The Rebound (Girls of Summer Book 2)

by Lynn Stevens

  “We’re not doing this.” He closed his eyes and clenched the phone tight in his hand. “Not after what you did.”

  He pulled the phone from his ear and pressed the screen harder than necessary.

  “Everything okay?” I asked. Obviously, it wasn’t, but it seemed like the polite thing to say.

  He nodded and stared back out the window.

  I focused on the road for about twenty minutes. The twists and turns as we drove downhill toward the lake weren’t perilous unless you weren’t paying attention to the road. But I wasn’t going to let this go. “So, you gonna tell me who called?”

  His hand dropped from his chin and he tapped the arm rest. “Heather.”

  “Ah,” I said. I knew a little bit about why they broke up, but not the nitty gritty details. “What’d she do anyway?”

  “Vic didn’t tell you?” His tapping increased to match the beat of the song coming from the stereo.

  I laughed. “Vicky tends to keep to herself.” It wasn’t a lie. Vicky always held things close to her chest, but she’d mentioned Heather’s lies and buyoff. How it had affected Adam other than the breakup was something she didn’t really know. I shrugged. “Don’t tell me if you don’t want to. I just thought you might want to talk about it.”

  He nodded and went back into silent mode. I didn’t push it. There wasn’t any point. The only thing I knew was Heather was the one selling Vicky’s story to the paper, and most of it was shit she made up. At least that’s what Vicky said. Personally, I figured there was some truth to what the paper printed. The best lies were spun from the truth. Kind of like my reputation.

  I turned down the driveway, or what was best called a driveway. It was more like a private road that led down to the lake house. Dad always referred to it as a driveway though. It was narrow and lined with trees. When Dad first bought it, I was five. The family would come down and spend almost every weekend in the summers until I was eight. Everything changed then, and Dad and I rarely came down together. He paid for a maid service to clean once a month just in case he decided to pop down. I was only allowed to spend the night if he was there, so most of the time my friends and I would drive down for the day.

  The trees opened up to a spectacular view of the Lake of the Ozarks. The mid-morning sun bounced off the waves as a boat meandered along the channel. I smiled as the house came into view. It wasn’t anything fancy or outrageous. Dad bought a simple three-bedroom ranch with a full walkout basement that lead to the private dock. A large deck circled the back of the house. The house cost him an arm and a leg because of the private dock. New homes being built on the lake had to share docks now.

  “Huh?” Adam mumbled.

  “What?” I asked as I parked in the small attached garage.

  “Not what I was expecting,” he said.

  I chuckled. “What were you expecting? A mansion?”

  “Well, yeah,” he said. A smile returned to his face. “I mean look at what you’re driving.”

  I laughed and jumped out of the Rover. “Come on. Let’s get this stuff inside.”

  Adam helped me unload everything into the eat-in kitchen just off the garage. It was still a blaring sunny yellow after all these years. Dad refused to let anyone update the look. I wish he had. Mom decorated it. Maybe we’d come down more often and ski or tube again if it wasn’t yet another reminder of her. Adam helped me load up the fridge with the soda, water, and Joanne’s marinated chicken breast to grill for dinner. I also brought plenty of meat for sandwiches. The deal had been bring your own lunch, but we’d tag team for dinner. I brought the main dish. Everyone else needed to bring a side.

  I put the watermelon on the counter and spun around, right into his chest.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I wasn’t supposed to like him at all. He lifted the six-pack of ginger ale and smiled. I swallowed hard, stepping out of his way so he could put that in the fridge. Turning toward the counter, I put my hands on each side of the watermelon and took a deep breath. This wasn’t real. I grabbed a knife and slammed it into the watermelon, slicing it in half.

  “Remind me not to piss you off,” Adam said behind me. There was something in his voice I couldn’t pinpoint.

  I fake laughed. “Probably a good idea.”

  “Rach—”

  “The party can officially start,” Andrea shouted after opening the door. She sashayed in already in her bikini. “I brought the potato salad and some other items.” She held up a six-pack of beer. “Just enough to have fun without overdoing it.”

  “In other words, Andrea’s drinking it by herself,” Vicky said, stepping in behind her. Daniel followed with arms full of bags.

  “No, now the party can really start,” someone else said. It was another guy from the baseball team. I couldn’t remember his name.

  Adam took a few of the bags from Daniel.

  “T.C. doesn’t think he needs to carry anything,” Daniel said, dropping his on the counter.

  “Sounds normal,” Adam said. They laughed, but T.C. wasn’t about to put up with their crap. He slapped both of them on the back of the head and took off down the hallway. Adam and Daniel stared at each other for a split second before dropping their bags on the counter and going after them.

  Vicky, Andrea, and I stared after them until we heard T.C. shout ‘Uncle’.

  “Boys,” Andrea said. She shook her head as she started unpacking.

  Vicky pulled me outside onto the deck. The warm breeze promised a perfect day of sunning on the dock and taking out the jet skis. She leaned against the railing. I envied Vicky. She knew what she wanted. She went after what she wanted. Most people don’t do that.

  “How’s it going with Adam?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  I grinned, and I wasn’t faking. “Great. Why?”

  She shrugged and glanced away.

  “God, what have you heard?” I asked, leaning against the railing beside her.

  Vicky sighed and turned to face me. “Daniel ran into Heather on his way to my house this morning. She said Adam called her and asked her to meet him tonight.”

  My face burned with anger and embarrassment. I couldn’t stop my reaction, but I could fake why I was reacting that way. “What a lying bitch,” I said, adding an eyeroll. “She called Adam on the way down here. He blew her off. Heather’s just trying to get in between us. And she decided to use Daniel to do it.”

  “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Rach.” Vicky put her hand on my arm. “Adam’s a great guy, but he was all in with Heather. Maybe he’s not over her yet.”

  He’s not.

  “If he’s not over her yet, why has he spent every waking minute with me?” I smiled wickedly. “Heather’s lying, Vicky.”

  She nodded, but I could tell she was unconvinced. I’d have to prove it to her. I went inside where Andrea, T.C., Daniel, and Adam stood around the kitchen table, snacking on the watermelon.

  “Can I see your phone?” I asked sweet as sugar with my hand out.

  Adam wrinkled his eyebrows, but he handed it over without a word.

  I opened the call log. The only call with Heather’s name was when she called today. I showed Vicky. “See?”

  “What’s going on?” Adam asked, reaching for his phone. He stared at the screen as if that would give him the answer.

  “Your ex” was all I said. I glanced at Vicky. “Good enough or do you want more proof?”

  “Are you gonna—” Adam said, but I cut him off by pulling his mouth to mine and kissing him with the intimacy of the one thing we weren’t: lovers. Nobody in the room needed to know that. In fact, this was going to show them that Adam and I were solid.

  I broke the kiss. Adam pressed his forehead against mine, his breath sputtering.

  “Jesus, get a room,” Andrea said. “I’m going out on the dock. Who wants to come with?”

  “Yeah,” T.C. said. “Mainly because this is more awkwa
rd than having Happy Birthday sung to me at a restaurant.”

  Andrea laughed as she opened the sliding door to the deck. “Why was that awkward?”

  “It wasn’t my birthday.”

  “That was hysterical,” Daniel said. “The expression on your face was priceless. And that should teach you to try and prank Vic.”

  “Revenge is sweet,” Vicky said. The sliding door click closed.

  Adam pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “You ready?”

  “Wait.” I glanced out of the corner of my eye. They were gone. Nodding, I let my arms fall from around his neck. “Okay, they’re gone.”

  He didn’t step back or let go of my waist.

  “You want to give it a few minutes? Let them think we’re up here doing... something more?”

  Adam’s hands slipped away, and I stepped around him toward the fridge to get a bottle of water. We stood in the kitchen. This had to be more awkward than T.C.’s birthday song. I checked the time on my phone when a text came through.

  Wanna hang out?

  I groaned at the name: Erik Perday. He wasn’t as bad as people made him out to be. We went out a few times, much to Vicky’s dismay. Her hatred of him knew no bounds. He wasn’t much of a fan of hers either.

  Can’t. I hit send when Adam slipped the phone from my hand.

  “Who’s Erik?” he asked, then he stiffened. “That’s not the asshole who hurt Vic?”

  “What’re you talking about?” I knew Vic had been hurt playing baseball, but she never told me exactly what happened.

  “He threw at her. Nailed her in the ribs and broke a few.” Adam pulled me in front of him and took a selfie of us together. He sent it to Erik. “Stay away from him.”

  I snatched my phone out of his hand and wheeled on him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. This” I motioned between us “isn’t real, remember?”

  “Hey, sorry we’re late,” Eva announced ripping my attention away from Adam. I smiled at her as she entered the kitchen with Logan tagging behind her. She stopped in her tracks. Logan slammed into her. “Did we interrupt something?”

  “Nah,” I said, widening my smile. “Just a little misunderstanding. Nothing major.” I took one of her bags. “What did you bring?”

  Eva relaxed. She listed everything in her bags. Apparently, she was cooking something. Logan and Adam headed outside. I helped her put the food away before joining my friends on the dock. The guys already had the jet skis out. I settled in next to Eva, Andrea, and Vicky. The conversation was about nothing and everything. I just listened. It was nice to hang with my friends. My thoughts drifted to the argument we’d just had. Odd as it sounded, it felt nice. He was jealous. Or maybe he was just upset who it was texting me and not that it was another guy.

  Eva and Andrea laughed about something. I joined in even though I had no idea what was funny. Vicky cleared her throat and cocked her head. Her eyebrows furrowed. I smiled to reassure her or maybe it was to reassure myself. My friends were the best.

  I just wished Adam was more of a permanent part of the group.

  Wish in one hand.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I stayed to clean, not that it was crazy messy. Everyone helped pick up and do the dishes, but things needed to be in a certain spot. Eva and Logan stayed with us.

  “So, what’s the deal with Adam?” Eva asked as she wiped the counters. The guys had gone down to the dock to make sure all the trash was gone. “Are you guys an item or just hanging out?”

  I puffed air out of mouth and shot my hair away from my face. “Jesus, does nobody think I’m capable of having an actual boyfriend?”

  Eva sputtered and stopped wiping the same spot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to piss you off, but you’ve never really this into a guy.”

  “I’ve dated,” I snapped, a little too defensively. Instantly I regretted it. Eva wasn’t lying, she was just being her usual observant self.

  “I meant seriously. You’ve never been in a relationship with a guy.” Eva dropped the rag in the sink and crossed her arms. “Look, I’m just asking because he seems nice.”

  “So, I’m not good enough for him since I’m such a maneater?” Now I was getting pissed.

  “Rachel, stop. You know what I’m saying.” She leaned forward. “Besides, you didn’t even know his little sister’s name, much less that he even had a sister. How serious can you be about him?”

  My face burned like hot lava. “It’s only been a few weeks. I can’t know his entire family tree.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “I haven’t even met his mom. He hasn’t met Dad either.” I glanced away from her. “I’m trying here, Eva. It’s hard to know the right things to do, you know?”

  The sliding door opened as I wiped away a tear. Adam and Logan were laughing when they came in, but it died off pretty quick.

  “I think we walked into something,” Logan said. “You guys okay?”

  “Yeah,” Eva said as she slid into his arms. “Just chatting. You know how intense Rachel and I can be.”

  “Mm-hmm,” he said, knowing damn well she was lying.

  I glanced at Adam. His eyebrows wrinkled together, and he cocked his head to the side in question. I shrugged it off, lifting Eva’s abandoned wet towel and hanging it on the oven door handle.

  “We should go,” Logan said, enunciating each word. I turned as he reached out to shake Adam’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Adam shook his hand and grinned. “I’ll let you know when the demolition derby is next month.”

  “Cool, I always wanted to see one.”

  Once they were out the door, I faced Adam. “Demolition derby?”

  “Yeah, Cal and I have been working on a car. He’s driving it. I’m just his fake mechanic.”

  “Fake?”

  “I try, but I’m not that good.” He closed the distance between us. “You gonna tell me what was going on in here when we came back in?”

  I closed my eyes and sighed.

  “That bad?” he asked. His hands rested on my waist. It felt too much like something a boyfriend would do to his girlfriend.

  I stepped away from him and picked my keys off the counter. “Apparently I’m a horrible girlfriend because I didn’t know your little sister’s name. Hell, I didn’t even know you had a sister. So, Eva thinks I’m using you.” I shrugged. “Nothing major.”

  His fingers kneaded my shoulders, making me shudder. “Shit, I’m sorry. That’s my fault.”

  “No, it’s not. We spent so much time talking about everything but our families.” I leaned back into his massage. It felt so good. Then I snapped out of it. “Stop.”

  His hands froze then fell away. “Sorry?”

  “It’s too ... Nobody’s here. We don’t have to fake it right now.” I turned and faked something else, a smile. “Anyway, we should probably meet the parents or something.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “That’s kinda a big deal for my mom. She thinks I’m rushing into this thing with you.”

  “Rushing?” I nodded. It was understandable why she would feel that way. Adam had been head over heels for Heather. “At least tell me about her. I’ll tell you about Dad. We can talk about it on the way home.”

  Adam nodded. “What about your mom?”

  “What about your dad?” I countered.

  “He’s a welder in Chicago.”

  “Oh.”

  He waited for me to say something more, but I wasn’t about to open that wound. It had never healed since she left us. I grabbed the keys and headed toward the door. Adam hit the light switch, darkening the lake house until I came back. I glanced around Adam and stared at the empty kitchen. Dad should just sell it and be done with it. He’d bought it for Mom. She wasn’t coming back.

  It was dangerously hot outside, but that didn’t stop me from shooting hoops. Dad had a small court built when we moved into this house. He’d always loved basketball and played in college. We used
to play together, but as Westbrook Pharmaceuticals grew, his time disappeared. He probably had no idea who even won the last NBA championship.

  Sweat poured off my forehead as I charged the basket and ran the court. I stopped to drink from the gallon of water I brought outside. My body craved every drop. I was losing it as fast as I took it in. Most people hated to sweat. Not me. I loved it. It meant I was doing something and not sitting on my ass inside. It wasn’t like I hated reading or watching TV though, because I did. I just liked sweating and moving more. When winter hit, we had a small gym in the basement where I’d workout. It wasn’t the same as basketball though.

  Plus, it kept my mind off other things. Mainly Adam Marshall.

  He had asked me about Mom. Multiple times. I didn’t answer. When he finally got it in his head that my mother was the last topic we’d discuss, he talked non-stop about his family. It was nice, because I didn’t have to talk at all.

  “Dad left before I was born,” he’d said without much emotion. Like it was no big deal. Like it didn’t matter to him. He didn’t even flinch. “I found him online last year. He’s a welder in Chicago, married, two kids.” Adam had shrugged. “I’ve never met them though.”

  “Really?” I had glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, careful not to take my gaze off the road for too long.

  “Not sure if I want to,” he had said. “He left because he wasn’t ready to be a dad even if I needed one. Why would I want to meet the kids he actually wanted? Besides, my stepdad’s pretty cool.”

  That stuck with me. I knew the feeling, but I wasn’t ready to share that with him yet. Or with anybody else. It wasn’t a secret my mom wasn’t around. Hell, even in Dad’s inner circles, it wasn’t a secret why. People just assumed that she was dead.

  I chased down the ball after hitting it too hard off the backboard. Mom was the last person I wanted on my mind. Just the mere mention of her in my head and I was a mess. I grabbed the ball and dribbled it back toward the hoop, then I shot free throws until I missed. My highest ever was seventy-five. I made it to sixty-two before I banked one too hard off the backboard. That was enough for the day. I dribbled to the back door, dropped the ball into the bin just inside the mudroom, and headed into the brightly lit kitchen. Angela sat at the counter like this was her house and that was her mail she sorted.