by Rock, J. K.
But I couldn’t. The light in her eyes died as I gave her a quick hug and said thanks.
I walked over to the cup, counted out five chips and dropped them into the goblet. I swallowed, all eyes on me. “I know I’ve been acting weird but it’s because I’ve had a…a confusing year. For months, I wanted more than anything to come back here and hang out with you guys. So thank you for sticking by me because I really need you while I figure stuff out this summer.”
“Group hug!” Emily shouted while the girls rushed me.
I wiped stinging eyes on my T-shirt, arms around everyone. My weekend from hell had transformed into two days I could survive with a little help from my friends. All because of Emily.
If I could avoid boy disaster for the next two weeks, Matt would head home for football practice and I’d decide if we were meant for each other as he insisted, or if my nagging heart had it right from the start…and Seth was The One.
Maybe Emily had another miracle up her sleeve?
* * *
“Surprise!” squealed Mom when I reached her rented black Mercedes. Kellianne sat in the passenger seat. She nodded, then flipped a page in a magazine.
I squashed the disappointment that Dad hadn’t changed his mind and come after all. I hadn’t even realized I’d held out a little hope until right this minute.
“Ummm. I kind of knew you were coming, Mom.”
She hugged me briefly, her flowery perfume clinging longer than she had.
“Yes.” Her perfect pink lips parted in excitement. “But I bet you didn’t know Matt’s father and his dad’s new girlfriend were coming too. We heard the news before we left.”
My eyes darted around, panic filling me despite the fact that Mr. Butler was nowhere in sight. Did Matt know about this? The last I’d heard, he thought his mom was going to visit. Solo. Watching Matt jog up felt like watching a train wreck in slow-mo. I glared at my mother, trying to tell her how insensitive she was to spring this on us.
“Hello, Mrs. Carlson. You look nice today.” Matt smiled politely. I, on the other hand, found little to admire about my mother’s outfit—a pink Polo dress and heels better suited for one of her charity benefits than camp.
My mother gave Matt one of her few genuine smiles. “Thank you, dear. So do you.” I glanced over at Matt’s crisp beige pants and a blue and white button-down that brought out the green in his incredible eyes. He could have stepped out of the local country club or the pages of GQ. In the meantime, I looked like I’d just rolled out of my cabin…which I had.
Mom eyed my wrinkled tank and booty-skimming shorts. “I’m sure Lauren was eager to come greet us, but we’ll excuse her now to get more properly attired. Matt, we’re going to bring you into town with us so you can meet your father in Waynesville for lunch.” I noticed she left out the girlfriend part, perhaps feeling a bit guilty for the surprise attack after all.
If Matt was disappointed that his mom hadn’t come, he did a good job of hiding it. Only the twitch beneath his eye gave him away.
“Lauren looks great to me, but I’m happy to wait with you, Mrs. Carlson. Maybe Kellianne can tell me about the wedding. I know Lauren’s been working hard. I haven’t seen as much of her as I’d like lately.” Only Matt could make my avoidance tactics seem noble.
As if on cue, the tinted Mercedes window rolled down and Kellianne’s French-tipped fingers dangled outside. “Did you bring the thank-you notes?” she demanded.
“Hey, Kellianne.” I passed her a medium-sized cardboard box. “The seating chart and the place cards are in there too.”
“Thanks. And this is for you. It’s from Dad.” She handed me a creased, letter-sized envelope. I turned it over in my hands, but the sealed enclosure and lack of outer markings kept it a mystery.
There’d been a time I would have been thrilled to get something from my dad, but now that he’d ditched me—again—in favor of work, and epically failed on helping with my NASA application, this felt like a weak bribe for forgiveness. It was way too light to hold the letters of reference I needed. So what was it? An apology note? No thanks. It’d feel as empty as the envelope.
“I’ll be right back.” I dashed up the sun-dappled path, eager to change and return before Mom spilled the news about Matt’s dad’s girlfriend. Matt was still furious at his father for cheating. Meeting the object of Mr. Butler’s affections would set off serious fireworks. As for reading whatever Dad sent, that could wait. It’d make me angry, and I had enough bad feelings to deal with.
A brown hawk wheeled in the blue sky, ready to strike. I thought of the oblivious animal about to be its meal. Matt and I had that much in common at least. One minute our lives seemed perfect and the next—wham—everything went to hell. I didn’t want Matt to lose himself the way I had when my parents upended my Ithaca life. At the cabin, I tossed the envelope up to my top bunk. It hit the wall and slid down between the bunks to the floor. I left it there for later, grabbed a white eyelet sundress and sandals, swished on some silver eye shadow and pink lip gloss, and brushed my hair free of its ponytail, securing my long bangs off my forehead with a small plastic clip.
My headlong rush out of the cabin skittered to a halt at the sight of Seth and his father walking toward Munchies’ Manor.
“She’s not here, Dad. So let’s go rafting, okay?” Seth didn’t glance up.
Seth’s father, a ruddy man with a neck as thick as his shaved head, pointed at me. “If she’s not here, who’s that, then?”
Seth’s eyes widened. A part of me thrilled at his appreciative look. Any time I’d seen him this week, his attention had been glued to Headband Girl—Breyanna, I’d since discovered.
I trotted down the stairs, nervous that Mr. Reines would treat me differently now that Seth and I were broken up.
“Hi, Mr. Reines. How’s Indiana University wrestling?”
“Division One champions,” boomed the coach, his voice, like everything about him, larger than life. “So are you going to get changed for our rafting trip? We don’t have all day. And where’s your father? Our Geology chair resigned, and I wanted to mention it to him. He’d be perfect.”
My eyes flitted to Seth’s. Did his father still think we were a couple?
Seth’s sheepish look gave me the answer I needed. He hadn’t said anything to his dad. Did that mean he still thought there was a chance for us to get back together? Suddenly I wished I was in my tank and shorts, about to go on our traditional rafting trip. If Dad had come, he’d know about the geology job. Maybe we’d leave Texas and relocate to Indiana where I could be with Seth full-time. I’d spend every second of my one hour of phone time tomorrow telling Dad about the job.
“My dad couldn’t make it this year,” I said, not wanting to reveal Seth’s secret. “My mom and sister came instead.”
“Well, it’s good to see you anyway, Lauren.” Mr. Reines caught me in a bear hug that crushed the air out of me. “You’re all this kid here talks about.”
My eyebrows rose. I never knew Seth mentioned me outside of camp. I’d always figured I was out of sight and out of mind for him. Interesting.
“Guess I’d better get going.” I untangled myself and headed back down the path. “Mom and Kellianne are taking me to lunch.”
“Lauren,” Seth’s father thundered, stopping me in my tracks. “Aren’t you forgetting something? I’m sure I’m not the only who wants a hug.”
I looked from his wriggling eyebrows to Seth’s apologetic look. He confused me so much. Did he really want to be with me? Or was he serious about moving on with Breyanna? Not wanting to argue with Mr. Reines, I stepped into Seth’s arms. Just for a second. The delicious outdoor smell of him filled my nose as his strong hands spread across my back. A lick of warmth flickered in my stomach.
“Goodbye, Lauren. I’ll miss you.” His breath was soft against my ear.
“Bye.” I backed away until I bumped into something hard. I whirled around. “Matt!”
“Just came to see what was keeping you.�
�� Matt’s eyes were two ice chips in a frozen face.
Seth’s father hiked up his shorts and strode forward, a smile creasing his face. “I didn’t know Lauren had a brother. I’m Coach Reines, her boyfriend’s father.”
I cringed. Matt dropped Mr. Reines’ beefy hand the second he shook it. “Funny, you don’t look anything like my dad.” He held out his hand and tugged me down the path.
I didn’t turn around when Mr. Reines let out an indignant huff. Matt turned toward me the minute we were alone.
“What the hell was that?” His brows were knit together, his shoulders tense.
I gripped his arm. “It’s not what you think. Seth hadn’t told his dad we’d broken up so—”
“So you thought you’d be his girlfriend again for old times’ sake?” Matt jerked out of my grasp and strode down the path.
I jogged to keep up, cursing my heeled sandals.
“Matt. It wasn’t my place to tell his dad. Seth had to speak up.”
“That’s always how it is with you, Lauren. Letting other people do the talking. How about we hear from you once in a while?”
It was tough to know what to say when I hardly knew what I wanted.
Matt’s jaw tightened as he paced down the path. Before we reached the parking lot, he turned and grabbed my hands. “I can’t stand seeing that kid’s hands on you. Okay?”
I could feel the adrenaline coursing through him…or maybe it was his pulse throbbing. It hurt that I’d made him feel that way.
“Okay. But you don’t have to worry. He’s into someone else now.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Lauren. He still wants you.” He glared at me for a minute, but then he leaned over to plant a hard kiss on my temple. “You didn’t see the way he looked at me while he had his arms around you.”
That didn’t sound like easygoing Seth. But I didn’t want to argue about it when my own eyes told me that Seth was with another girl in all his spare time.
“Whatever,” I grumbled. I took his hand and squeezed. “Let’s not fight today. My mom chickened out on telling you back there, but your dad brought the new girlfriend.”
“No way.” Matt stopped in his tracks, cursing under his breath. “I can’t believe that bastard would bring her here when he knows…” He trailed off, fuming.
“Sorry. I just thought you deserved a warning.” I smoothed a hand down his arm, hating that he had to face so much crap today. His dad was a jerk. Maybe his father should hang out with mine…give each other tips on how to ruin our lives.
“Thank you.” Matt’s arms shot around me, pressing me against his chest so hard that I could feel every flexed muscle. “What would I do without you?”
“Matt.” I tipped my head back and felt his lips graze my cheek. My bones loosened and my body melted against his.
I wanted to stand by Matt. But I also wondered when it would be time to put myself and what I needed first. All my life I’d followed someone else’s lead—first Dad, then Mom. Seth, and now Matt. Maybe Trinity could tell me when my stars would align.
We returned to the parking lot hand in hand. Matt and I climbed in the back seat, his fingers toying with the scalloped hem of my dress. With the help of Mom’s GPS, we soon zoomed by a sign that read “Waynesville, Population 9,841.” As we drove down Main Street, we passed rose-colored brick buildings, flowerbeds overflowing with petunias, and carefully pruned oaks. Campers and their families crowded the pristine sidewalks.
I nudged Kellianne and pointed at a colorful restaurant sign. “Big Mountain BBQ. Wonder if they cater weddings?”
“That’d be much too upscale for you, Lauren, don’t you think?” She gave me a saucy glance in the rearview mirror as we passed checkered-cloth-covered picnic tables beneath a red and white striped tent. Barbecue pits sent plumes of smoke into the hazy air.
Matt patted my knee. “Nothing but the best for my Lauren. Right, babe?”
If there was an Olympic event for synchronized eyebrow lifting, my mother and sister would have won gold. I could almost hear my mother humming “dum dum dah dum” in her head, imagining her daughters married to the most eligible guys in Dallas. Hopefully Matt was teasing, because although he’d been groomed to enter his father’s car dealership business out of high school, I was definitely going to college and hopefully, someday, to the moon.
We’d never really talked about a future. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t thought it was a big deal to break up at the end of the school year. Well, at least until Matt had been hit with the divorce news. If Matt and I somehow weathered this summer from hell together, we’d need to talk about what we wanted after high school. For that matter, if Seth was in my future, I wondered what he had in mind after he graduated. He’d be applying to colleges this fall.
We pulled up to a mammoth beige-stone mansion, its square turrets giving it a gothic feel. In all the years I’d come to Camp Juniper Point, I’d never made it to the Dutton Estate, a large hotel that had once been a private home. It had 250 rooms, an indoor swimming pool, and its own bowling alley, according to Siobhan, who’d gone there with her family last year.
A lot of the land in the Nantahala Forest near our camp had been donated by the Dutton family. We parked beside a sleek, red Lamborghini. Matt’s father leaned against it, rubbing noses with a petite redhead, her diamond earrings flashing in the midday sun.
Kellianne leaped out of the car and greeted the young woman with a hug. My mother followed more sedately. The redhead looked familiar, but it wasn’t until Kellianne stepped away from her that I put it together. She and my sister had been college roommates, making her just a few years older than Matt and me. And she dangled a diamond ring the size of a walnut from her left hand. My breath rushed out. Poor Matt. Ambushed on so many levels.
I touched his rock-hard shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Matt put his fingertips over his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. A bitter laugh escaped him.
“Matt. I know this sucks. But we’ll get through this.”
He squeezed my hand and tugged me out of the car on the side opposite our chattering families. I followed his lead, ducked behind a swan-shaped hedge, and then scrambled after him down the oak-lined driveway.
“Where are we going?” I demanded. I was prepared to comfort Matt, not go all Bourne Identity with him.
His eyes met mine as we broke into a jog.
“Big Mountain BBQ, of course.”
Chapter Nine
We’d barely sat down with menus when we were busted.
Mr. Butler and the trophy girlfriend spotted us at one of the picnic tables before we’d ordered. They were circling us in moments with my mom and Kellianne in tow. Kellianne glared daggers at me the whole time she wasn’t pointing meaningfully at her shoes. Sister telepathy told me she blamed me for scuffing the heels of her designer pumps.
As if I cared. I had real issues. Like Matt’s life going to hell and my father going MIA for his first parents’ weekend ever. Just thinking about it stung.
“Laurie, so good to see you,” Mr. Butler said in his chummy Texas twang while the redhead linked arms with my sister and compared manicures. “Would you mind if we steal this boy away for an hour or so? Lots of news to catch up on, and he needs to get to know Sherry.”
“It’s Lauren, Dad.” Matt corrected his father through clenched teeth. “And we were just about to order.”
“Nonsense!” My mother ganged up on us now. “Lauren promised us she’d go shopping while we were here. Lots of things to do when there’s a wedding to plan.” She squeezed Kellianne’s shoulders.
The blushing bride shook off Mom like a bad cold. Definitely some tension there. Before I could protest, Mom tugged me to my feet while Matt’s dad took my place at the picnic table.
“We haven’t even eaten,” I protested once we were out of earshot. I was practically salivating for ribs and slaw. “We might as well have something while we’re here.”
“Do you remember how form-fitting the mai
d of honor dress is?” Kellianne eyed my waist like I’d put on ten pounds at camp.
“Fine. I’ll starve myself. I’m sure a cadaver will be an attractive addition to the wedding party.” Stomping down the sidewalk away from the Big Mountain, I braved a glance back at Matt. The discussion at his table was already animated. The redhead had disappeared, leaving Matt and his father in a heated talk. I felt for Matt. I really did. But I had to put in my time on the wedding and it was parents’ weekend. I might as well spend time with the only parent who had shown up for me.
“If there even is a wedding,” Kellianne muttered as we followed Mom to the stores.
“Everything okay?” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. Mom hated public scenes.
Kellianne shrugged, the bones of her shoulders protruding even further. How much weight had my already slim sister lost, and why? “It’s fine.” She lifted her long hair and fanned the back of her neck. “Forget it.”
And with that, her heels clattered on the cement as she caught up to Mom. Hours later, we’d been in every store in the tiny town and I had a whole new list of wedding jobs. Lunch had consisted of a low-carb chicken wrap that tasted about as good as the food at camp. I tried not to think about the pizza and wings Dad and I would have been wolfing down if he’d come.
I hadn’t seen any sign of Matt or his father since we’d parted ways at the restaurant. The sun was setting when I hurried to join Mom and Kellianne at some frou-frou girl store with so much pink in the window I’d require an insulin shot before we were done.
“Lauren.” Kellianne stopped me on the sidewalk while Mom exclaimed over retro eyeglasses on a display table outside. “Who are you taking to my wedding?”
The question was completely unexpected. As was Kellianne’s serious expression.
“Matt, of course.” My heartbeat sped up, as if she could see my doubts and worries.
“Are you sure?” she pressed.
No.
“Yes.” I fought the urge to fidget. “Why?”
“Because I noticed that seating chart you gave me has you sitting next to some guy named Seth Reines.” She followed Mom into the shop, leaving me to scrape my jaw off the floor.
