by Nomi Summers
“Can I get a turn?” he asked, ready to jump in on the game as they defeated the other team.
“What do you mean can you get a turn?” Avery wriggled down from Darren’s shoulders and stood before Shane. “No, you may not!” She made her way to the stairs, abandoning Shane in the pool. Humiliation washed over him. Nobody at Arbor Shores High had ever turned him down. Every girl typically swooned over him, but Avery didn’t seem to want anything to do with him. That only intrigued him more.
He watched as she got out of the pool and toweled herself off. Once she was dry, she slipped a white sundress over her head and started off for the beach. The rest of her friends went back to playing chicken, but Shane went after her when nobody was paying attention. He found her walking down the shore.
“Hey, I’m sorry about that back at the pool. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, jogging up beside her.
“Upset me?” She stopped and turned to face him with her hands on her hips. “You asked for a turn with me like I’m some kind of object you can just pass around.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He reached out and took both of her hands in his. She looked down at the gesture but didn’t pull away. Shane took that as a good sign. “You all looked like you were having fun. I just wanted to join in. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Her face was softening but no words came out of her mouth. He knew he needed to say more, and he fumbled to find the right words. In that moment, he’d never wanted to kiss a girl so badly as he did Avery. Her lips parted open as if she were going to say something. Her damp swimsuit was soaking through her sundress, and it was doing something to him. Something that made teenage boys say things they normally wouldn’t.
“The truth is, I saw you on Darren Oberman’s shoulders, and … I didn’t like it.”
Her head shot up at his admission and her eyes met his. “Why would you care? You’re just my brother’s best friend. You and I don’t have anything––”
Before she could finish her sentence, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He felt her stiff demeanor soften at his touch, and she tilted her chin up to look at him in the exact moment he leaned in for a kiss—the kiss that seemed to last forever. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and settled in. He wasn’t quite sure what had come over him, but her lips told him she wanted the kiss as badly as he did. There was an immediate connection between them that hadn’t existed before. Sure, he’d kissed a few girls before, but it had never felt like this. His lips had found their counterpart, he was certain of it.
From that moment on there was no turning back. Avery Cooke would be the girl to take Shane Knox off the market.
Shane scrubbed his face with his hand and turned his focus away from the Beach Club, trying to erase the memory from his mind—the memory of the kiss that had started the best summer of his life.
Avery headed straight for the employee bathroom and locked the door. She slumped against the back of the door and slid to the ground. Why was she letting him get to her? She was over Shane Knox. Sure, she’d spent years crying over him, but that had stopped long ago. She’d even had a serious boyfriend in her early twenties, Tim Thompson, that she’d dated for three years and almost married. True, she’d broken it off with him once she began running the hotel, but that was only because she needed to focus on her career, wasn’t it? Doubt niggled at her brain. It wasn’t just career related. Something had definitely been missing in their relationship. But that something hadn’t had anything to do with Shane.
So why was she so upset to see Shane after all this time? Was she overacting? Now she was beginning to feel foolish for the way she’d treated him. She didn’t want him to think she still carried resentment. It was just that having him here at the resort, where they had so much history together, was bringing up emotions she thought she’d buried deep. Memories of sneaking into the vacant cabins to make out, memories of weekend bonfires down by the lake, memories of that night when they’d taken a blanket out to hole seven of the golf course, with only the stars above bearing witness.
She rose to her feet and splashed some water on her face and dabbed any trace of mascara from under her eyes. She had to pull it together for Dax and Leila. She refused to act like this every time she ran into Shane over the next several days. Besides, it was making her look as if she still cared for him, and she didn’t want to give anyone that impression. There was no reason to be so angry.
Avery stared at her reflection and steeled her nerves. Shane would never know he still got to her. She wouldn’t let him think she had even an ounce of feelings for him left inside. If she had to pretend, she’d pretend.
Because Shane could never know she’d never truly gotten over him.
Avery pushed out of the bathroom and paused, backing into the doorway when she saw a man leaving her mother’s office. The man disappeared around the corner before Avery could make out who he was.
Her mother turned. “There you are, dear.” She smiled warmly at Avery. “Oh my, you don’t look so good. Is everything okay?” she asked, concern in her eyes.
“I’m fine,” Avery said. “I just ate something that didn’t agree with me.” She looked past her mother, in the direction the man had gone. “Was that Hunter Knox you were just talking to? Why is he here?”
“Oh, just a business idea he wanted to run past me.” Meredith looked down and fiddled with the dial on her watch. “Why don’t you go on home now and get some rest? I’ll watch the front desk for the rest of the evening.”
“A business idea?” Avery wasn't letting her mother change the subject on this one. She knew Hunter was into commercial real estate development, and when he wanted something, family-owned businesses were no match for his power and money. Especially businesses that weren’t doing well, like the resort. A wave of panic rushed through her system. “What kind of idea would Hunter have for Arbor Shores Resort?”
“Nothing that I’m going to entertain so don’t worry yourself with it. You just go on home and take care of yourself.”
Avery was sure there was more to this conversation, but she didn’t have the energy to pry it out of her mother. They’d had plenty of conversations about how they needed to do something drastic to increase sales at the resort. She didn’t want to bring it up now. Not when they had the wedding to focus on. “I think I’ll take you up on that. The terrace is all set up for tonight,” she said as she headed toward the office to grab her purse. She was anxious to get away from the resort and any chance of another run-in with Shane.
“Oh, and Avery?” her mother called after her. “I talked to your brother. You’re going on the camping trip tomorrow, so rest up. You’ve been working far too hard around here, and you need to enjoy yourself for a change. I have everything covered on this end.”
Great. There was no getting out of it now. Still, she knew her mother’s words were true. She had been working far too much lately. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d taken a trip with friends. But taking a day off was hard. Despite how hard Avery had thrown herself into her work, things at the resort still weren’t great. A few more months without improvement, and the Cookes would likely lose the resort. With summer homes being converted into vacation rentals, new rental options were popping up all over Arbor Shores, and fewer and fewer families were staying at the resort each summer. They’d had to lay off several employees to cut expenses, which meant Avery and her mother had to work twice as hard. Dax was the golf pro at the resort, so that kept him busy with lessons most days, which meant the bulk of the responsibilities fell on Avery and Meredith. Plus, with Dax’s upcoming wedding, they hadn’t wanted to worry him with anything that might take away from his special day. Dax was completely in the dark regarding the state of the resort’s financials. He didn’t know that they were on track to have their worst summer yet, and that the wedding was causing added debt that was putting them in the red.
Avery just smiled at her mother and turned back toward the office
. With Mom taking Dax’s side, there was no way to get out of the camping trip. Could she handle being trapped for an entire day and night with Shane?
She did need to get away from the resort. It was the only way she might possibly clear her head. She grabbed her things and headed straight for the door. She knew just the place.
Chapter 4
“Hey there, Avery,” Big John called out from behind the bar at Ripples. Each barstool was filled, some with faces she recognized, the rest she assumed by tourists. Ripples always attracted a crowd. It was known for keeping local beers on tap, and offering farm-to-table dishes grown by local farmers just inland from Arbor Shores. It was something Avery had always wanted to implement at the resort but hadn’t gotten around to yet.
“Hi, John. Where’s Rylee’s section today?”
“On the patio. Good luck finding a seat though.”
As luck would have it, Avery found Rylee clearing a two top on the corner of the deck. This was ideal because it had the perfect lake view and a clear shot of the band, but still gave her some privacy in the corner, which Avery desperately needed.
“Girl, I know you’re making money out here today. This place is packed,” Avery said, walking up behind her friend.
Rylee whipped around at the sound of Avery’s voice. “Hey! What are you doing here? You’re never out of work this early.” It was true. Avery usually got to work at the crack of dawn and stayed most evenings until the last event was over, which sometimes meant nine or ten at night. To be out this early, the time the rest of America was heading home from work, was unheard of. She didn’t have much to go home to other than her cat, Tipper, and today was the perfect summer day—high seventies and full sunshine. She planned to have something to eat, and perhaps take a walk on the beach. She hadn’t had much beach time since summer broke, and her creamy skin could use some sun.
“I was on my way home, and thought I’d stop for a quick bite. With all the wedding plans and the chamber event tonight, I forgot to eat today. Is this seat open?”
“For you? Always.” Rylee shot up an eyebrow as she surveyed her friend’s face. “You always flee to the beach when you need to clear your head. You okay?”
“Can’t a girl just stop to see her best friend?”
“Hmm, are you sure there isn’t something else that brought you here?”
“What are you talking about? I’ll take a glass of iced tea and the cherry chicken salad, please.” She didn’t need a menu. That was her go-to meal whenever she got a chance to stop by Ripples.
“Got it.” Rylee gave the table one final wipe and nodded in the direction of the beach. “I just thought maybe you’d come to meet Shane.”
Avery followed Rylee’s gaze to find Shane standing by the shore, swarmed by people waiting to talk with him and get photos. He was kneeling down, posing with a little boy while the boy’s mother snapped pictures.
“What’s he doing here?” Avery asked, taking a moment to watch the way Shane ruffled the boy’s hair and held him on his knee for the pictures.
“I don’t know but he’s been out there for close to thirty minutes. People won’t leave him alone. I can’t imagine what that must be like.”
“Miss, can we get some menus over here?” a man called out from two tables over, and Rylee headed in their direction, leaving Avery alone with her thoughts. And a clear view of Shane.
She watched as he obliged, smiling for photos as everyone from young teens to forty-something moms took turns posing with him. She admired his patience; it was making her tired just watching. But he didn’t show any sign of annoyance. If he was bothered by the attention, he sure hid it well. As the crowd began to clear, he slowly made his way to the patio stairs when another crowd from inside the restaurant rushed out and approached him for another round of photos.
Just as Rylee delivered Avery’s iced tea and some bread, the band came back from break and began to fill the stage set up on the patio. “Hey, folks,” the singer said into the microphone. “Do you see what I see? If it isn’t Arbor Shores’ one and only, Shane Knox in the house!”
The entire deck erupted with applause. Ladies squealed and men whistled, giving Shane a warm welcome. All the attention showered on her ex-boyfriend made Avery lose what little appetite she’d mustered up.
Shane gave a wave over his head to the crowd and flashed a smile in the direction of his fans, nodding to the singer for acknowledging him.
“I wonder if we could get Shane up here to sing a song for us,” the singer announced, causing the crowd to erupt even louder. Even families having dinner stopped to watch, and kids stood on their chairs to catch a glimpse of Shane.
“Ah, not today. These folks came out to see you.”
But the singer wasn’t giving up. “Come on now, Shane. We’d be honored to share the stage with you. Just one song?”
Someone in the crowd began clapping and chanting his name, and before long the entire patio was beckoning him in unison, “Shane, Shane, Shane, Shane …”
Avery watched in disbelief. This was his everyday life? She’d known he was famous, but she’d never really thought about what that actually meant.
Shane finally gave in and headed onto the stage. “All right, just one song won’t hurt,” he announced into the microphone, and the crowd erupted once again.
One of the band members handed Shane a guitar. He strummed a few chords as he looked out over the crowd. It wasn’t long before his eyes found Avery’s. A lump formed in her throat. She held his gaze for a moment until she finally forced herself to look away.
“What would you like to play for them?” the bass player called out to Shane.
“I know just the song,” Avery heard him say. She looked out over the beach and studied the waves lapping the shore. Could she somehow duck out? She was in the far corner of the patio, farthest from the stairs; she’d have to walk right past the stage to leave.
Shane turned and talked to the bass player, then the drummer, then took his place back center stage at the microphone. The music started, and so did Shane’s lyrics.
Chills pricked at the back of Avery’s neck as he sang. Man, he had a great voice. He sounded even better live than on the radio. She recognized the lyrics from one of his first hit ballads, Back to You, one of the first that ever topped the charts and put his band on the map. She knew every word of the song by heart. She’d listened to it over and over and cried herself to sleep a thousand times.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he sang. She studied his face when he closed his eyes to hit the deep notes, and she watched the way he stopped playing the guitar and grasped the microphone tightly when he sang the final words.
No matter where I go, no matter what I do …
There will never be another love so true.
Someday, girl, I’ll come back to you …
You … I’ll come back to you …
Shane opened his eyes and looked straight at Avery as he sang that last line. As he strummed his final chord on the guitar, she finally forced herself to break away. Where was her salad, anyway? She was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and by the looks she was receiving from everyone around her, the crowd had decided that Shane had been singing to her.
Was it the words, or the sight of Shane, or the combination of both that was stirring emotion in her? She had to get out of there, and fast.
Shane high-fived each member of the band and handed the guitar back to the lead singer as the crowd stood and cheered. It wasn’t every day that Ripples had a famous rock star on stage, and it had caused quite a commotion. Avery knew this was her opportunity to get out of there. She suspected he was trying to make his way to her table, but he was swarmed by a sea of fans who’d gotten up from their seats to greet him as he exited the stage.
“Wow, that was clearly for you. You know that, right?” Rylee returned to top off Avery’s tea and deliver her salad.
“I’ll take my check,” Avery told her friend as she gathered her things.
/> “Right now? You haven’t eaten yet.”
“Right now.”
“Go, I’ve got this one.” Rylee winked at Avery, offering her a knowing smile.
“You sure?”
“Of course. Love ya.” Rylee left just before Shane reached the table.
“This seat taken?” he asked, pulling out the chair across from Avery.
“The table is yours. I was just leaving.” Avery tried to swallow the emotion that had risen to the surface.
“You haven’t even eaten your food. Let’s catch up.” He sank into the seat across from her. All eyes were on them, but at least people were returning to their seats, staring from a more polite distance.
“I have to go.” She stood and grabbed her purse hanging on the back of her chair. Stay strong, Avery. Just walk away.
“Avery, please,” he pleaded. There was a sincerity in his voice that almost made her break.
“Actually, I have somewhere to be.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. She fetched a ten-dollar bill from her wallet and put the saltshaker over it. “Please see to it that Rylee gets that.”
Avery somehow managed to walk away, legs shaking, but still, she was upright so that had to count for something. She could feel what must’ve been a thousand eyes on her as she exited the patio, leaving Shane alone at the table. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. So much for her walk on the beach. She’d be lucky if her legs carried her to her car.
