by Judy Corry
I stepped inside, hovering near the door. I took in her bedroom. I hadn’t been in here much since the move; she had the curtains pulled back so the late evening sunlight was streaming through the windows. Her giant dresser took up almost the whole wall in front of her bed, but amazingly enough, it was clean. Ever since she went back to her AA meetings, she’d been taking more care in helping to keep Uncle Peter’s house tidy—doing more dishes, washing laundry—all the things she did before Dad left. It had been nice to have some things go back to normal.
“Are you just going to stand there?” she asked with a laugh in her voice.
I cleared my throat and forced some courage into my bones. “Ashlyn asked me to work at her grandparents’ resort with her this summer.”
Mom was quiet as shock registered on her face. “She did?” she finally asked.
I nodded, moving away from the doorway to sit next to her feet on the bed. “I already have a voucher for the flights, so that won’t be an issue.”
“Is that where Jess is?” Her eyes were cautious.
I looked away. “Yeah. He might not want me there, but…I don’t know. I think it would be a good experience, and I have to at least try to fix things between us. I need to give it one more try.”
And if he still didn’t want me I would have to accept that this was the way things were going to be.
“You should go.” She was smiling. “You deserve to have a vacation, especially after everything your father and I put you through.”
“Are you sure? I know you’re just getting everything back to normal, will you be okay with me gone?” Things were going so much better now, I didn’t want her to slip up again because I left her.
“Your uncle has promised to keep helping me. And you’ll be leaving in a few months anyway for college. I’ll be okay.”
“Thank you!” I leaned forward to give her a hug, feeling comforted to smell her favorite perfume instead of alcohol when she pulled me close. And from the way she seemed to melt into the hug, it made me wish I’d done this long ago. We had needed each other all along.
When we pulled away, my mom made me look her in the eyes. “I’m so sorry for all the pain I caused you, Eliana. You deserve to be happy.”
My eyes stung with the promise of tears as I nodded. “We both deserve to be happy.”
The last week of school came quickly. Life was chaotic as I tried to get everything ready for my summer trip.
Graduation day finally came. Mom dropped me at the entrance to the Elizabeth Eastmond Arena at Ridgewater Community College before one o’clock. I rushed inside while she parked the car so I could find Ashlyn and get a few pictures together in our caps and gowns before everything got started.
I was hurrying down a busy hall that was crowded with fellow graduates and their families when I turned the corner and nearly barreled into someone. I looked up and dropped my gold academic stole sash when I saw who it was.
Standing there with a very bronzed face was Jess.
“What are you doing here?” I jumped back, my breath catching in my throat.
Jess blinked a few times, as surprised as I was that we were standing face to face.
Once he recovered, he said, “I flew back for Ashlyn's graduation.”
I nodded. “Of course. Sorry. I-I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” I breathed deeply to collect myself. I should have realized he wasn’t here to see me too. Just Ashlyn.
Jess nodded once, his lips set in a firm line.
Why did he have to look so indifferent to seeing me again when I was having a hard time controlling my breathing and quieting my galloping heart? He looked like the people in old photographs, unsmiling and somewhat ornery.
“Well, don’t let me keep you from where you were going.” He stepped to the side, making ready to leave.
“Yeah, I’ll, uh, go now.” My face burned as I bent over to pick up the sash still resting at my feet.
I slipped the sash over my head, feeling very small when I stood next to my ex-best friend in the busy hall with people chattering all around us. I was about to walk away when my curiosity got the better of me.
I turned back to him. “Are you home for good?”
“No, it’s just a quick trip. I’ll be flying back this weekend.”
“Oh. I was just wondering—”
He crossed his arms and sighed. “Wondering what?”
“I thought that maybe you heard I was going to be working for your grandparents and that’s why you left.”
His arms dropped as bewilderment registered on his face. “I-I actually hadn’t heard about that.”
So Ashlyn wanted it to be a surprise.
I pursed my lips. “Is that gonna be weird?”
His face went stoic again. “Why would it be? You can do whatever you want, Eliana.”
Is that how he really felt? How had we come so far from where we’d been before? I used to be able to tell exactly what he was thinking from his intonation, or the way he shifted his body. But this, this was something I’d never experienced before. It was like I was standing in the big hall with a stranger. He was tanner, buffer, maybe even a little taller, and his hair was sun-bleached a few shades lighter. The only thing that hadn’t changed at all was the color of his eyes, but even they were stormier than I remembered.
“O-okay,” I said, feeling awkward. He wasn’t even looking at me anymore. He’d pulled his phone out and was studying the screen. “Sorry to waste your time. I’ll go now.”
“Sure.” He lifted his eyes from his phone for the briefest second before putting it to his ear. Then he turned and headed in the opposite direction.
I walked toward the spot Ashlyn said we should meet, all the way wondering if I’d be able to survive a summer around a Jess who didn’t seem to care whether I was dead or alive.
“What’s wrong?” Ashlyn asked as soon as I found her standing with Macey, Luke, and her parents. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not a ghost.” I shook my head and gasped. “Jess.”
“Jess?” She grabbed my arms, her face lighting up. “Jess is here?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No.” The look on her face was one of pure excitement. “Where is he? I can’t believe he’s here!” She turned around to scan the arena. Twenty seconds later, she did a little jump and pointed. “There he is.” She called his name and waved her arms high above her head.
He noticed her and switched his direction to join his family.
“I’m gonna get in line,” I told Ashlyn, “I’ll see you down there.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait? I’ll just be a minute.”
The memory of our interaction a few minutes ago was too fresh in my brain. “No, that’s okay. I’m gonna go.”
I left the Brooks as Jess swept his sister up into his arms, remembering a time when he would have greeted me the same way.
I could barely concentrate on the ceremony. My mind kept wandering to thoughts of this summer and what it’d be like to be around a Jess that hated me. As the student body president, Aiden, talked about this past school year, and how awesome it had been, I couldn’t help but think how different my year had gone. I would not miss high school or this town. I was more ready than ever to leave everything behind and start fresh in the fall.
When Aiden reminisced about homecoming week and how amazing it had been, my gaze flicked to Jess. He seemed to be looking at me too. Was he thinking about the dance? And if he was, was that memory still a good one, or was it now tainted with regret? He looked away before I could get a read on anything he might be thinking or feeling. And maybe that was it. Maybe he wasn’t thinking about it at all.
It was then that I noticed someone else sitting with the Brooks’ family. My mom. She was sitting between Jess and Macey.
What?
How did she end up sitting with them? I didn’t think Mrs. Brooks had said a word to her after the scene she caused at their New Year’s Eve party. Mom
tentatively smiled at me when she saw me gawking at her. Did Jess see her sitting alone so he invited her to sit with them?
But that was something the old Jess would do.
Maybe he figured having her there would keep his parents’ attention off his sudden reappearance? Ashlyn had told me how frustrated they were with him still.
The rest of the ceremony went as expected. I stood in line until it was time to walk across the stage and receive my diploma. When it was my turn, I was just happy I made it across the stage without dropping my diploma or tripping on my gown before quietly finding my seat.
After the ceremony, I hurried over to my mom, but Jess suddenly found an excuse to go say hi to Ryan, thus effectively avoiding me.
I tried to smile it off, but it ripped me apart inside to see how he was so obviously avoiding me.
Chapter Thirty-One
The flight was long, but Ashlyn and I eventually made it to the resort. It was dark and I was tired, so I didn’t get to see much of the island. A middle-aged woman showed Ashlyn and me to our rooms, which were right next to each other. I walked in, locked the door, and collapsed on the large four-poster bed, surrounded by pillows. Within a few minutes, I was dead to the world.
In the morning, I woke to the sound of someone knocking. I got up and smoothed my tangled hair on my way to the door. I expected to find Ashlyn coming to check in on me, but found a beautiful maid instead, with long dark hair and the darkest eyes I’d ever seen. She was holding a breakfast tray.
“Good morning, Miss Costa,” she said in her accented voice. “Mrs. Brooks asked me to bring breakfast and welcome you to the resort.”
“Wow.” I put a hand to my chest. “That is so thoughtful. Thank you.” I took the tray from her and set it on the small table in my room.
I looked around my suite as I ate, savoring each bite of my strawberry French toast, yogurt, and apple juice. The room was spacious—at least twice the size of my room at Uncle Peter’s. Ashlyn told me that I’d be staying in one of the special suites at the resort, reserved for close friends and family, but I had no idea I’d get something this nice. There was a white wardrobe and a dressing table along one wall. Across the bed was a large flat screen TV with a love seat and chair in front of it. It was such a light and airy room. I absolutely loved it.
I was transferring clothes from my suitcase to the wardrobe when there was another knock at the door.
“How did you sleep?” Ashlyn danced into my room wearing a light pink blouse and white shorts. She eyed my bed. The white comforter was still pulled neatly over the pillows. “You did sleep, right?”
“Of course I slept.” This was probably the first time Ashlyn had seen a bed I’d slept in not in disarray. “I was so exhausted last night that I simply collapsed on top of the bed.” I placed the last of my clothes in the wardrobe.
“I see.” She smiled and plopped down on the love seat. “Are you ready for your grand tour of the resort?”
“That depends on who will be giving us this tour?” Please don’t say Jess. I zipped up my suitcase and stood it against the wardrobe.
“Only the most knowledgeable tour guide we have here at Brooks Island Resort. His name is Amani,” she said. “He’s a native of the island and has the dreamiest brown eyes I’ve ever seen on a guy—aside from Luke’s, of course.”
“Sounds like he’s qualified then, I mean if he’s really that cute.” I winked, pretending to be interested. I mean, maybe a summer fling with a cute guy was just what I needed.
“Oh, he is.” She grinned.
Amani was really cute. He had rich, dark skin, shaggy brown hair, and a super laid back personality.
Amani showed us around the resort, which was much bigger than I’d imagined. The white Tuscan-inspired building had four stories and sat just off the bay. I’d always pictured a small, quaint building with maybe fifty rooms, so when Amani told us there were one-hundred eighty rooms, not including the spa, restaurants, banquet room, pools and any other fancy amenity you could imagine, I was stunned.
When Amani led us outside to see one of the pools, my heart stuttered. A few feet away was Jess, handing a drink to a lady at a table along the pool. He wore a white polo with the resort’s logo on it, paired with navy blue shorts.
“When did Jess get here?” I whispered to Ashlyn as we got closer. I’d expected him to visit his family for at least a few days.
“I think he got in some time yesterday,” Ashlyn said. “He took the red-eye right after graduation.”
“Why the hurry to get back?”
Ashlyn shrugged. “He and my parents are still fighting about the whole dropping-out-of-school thing. He didn’t feel like sticking around any longer than necessary.”
Jess finished delivering the drinks on his tray and walked in our direction. He stopped when he saw us.
“Mom and Dad actually let you come?” Jess took a few steps toward us. “I thought they were worried about their prodigal son turning you over to the dark side.”
Ashlyn laughed. “They know I’m already a hopeless case. They practically threw me out the door yesterday.”
She turned to me with a hand to the side of her mouth. “Since Macey is at a dance camp all month, this is the first time in twenty-five years they’ll have the house to themselves.” She winked. “I don’t think they’ll be begging me to come back any time soon.”
“Eww.” I scrunched up my face. “Not the picture I wanted in my head right now.”
“Yeah, Ashlyn,” Jess said. “That’s gross.” He smiled at our shared feelings. A split second later, he seemed to realize that he’d acted friendly toward me for the first time in months and decided to remedy it. He cleared his throat and went back to ignoring me. “Well, I have work to get back to. I’ll see you around.” He gave Amani and Ashlyn each a warm smile, and glided his eyes over me, only to give me a curt nod.
After he left us, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and urged my heart to slow its pace as I watched his back retreat.
Ashlyn turned to me with a frustrated look on her face. “I can’t believe Jess ignored you like that. Never before in my life has he been more excited to see me than you.”
“He was probably in a hurry to get back to work.” My mom had told me about how Jess had seen her sitting alone at graduation and had been kind enough to invite her to sit by him. Apparently, his kindness to her wasn’t going to be misplaced on me anytime soon.
She let out a sigh. “My grandparents own the place. It’s not like he’s going to get fired for talking to his sister and lifelong friend.”
I shrugged. If today was a sign of what was to come, this probably wasn’t going to be the best summer of my life like Ashlyn had promised.
That night, there was a big bonfire on the beach for all the resort goers. Ashlyn, of course, insisted we get all glammed up for the evening. I felt funny walking down the beach in my flowy dress instead of shorts and a t-shirt, but when I saw everyone gathered on the beach I was happy I’d listened to her fashion advice. These rich resort guests vacationed in style.
I looked over the crowd of people and had to take a second look when I recognized someone.
“Is that Ryan over there?” I pointed in front of us.
“Yeah,” Ashlyn replied. “I guess when Jess found out I got to bring a friend, he invited Ryan last minute so they could hang out.”
“Wow. That’s some short notice.”
“Apparently, he and Bridgett broke up before graduation, so he was more than ready to get out of town. It’s probably best if we don’t say anything about her to him,” she said under her breath.
“Thanks for the warning.”
“Hey, Ryan!” Ashlyn called when we got closer.
“Ashlyn! It’s so good to see you.” Ryan wrapped her up in a big bear hug. “I’ve been waiting all day to see you guys.” Ryan turned his brown eyes on me, his smile wide, showing off his perfect teeth.
When he bent down to give me a hug, I
awkwardly hugged him back wondering why the sudden hugging. We never did this in New York. Not that I was complaining. Ryan smelled good.
When he stepped back, he lifted his hand to his sides. “I’m going to warn you up front…I decided to become a hugger last week. So, you’re going to have to get used to that, I’m afraid.”
“That’s okay. Hugging is good.” I laughed uncomfortably.
Ryan rubbed his palms together. “So have you guys found out what your job is while you’re here?”
“My grandma wouldn’t tell me. She said she wanted it to be a surprise.” Ashlyn put her hands on her hips and pouted.
Ryan got a mischievous look on his face. “Then I won’t ruin the surprise for you. From what Jess tells me, you’re in for a real treat.”
From the way he said it, I had the inkling that we might be doing something less than glamorous.
“Anyway, you guys should come join the party.” He squeezed himself between us and placed an arm across our shoulders, leading us to the fire.
“So, Ryan,” Ashlyn said when we’d found a place to sit in the sand, just a few feet away from the fire. “Are you going to be here for the whole summer, or just a couple of weeks?”
“I’m here ’til August.” Ryan leaned back on his palms. “I still can’t believe we get paid to work here. I mean, sure I’ll put in eight hours a day, but the rest of the time will seem like I’m on an exotic vacation.”
“I know, right?” Ashlyn leaned back as well and angled her face to the moonlit sky. I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. “I’m sad Luke can’t come until next month, but after that, this summer is going to be awesome.”
“Totally,” Ryan said.
“Have you found out what you’ll be doing while you’re here?” I asked Ryan.
“Lifeguarding.”
“Lifeguarding?” My eyebrows arched. “You’re a certified lifeguard?” He was full of surprises today.
