I’m lying in my bed when I hear someone walk in through the doors of the guest house. I don’t bother to get up since I am absolutely drained.
“Ellie?” my mom calls out.
I sit up and walk out of the bedroom to where my mom is standing in the living room. Her hair is tied up in a hair clip, and she wears a beautiful yellow, flowy dress.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“There you are.” She smiles at me. “I wanted to ask if you want to go around town and shop. I want to take advantage of the weather, and I haven’t really spent time with you. I’d like to get as much in before you leave in a couple of weeks.”
My stomach sinks when she says that last sentence. I have a couple of weeks left here before I need to go back to the busy life that I ran away from. This also means I need to speak with Chef Roberts about the position that’s waiting for me.
I push the thought out of my head.
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. I haven’t gone shopping yet, so I would love to pick up some new clothes, maybe get something for Rowan.” I shrug.
My mom grins at me. She can see right through me and what I’ve been up to this summer.
“Stop,” I whine and feel my cheeks heat.
She waves me off, shaking her head at me. “You act like you two haven’t dated before. You were in a relationship when you were teenagers. You had a crush on him that started in middle school. I’m your mother. How would I not notice these things?”
I gape and quickly change the subject. “Did you know August went on a date? I never asked him how it went.”
“You think your brother talks to me about his dating life? I just see women come and go, and I never ask. I don’t want to know what that boy is up to. He reminds me of your dad.”
We decided to walk down instead of driving. Mom insists she gets her steps in.
“Wait, what? August was like dad? I thought you and dad were together since you were young. I’ve seen the photo albums.”
“We were on and off throughout high school,” she says this like it’s no big deal.
“What? I thought dad was obsessed with you.”
“He was and still is.” She looks at me with a smirk. “He just had some growing up to do. We were kids, and I never held it against him. There were times when he wanted to have fun, and I wanted to have fun, so we would stay friends. We would date other people, but something always pulled us back together.”
Like me and Rowan.
“When did you guys finally decide to stop messing around?”
“When we graduated high school. He knew he wanted to be with me, and even though we were still incredibly young, he knew what he wanted and went after it.” She eyes me like she’s trying to get through to me with something.
I look at her, but I don’t say anything as we approach one of the shops. I look to see August talking to dad when we enter the Surf Shack. They have plenty of customers but have teenage employees taking care of them while they handle other business.
“Well, well, well. To what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you two,” Dad says as he walks to mom, giving her a big kiss on the cheek, and drapes his arm over her shoulder.
“I want to get something for Rowan,” I say, crossing my arms and smiling.
“Oh?” Dad grins.
I look at August with a tired look, hoping he would back me up, but all he does is wiggle his brows. Thanks, bro. I roll my eyes and walk away. I’m not sure what I want to get Rowan, but I figure if it has anything to do with surfing, he will like it either way.
I was never one to surf. I tried, and I’m bad at it. But any time Rowan wanted to surf, I would suck it up and go with him. When I felt defeated, I would drag my board back to the beach so I could watch him.
He was always so graceful when he was out on the water. He held so much control and made it look effortless. Not to mention he looked incredibly hot doing it, his hair slicked back when it got wet, his stomach tightening when he held his posture.
Now, my mind reels back to the night we had together. I can feel my eyes turn heavy when I think about the way he dominated in the bedroom. He’s such a sweetheart, kind and gentle. But when it came to the bedroom, he transformed into someone who knew what he wanted. I’ve never been more turned on.
I need to squeeze my legs together. I do not want to be turned on at my dad and brother’s shop. Remembering where I am snaps me out of it. I look at the display table where shirts are neatly folded, and jeans are displayed on the bottom shelf.
