The gentle whir of the dryer and the whump, whump sound of tumbling towels inside made for a relaxing soundtrack the next morning. I enjoyed helping with laundry. It was comfortably warm in the laundry room and the task was so mindless it normally gave me a little more freedom to check my phone. I was happy to have Ryan with me as a distraction.
Ryan wheeled a bin of fresh towels, still hot from the dryer, next to the metal table. “What do you and your friends do for fun around here?”
I lifted one of the hot towels and dropped it on the table, shaking my hands and the feeling back into my fingers. “We go out to eat, to the movies, the beach.”
“Maybe I could tag along?”
“With me and my friends?”
He shrugged. “I don’t want you to miss out on hanging with your friends because of me.”
I licked my dry lips. “I won’t.”
“I know you’re being nice to the new kid. But I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I.”
“Unless there’s a reason you don’t want me to meet them?”
“That’s not it.” I didn’t want to discuss how big a loser I’d become in a few short weeks. Ryan wanted to get to know me, but I wasn’t me anymore. I wasn’t sure who I was without the girls. It was nice having him around but I wondered if my lying to him was the best for either of us. Maybe a sprinkle of the truth would keep his questions at bay.
I turned to pick up another towel from the bin and diverted my eyes to the task. “We’re sort of in a fight now.”
“We are? I had no idea.”
I matched his grin with a small smile of my own. “No, me and my friends.”
“What about?”
I patted the folded towel on the combined pile we were making. “Girl stuff.”
“I get it.”
I stopped. My hands pressed into the warm metal table. “You do?”
“Well, not the specifics, obviously, since I’m not a girl, but I’ve seen plenty of girl fights at school. They’re usually about guys or stealing each other’s clothes.”
“How superficial!” I mumbled.
“They usually are. But I guess your fight is different?”
“Yeah,” I said, with the tone of finality that I hoped he picked up on.
He did, and for several minutes we flowed into a rhythm of folding and stacking. I would have been happy to stay at that moment for the rest of the day, not discussing any part of my life. It was short-lived.
“Have you ever had a boyfriend?”
My eyes narrowed as I wondered what he was up to. Had he somehow heard about Joe and was he gearing up to ask me about my relationship and his death? My hands dampened while I tried to appear nonchalant. “Um, yeah. Why?”
He shrugged. “To figure out what type of guys you’re into.”
A tight knot formed in my belly. “How come?”
“I’m trying to get to know you.”
“And my choice in boyfriends is going to help you?”
He lifted the pile of towels and fixed his eyes on mine. “Yup.”
“I don’t buy that.” I watched him place the towels on the metal rack across the room.
“I agree my attempt was a little weak.”
I rolled the bin to the dryer and opened the door. “A little?”
Ryan came up next to me. “I mostly wanted to know the type of person you’re into. If I’m going to ask you out, then I at least would like a leg up.”
He was a little too straightforward; it was different and a little unnerving. His closeness caused a slow shiver to move down my spine.
I reached into the dryer. My hands paused on the new batch of towels. My skin prickled. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat from the dryer or Ryan’s comment. I took as many towels as I could in my arms and turned to the bin, piling them to keep my hands busy. “Ryan, listen . . .”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, not moving from his spot next to me. “I hope I’m not making you feel uncomfortable.”
I wheeled the bin around him. “It’s not that . . .”
“Oh?”
“It might make working together a little awkward.” I lifted a towel from the bin and fanned it out over the table. And I’m not sure how happy my dad would be to lose his Bob Vila. I didn’t mention that I felt guilty at the prospect of moving on too.
His lower lip jutted out and he nodded. “I get it.”
“Sorry,” I said, keeping my head and eyes down on the task at hand.
“Don’t be sorry at all. I like a challenge.”
My hands paused over the soft fabric. “I’m not trying to be challenging.”
“I know.” He let out a long sigh. “But I have at least another month to change your mind.”
“I’m not going to,” I said, smiling. His persistence was admirable, but I hoped he didn’t mind being disappointed.
He pulled me into his gaze as he picked up the stack of folded towels on the table. “We’ll see about that.”
The annual Chester Bay carnival always evoked the true feeling of summer. The corny music from the rides and games, combined with the scent of burned popcorn, made me feel nostalgic every single year. The carnival was built on a field across from the beach, where bigger town functions took place throughout the year. The lights from the rides and booths lit up the area even in the darkness of night. Rain clouds had settled over the sky for most of the day, which shielded the moon from view. The forecast said the rain would hold out until later that night, and I hoped it did, too.
It was tradition to attend with my family. Dad was working late and would meet with Mom, Madison and me later—though, in the past two years, I’d gone off with Joe and Kat later in the evening. I dreaded running into her. It was probably inevitable at some point but I didn’t want to explain the situation to my parents yet.
I nudged the sulky Madison at my side. “Want to split a cotton candy?”
“No,” she grunted.
I gave Mom a look and she mouthed a thank-you. We’d taken up a three-person front on Madison’s attitude lately. Mom asked me to let up on teasing her and I obliged. I never wanted Madison to feel bad when we bantered, and, with her snippy attitude lately, it wasn’t even fun for me. I hadn’t heard her talk about Alice since I met her. Maybe Madison was having a fight with her friend too. I knew how much that sucked. But I wasn’t the one grieving in public about it.
Mom squeezed Madison’s shoulder, pulling my sister against her side.
The colossal Ferris wheel resided over the entrance to the carnival. The trick to getting on the ride was to go later in the evening. All the tourists wanted to go on that first, so the line snaked down the lane.
Amateurs!
“Cara?” a voice said from beside me.
I turned to see Ryan. He wore jeans and an unbuttoned plaid shirt over a white T-shirt with some logo on it.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, tugging at the hem of my tank top.
“I saw them setting up this week and I thought I’d come check it out. Plus, the flyers are everywhere.”
“Chester Bay loves its carnival,” Mom said.
“I’m Ryan,” he said, offering his hand.
Mom shook it. “I remember you.”
He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “It’s good to know someone does.”
Heat licked across the back of my neck. “I told her about you.”
While Mom peppered him with questions about his family, he couldn’t seem more at ease. As if he belonged. A feeling I couldn’t relate to without having Kat as my friend. What was wrong with me?
“Cara, do you and Ryan want to hang out?” Mom asked. “Madison and I were going to get some fried dough.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. Mom rarely let any traditions go without a fight. What was she up to?
“I’ll text you when we’re ready to leave.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
Mom and Madison headed off in the opposite direction and I stood in my spot, unsure of what to do next. “What do you want to do first?”
He shrugged. “Do whatever you normally do. I want to experience it like a real townie.”
I pressed my lips together. “Okay, how about we do some rides, then eat? I don’t want you to get sick.”
He pounded on his stomach with his fist. “I have an iron stomach. We have two chili fests a year near me and I can eat with the best of them.”
“Do you ever go on spinning rides afterward?”
He quirked his lips. “Nope.”
“Then let’s do it my way. Trust me.”