“So I didn’t see much of you at the party yesterday.”

Raina gave me a look I knew too well, that she suspected something. Raina was my best friend since childhood, and we currently shared an apartment close to our college campus. She was also home for the summer.

“Well…you know Adam Gardner is back in town?” I grinned.

“Adam Gardner?” Raina smirked at me. “As in the same Adam Gardner who used to live across the street from you and you’ve had a crush on since you were like five?”

I sighed and slathered some fresh sunscreen onto my legs, relishing the way it made them shimmer under the light of the sun. “Yep, that Adam Gardner.”

“So…what’s the gossip then?” Raina asked with an edge of impatience.

“There is no gossip,” I said defiantly.

“Oh, come on.” She threw a plastic beach ball at me that had drifted next to her on her pink flamingo float. I was lying on an alligator one.

“What?” I grinned.

“I saw the way you looked at him yesterday.” She raised an eyebrow.

“Then why the hell are you acting like you don’t know what’s going on?” I laughed.

“I just wanted to hear you admit it.” Raina grinned and splashed some water at me.

I shrieked. “You bitch.” I giggled as I tossed water at her too, soaking both of us.

“There might be something between us,” I admitted a few moments later after a little silence.

“Oh yeah?” Raina drew up her sunglasses to glance at me.

“Maybe,” I said dreamily and looked down at the water. “He is so fucking sexy. I helped him bring Jack home last night.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Jack was hammered.”

“Yeah, a little too much. Anyway, I don’t know. I felt maybe…a spark or something with Adam.” I shrugged, trying to play it cool.

“Cute or not,” Raina said sternly, “I think he’s off limits.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as we both jumped off our floats and toweled off. I laid my towel down on one of the pool deck chairs and she plopped hers down beside me.

“Well…you know about the bro code and all.” Raina shrugged and ran the towel through her wet hair.

“No,” I shook my head. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Raina hesitated.

“Well spit it out then,” I said in frustration. “Why can’t I have Adam?”

Raina scoffed. “You act like he’s some prized possession you won.”

I sat up in the chair. “Are you jealous or something?”

Raina belted out a prideful laugh. “What the fuck do I have to be jealous of? It’s not like you’re in serious relationship with him, or in any relationship at all with him for that matter.”

“Well then what did you mean by ‘bro code?” I asked, doing air quotes.

Raina sighed. “Chrissy, I love you and you know that, but sometimes you don’t look at the facts.”’ She tossed me a hard glance. “No guy who has any sense whatsoever is going to date their best friend’s sister, and his little sister at that.”

I scoffed. “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve never heard something so lame.”

“It’s true!” Raina sat up too. “It’s almost like… incest or something.” She tossed her long, straight dark brown hair over her shoulder in disgust.

I stared off into space for a moment. Could she actually be right about this? “No,” I shook my head. “That kind of shit isn’t real. That’s like movie stuff.”

“Believe me, it is.” Raina nodded adamantly and then sat back on the deck chair.

We sat in silence for a few minutes while I stewed over this new information and tried to digest it.

“So are you saying he doesn’t like me?”

Raina glanced over at me and her expression softened. “No babe, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m just saying that Adam would probably be too hesitant about the bro code to actually act on anything with you. He wouldn’t want to risk Jack’s friendship.”

She raised her arms over her head and sighed as she looked back over the edge of the pool. “I’m just trying to look out for you, that’s all. You know I’m always a hundred percent on your team.”

“Yeah I know,” I said and watched the floats skirt across the pool from the soft breeze. Raina and I had grown up together too, and now we were college roommates. We spent so much time together it was ridiculous, and I needed her by my side as my constant cheerleader.

Suddenly I had a revelation that could work in my favor. “Well none of this will matter anyway,” I said proudly.

“Oh yeah? Why is that?” Raina scratched her leg and didn’t look back at me.

“Because,” I pressed on. “Did you not forget that Jack is about to go out to sea for a really long time? He won’t even be here to know whether something is going on between Adam and me.”

I thought I had it all figured out, a perfect fool-proof plan in order to have my cake and eat it too. With the protective big brother out to sea, that gave me plenty of time to have fun with Adam while it lasted.

“I’m not saying I want to marry the guy,” I said. “I just want to have some fun with him.”

“Fun is overrated.” Raina laughed, ever the sensible one.

“Oh, what do you know anyway?” I teased.

“Even if I had all the answers it’s apparent that you aren’t going to listen to me or heed any of my advice.”

“What advice have you given me?” I asked, perplexed.

“None I guess.” Raina looked over at me. “But I think you should leave this one alone. I know he probably seems even more attractive because he’s a challenge, but trust me, it’s not worth the trouble.”

“I don’t know what exactly you mean by trouble,” I said.

Raina went silent for a moment. “There’s one aspect, and it’s a big one, that you seem to forget here Chrissy.”

“Oh yeah and what would that be?” I said, slightly annoyed now.

“Um…your father?” Raina looked at me as if I were stupid.

My heart collapsed through my toes. Shit. My father. She was right.

Still, I had to save face. “I’m not gonna worry about it. I can handle my dad.”

Raina peered at me as if she were trying to dissect my emotions and peel off the layers. “Okay,” she said. “If you say so. But I know that Mr. Gary Monroe is not a force to be trifled with.”

She was right, but I just bit my tongue and lay back in the chair, making up shapes and animals from the white fluffy trees. I needed anything as a distraction.