by Piper Shelly
Tony was waiting already across the street, leaning against the hood of his mother’s car. I walked up to him, and he pulled me into a tight embrace. I sighed against his chest, relaxing for the first time in seven hours. But only for a moment. There was nothing I could do to keep the panic and ache from my heart.
Brushing my hair out of my forehead, he gazed down at me. “You look miserable.”
“I feel miserable.”
“How much time do we have?”
Until what? Until I had to leave the country and not see him again for fourteen weeks? “I don’t know. The flight leaves at ten. I need to pack and…” Heaviness settled in my chest. “And I want to see the others and say goodbye.”
Tony shaped his warm palm against my cheek. “So we have a few hours to come up with a plan.”
I sniffed. “A plan?”
“I’m not going to let you go, Sam.”
He was so sweet. I placed my hand on his, leaning into his palm. “I don’t see what we can do about it. Jack is determined. He thinks I’m a bad influence on Cloey.”
“Ha! I should go inside and tell him a few things about his daughter,” he growled.
But I couldn’t let him. If anything, he’d only change things for the worse. “I can’t believe that I actually felt sorry for my cousin last night,” I said in a low voice. “How stupid of me.”
“No, you aren’t the stupid one. She is. And she’ll have to answer to me later. But for now we need to figure out what to do about you. Did you talk to your parents?”
“To my mom. At least she believes me. But she doesn’t know what to do about it either. It’s not in her hands.”
“I see.” His voice was flat as he looked above my head into the distance. “So it’s up to us.” Tony suddenly released me and nodded toward the passenger side. “Get in.”
“Where are we going?”
“To meet with Hunter and the others at his beach house. I called him on the way to you.”
I hesitated, throwing a glance at the house. My phone was still in my room, and my mom hadn’t called me yet. Pamela would also expect me to get back inside soon. “Should I tell them I’m leaving with you?”
“Sam. They’re sending you back to Egypt. In ten hours. They’re probably happy to be rid of you.”
Wow, that sounded harsh. But it was the truth.
“Do you honestly want to go in now and pretend you’re still the nice niece, asking permission?”
“I guess not then.”
“Don’t worry. If we can’t find a way out,” he snarled, “I’ll have you back in time so you can pack and get to the airport.”
Heaving a deep sigh, I went around the car and climbed in. He drove us out of town and down to the nice bungalow the Hunters owned at Misty Beach. Two familiar cars were parked in front of it: the silver gray Audi Ryan had driven me home in once and Alex’s black Jeep. Liza and Simone were sitting with their boyfriends on the couch in the front room when we entered. When they saw me, both girls jumped up and enveloped me in a tight hug.
“Oh my God, Sam. This is so terrible,” Liza exclaimed. “How could Cloey be so mean?”
“Yeah, that bitch!” Simone snarled.
They dragged me over to the couch and made me sit down. Tony lowered himself next to me, pulling my hand onto his lap and lacing his fingers through mine. He probably didn’t even know how much this comforted me. I looked at him, trying for a brief, thankful smile.
At that moment, the door opened and Nick came in with a limping Susan on his arm. Ryan stood so she could sit down. Nick, for once, didn’t greet me with his ever-cheerful ‘Hey, Finn Girl’, but this time he studied me with concerned eyes.
“Tell us what happened,” Alex prompted me then. “Did Cloey really snap?”
I gave them all the facts. As far as I knew them, anyway. In the end, I had seven people gaping at me, openmouthed.
Alex whistled through his teeth. “Deep shit, baby.”
“Mighty deep,” Susan agreed. Then she leaned forward, stomping one of her crutches on the floor. “All right. What do we do?”
I quirked my brows at her. “What you mean?”
“Well, we’re certainly not going to let that bimbo win. Apart from those two chicks”—Susan nodded at Liza and Simone—“you’re my best friend. I won’t let you go home. No way. So what we need now is a plan.”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Tony said the same thing just a few minutes ago.” It was overwhelming how these guys didn’t take crap…from anyone. “But since I’m only seventeen and dependent on my family, I don’t see a way out. My uncle wants me out of his house. And my parents won’t be able to move to the States until next spring.” I scrunched up my eyes. “I’m so screwed.”
Tony put his arm around me and yanked me against him. His gentle fingers drew small circles on the back of my neck. I let out a long breath.
“Don’t you have any other relatives in the States?” Simone asked.
“My grandma,” I told her. “But she lives in Boston. It wouldn’t exactly help my problem if I moved in with her.”
Silence fell in the room. Everyone looked sheepish. And then I realized for the first time that they were as scared as I was. They didn’t want to lose me, and I didn’t want to lose them. In the past two weeks, I’d experienced for the first time what it meant to have real friends. People who cared if you were happy or sad. If you were there or not.
I wanted to pull them all into a tight embrace and never let go. But right now, I could only hug one of them. I buried my face in Tony’s shoulder, wrapping my arms around him tightly. He was the only one who could hear me when I whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
We sat there for a long while. No one spoke. Only deep sighs sounded in the room every now and then.
Suddenly, Tony rose to his feet, startling me and the others. “I need to get out of here,” he said flatly and strode to the door.
I gazed after him over the backrest of the couch until the door banged shut. When I turned back to the others, I found Ryan’s eyes on me. His lips were pursed and he seemed to be deliberating something. Finally, he sighed and walked after Tony.
Liza offered us something to drink then, and we tried to come up with a solution to my misery. But the idea stream was meager. The situation seemed hopeless. An impasse. And the sooner I accepted it, the better for me. I didn’t want to spend my last day lamenting.
I wanted to spend it with Tony.
Excusing myself from the others, I went outside. Tony was sitting on the swing on the porch, head dipped back, studying the roof as he gently swayed back and forth. Ryan was leaning against the post next to the steps leading down to the beach. Both boys were silent.
With my hands shoved deep into my pockets, I walked to Tony. “Care for a walk?” I said in a low voice.
He lifted his head and looked at me for a couple of seconds. Then he nodded, stood up, and took my hand. When we passed Ryan, he placed a companionable hand on Tony’s shoulder and the guys briefly looked each other in the eye, but neither of them said a word.
Ryan went inside then, and we strolled off along the beach, our fingers intertwined. The waves crashing on the shore was the only sound for a long time. I wondered why Tony was so silent. But then, I didn’t know what to say either.
We had walked about half a mile when he finally found his voice. “It sucks. But you know, it’s doable.”
“Hmm?” I turned to him. “What do you mean?”
Tony stopped and pulled me into his arms, giving me a meaningful look. “A long distance relationship.”
My heart filled with joy at his words, and yet a grave sadness pierced my soul. “You’re willing to do that?”
“Spring, huh?” He tried to smile. “I think I can wait that long.”
I stood on my tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his mouth. “You know, sometimes I wonder where the asshole has gone that I met a couple of weeks ago.”
He smirked. “I can throw you
over my shoulder and dump you in the sea, if that makes you feel better.”
What actually made me feel better was his trying to cheer me up. If nothing else, I loved him for it. Stretching as high as I could, I looped my arms around his neck. In turn, he wrapped his around my waist and pulled me tight against him. He sighed close to my ear, then he said, “Shall we go back?”
Back in time. Fourteen days. Start out differently. Make everything better. Yes, I would like that. But I knew he meant back to Hunter’s beach house. Releasing him, I nodded.
When we reached the bungalow, Ryan was on the phone, ordering pizza for everyone. The pizza house wasn’t far away, and a young guy brought the food ten minutes later. We sat around the table in the kitchen, and along with the rest of them I forced myself to eat a piece.
“Maybe my mom can talk to your aunt,” Ryan suggested between two bites. “They’re friends. We might have a chance.”
“She can try, but it won’t help. It’s not Pam we have to persuade. She tried to talk my uncle out of it last night, and again this morning, I think. But he won’t listen.”
“He’s a lawyer. They can be real assholes,” Susan pointed out.
Next to me, Tony stood and walked to the fridge. When he turned around, he held two cans out to me. A Cherry Coke in his left hand and a bland Coke in his right. I pointed at the Cherry Coke, smiling because it reminded me of our kiss last night, and he placed the other one back into the fridge. Opening my can, he set it in front of me, then walked over to the window, leaning with his butt against the sill.
I enjoyed watching him for the next couple of minutes, trying to memorize every detail of him. For later.
One dimple appeared in his cheek when he realized I was staring at him. He had the most adorable smile a boy could have. The sunlight flooding through the window accented the golden streaks in his blond hair. His blue eyes burned with longing.
“If only you could camp out in a hotel for the next few months,” I heard Susan say.
Yeah, that was a nice idea, and it probably would have been manageable if I were a few years older, had a job, and could pay for it.
Tony’s expression changed, his eyes narrowing. “Hotel…” he repeated. Then he suddenly straightened. “Of course. Miller! You’re a genius!” He strode to her, bent over, and kissed her on the top of her head.
Everyone shot a startled glance at him, but Tony didn’t care. He rushed around the table, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up. “Come on, Bungee!”
As he dragged me out of the house, I cast a puzzled look over my shoulder at the others, but they seemed as clueless as me.
Tony gave me no time to ask questions or to even think. My hand in his, he pulled me to his car and had me climb in. The engine roared when he turned the key in the ignition, and with a screeching of tires, he drove off.
Once on the road, he shifted funnily and fished his cell phone from his back pocket, swept his thumb across the display twice, pressed down, and held the phone to his ear. Cutting a glance at me, he wouldn’t explain what he was up to, but a second later he told somebody on the phone, “Hi, Tony here. Are you home? I need to talk to you.”
TONY
Like a maniac, I raced down the street. Right now, I didn’t care about tickets. All that mattered was finding a way to make my girlfriend stay with me.
Holy fuck, the word still sounded strange to me, even in my mind. But it was the best kind of strange possible. A grin sneaked to my lips.
Sam cleared her throat, and when I glanced at her, she lifted her brows. “Will you tell me where we’re going and what’s making you so happy?”
I could tell her. There was a slim chance my plan would work, but it was also the only one we had. No, not a slim chance, but a fairly good one, I corrected myself sternly. It must work. Period.
Reaching over, I took her hand and stroked her knuckles with my thumb. “We’re going to find a new home for you. Temporarily. I know you’ll love it. You’ve already been there.” I released her briefly to shift gear.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed that her gaze was still fixed on me. She thought for a second, then asked with a note of uncertainty in her voice, “Caroline Jackson?”
“Exactly. Remember when I told you she hosts students during vacations?” Oh, this was a brilliant plan. The excitement in my voice was audible even to me.
There was more space in my aunt’s house than twenty of Sam’s sort could ever fill. Carry loved to have kids and teenagers around her, and currently, she lived alone. The summer season was over, and all the kids had returned home at the beginning of September. The entire loft was vacated and free to use. It was the perfect place for Sam to live.
“Yes. But that’s something different. I’m not here for a vacation. I need to find a place for four months. Do you really think she’ll agree to have me in her house for so long?”
“I pray for it.” Slowing down, I took the road up to her house and halted in front of the gate. Sam climbed out with me. I reached for her hand and dragged her hurriedly across the yard. We were running out of time, and I didn’t know how long it would take to convince my aunt.
The door opened before we even reached it. Carry rushed out and cupped my face. She looked damn frightened. “Tony! What’s the matter? Is something wrong with your parents? You scared the hell out of me with your call.”
I released Sam and took both my aunt’s hands instead. “They’re all right. It’s not about them. We’re in trouble—Sam and me.”
Her eyes turned even wider as her gaze switched between us. “Oh my God! Are the police after you?”
I gave her an annoyed look. “No.” Heck, what was she thinking? “Can we go inside? We’re in a bit of a hurry. I’ll explain everything to you.”
“Yes, of course.” She led the way, but she cast me a worried look over her shoulder.
I pulled Sam after me.
A lot of wood was worked into this spacious country house, and as soon as I stepped over the threshold, a tranquility came over me that I hadn’t thought possible only ten minutes ago. It might stem from the fact that I only had good memories of this place. Happy times. Laughter. Warm milk with honey and cookies in the evening.
Even now a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies sat on the grey rectangular table in the dining room. Taking a seat at the upper end, I scrounged one. I offered a bite to Sam, but she shook her head. Her glance skated rather nervously across the room. With a slight tug at her hand, I made her sit down next to me and gave her an encouraging look. “It’ll be all right,” I whispered.
Carry lowered herself down opposite us, lacing her fingers on the table. “What’s up?”
I took a deep breath, then I began with Sam’s story. My aunt listened patiently. She knew I had never been a liar and that I wouldn’t make this up now, even though her brows quirked at the part where Cloey supposedly played havoc in Sam’s room.
“Cloey Summers…” she mused. “The name doesn’t ring a bell. I guess she’s never been in any of my classes.”
“She’s not that big a talent at Arts,” Sam said in a low voice. Then she added, “She plays soccer,” like this explained it all.
I cast Sam a questioning look. “I play soccer.”
She turned to me and just shrugged, a helpless smile tugging at her lips. Her hand sneaked toward mine, squeezing it. Okay, she got away with it.
“And now you want me to do what?” Carry asked us next. “Shall I talk to your aunt and uncle, Samantha? I’m sure if you explained everything the way you told me, they’d understand and let you stay in their house.”
Sam shook her head.
“We’re not asking for your diplomatic support,” I informed Carry wryly. “We’re asking you for a room.”
“A room?”
At my aunt’s surprised exclamation, Sam’s shoulders slumped. I knew, she’d given up hope that minute.
But I wouldn’t. “Yes. You run a hostel here over the summer. I know you like kids around. S
am will carry no weight. And she can help you in the stables.”
Carry sighed. “It’s not as simple as that, Tony.”
“Why not?” She’d done this for over ten years. It sounded simple to me.
“First of all, the parents of the kids I take in over summer vacations always contact me. We talk, we meet, they get to know me, and we fill out a sort of contract. I don’t just gather kids from the street and give them a home for a couple of weeks.”
“You can talk to her parents now.”
“Are they here?”
“No. On the phone.”
Sam pulled at my hand, making me look at her. “I don’t have my phone on me.”
“You can use mine.” I took it out from my pocket. “Give me their number.”
“Wait.” Carry reached across the table, placing her hand on mine to stop me from dialing. “What will Sam’s aunt and uncle say if I take their niece away without asking them first?”
“What the fuck! They don’t give a shit about her. Do you really think they care?”
“Anthony,” she warned me sharply.
Lips compressed, I let a long breath escape through my nose. “Yeah, sorry.”
Turning her gaze to Sam, Carry tilted her head. At least she seemed ready to discuss things. “How soon do you have to move out?”
Sam twisted my hand with hers as she looked at her wristwatch. “Right about now,” she said in an unsettled voice.
This information made my aunt gasp. She probably thought she had more time to think it over. A few days. Well, we couldn’t give her that.
Above the door, the clock said it was three twenty p.m. If we couldn’t sway Caroline, I had to take Sam back to her house soon, so she could pack and get ready to go home. My chest constricted.
“Please, Carry. Talk to her parents.” If I sounded desperate, it was for a reason. I couldn’t lose my girlfriend.
Carry leaned back in the chair, lacing her fingers over her stomach. She studied the two of us for an endless half-minute. Then she shook her head.
Shit.
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling my heart give out.
