by Ann Herrick
"Is this a command performance?" I whispered, once Mom was out of earshot. But I certainly didn't want Nicole to have Alex to herself all evening, either. I went to my room and changed into my yellow sundress, remembering how I had worn it at the picnic to impress Alex with a sophisticated image. I decided to skip the blue eye shadow and fancy hairdo this time. I didn't have to try to outshine Nicole. Nicole was one type of girl, and I was another. And Alex preferred my type. At least I hoped he did.
Finally we all piled into the car to go to the Kendalls', since Mom said she didn't want to walk on the road in her high heels.
I gasped when we pulled into the Kendalls' driveway. It was the house with the turret—the one I'd seen when we first arrived in Chatfield. The one with stairs that led to the cove on the beach where I'd pushed Alex away after our steamy kiss.
No wonder Mom had wanted us to dress up! This was no cottage. It was a mansion. I couldn't help but be impressed with the grounds, which were large and well-groomed, with a neatly-trimmed lawn and formal rose garden in full view from the driveway. I wondered if I should have worn the blue eye shadow, after all.
After we got out of the car, Dad started toward the front door, but Mom reminded him, "Robert and Penelope said to walk around back."
We followed a flagstone path, bordered by bright clumps of petunias, to a huge brick patio with a built-in barbecue. A handsome silver-haired couple greeted us as we rounded the corner.
"John! Louise!" cried the silver-haired man. "How good of you to come!"
"And this must be Katie." The silver-haired woman held out her hand.
I shook it and said, "How do you do, Mrs. Kendall?" There was no sign of Nicole or Alex, but a tall blond young man with penetrating blue eyes who had been leaning against the patio door sauntered over and planted himself I front of me.
"I'm Logan Kendall," he announced.
I felt as though I was supposed to applaud. Instead, I again murmured politely, "How do you do?"
"Logan will be a sophomore at Harvard this fall," explained Mrs. Kendall.
Logan kept his eyes riveted on me. "What would you like to drink, Katie?"
I suppressed an urge to take a step back. Logan was leaning close to me, violating my space. I didn't like it. I found his rather self-confidently male presence irritating. "Do you have any diet soda?"
"Diet soda? No wonder you've got such a great bod." Logan lazily scanned me. "Come in the kitchen. I'll see what we have." He put his hand on my back and guided me in through the patio door to a vast chamber crammed with a blinding array of stainless-steel appliances. Opening a refrigerator door, he revealed several cases of soda. "What looks good to you?" he asked.
"I'll have a diet root beer." It was the first thing I saw. I didn't want to hang around perusing the entire selection. Being alone with him made me uncomfortable.
Logan poured the soda into a glass and pressed his hands around mine as he handed it to me. I pulled my hands out of his grasp and sipped the diet root beer. "We should join the others," I said.
"I'll just grab a beer first." Logan poured himself a beer, and raised the glass in a toast. "Here's to us."
I hesitated, then lifted my glass to his. "We'd better get back," I said.
"All right. But sometime I want to give you a tour of the whole house."
When I stepped out on the patio again, I saw that the Stedmans had arrived. Jason and Hailey were somersaulting across the lawn.
Nicole was talking to Alex. Her bright green dress set off her red hair and blue eyes. It was low-cut enough to show off her other charms as well. She and Alex held glasses of lemonade.
Just as I started toward Alex, Logan put his arm around my waist. "Alex!" he called. "Why didn't you tell me Katie was such a pretty little thing?"
I stepped out of Logan's grasp. I didn't like being called a pretty little thing. It sounded condescending, at least coming from Logan.
"Hi, Logan," Alex said flatly. Then he smiled. "Hi, Katie."
"Hi, Alex." I returned his smile. I forced myself to look directly at Nicole. "Hello, Nicole."
"Hello." For a millionth of a second Nicole glanced at me before turning back to Alex. "Let's sit down. Mom and Dad are yakking away! There's no telling when we'll get around to eating."
I saw that my folks and the Stedmans were attentively listening to the Kendalls, punctuating every few words with laughter. By the time I turned around to sit down, Nicole was already next to Alex, and the only place left for me was next to Logan.
"It could be a while before they decide to cook the steaks," Logan agreed. He picked up a silver platter laden with canapés in various shapes and sizes and held it in front of me. "Have one?"
I chose a small cheese-covered triangle. I chewed without tasting it. Nicole had her arm on Alex's and was all but on his lap as she joked and flirted with him. When Nicole caught me watching them, I stared down into my root-beer glass.
"I think Logan and Katie made a cute couple, don't you, Alex?" she said brightly.
I choked on my canapé.
Logan patted me on the back. "Are you all right?"
I nodded and took a sip of my soda. "That canapé just went down the wrong way. I'm fine."
I was thinking Logan was much too old for us to be a couple and, besides, I liked Alex.
After I thought I had discovered the true meaning of the word eternity, Mr. Kendall announced that he was about to cook the steaks. I hoped everyone would want theirs rare. I wanted the evening to end as soon as possible.
When it was time to eat, parents sat at one table, offspring at another. I found myself seated all the way across the table from Alex, with Logan and Nicole between us on one side, Jason and Cecilia on the other. I occasionally tried to catch Alex's attention, but Nicole was monopolizing him, emphasizing her comments with a lot of hands-on gestures.
Logan directed all his attention toward me, though I tried to discourage him. It was Alex's company I wanted, not Logan's. But whenever I tried to start a conversation that would include all of us, either Nicole or Logan changed the subject, and we wound up with two separate, private conversations going again. Eventually I gave up and just concentrated on whatever Logan said, nodding now and then as if I were listening.
Shortly after dinner Mrs. Stedman announced that they ought to leave since they were taking Hailey into New Haven early the next morning to see the dinosaur skeletons at the Peabody Museum. I almost cheered, thinking I'd be able to have Alex to myself the next day, but my optimism was short-lived.
"I have an idea." Nicole smiled directly at Alex. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Let's go swimming at Hammonasset State Park over in Madison."
Alex shrugged. "Well, I—"
"Come on," Nicole urged. "It'll be fun. We can make a foursome out of it. That is, if Katie doesn't mind tagging along."
"Not at all." I dug my nails into the palms of my hands.
"I'll drive," Logan said. He casually put his arm around my shoulders. "Nine o'clock okay?"
"Sure." Alex stared defiantly at Logan.
I nodded. I wished Logan would stop being so ... friendly.
"It's a date, then," Nicole said, obviously pleased.
As everyone headed around front toward the cars to say good night, Logan propelled me into the rose garden. "I want you to see the Tropicana—it's a beautiful rose, really special."
I wondered how I could appreciate its beauty, since it was almost dark and there were no lights in the rose garden, but I saw Nicole and Alex go into the rose garden ahead of us, and I wanted to keep an eye on them. I squinted, trying to spot them among the roses and trellises. I heard a slight rustle in the next row of bushes. Then I saw them kissing. My breath came in ragged spurts of anger.
"Here it is." Logan pointed to a rosebush.
I trembled. I'd forgotten Logan. "Oh. Yes. Nice rose."
"You're shaking." Logan took me in his arms. "I'll warm you up."
Before I realized what was happening, Logan kissed me. My f
irst instinct was to pull away, but the silhouetted image of Alex kissing Nicole flashed in my mind, and I let him kiss me until I heard Alex calling for me. Embarrassed, I drew back. "I have to go."
The next thing I knew, Logan was escorting me past a smiling Nicole and a scowling Alex. It dawned on me, albeit a bit late, that I might have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Why, in a fit of jealousy, had I let Logan kiss me? I had to let Alex know the kiss meant nothing. I had to let him know that I liked him as much as he'd said he liked me. I would have to find a way to talk to Alex alone tomorrow.
Chapter Ten
My eyes widened as Logan walked me toward his car. The bright red Pontiac Firebird was polished to a near-blinding shine. But it wasn't the wax job that had me concerned.
"Uh, where's Nicole?" I asked, as Logan held the car door open for me. I didn't want to spend a day alone with Logan and I definitely didn't want Nicole whisking Alex away somewhere so I wouldn't be able to talk to him.
"Oh," said Logan, getting in the driver's side. "She walked over to Alex's" He offered no further explanation, and I didn't ask for any. I could figure out for myself that Nicole wanted to be sure that she sat in the back seat with Alex.
Nicole and Alex emerged from the Stedmans' cottage as soon as Logan pulled up in the driveway. Nicole had her arms looped around Alex, her head resting on his shoulder as she looked adoringly at him. Alex looked back at Nicole, but he wasn't concentrating on her smile. His line of vision tracked in on the see-through cover-up she wore, which did nothing to hide the skimpy black bikini that she spilled out of in all the right places. I looked down at the baggy, gray sweatshirt I wore over my own bathing suit and sighed. I could probably strip naked and Alex wouldn't take his eyes off Nicole.
"Hi, Katie!" Nicole called gaily, as she climbed into the back seat of the car, followed by Alex.
"Hi, Katie." Alex tugged at my ponytail. He was treating me like a little kid!
I sat silently during the ride to Hammonsasset. I didn't even bother to remove Logan's hand from my knee when he rested it there each time he shifted. If only I could find a way to talk to Alex privately! He couldn't have stopped liking me just because Nicole showed up—unless I had been just a summer replacement for Nicole. He'd said the last few weeks with me had been the most fun he'd ever had. He also said he liked me a lot. I was sure he was meant it when he said it. Maybe I'd misinterpreted his tug on my ponytail. It could easily have been a signal that he still wanted my attention. He did seem a bit jealous of Logan. Maybe he thought I liked Logan's overly-friendly attitude toward me. If I could just stop jumping to conclusions about Nicole and Alex and set things straight between us.
When Logan stopped the car at the entrance gate to pay for parking at Hammonasset, I took a few deep breaths to compose myself.
"Park near one of the refreshment stands," Nicole said. "That way we won't have to walk too far when we want lunch."
Lunch! I hadn't planned on spending the entire day there. I could see it would be a struggle to get any time alone with Alex.
Once we unloaded the car and decided on a good spot on the beach, Logan spread a blanket on the sand, and Nicole immediately plopped down in the middle of it. "Alex, would you please put some suntan lotion on my back?" she asked, handing him the bottle.
Logan grabbed my hand. "Come on, Katie. Let's go for a swim." As he pulled me toward the water, I could see Alex stroking suntan lotion onto Nicole's back.
"I'll race you out to that buoy," Logan pointed to the small red object bobbing in the water.
I dove in, not waiting for Logan to signal a start to our race. As I cut through the chilly water, with each stroke I repeated to myself, Don't jump to conclusions, don't jump to conclusions. I had to stop worrying about Nicole and find a way to talk to Alex alone.
When I reached the buoy, Logan was there waiting for me, a laconic smile on his face.
"You'd better give up gracefully. Didn't you know I'm on the swim team at Harvard?"
"I didn't know." No wonder he looked in such good shape! "Look, I'm tired. I'm going back to the blanket." I started to swim away, but Logan grabbed my wrist.
"Not before I collect my prize."
"Prize?"
"For winning the race." Logan planted a salty kiss on my mouth.
I blinked as Logan's lips brushed mine, then I slithered out of his grasp and swam toward shore. After a couple strokes Logan was next to me, effortlessly doing the backstroke as he grinned at me. "You have a lot of determination."
"Oh?" I kept swimming.
"Yes. I like that."
"Lucky me."
Logan laughed. "I think I'm going to enjoy your company."
Don't count on it, I thought just as I dove under the water.
Logan stood waist deep in the water, waiting for me, when I surfaced. He took my hand and held it tight as we walked back to our spot where Alex and Nicole, wrapped around each other on the blanket, were kissing enthusiastically.
Logan cleared his throat.
Alex jumped away from Nicole. "Katie! I—"
"Logan, let's go for a walk." I tried not to show my anger. I wouldn't give Nicole the satisfaction.
"Sure." Logan put his arm around my waist, and we headed toward the fishing jetty. I heard Alex calling after me, asking me to come back, but I refused to turn around.
Logan didn't say anything as we walked, and I was glad for that. I wouldn't have been able to speak. I was furious. Furious, but determined, too. I wasn't going to let Alex and Nicole get away with this. I wasn't going to let them laugh at me and talk about me with all their friends when they got back to Hartford, saying, "poor little Katie." I would show them that I didn't care. I still had time to have my own summer romance.
But who was available? Logan would be convenient, but he was a bit too old for me. Jake! Jake would be perfect. I couldn't wait to see Jake again. I'd have to get things rolling.
"Hold it," Logan said. We'd reached the jetty. "Let's sit. I'm not used to walking so fast on sand."
"What? Oh." I sat down. I hadn't realized how fast I'd been walking or where I'd been going. I looked back down the beach. I couldn't see Alex and Nicole. Thank goodness. I did, however, see someone familiar walking by. It was Jake. Hand in hand with a cute, short blond girl. So much for Jake. Now who was I going to have a romance with? Well ... it would have to be Logan. I didn't have time to meet anyone else. But Logan had to be at least nineteen, and I was not quite sixteen. I considered the age difference. Really, it was only three years as I was almost sixteen. That wasn't so much. It would be nothing if we were both in our twenties. I wasn't contemplating a full-fledged affair. Just a fling. Just enough of a romance to keep Alex and Nicole from thinking of me as the loser who got unceremoniously dumped.
But could I handle Logan? I figured I could, since I had no feelings for him. I wouldn't get carried away occasionally kissing someone I wasn't attracted to.
Logan waved his hand in front of my face. "Hi, there. Remember me?"
I shook myself out of my reverie. "Of course, I remember you. How could I forget anyone so gorgeous?" Might as well get things started.
Logan looked baffled, then pleased. He grinned and cupped my chin in his hand. "Now that's what I like to hear."
For a moment I thought Logan was going to kiss me. It briefly occurred to me that I could be playing with fire. But I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. I could handle Logan.
"Let's go for a walk." I stood up, pulling Logan up by the hand. I wanted to be gone for a long time, so Alex would wonder what I was up to.
We climbed over the jetty and walked along a secluded part of the beach studded with boulders, occasionally circling around couples making out in the shadows. When we ran out of beach we climbed rocks until Logan suggested that we sit again for a while. "It's a nice view from up here," he said.
I nodded. It was a fine morning. The sun glanced off the waves and skittered across the water. Sailboats silently skimmed over the surface.
I could see clear to Long Island. I could even pick out houses along the beach there. To my left was the curve of land where our cottage stood. And Alex's. For a moment a happy memory with Alex bubbled to the surface of my thoughts, but I squashed it. That was in the past. I still had the last week of summer to create new memories. I leaned closer to Logan.
Logan slipped his arm around me and pulled me toward him. I turned my face toward his and met his lips in a kiss. He's a nice kisser, I thought. Funny how I could decide it was a good kiss when I wasn't even emotionally involved.
My stomach growled.
Logan laughed. "It must be time for lunch."
"Yes," I said, thinking that Alex must surely be wondering what I was doing by now. "I am hungry. Let's go back."
When we returned to the blanket Nicole was rubbing suntan lotion on Alex, who looked as if he were asleep. I was torn between an urge to kick sand in his face and a strange desire to wake him gently with a kiss.
"So you two are finally back," Nicole commented. "You must have had a good time on your 'walk.'" Her tone was suggestive.
Alex lifted his head and smiled drowsily at me. Then he saw Logan and frowned. He sat up and stared out at the water.
"How about lunch?" said Logan. "My treat." He draped his arm across my shoulders.
"Sure," Nicole said. She tugged on Alex's arm. "Come on. Let's go."
Alex whipped his arm away from Nicole. "I'm not hungry."
"Oh, come on," Nicole coaxed. She knelt behind him, rubbing his shoulders and nibbling at his ear.
"Yeah," Logan said. "It's not every day that I spring for hot dogs for everyone." He hugged me closer to him.
"All right," Alex muttered.
Ordinarily, I loved eating hot dogs at the beach, but I swallowed without tasting. The tension between Alex and me was like a thick smog, almost choking me. For a moment I considered abandoning my plan, but then visions of Nicole laughing at "poor me" cropped up. I hadn't forgotten Nicole and Alex kissing on the blanket, and Alex had been kissing Nicole just as heartily as she had been kissing him. The only thing for me to do now was not to let Alex and Nicole see how hurt I was by pretending to be attracted to Logan. Logan made it easy enough—all I had to do was respond to his advances.
