Beach Blondes

by Katherine Applegate; Michael Grant

  Three phones away, Seth hung up his receiver and rolled his eyes. His warm, deep brown eyes.

  The phone rang in Summer’s ear. Four rings. Then an answering machine. “This is Summer. I’m at the airport,” she said after the beep. “Is anyone there? Um, okay. I guess you’re probably on the way here. I hope. So I’ll wait. Bye.”

  When she looked up again, Seth was gone. Then she spotted him across the hallway standing by an automatic photo booth. He seemed to be trying to feed a dollar bill into a slot. The bill kept getting rejected. It wouldn’t hurt to go over, very casually, and just say hi again.

  “Hi again,” Summer said. “I guess my aunt is on the way to pick me up. No one answered.”

  “My grandfather isn’t home either,” Seth said. “It’s not his fault, though—I caught an earlier flight. Why won’t this thing take my money? It took the first dollar. Now it won’t take the second one.”

  “You’re getting a picture taken?”

  He tried again to shove the bill in the slot. “Trying to. I need to get a passport while I’m down here. I’m hoping to go to the Caymans, do some scuba diving down there.” He tried the dollar again.

  “Here, try a new bill. Sometimes that works,” Summer said. She dug a bill out of her bag and slid it easily into the slot.

  “Thanks. I should have taken care of this back home but, you know, distractions…” He sat on the little round stool and pulled the curtain closed.

  Summer saw the light flash once, twice.

  “Hey, I have four more shots,” Seth said. “You want them?”

  “I guess so,” Summer said. “I can use them for before and after pictures.”

  Seth slid open the curtain. Summer had been leaning against the booth, and now they were suddenly very near to each other.

  “Before and after what?” Seth asked.

  “Tan,” Summer explained. “You know, so I can say, look how white I was when I first got there and how tan I got. I’m so pale now and…”

  For some reason, Seth was staring at her and not saying anything. He looked perplexed, or maybe a little sick. Summer began to feel uncomfortable herself. “You look…uh, not pale,” Seth said. “I mean, you have really pretty skin.”

  Summer touched her face. A blush was creeping slowly up her throat. “My face is darker than the rest of me,” she said. “I mean, you should see the other parts, total whiteness.”

  The blush grew rapidly worse. You should see the other parts! What? What? “What I meant was—”

  “Go ahead,” he said quickly. “Take those other pictures—”

  “I just meant my legs are like—”

  “Here, just sit and then you make sure your face is—”

  “I mean, they’re—I didn’t mean—”

  He moved aside, and she tried to squeeze past him into the booth. They did a stammering little dance, him moving one way, her the other.

  He took her shoulders, intending to trade places with her. She looked up at him, intending to make some joke about how uncoordinated they were.

  Both of them froze. Seth’s eyes seemed to glaze over. He bent down. His face was so close to hers that when she turned her head, his mouth pressed sweetly against her cheek.

  They separated in shock. Then, before she knew what was happening, Summer closed her eyes and his mouth met hers in an infinitely sweet, indescribably perfect kiss.

  They separated in even greater shock. Summer was too dazed to know what she felt.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth said quickly. “I didn’t mean to—”

  Now Summer was beginning to feel something. Two somethings: ridiculous and embarrassed on the one hand, and very warm and idiotically happy on the other.

  Seth turned away abruptly. “I’m really sorry,” he repeated. “Really. I mean, I don’t…I’m not like some jerk who would do this.”

  “It’s okay,” Summer said. It was more than okay, but the way Seth was acting was starting to make her feel more embarrassed.

  “I gotta go,” Seth said. “Call my grandfather. Anyway, bye.”

  And to Summer’s utter amazement, he took off at a fast walk across the terminal.

  Diana Olan sat slumped in the passenger seat of her mother’s car. She turned the volume dial on the CD player up high enough to allow Green Day’s lyrics to be heard by people halfway across the island. Through the dark-tinted windshield she saw the sign for the airport and sighed. She turned the volume knob up a little further still.

  Diana’s mother reached across and punched the power button with her long, painted fingernail. The music stopped instantly.

  “She’s going to get picked up by some pervert in that airport,” Mallory Olan said.

  “I guess that would be bad, right?” Diana reached for the CD player.

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the flight will be late,” Mallory said.

  “Maybe we’ll get really lucky and it will crash.” Diana turned the music back on but cranked the volume only halfway up.

  They turned onto the approach road. A plane roared low over their heads.

  “Maybe that’s her plane,” Mallory said. “We’d still get there before she could get off. I don’t want her wondering if she’s been abandoned, poor kid. I’ll bet that’s her plane.”

  “Oh, goody,” Diana said. “Should I start jumping for joy now, or should I wait till I actually see little miss sweetness and light?”

  “Diana, do we have to do this? You might try being civilized. Summer is your cousin, after all, and you’re practically the same age.”

  “Then I guess everything will be perfect,” Diana said. “We’ll instantly become best friends. We’ll bake cookies together and giggle. And slowly but surely I’ll turn into Summer and be just like her. That is the plan, isn’t it?”

  Mallory gave her a sour look. Then, with an effort, she forced a pleasant smile. “I kind of like this band. What’s their name?”

  Diana instantly turned off the music.

  Mallory parked the Mercedes in the lane where it said No Parking and checked her face in the mirror. “She’ll think I look old.”

  “Can we just get this over with?” Diana suggested.

  Mallory caught the eye of a skycap and pointed at two bags in the backseat. She checked her watch. “At least I won’t be late,” she muttered.

  Diana followed her mother into the terminal. As usual Mallory moved at top speed, like a human express train, swaggering along with the confidence of a person who expects everyone else to clear a path.

  “There she is!” Mallory pointed. “Come on, hurry up, Diana. The poor thing’s standing there looking like a waif.”

  Diana slowed down, taking the opportunity to straighten her sarong skirt, which had gotten twisted around while she’d fidgeted in the car. She wore a faded tank top that rode up, revealing a tan, flat stomach. Her feet were bare. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a French braid, accentuating large, arresting gray eyes.

  Diana saw Summer weaving her way through the passing crowd: a pretty blond girl with skin from a Noxema ad, carrying electric blue nylon zipper bags and wearing something bulky and purple. Summer was smiling like Miss America and looking depressingly wholesome.

  Oh, it was going to be a long, long summer. Unless Diana could get rid of her cousin.

  There was no question in Diana’s mind why Mallory—Diana had long ago stopped calling her “mother”—had invited Summer down for a visit. Summer was supposed to “normalize” Diana. Mallory had decided that Diana was getting depressed, not doing as well as she should in school, and becoming more private. And the solution? Fly in the happy squad. Bring on cousin Summer.

  Then something else caught Diana’s eye. Seth Warner, standing by a bank of phones.

  Seth glanced around blankly, then did a perfect double take as his gaze met Diana’s. She smiled wryly. He looked uncomfortable but gave a little wave before turning away to hide the fact that he was blushing.

  Seth Warner. Well, not exactly a big sur
prise, given the strange phone call Diana had received that morning. His hair was a little shorter, and he’d grown a little more serious looking since the previous summer. Still, she’d recognize that face anywhere—even though it wasn’t exactly his face that stuck in her mind.

  Summer was still rattled from the encounter in the photo booth, still trying to get her heart to slow down enough to let her catch her breath, when she spotted two familiar faces.

  “Is that them?” Summer muttered under her breath. It looked like it might be them, but the airport terminal was full of people. She didn’t want to go running up to them and find out she was hugging the wrong people.

  But it did look like them, and they were smiling at her. Or at least Aunt Mallory was. Diana was just looking casual and glancing off toward the baggage carousel. Casual in a totally beautiful Glamour magazine kind of way. She wasn’t even wearing shoes. In an airport. Way cool.

  “Summer!” the woman yelled, holding out her arms in a big gimme-a-hug pose.

  “Aunt Mallory!” Summer dropped her bag and ran up to her. Aunt Mallory had bigger hair than Summer remembered. Big, stiff hair. Maybe it was because Mallory was famous now, a best-selling romance novelist. Over her aunt’s shoulder she caught Diana’s eye. Diana made the smallest smile possible and let it linger for about one second.

  “I’m so sorry we’re late,” Aunt Mallory said, holding Summer out at arm’s length, inspecting her. “I hope you weren’t bored or worried.”

  Bored? No, definitely not bored. It had been one of the more intense fifteen-minute periods in Summer’s life. She felt like a person who’d survived a small earthquake and was still shaky. “No, I wasn’t worried. I knew you’d be here.”

  “Good girl. And how was the flight?”

  “It was fine, I guess. I mean, it’s not like I’ve been on lots of planes.”

  Mallory rolled her eyes very dramatically. “Unfortunately, I have been on lots of flights. I feel like I scarcely touch the ground anymore. In fact, I’m just on my way to another one now.”

  Summer took a moment to digest this. “Did you say you’re on your way now?”

  Mallory made a point of looking at her watch. “Yes, and look at the time. They’ll be announcing my flight any minute now. I’m on a book tour. Albany, Syracuse, Cincinnati, and…and one of those other places in the Midwest I can never keep straight.”

  “You’re leaving?” Summer asked, still not quite sure she’d understood.

  “In ten minutes,” her aunt confirmed. “But don’t worry; Diana will take care of you and I’ll be back in a week. You and Diana are going to be good friends.”

  Summer glanced hopefully at Diana. Diana didn’t look like she was planning on being anyone’s friend.

  Summer was alone with Diana. Diana was politely carrying the smallest of Summer’s several pieces, the video camera she’d brought along, while Summer was loaded down with the rest.

  “That’s the car,” Diana said, pointing at the cream-colored Mercedes convertible.

  “Your car?”

  “While Mallory’s away, it is,” Diana said.

  Summer piled her bags into the backseat. “I hope I didn’t bring too much stuff.”

  “Hey, wait up!” someone yelled.

  Seth!

  Summer smiled, then decided she’d better not be too obvious and stopped smiling, then changed her mind again.

  It didn’t matter. Seth had pushed past her as if he’d never met her before. He dropped his bags in front of Diana.

  “Well, if it isn’t Seth Warner. Back for another summer?”

  Seth put on a tight smile. “Diana. Hi. Yeah, I’m back, and look, I, uh, caught an earlier flight, so my grandfather can’t come pick me up…”

  “You need a ride?”

  “A cab would cost me ten bucks,” Seth explained.

  “Pile in,” Diana said. “You’ll have to squeeze up front with us. This is my cousin, Summer.”

  “We sort of met,” he said stiffly. Then he laughed, a nice, gentle laugh, still tinged with embarrassment. “Did you say ‘cousin’? Summer, you can’t be related to Diana—you seem so nice.”

  Nice. Summer gritted her teeth a little at that word. Nice. She’d heard that word too many times in her life. It was the kiss of death when it came to romance. Had she done something wrong when he’d kissed her? Was that why he’d run off?

  Diana lowered the top of the convertible. “So,” she said to Seth, “is Lianne down yet?”

  Seth’s gaze met Summer’s and then fell away, refocusing on his shoes. “No, I guess she’s coming down next week.”

  Diana pulled the car into traffic. “What’s it been, four years with the same girlfriend, Seth? What’s the deal? You going for the faithfulness award or something?”

  Seth glanced at Summer from under ridiculously long lashes. “Actually, um, Diana, I kind of…Lianne and I broke up.”

  “Oh, really?” Diana drew the word out skeptically. “You and Lianne broke up, huh? Who’s next to go? Ken and Barbie?”

  “It kind of just happened,” Seth said. Again he looked meaningfully at Summer, as if he was trying to send her a message.

  Summer looked away.

  “When did it happen?” Diana asked.

  “It’s just been a week,” Seth said. Looking again at Summer he added, “It’s kind of taking me a while to get over it totally. I guess it’s strange to think of being with another girl. Do you know what I mean?”

  Summer swallowed hard. Was he making an excuse for walking away after he’d kissed her?

  Diana laughed. “It must be even stranger for Lianne to get used to,” she said, adjusting her rearview mirror.

  “Why do you say that?” Seth asked.

  “You said you broke up a week ago?” Diana asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s just that Lianne called me this morning, asked me if I’d seen you down here yet.”

  Summer could feel tension in Seth’s arm as it rested lightly on her shoulders. He seemed to be holding his breath. “She called you?” he said.

  “Lianne is under the impression that we are friends,” Diana said with a sneer. “Anyway, you know how she is. She wanted to be sure I gave you a message.”

  “A message?”

  “Yeah.” Diana cut across two lanes of traffic. “She said to remind you that she’ll be down on Tuesday. And, of course, the other thing.”

  “What other thing?” Seth asked.

  Diana sent him a condescending look. “To tell you that she loves you.” Diana laughed and shook her head. “Seth, Seth, Seth. It’s not like you to tell lies about breaking up with people. What were you planning to do? Have a little fling with some sweet, unsuspecting tourist girl before Lianne showed up?”

  4

  A Most Excellent and Luxurious Mansion. But Not for Summer.

  “Which pincher is your house on?” Summer asked Diana. She was trying to make conversation. Mostly because she was trying not to think about Seth’s arm around her shoulders, resting on the seat back, or his leg pressed against hers. The front seat was cramped with the three of them.

  Lianne! No wonder Seth had acted so strange when they kissed. Lianne. Boy, it was amazing how such warm, gentle brown eyes could lie. No wonder he’d run off like that. Guilty conscience. And then, Diana had caught him in his lie!

  Diana stopped adjusting the rearview mirror and looked at Summer with genuine puzzlement. “Pincher? What are you talking about, Summer?”

  “Crab Claw Key,” Summer explained, shouting slightly as they passed beneath the highway. “You know, the two pinchers.”

  “You mean old side and new side,” Seth said quietly.

  You mean old side and new side, Summer repeated with silent sarcasm. Anything like the old girlfriend and the new girl? Toad. Faithless toad. Kissing Summer like that and making her feel…and then: Lianne.

  “The smaller pincher, the one to the west, is the old side because that’s where the town is and there didn�
�t used to be much over on the new side,” Diana explained, sounding weary. “Now the new side is all built up. My house is on the old side.”

  “Oh,” Summer said. They were passing a small shopping center on their left. Straight ahead the water was coming into view, marked by a small forest of boat masts. “I saw this monster house over on the big pin—I mean, over on new side, right on the tip. I think they had a helicopter there.”

  Diana’s condescending smile evaporated. “Yeah, that’s the Merrick estate.”

  “Merrick?” Summer repeated. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

  “As in Senator Merrick,” Seth interjected. “As in billionaires.”

  “No way!”

  “All the money in the world and still jerks,” Diana said.

  Summer could hear the anger in Diana’s voice.

  “You and Adam Merrick still broken up?” Seth asked Diana. “I was sure you’d be back together by now. How many eighteen-year-old billionaires are you going to run into? I thought you guys were even looking to go to the same college this fall.”

  “No,” Diana said shortly. She bit her lip, and Summer saw her shake her head, just slightly, as if trying to clear an image out of her mind. “I don’t think that plan is going to work out.”

  Diana turned her opaque shades toward Seth. “Although I do miss the parties we used to have over on the Merrick estate, Mr. Moon.”

  Now it was Seth’s turn to look even more uncomfortable. Conversation in the car stopped.

  They slowed as they entered the tiny town, just a few streets of white clapboard buildings decorated with sun-faded awnings and quaint hand-lettered signs. The main street was lined at irregular intervals with palm trees, looking wonderfully alien to Summer’s eyes.

  So what if Diana wasn’t very friendly and the first guy she’d met turned out to be a jerk? There were still palm trees! Two tall, stunning, deeply tanned young women dressed in nothing but extremely small bikinis were Rollerblading right down the middle of the street. An old man wearing nothing but shorts and far too much white body hair grinned toothlessly at the car as they glided by. Summer waved and the old man waved back. A perfectly normal-looking family, two parents and two kids, all with blazingly white skin and an assortment of bright shorts and Key West T-shirts, walked along aimlessly.