Wes nods. “Yep, same as Paul. Not until tomorrow.”
I can’t help my relief that it’s only the five of us tonight, allowing me time to ease into the socialization. Sure, Chloe seems harmless, but I’m still nervous about making a good impression around her. Maybe it’s irrational, this fear that I’ll say or do something to embarrass Wes in front of his friends, but I can’t reason it away no matter how hard I try.
Wes grabs our bags from the car and guides us inside the house, up to the second floor. We peek into rooms until he finds one with a bed big enough to fit both of us and claim it as our own. It’s beautiful, with a bay window overlooking the ocean. Judging by the comforter, rug, and wall art, the owners decorated like they were worried you’d forget it was right outside.
“They went a bit heavy on the nautical, don’t you think?” I ask, eyeing the blue and white lighthouse-patterned bedspread and matching pillows.
Wes smirks. “Oh yeah. They ran with the theme and never once looked back. The whole house is coastal living on steroids.” I laugh a little, and then he draws me close to his chest and wraps me in his arms. I lean into him, my muscles relaxing as his lips press into my hair. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
I tilt my head up so I can meet his eyes. “Me, too.”
He dips his head a little, making it clear what he’s about to do. When I don’t protest, he slowly brushes his lips against mine, his arms flexing around me. One second. Two. Three. He pulls back, his mouth hovering an inch away from my own.
“I’ve been waiting all day to do that,” he murmurs.
“Then you should do it again.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. Wes kisses me once more, deeper this time than before, and I twine my arms around his neck, pushing up on my toes and pressing my body closer.
Unfortunately, Kaden’s voice cuts through the moment, drifting up the stairs. “Doc! Ivy! Get your asses downstairs and help with dinner!”
