“JJ?” She frowns, and I pull back, averting my attention. “Were you listening?”
“Yes, sorry. The restaurant with fish.”
“Yeah.” She grins. “Do you like fish?”
“Some,” I admit.
Finn and Ivy return with our drinks. Ivy is now facing Daisy as she sips on her cider silently.
“So.” Daisy leans on her elbows. “You need to teach me more about surfing.”
I study Finn as he raises an eyebrow. “I can’t believe you’ve never learnt how to surf. You’ve been here every summer when we’ve done it.”
She shrugs. “Guess I wasn’t interested in it then. Ivy, why didn’t you do it today?”
“Hmm?” Ivy glances up at the sound of her name. “Not really feeling it. Maybe later in the summer.”
I already know she’s lying.
It’s much deeper than not feeling it. I saw it in her eyes.
Those eyes that were wild and awake the night I met her, now they’re reserved and hesitant.
The shape of her scar is imprinted into my mind, and I desperately want to know what happened to her, but Finn hasn’t told me anything, so I won’t probe.
“You know, one time,” Finn says loudly, clapping a hand onto Ivy’s shoulder. “We decided to go surfing when we really shouldn’t have. Coast guard said it was too dangerous, but we knew it would be worth it.”
“We almost drowned,” she deadpans.
He holds up a finger at her. “See keyword,almost. Anyway, we were surfing together, and this massive wave crashed over both of us. We lost our boards and resurfaced, but Ivy was covered head to toe in seaweed. I’ve never heard someone scream so loud.”
Ivy scowls at him, but the corners of her lips lift. “It was terrifying.” She shakes her head. “Not as bad as you completely losing your shorts to the sea. I still remember how those old ladies almost had heart attacks as you walked by.”
Finn tips his head back and laughs, and Ivy soon follows after him. If I could see my eyes right now, I’m sure that they’ve dilated at the sound. It’s smooth and gentle. Seeing her smile makes me smile, even if it’s a little detached.
“No, that’s not the worst bit,” Finn recalls. “I left my fucking housekeys in my pocket and Ivy didn’t have one with her. We didn’t own wetsuits at the time. Big mistake.”
Daisy’s expression widens. “Why didn’t I hear about this?”
“Because I told Ivy that if she told anyone, I’d make her life hell. It was fucking torture. We had to wait for our parents to get home, and fuck, if I had a pound for every time someone stopped to point, I’d be bloody rich.”
Ivy is still grinning at her brother, and I can’t take my eyes off her. Not for a single second.
“We tried to get him into my shorts and T-shirt,” Ivy says as she sips her drink again. “But those arms and legs were going nowhere in my clothes.”
Finn wipes his eyes as he leans back, continuing to chuckle. “Ah man. Those were the days.”
“I would have killed to see that,” I add, and Finn shakes his head.
“No, you wouldn’t have. It was traumatic for everyone involved.”
My eyes gravitate back to Ivy, there is still evidence of a smile on her lips. I find myself studying her, every little curve and those tiny little freckles on her nose that have somehow become darker since earlier.
“So, JJ.” Daisy changes the subject, and I wish she didn’t. I want to know more about them, about their summers together. “What brings you to this little coastal town?”
I clear my throat and turn to her. “Just a change of scenery. It’s boring where I live.”
“Well, are you enjoying it?”
