Wake (Watersong Novels)
Page 6
As they walked over to his boat, Gemma felt Penn’s eyes burning into her back. Lexi called after her, saying that they’d see her again, and something about her voice felt like a song.
Gemma almost turned around to go back to them after she heard Lexi, but Daniel’s arm around her kept her from it.
Once they got to the boat, Daniel helped Gemma onto it. Since Penn, Lexi, and Thea were still standing on the dock watching them, he suggested they go down into the cabin. Gemma didn’t normally get onto boats with older guys she barely knew, but given the circumstances, she felt like he was the safer bet.
His boat was rather small, so the living quarters were pretty cramped. A twin bed across from a small table with cushioned benches on either side. A kitchenette with a mini-fridge and tiny sink. A bathroom and some storage nooks at the other end, and that was about it.
The bed was unmade, and clothes were strewn over it. Dirty dishes were in the sink, and a few empty soda cans and beer bottles were sitting on the counter and table. A stack of books and magazines rested next to the bed.
“Have a seat.” Daniel gestured to the bed, since the benches next to the table were mostly covered in clothes and books.
“Are you sure?” Gemma asked. “I’m wet.”
“Nah, it’s fine. It’s a boat. Everything’s always wet.” He grabbed a couple of towels and tossed one to her. “There you go.”
“Thank you.” She ran the towel through her hair and sat back on his bed. “And I don’t mean just for this. Thank you for … well, rescuing me, I guess.”
“It was no problem.” Daniel shrugged and leaned against his kitchen table. He wiped a towel over his chest, then ran a hand through his short hair, messing it up and spraying salt water. “You looked so terrified.”
“I wasn’t terrified,” Gemma said defensively.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you were.” He leaned farther back, looking out one of the cabin windows behind him. “Those girls give me the creeps.”
“That’s what I said!” Gemma shouted, excited to hear someone agree with her. “My sister told me that I was being mean.”
“Harper?” Daniel looked back at Gemma. “She likes those girls?”
“I don’t think she likes them, exactly.” Gemma shook her head. “She thinks I should be respectful of everyone.”
“Well, that is a good philosophy.” He reached over and opened the mini-fridge. “Want a soda?”
“Sure.”
After Daniel grabbed two cans of grape soda, he handed one to Gemma and kept one for himself. He sat on the table and crossed his legs underneath him. Gemma wrapped her towel around her shoulders and opened the soda.
She looked around the cabin, checking out his bare furnishings. “How long have you lived here?”
“Too long,” he said after taking a long swallow of his soda.
“I think I’d like to live on a boat someday. But like a houseboat.”
“I would definitely recommend living on something larger, if you can.” Daniel gestured to the tight space. “And it can be a bit rough staying out here when the sea gets choppy. I’ve been out here so long, though, I doubt I could even sleep on land. I need the water to rock me to sleep.”
“That would be nice.” She smiled wistfully as she imagined sleeping on the bay. “Did you always love the ocean?”
“Uh … I don’t know.” Daniel crinkled his brow as if he hadn’t thought of it before. “I guess I’ve always liked it.”
“How did you end up living on a boat, then?”
“It’s not very romantic,” he warned her. “My grandpa died and left me this boat. I got evicted from my apartment and needed a place to crash. And here we are.”
“Gemma!” Someone shouted from outside the boat, and Daniel and Gemma exchanged a confused look. “Gemma!”
“Is that your sister?” Daniel asked.
“I think so.” Gemma set down her can and headed out to the deck to see what Harper was carrying on about.
Harper stood on the dock next to Gemma’s bike holding the bike chain in her hand. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, which swung back and forth as she looked around frantically.
“Gemma!” Harper yelled again, the tremor in her voice betraying her fear.
Gemma went over to the railing and looked down at her sister. “Harper?”
“Gemma!” Harper turned to face her, relief washing over her until she saw Daniel standing on the boat behind her. “Gemma! What are you doing?”
“I was just drying off,” Gemma said. “Why are you freaking out so bad?”
“I came to see if you were coming home for lunch, and I found your bike chain unhooked on the dock, like something happened when you were locking it up, and I couldn’t find you, and now you’re on his boat!” Harper stomped toward Daniel’s boat, clenching the bike chain in her fist. “What were you doing?”
“Drying off,” Gemma repeated, growing annoyed with her sister for making a scene.
“Why?” Harper demanded and pointed at Daniel. “He is bad news!”
“Thanks,” Daniel said wryly, and Harper glared at him.
“Look, I’ll get on my bike, and we’ll go home, and you can be a total spaz there,” Gemma said.
“I am not being a spaz!” Harper shouted, then stopped and took a deep breath. “But you’re right. We will talk about this at home.”
“Yay.” Gemma sighed. She took the towel from around her shoulders and handed it back to Daniel. “Thanks.”
“No problem. And sorry if I got you in trouble.”
“Ditto,” Gemma said, offering him a small, apologetic smile.
Gemma threw her backpack onto the dock, then hopped over the railing after it. She took her chain from Harper, grabbed her bag, and went down to her bike to put her clothes on before she rode home.
“You are a disgusting pervert,” Harper snarled at Daniel and pointed her finger at him. “Gemma is only sixteen years old, and even though you have some sort of Peter Pan complex, you are still a twenty-year-old man. You are too old to be messing around with her.”
“Oh, please.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “She’s just a kid. I wasn’t hitting on her.”
“That is not what it looks like from here.” Harper crossed her arms. “I should report you for living on this stupid boat and for your abhorrent behavior hanging around with underage girls.”
“Do what you gotta do, but I’m not a creep.” He leaned against the railing and looked down at Harper. “Those girls were hassling your sister, and I stepped in to get her away from them.”
“What girls?” Harper asked.
“Those girls.” Daniel waved vaguely. “I think the head one is named Penn or something.”
“The really pretty girls?” Harper tensed up.
She hadn’t thought Daniel had done anything to Gemma, not really, but at the mention of Penn, her stomach tightened.
“I guess.” Daniel shrugged.
“They were messing with Gemma?” She glanced back at Gemma, who was pulling on her tank top and appeared unharmed. “How?”
“I don’t know exactly.” He shook his head. “But they had her surrounded, and she looked scared. I just don’t trust them, and I didn’t want them around her. I asked her on my boat to hide out until they left, and you showed up like ten minutes later. That’s all that happened.”
“Oh.” Harper felt bad for yelling at him now, but she didn’t want to let on. “Well. Thank you for looking out for my sister. But you shouldn’t have her on your boat.”
“I hadn’t planned on making a habit out of it.”
“Good.” Harper shifted her weight, still trying to look indignant. “I think she’s seeing someone anyway.”
“Harper, I already told you, I’m not into your sister.” Daniel smirked. “But if I didn’t know any better, I would say you were jealous.”
“Oh, please.” Harper wrinkled her nose. “Don’t be disgusting.”
Daniel laughed at her protests, and for some rea
son, Harper began to blush.
Gemma sped past her on her bike, shouting a good-bye to Daniel as she did. With her sister gone, Harper didn’t really have any reason to wait around on the dock, but she stayed behind for a moment, trying to think of something to snap at Daniel for. When she couldn’t come up with anything, she turned and left, acutely aware that he was watching her walk away.
SEVEN
Picnic
Capri had been founded by Thomas Thermopolis in southeastern Maryland on June 14, 1802, so every fourteenth of June the town held a celebration in his honor. Most of the stores in town closed for it, as they would for any other major holiday. It had become nothing more than a big picnic with a few rides and concessions, but everybody turned out, both the townies and the tourists alike.
Alex had invited Gemma to go with him, and she didn’t know exactly what that meant. Since he had invited just her and not Harper, too, she was inclined to think it meant something, but she was too afraid to ask.
The car ride was awkward, almost comically so. Neither of them really said anything, aside from Alex stammering out a few comments about how he hoped they would have fun.
When they parked, he ran around the car to open the door for her, and that was actually when Gemma started to relax. He’d never opened the door for her before. Something had definitely changed.
The Founder’s Day Picnic took place in the park in the center of town. A couple rides were set up, like the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Zipper. The midway cut through the center, lined with the usual carnival games. Picnic tables and blankets were spread out over the rest of the area, broken up by a few food and drink stands.
“Did you want to play a game?” Alex asked Gemma as they walked down the midway. He gestured to the ring toss next to them. “I could win you a goldfish.”
“I don’t think that’d be fair to the goldfish,” Gemma said. “I’ve had about a dozen of them, and they all seem to die within days of me getting them.”
“Oh, yeah.” Alex smiled crookedly. “I remember you making your dad bury them out in the backyard.”
“They were my pets, and they deserved a proper burial.”
“I better be careful around you.” Alex stepped back from her cautiously, giving her a wide berth. “You’re a goldfish mass murderer. I don’t know what you’re capable of.”
“Stop!” Gemma laughed. “I didn’t kill them on purpose! I was little. I think I overfed them. Out of love, though.”
“That’s even scarier,” he teased. “Do you plan to kill me with kindness?”
“Maybe.” She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to look menacing, making him laugh.
Alex walked close to her again. His hand brushed against hers, and Gemma took the opportunity to slip her fingers through his. He didn’t comment on it, but he gave her hand the slightest squeeze. Warm tingles swirled inside her, and Gemma tried not to smile too widely at the effect from that simple touch.
“So goldfish are out,” Alex said. “What about teddy bears? Would stuffed animals be safe around you?”
“Probably,” she allowed. “But you don’t need to win me anything.”
“You want to walk around for a while?” Alex asked, looking down at her.
“Yeah.” She nodded, and he smiled.
“Okay. But if you want anything, just say the word, and I’m on it. I’ll win you anything your heart desires.”
Gemma didn’t want him to win her anything because that meant he would have to stop to play a game and let go of her hand. She was content to walk around all day with him. Just being with him delighted her in a way she hadn’t thought possible.
They’d walked a little farther down the midway when they came across Bernie McAllister. He stood in front of the game where the object was to pop balloons with a dart to win a prize. Despite the heat, he wore a sweater, and he squinted at the balloons below his gray eyebrows.
“Mr. McAllister.” Gemma smiled and stopped when they got close to him. “What brings you here to the mainland?”
“Oh, you know,” he said, his voice lilting with a faded British accent. He pointed to the balloons with his plastic darts. “I’ve been coming to the Founder’s Day Picnic for fifty-four years and winning cheap junk from these games. I wasn’t about to miss this one.”
“I see.” Gemma laughed.
“And what about you, Miss Fisher?” Bernie asked, looking at Alex and then back at her. “Does your father know you’re out with a boy?”
“Yeah, he knows,” Gemma assured him and squeezed Alex’s hand.
“He better.” Bernie gave them a stern look until Alex lowered his eyes. “I still remember when you were this big”—he held his hand up to his knee—“and you thought boys were gross.” He paused to appraise her and smile. “You kids grow up so fast.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s how it goes.” He waved his hand, brushing off her apology. “How is your father? Is he here?”
“No, he’s at home today.” Gemma’s smile faltered. Her father rarely came out to stuff like this anymore, not since her mom’s car accident. “He’s doing good, though.”
“Good. Your father’s a fine man, a real hard worker.” Bernie nodded. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen him.”
“I’ll tell him you said that,” Gemma said. “Maybe he’ll head out to the island and visit you.”
“I would like that.” Bernie held her eyes when he smiled, his own eyes filmy with cataracts and a little sad. Then he shook his head and turned back to the game. “Anyway, I should let you kids get back to your fun.”
“All right, good luck at your game,” Gemma said as she and Alex started walking away. “It was nice seeing you.”
When they’d gotten far enough away from him, Alex asked her, “That was Bernie from Bernie’s Island, right?”
“Sure was.”
Bernie lived on a small island a few miles off Anthemusa Bay. The only thing on it was the log cabin and boathouse that Bernie had built fifty-some years ago for himself and his wife. His wife had died shortly after that, but Bernie stayed there just the same.
Since the only person who lived on the island was Bernie, the people of Capri had taken to referring to it as Bernie’s Island. That wasn’t the official name, but that was how everyone knew of it.
After Gemma’s mother’s car accident, her dad had a tough time. He used to take Gemma and Harper out to Bernie’s Island, and Bernie would watch them while her dad went off to deal with things on his own.
Bernie was always kind to them, and not in a creepy-old-man way. He was funny, and he let the girls have free run of the island. That was when Gemma had really developed her love of the water. She spent long summer afternoons out at the bay, swimming around the island.
In fact, if it wasn’t for Bernie and his island, she might not have become the swimmer she was today.
* * *
“What’s going on with Alex and your sister?” Marcy asked, and Harper lifted her head to see Gemma and Alex holding hands as they walked down the midway.
“I don’t know.” Harper shrugged.
She and Marcy were playing beanbag toss next to a picnic table, until Marcy had gotten distracted.
“You don’t know?” Marcy turned back to Harper.
“No, Gemma’s being really vague on details.” Harper threw her beanbag at the goal, intent on continuing the game even if Marcy was hung up on something else. “I know they kissed the other day because Dad saw them, but when I asked Gemma about it, she wouldn’t tell me anything. I think they might be dating.”
“Your sister is dating your best friend, and you don’t know what’s going on?” Marcy asked.
“Gemma never wants to tell me about her boyfriends.” Harper sighed. Gemma had had all of two of them before, but she was always secretive about her crushes. “And I haven’t really asked Alex about it. I feel a little weird bringing it up.”
“Because you have a thing for him,” Marcy said.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not.” Harper sat back on the picnic table behind them, since Marcy clearly didn’t plan on playing until they discussed things. “I’ve never had anything other than platonic feelings for Alex. He’s geeky and awkward and just a friend.”
“Guys and girls can’t be friends,” Marcy insisted. “You really need to watch When Harry Met Sally.”
“Brothers and sisters can be just friends, and Alex is like a brother to me,” Harper explained. “Which is the only reason why this is weird for me. Because a guy that’s like my brother is dating my actual sister.”
“That’s gross.”
“Thanks. Can we get back to the game now?” Harper asked.
“No, this game is boring, and I’m starving.” Marcy had a beanbag in her hand, and she gave it a half-assed toss to the side. “Let’s get some cheese curds.”
“You’re the one who wanted to play this,” Harper said as she got off the picnic table.
“I know. But I didn’t realize how boring it was.”
Marcy walked through the park, pushing people if they were in her way. Harper followed more slowly behind her, glancing back over her shoulder to see if she could catch a glimpse of Gemma and Alex together.
Originally, Gemma was going to go with Marcy and Harper to the picnic, but this morning Alex had called over to invite her to go with him. That was when Harper had tried to talk to Gemma about him, but Gemma had refused to give her any details.
Harper was so busy looking for them that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, and she bumped right into someone, knocking an ice-cream cone out of his hand and smashing it all over his shirt.
“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Harper said hurriedly, trying to wipe the chocolate ice cream off his T-shirt.
“You really do hate me, don’t you?” Daniel asked, and Harper realized with dismay that he was the one she’d covered in ice cream. “I mean, destroying someone’s ice-cream cone? That’s vicious.”