By ten, the heat is already suffocating. String lights hang between the porch posts, and the picnic tables wear flag-covered cloths, held down by mason jars filled with red, white, and blue marbles. Josie’s hand-painted banner stretches across the front, sayingSeaside Summer Celebrationin perfect bubble letters. Mia stands on a ladder and puts together a backdrop with silver streamers and glittery stars. She hands me a staple gun without looking down at me.
“Can you hold the top-left corner up? Don’t bend the stars.”
“Wouldn’t dare.”
“So …” She glances around and waits until we’re completely alone. “Did you finish the book? What did you think?”
“It was a great book. Annoying that he wouldn’t be honest.”
“Relatable?” she asks with a brow popped.
My hand stalls as I squeeze the staple gun. The vacation romance novel she sold me read like a personal attack. I narrow my eyes and open my mouth to ask her what the fuck she knows, but Gale’s voice carries across the yard.
“Mia! Josie is searching for you!”
Gale wears a floral dress with big firework earrings that dangle when she moves. Families walk through the front gates, and she greets every single one of them, both hands out, like they’re returning guests at a reunion she’s been planning for months.
Wendy appears behind her grandmother, and her eyes find mine across the yard. It’s just a glance, but it’s enough to make my mouth go dry.
“Mmhmm,” Mia says, climbing down from the ladder. “You’re not fooling me, Banks.”
A kid, who’s around five, is running with a sparkler. I brace myself as he slams into my legs at full speed.
His mom chases after him, yelling, “Matthew! Matthew!”
He holds up the sparkler like a sword, grinning. “Wanna see something cool?”
“Yes, just watch where you’re swinging it.”
He waves it as fast as humanly possible in a circle, and sparks spread everywhere. A few land on my shorts, and I brush them off.
He runs off.
His mom mouths,Sorry.
The yard fills with more people, and I know it’s going to be a long day. The sun heats the grass, and the smell of hot dogs and sunscreen drifts in the air. Josie’s playlist fills the background of conversations. Cal pours drinks with a smile, bragging on the B&B. Wendy stands near the bar, under the shade with Silvie, who I’ve met a few times. Cal hands Wendy an orange drink with grenadine on top. It’s a Coconut Crush. She drinks it while she talks to guests. Twenty minutes later, he makes her another one. By the third, her laugh is louder. I’ve heard it in bed and on the beach and at the farmers market. It’s a sound I never want to forget.
I walk to the area and order one. While Cal pours, my hand finds the small of Wendy’s back on instinct.
“Subtle,” Cal says, under his breath.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wendy says, turning her back to him.
Cal grins and hands me my drink. “Don’t drink it too fast.”
She leans into me, and the warmth of her skin makes me want to wrap my arm around her. Our hips touch, and she doesn’t pull away.
The Coconut Crush is dangerous, just like Cal warned. It’s sweet enough that I can’t taste any of the rum. When the sunsets, I’ve had two. Josie yells for a group photo. Wendy grabs my hand, pulling me into it with her. My arm wraps around her, and Mia takes the shot. I want that photo. I want proof that this summer happened.
“You should stop looking at me like that,” she whispers, twirling around in that white sundress. It wrecks me.
“Make me,” I say as she moves to the grass to dance with Josie and Fallon.
The playlist shifts to something upbeat, and the three of them spin around and laugh. The rest of the party disappears as I watch Wendy having the time of her life.
“You’ve got it bad,” Cal says from behind the bar.
“Not sure what you’re talking about.”
