One Hot Summer

by Heidi McLaughlin

  No wonder she jumped to conclusions earlier today, Danny probably thought she was one of those neurotic moms. Ugh.

  They sat in silence, both staring out over the boardwalk. There was very little traffic right now. The people who were downtown, were out for a stroll, meandering about and likely enjoying the setting sun and rising moon. She loved it here and was happy to be back, even with Danny here.

  “I know you’re going to say no, but Chad and I talked about it, and he’s promised to protect you—”

  “From what?” she interrupted.

  “Our fifteenth is coming up. We want you to go.”

  “No.”

  “Look at it from this standpoint. You’re a business owner now and you have a daughter. Don’t you want to stand tall in front of these yahoo’s and show them you’re stronger than their words? It was forever ago. Show them they don’t even exist in your world.”

  She drank her glass of wine and refilled. “Enticing offer, but no.”

  “Kelly.”

  “It’s not what you think. The thought of going, just doesn’t appeal to me because it’s a reunion. I don’t want to stand around and head bop to techno/emo/rock rap from the two-thousands. Literally, the worse genre of music ever. I’d rather eat a pint of ice cream and binge watch Friends.”

  “You’ve seen every episode.”

  “What’s your point?” she looked over at Melody. “They get me through the tough times.”

  Mel shook her head. Kelly figured the fight wasn’t over and it was likely she’d end up going, hating it and coming home to Netflix. She didn’t want to believe she’d have a good time especially since she had a feeling Danny would be there.

  When the bottle of wine was empty, Melody called Chad and asked him to come pick her up. He did, and stood below the terrace, calling up to his wife. Kelly wanted that kind of love. Not the kind she had with Alan, where she was second or third best to whatever he was doing. She wanted to be worshipped and thought of as an equal, not something her husband took out of the closet when he needed a date.

  In the early hours of the morning, Kelly woke. She was hot, sweaty and disorientated. She had fallen asleep on the couch, watching Friends, her usual go to when she was feeling melancholy. Her screen was stagnant, the season she had turned on had finished. The worst part, she couldn’t remember what episode she last watched before falling asleep.

  She’d brought Kori a bowl of soup, watched a few cartoons with her in her room and came to the living room to watch a little TV of her own. She apparently had just slept the night away.

  She looked at the clock and noticed that her alarm was about to go off. She had set it for five so she could start baking. She chided herself for not doing it all the night before, but mentally, she was exhausted, and the lack of sleep didn’t help matters.

  The door to her terrace was still open so she rose and went out. The peaceful calm of the night gave her the ability to hear the ocean clearly. The ebb and flow of the waves pushing against the sandy shore was calming to her. She stepped back inside and locked the doors, checked on Kori, and made sure she had her phone. She touched the app that brought Kori’s video monitor to life. Even though she just looked in on her, she found herself smiling at her sleeping beauty. Her shoes sat by the door, slipping them on easily knowing she would only be gone for a few minutes, no more than ten. She wanted to feel the saltwater against her toes before she had to go back to being an adult.

  As soon as she hit the sand, she was running. Sand flipped up behind her, pelting her in the back of her legs. When she reached the water, she bent over, gasping for air. She hadn’t realized she was crying, but the tears were coming down faster than she could wipe them away.

  She screamed. The sound seemed foreign to her. It started deep in her belly, coming out more like a growl. “I HATE YOU!” Her words didn’t echo, but she imagined they traveled to where ever Alan was right now. She wanted to believe he was standing outside or in an open window and could hear her yelling at him. It gave her some weird satisfaction, even if deep down she knew none of it was true. Oh, she hated him alright, that was fact.

  She turned and looked at her pink shop and apartment. The quaint space already felt like home and it had only been a few days. She smiled and trudged up the sandy beach until she felt the sun pushing against her back. She turned and faced the water and closed her eyes. The early morning rays dried her tears. She sank down into the sand, pulling her knees to her chest. Checking her app once again seeing Kori sleeping peacefully Kelly decided on just a few more minutes, and then she’d start her day.

  A new day.

  One with promise and hope.

  10

  Danny

  Rambo hopped over Danny the second he had the van door open. He watched as his dog took off toward the surf, thankful for the deserted beach. Another hour or so and more people would be out, getting in their daily run or riding the waves like him. He couldn’t sleep, which is how he found himself here at the crack of dawn. It wasn’t the safest time to surf, however he wanted to be out in the ocean when the sun peaked over the horizon.

  With his wetsuit on and his board tucked under his arm, he walked down the wooden planks, stepping right into the cool sand. Later, once the sun had baked the tiny shards of glass, it’d be too unbearable to wander in barefoot.

  He was about to yell for Rambo, when he happened to notice his dog, resting comfortably in the embrace of a woman. A therapy dog, he wasn’t, but he seemed to have a keen sense of when people needed him. Danny didn’t need to get a good look at the woman who was hugging his friend, he just knew.

  Slamming the end of his board down into the sand, he took the free spot to her right and sat there, staring out into the wide-open abyss. As much as he longed to be out there, he was content right where he was. Sitting there was a risk. However, he was ready to take it.

  Kelly hadn’t exactly been excited to see him yesterday. He figured he could chalk that up to his gorgeous looks or the fact that the last time they saw each other, she was crying, and he laughed it off. He wished he could take it all back, take her pain away and make it his, theirs, something they could’ve handled together.

  “He cheated.” Kelly stated. “Once, that I know of, but I suspected he did it a lot more. He chose her over his family, which is why I’m here. I don’t know what the rumors are, not that I care, but this is the truth.”

  “I’m sorry, Kelly.” Danny had a choice to make. Sit by her side and listen or offer her a shoulder to cry. The latter meant he could touch her, feel her breathing against him, and that’s what he wanted. He moved closer, their hips touching and without hesitation put his arm around her. For a brief second, he thought he heard Rambo growl, but his dog simply laid down and rested his head on Kelly’s knee. Even Rambo knew that Kelly was someone important. The first sob almost broke him. He had no idea who this asshole was, but he wanted to beat him to a pulp all while asking how he could give up someone so amazing as Kelly.

  “I got married within a month of graduating college,” she started. “I didn’t even plan my own wedding, his mother did. My mom had very little input. I hated everything about the day. It was hot, my dress wasn’t what I ordered, and the flowers were hideous. There were people there that I didn’t know, didn’t care to know, and I felt like I didn’t have a voice. Every thought I had about what I wanted my wedding to be like went in one ear and out the other. I walked down the aisle, holding my dad’s arm, and married Alan. I thought I was in love. That he loved me.” The douche’s name was Alan Franklin. Easy enough to remember, Danny thought. “According to Mel, I was living the life. High rise apartment, galas all the time, expensive vacations. Everything girls dream of when they’re planning their lives, except my husband was never home and when he was, it was to sleep. I wanted another baby, and he didn’t. When he started wearing condoms, I should’ve known something was up.”

  “I’m sorry, Taffy.” Danny couldn’t resist using his nickname for her. She in t
urn, snuggled into him more.

  “She’s a supermodel. Right now, they’re in Greece or Milan, I don’t know. But she’s nineteen, thin and well—”

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  She shook her head but smiled. “I think there’s some law that says you have to say that right now.”

  He scoffed. “You are. I was a fool to let you go back then.”

  “You didn’t have a choice. I didn’t give you a choice.”

  Danny adjusted the way he was sitting so he could look at her. He cupped her face gently and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I could’ve stopped you, followed you, and demanded you speak to me. What happened was wrong. I was wrong. I was being stupid and careless.”

  “You peed on me, Danny. I got stung by a jellyfish and instead of calling your dad, you just whipped it out and pissed all over my leg, which made it hurt even worse. Not just that, but everyone…” Kelly covered her face. Danny hadn’t intended for her to relive the horror of that day, but he was truly trying to save her. “And then to make things worse, you didn’t show up to take me to prom.”

  “I didn’t think you wanted to go with me,” he said quietly. Against his best wishes, everything flashed before him. The incident on the beach, the aftermath, and prom.

  “Can I tell you something?”

  She nodded but didn’t look at him until he removed her hands. “I had such a crush on you back in school that I just wanted you to notice me so I started watching Friends, thinking if we could connect over your favorite show, you’d want to date me. At first, I started acting like Joey because he made everyone laugh, then I thought Chandler was funny and your favorite, and finally I realized you liked Ross best. The thing is, I didn’t need Friends to get your attention, but I was hooked so I continued to watch. When you got stung… I don’t know, the jellyfish episode popped into my mind, even though I knew that wasn’t really how you treated a sting.”

  “I miss that show. I learned so much, yet nothing at all. I wanted the fantasy and the reality I got was you,” she paused and looked at Danny. They both smiled.

  “I’m sorry, Taffy. For everything. Mostly for hurting you.”

  “I think being stood up is worse than being peed on.”

  “I think it hurts as much as finding out the love of your life wasn’t at college.”

  Kelly glanced at him and then looked away quickly, making him feel two feet tall. He wanted to apologize again but it was important for her to know he hurt as well. “I made mistakes, Kelly. I’m man enough to admit it now, and I would’ve admitted it then if given the chance.”

  “I’m such an idiot.”

  “You were a teenaged girl who got peed on, in front of her entire senior class, and then stood up for prom. Honestly, I’m surprised I’m still alive.”

  “My dad wanted to kill you, especially after I told him you whipped it out.” She tilted her head and smiled at him. He stared at her for a moment, taking everything. He was on the beach with his girl, the one who disappeared from his life so many years ago, and things felt right.

  Danny laughed. “I can’t believe you told your father how I just ‘whipped it out.’ God Kel, I was young and stupid, head-over-heels for you.” Kelly snorted and fell into him. It was good to see her like this, to hear some happiness come from her, to know she felt comfortable enough to confide in him. He pulled her legs over the top of his. Much to his delight, she allowed him. In a way, it was as if they hadn’t lost fifteen years. All too soon though, the mood turned somber. “We had been dating for a while when this happened. We had plans to go away and start a life in California. I honestly thought I was helping. I didn’t know it would cause you so much more pain. Not just physically.”

  She nodded. “Earlier, I was thinking about that day and looking back, I was incredibly immature. I should’ve laughed everything off, rolled with the punches, but I was hurt. Our friends, they were like vultures, and now Melody and Chad want me to face them at the stupid reunion.” Kelly tapped the screen on her phone and held it up for Danny to see. “She’s feeling better,” she said as she showed him the live video of Kori sleeping.

  He almost made a comment about going to the reunion but now wasn’t the time.

  “That’s good.” She started to pull her legs away, but Danny held on. He didn’t care if this moment wasn’t going to last forever, right now, he was going to use it to his advantage and show her he was still the same guy she used to love. He wanted a second chance. Danny wanted Kelly back in his life, as his girlfriend. He knew this the moment she sat down in his office. It took only a couple of hours after seeing her for him to know she was the one for him.

  “Her name was Serena. We met at the end of my sophomore year. She was a senior and working in my advisor’s office. I was going in to change my major, again.” He looked down at the sand and shook his head. “She pursued me heavily. Maybe it was because I was going into medical school and anyone from Stanford pretty much had it made if they worked hard. I don’t know. Anyway, she graduated and took a job at some startup company. By my senior year, she was hinting at marriage and I was nowhere near ready. I wasn’t even sure I loved her in that way. When I didn’t take her hints, she laid it all on the line for me.”

  “Did you get married?”

  He shook his head. “Not even close. I told her I wasn’t interested. The break-up took weeks. She kept trying to convince me that we were good together, that we’d be a power couple. Thing is, I didn’t want any power. I just wanted to be a doctor like my father, a general practitioner, and when I told her as such, her nose literally scrunched. It was as if my profession wasn’t going to be good enough for her. That’s when I knew it was over. There wasn’t anything worth saving.” He paused, stretched out his legs and looked up at the sun. It had already started to warm the air. Today was going to be blistering.

  He took a deep breath and glanced at Kelly, hardly believing he was sitting on the beach with her right now. Not just that, but she was letting him touch her, platonic or not, it meant something to him.

  “Serena had told a couple of mutual friends that I was wasting my talents by not going into plastic surgery, which to me was the typical money maker and medicine shouldn’t be about money, it’s supposed to be about helping people. That’s what I wanted, so when my dad called and asked me to take over his practice, the answer was simple.”

  “I’m sure your friends were happy you came back.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve been back for a few years now and the only one I hang out with is Neil.” He looked at her for her reaction. Neil was the only one who didn’t engage in the mob mentality of hazing. The glint in her eyes told him she was happy, which in turn made his heart race a bit. He didn’t want to think about what could be, but he couldn’t help it. He’d give anything to have the chance to get to know Kelly again, to be a part of her life.

  “Where’s she at now?”

  He shrugged. “I left after my residency, didn’t bother to tell her.”

  “That’s kind of harsh,” she laughed.

  “Eh, not really. If given the choice, would you tell Alan where you were?”

  Kelly looked down at Rambo and started running her hand through his hair. His dog loved every second of it and moved his head around, making sure she was getting all the right spots scratched. “He wouldn’t care either way,” she said toward Rambo and not him. “He hasn’t spoken to Kori in months, and he ignores my lawyer on our custody agreement.”

  “Are you still married?” The question came out strangled. He didn’t want to think she was still tied to another man because the longer he sat her with her, the more he felt like she was here for a reason. He could only hope he was the reason.

  “No, the divorce is final, but custody is still in the air. His parents, who also haven’t spoken to their granddaughter, they want her raised in the city, the Hamptons. They’re socialites and appearances are important. My argument is that a nanny shouldn’
t raise my child, and she should live with me until she’s older and can make her own decisions.”

  “No judge in their right mind will give him custody.”

  She shrugged and looked at Danny with tears pooling in her eyes. “They have money, power. I’m just the mom, trying to make it in a tiny tourist town.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. He could feel her body sigh. He made a vow to himself, that he was going to do whatever he could to protect her. “No one in Gray is going to let anything happen to you or Kori.”

  “Thanks,” she half laughed, half sniffled. Glancing at her phone to check on Kori she moved to get up, “I should get back. I didn’t do any baking last night.” She stood and wiped the sand off the back of her shorts.

  “Why not?” He asked, following suit. They walked together, back to his van, where he stowed his surfboard. He’d have to try and hit the waves tomorrow. Rambo though, had no intentions of jumping in and getting comfortable. He stood next to Kelly, waiting.

  “Mel came by, talked to me about life. You.” She winked. “Come by later, maybe I’ll have some muffins for ya.” With that, she walked back to her shop and disappeared behind the door he knew led to the upstairs apartment. He waited, for what he didn’t know until Kelly appeared on the terrace with Kori by her side. Her little voice ringing out. “I feel much better, Dr. Weatherly.”

  He waved, until the two disappeared. He and Rambo drove back to their house, where he changed and headed right back to the Java Hut.

  11

  Kelly

  Kelly’s cheeks hurt. There wasn’t anything she could do it about it, not that she wanted to. Plastered on her face was the smile that had been there since she left Danny at his van, a few hours ago. It was as if they hadn’t been apart for fifteen years, or that she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life when she walked away from him. Her own ego and stupidity ruled her teenage mind. She wasn’t thinking clearly and only wanted to get away from Gray, and Danny because he was the source of her humiliation. She had stupidly thought he was trying to embarrass her, to make her look stupid – she was an idiot. Her mother or Melody should’ve slapped her in the face, made her face reality. Throwing a fit, ignoring the boy she was in love with and subsequently leaving home was incredibly childish. To alter your life over something as stupid as being stood up for prom and being embarrassed in front of friends was incredibly stupid and selfish. If she had just spoken to Danny, her life could’ve been different.