His expression froze me in place. A mix of annoyance and hatred all directed at me.
A guy and a girl leaped into the water beside him.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said to the couple. He held something in his hand and wiped his shirt with the other.
The accused popped through the water’s surface, laughing, then proceeded to explore each other’s mouth. The wet slurping sounds made my stomach turn. I turned away from the pornographic display.
The angry guy leaned over and started picking up the glass at his feet. He had been angry, but not at me. It looked like the couple had knocked into his drink on their way to the water.
I stood up and went over to him. “Do you need some help?”
He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t come over here. You might cut yourself.” Then he mumbled what sounded like, “Idiots!”
I took a step back and knelt beside him, picking up a larger piece of glass and placing it flat on my palm. I didn’t want to cut myself either, but I also couldn’t sit there and watch.
“I guess that’s why they have plastic cups inside,” I said.
“It was a pop,” he said, looking at me.
I couldn’t tell the color of his eyes but they were light, reflecting the brightness of the moon behind me.
“Or, soda,” he corrected. “Whatever you call it here. I brought it with me.”
“Soda for sure. Do you always make it a point to bring your own drinks to parties?”
“Only parties where I don’t know anyone. A guy has to protect his virtue.” His thin lips parted into a smile.
I smiled back. I preferred this look to the scowl I’d first seen. Up close, I could make out the thin, patchy layer of stubble across his chiseled jawline. He was around my age and I appreciated that he wasn’t a drunken idiot like the rest of them.
“Here,” he said. “Let me take that.”
I gently placed the pieces of glass in his outstretched hand, careful not to cut him.
He stood. “Don’t leave because of me.” He was taller than I was, enough that we would have been at the same eye level if I had my shoes on.
“I don’t plan on it.”
A slow smile stretched across his face. “Good. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He turned back once he reached the house as if he thought I would leave.
I waved and then stopped. What was wrong with me? Now he knew I had been watching him. He probably thought I was a weirdo and wouldn’t come back out. I intended to sit alone and wallow until it was time to leave, but I wouldn’t be opposed to the company. Especially from someone who didn’t know me or the drama I was wrapped up in.
I dropped my hands to my sides and spun around, heading back to my spot on the end of the dock. If he still wanted to talk, then he could come to me. My stomach fluttered. Why did I even care what this guy did? Sure, he was cute, but I’d fallen into that trap before. A weight settled on my chest as I was thinking about Joe, which then led to my thinking about Kat and the ridiculous fight we were having. I stood up again, needing to distance myself from her and everyone else. I’d drive around aimlessly for a while until it was safe to go home. I could coast through town, trying to use less gas. I hooked my fingers in the straps of my heels and headed for the yard.
Something sharp dug into my heel and I cried out. Of course. Just what I needed. I kicked up my heel and could see the large piece of glass sticking out from my skin. I dropped to the ground and cradled my foot like a baby.
I cursed and touched the spot, hoping it was big enough to grab. Thankfully, it was. The guy and I must have missed it. I pulled it out, biting my lip at the pain. I threw the piece of glass off the dock and it plunked into the water. It wasn’t the most environmentally healthy thing to do but it was better than someone else stepping on it.
“Are you hurt?” the guy asked, reappearing at my side.
He had come back. Either he didn’t see me waving like a lunatic or he was being polite. Either way, I was happy to see him.
“I’m fine.” I stood up, putting most of my weight on my uninjured foot.
“Dang it!” he said, coming to my side. “I thought I got all of it.” He offered his arm for me to take, and I did. The mugginess of the night had dampened his skin.
“Here.” He pulled a tissue from his pocket. “It’s new, I swear.”
“Thanks.” I took the tissue and folded it into a smaller piece and pressed it against my heel. I sucked in a breath through my teeth as a sharp pain shot up my leg.
“You should sit. Keep pressure on it until it stops bleeding.”
There was no graceful way for me to sit in my dress with my foot on my lap. At least before, I was alone without a chance of flashing him. I slowly sat on the edge of the dock, arranging my skirt to cover myself before lifting my injured foot over my other leg, careful to tuck the fabric under me for concealment. I pressed the tissue against the middle of my heel, trying not to imagine the blood soaking into it.
“Thanks,” I said.
“You’re welcome.”
We sat in silence for a minute.
He cleared his throat. “Good thing you didn’t have a hat when you fell: I might’ve had to jump in the water and get it again.”
I gawked at him. “Um, what?”
He quirked his lips. “I didn’t think you remembered me.”
I tilted my head to the side, trying to place him from somewhere. Unless I had a bad memory, I didn’t think I ever met this guy before. “Should I?”
He let out a long sigh, still grinning. “I see my boyish looks have faded over the years, Cara.”
He clearly knew me. I looked at him. Closer than I had before. His eyes were familiar, though I remembered them on a kid’s face. It was years ago, a faint memory of a red floppy sunhat floated to the front of my mind. Madison and I were playing on the beach when a strong wind took my hat far out into the ocean surf. It floated too far for us to swim.
“I do know you,” I said, coming out of the memory. “You were the kid on the beach.”
“Yes, yes I was.”
“Ryan,” I said, remembering his name. This was the boy who went after my hat. He had been a strong swimmer even at that young age. We ended up playing all afternoon and we continued to meet several days after that while he was on vacation. “Wow. How did you know it was me?”
He cleared his throat. “I recognized you when you came to the party.”
“Really?” I wondered if he’d heard the conversation in the kitchen. If he did, he didn’t hint at it, and I wasn’t going to bring it up.
He scratched his neck, not meeting my eyes. “That was a memorable summer for me. You rescued me from hanging out with my parents that whole week.”
I laughed. “Yeah. I remembered having fun, too.”
I also remembered I had a little crush on him after he left. That part was going to stay firmly locked away. I had enough embarrassment for one night, revealing that would probably tip me over the edge.
“I still build a mean sandcastle,” he said with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t it get knocked over in the surf?”
“Yes, it did. I was hoping you didn’t remember that.”
I laughed; the feeling refreshed me. I hadn’t really laughed in a while. It all came back to me. I couldn’t believe he was here again after all these years.
“So, what are you up to? How come you’re in Chester Bay?” I asked.
He picked at a loose sliver of wood from the deck and tossed it into the water. “My parents are going through a rough time now. They sent me to stay with my half-brother for the summer”
“That sucks. Sorry.”
He shrugged. “It’s more for them. This year wasn’t easy for any of us.”
His emotionless stare at the water made me think it was a touchy subject for him. I avoided it, moving on to another topic. “How did you know about the party?”
“Some girl told me about it today. I guess you could say she ambushed me at the arcade.”
“Oh,” I said, looking down at the water. “Did you need to meet up with her?”
“No, definitely not.” He shook his head, smiling as if remembering an inside joke. “I’m fine here.”
I turned away to smile as my cheeks flushed.
He leaned back and took a deep breath before speaking. “I think we should hang out this summer.”
“That would be fun.”
He beamed at me. “Like old times.”
I laughed. “Well, I work during the day, but I can show you around after that.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah, cool.”
A rush of flames burst from the bonfire. The heat warmed my skin, even from that distance. A bunch of kids yelled and hollered. One of them had a gas can and was spraying the liquid over the fire. Someone was going to get burned.
A group of girls burst from the house, some in their bathing suits and others stripping their clothes off to underwear and bras.
As much as I wanted to catch up with Ryan, I didn’t need anyone telling Kat that I was hanging out with another guy so soon after Joe’s death. My priority was to get back into her good graces. I had to keep my head focused. It was innocent, but who knew what would get back to her?
“I should get going,” I said, standing, careful not to put pressure on my foot. “I probably should clean out the cut.”
Ryan helped me stand. “Let me help you to your car.”
He didn’t let me answer before he wrapped his arm around my waist and held me close to his side. The intimate touch made my stomach flutter. It was innocent enough: he was helping me. I shoved away the thoughts and focused on keeping my foot away from the dirty dock and whatever else was living in the grass.
I kept my head down, not wanting to be spotted in close contact with Ryan on the way to the car, though I was sure my dress was a beacon for anyone who would have cared. I had the wound to prove my need for assistance if anyone dared confront me.
I plopped into the driver’s seat of my car, happy to be off my feet.
“Be sure to clean that out right when you get home,” Ryan said, resting his arm on the top of my car. “Who knows what was growing on that dock?”
“Wow. I didn’t think of that.” Now I was going to be freaked out about growing fungus in my foot.
He must have noticed the freaked-out look on my face and he grinned. “I’m always happy to help. Oh, I forgot to get your number.”
I hesitated and looked around. Ryan had pulled out his phone and his fingers hovered over the screen. I quickly gave him my number and closed the door. The window was already rolled down. Chester Bay wasn’t known for its high crime rate. Besides, no one was going to steal my car when there were plenty of more desirable vehicles parked on the road.
“I’ll text you,” he said.
“Okay. Bye.”
“See you.”
I pulled away from the spot and gingerly pressed on the gas with my bare foot. Mom’s voice, warning about never driving barefoot, repeated over and over in my mind. I supposed it was better than replaying the conversation with Ryan. I couldn’t believe he recognized me after all these years. He’d been cute then, too, and he’d filled out nicely. I shook my head, hard enough that a bobby pin shot across the car and bounced off the other window. I couldn’t let him get in the way of my plans. And I wouldn’t.