“HE WAS GROPING YOU,” NINA said. She pulled the trigger of her pump water gun and let fly a stream of water that caught Zoey in the neck. Aiming the stream higher, she arced it straight into Zoey’s open mouth. “Last time we went to Big Bite, Jake was groping you, and I’m just saying if we go this evening, expect gropage. It’s the fresh air or something. It brings out his grope reflex.”
Zoey lay back on the webbed chaise lounge, swallowed the water, and held up her hand for Nina to cease firing. She pumped her own green-and-orange plastic water rifle and aimed toward Nina, who lay ten feet away on a matching chair. Zoey squeezed the trigger and nailed her friend’s belly button.
“Sorry,” Zoey said, raising her aim.
“It’s okay, it feels good,” Nina said. “It figures. A beautiful, perfectly sunny day like this, and the beaches are crawling with tourists. They could at least wait till tomorrow.”
“I seem to remember you whining about the tourists all being gone. Anyway, soon we’ll have the island back to ourselves,” Zoey said. She fired, and this time Nina caught the stream in her mouth. “In the meantime, we have my backyard.”
Nina adjusted her rainbow sunglasses and the straps of her two-piece bathing suit. “This tan has to last us like nine months.”
“Dragonfly!” Zoey yelled.
Both girls trained their water guns on the big insect buzzing by overhead. It flew off up the hill, and Zoey settled back on her chair.
“Jake was definitely groping you,” Nina said. “I saw movement under your shirt.”
“Okay, so he tried a minor grope.”
“He used to be such a nice boy,” Nina said regretfully. “Well raised, respectful of his elders, the kind who always says grace before he eats. Now he’s become a swine.”
“Guys will do that,” Zoey said tolerantly. “They’re gropers by nature. Just as girls are counter-gropers.”
“I wouldn’t know, would I?” Nina said. She sighed dramatically. “Maybe this year I should get me one of them. One of them thar’ boyfriends.”
“Plenty of guys ask you out,” Zoey said.
“Nerds. Dweebs. Geckos.”
“How about George in tenth grade?”
“He was such a gross kisser. Total tongue, like he was trying to lick my liver.”
“Thanks for telling me that,” Zoey said. “That is the grossest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“No, it isn’t. I’ve told you plenty of grosser things than that.”
“Time to turn,” Zoey announced. “One, two, three!”
Both girls spun on their lounge chairs, turning at the same time so that they were face to face.
“Hit me,” Nina said, opening her mouth wide.
Zoey pumped, aimed, and fired perfectly.
“Not all guys are George,” Zoey said.
“You’re right,” Nina said snidely. “Some are Jake.”
“He’s a good kisser,” Zoey said thoughtfully. “I mean, I think he is. It’s not like I have a lot to compare him to.”
“Tad Crowley,” Nina said.
“Better than Tad,” Zoey said definitely. She had kissed Tad at a party when she was mad at Jake. He was the only other guy she had ever kissed. Unless you counted Lucas, and that . . . well, that had been different. She’d never told Nina about that. “You should go out with Mike Monahan. He likes you.”
“He told you he likes me?” Nina asked.
“Not in so many words.”
“Uh-huh. Well, in so many words I have to go use your bathroom.” Nina got up from the chair. She had a webbing pattern across her stomach.
Zoey put down her head and closed her eyes. Nina wasn’t back within the expected two minutes, which meant she was either raiding the refrigerator or she’d found something to do for Benjamin. She was letting Benjamin absolutely use her like a servant lately.
Zoey sensed something change, as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. She rolled onto one side and shielded her eyes, staring up at the sky. She saw the outline of a head, with brilliant rays of sunlight blazing behind it.
“Sorry,” a voice called down from above. “Didn’t mean to block your sun.”
Zoey’s breath caught in her chest and she sat up quickly, tilting her head to see the face that went with the voice. She knew who it was.
Lucas was gazing down at her from his deck.
“Lucas?” Zoey said in an overbright voice. “Is that you?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d remember,” he said.
“Of course I remember,” Zoey said, still sounding shrill and phony.
Lucas walked to the end of the deck and climbed over the railing. He dropped to the little path that went below his deck and wound down to Zoey’s backyard. In an instant he was standing right in front of her.
He had grown in the two years he’d been away. There was more muscle on him now, though he was still less beefy than Jake. His blond hair was long and kept falling forward into his face.
“Hi,” Zoey said.
“Long time, Zoey,” he said. He looked her up and down, not coyly but openly. “You look good. I always remembered you as being skinny.”
Zoey gulped. Why did her modest pink bikini suddenly feel so incredibly revealing? For some reason she felt a compelling need to straighten her hair. At the same time, a confused feeling of guilt welled up inside her. This was Lucas. She wasn’t supposed to be talking to Lucas.
“I heard you were back,” Zoey said.
“Oh? Who did you hear that from? Not my parents. They don’t officially admit I am back.” He smiled wryly. “They don’t officially admit I exist.”
Zoey could only nod. What was she supposed to say? She glanced nervously toward the house. Nina could come back out at any moment.
“Ahh,” he said. “I see. You’re supposed to be blowing me off, aren’t you? Islander solidarity and all that.”
“No, no,” Zoey stammered, her cheeks burning.
He laughed. “I remember you being skinny. I don’t remember you being a liar. Don’t forget, I was born on Chatham Island. I know how it goes.” He tilted his head and looked at her speculatively. “Jake McRoyan think he can get rid of me with a little cold shoulder treatment?” He laughed again, this time bitterly. “Where I’ve been the last two years, you hope that guys don’t want to talk to you. It will take more than Jake, and more than my father, to scare me off.”
He turned and began ascending the path again. Halfway up, he turned back. “Tell me, Zoey.” His face was softer now, his voice more tentative. “How’s Claire?”
Zoey shrugged.
“Does she know I’m back?”
“Yes.”
He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I notice she hasn’t come by to welcome me home. She’s with Jake on this, huh?”
Zoey bristled inwardly. Lucas made it sound like it was some secret pact between Jake and Claire. It was more than that. “I’m with Jake on this, too,” Zoey said in a voice that tripped as she spoke.
“Yeah, well, give Claire a message for me next time you see her, will you, Zoey? Tell her not to worry so much. Tell her I keep my promises. You tell her that.” He gave Zoey a last long look before he walked away.