Chapter Seventeen

SAM

“Sam!” Nikki yells as I make my way to the bonfire she’s set up. Tasha is beside her, which explains her feigned excitement to see me.

“Hey,” I smile awkwardly as Nikki wraps her arms around my neck.

“Hi, Sam,” Tasha says in her sultry voice. She’s wearing a sheer white dress that barely covers her bikini. Her body is impressive, but her desperation is so thick I can’t bear to be around her.

“How are you?” I ask, trying to be polite.

“Not well. You didn’t call me for my lesson,” she pokes her lips out as I run my fingers through my hair. So, she’s going to do this every time I see her, I guess.

“I told you to call me,” I hold my hands in the air, accepting no responsibility.

“You didn’t even give me your number,” she whines.

“Tasha, you’re best friends with my sister, surely you can get in touch with me,” I reason with her the same way I did with Jamie.

“But I want your number from you. In fact, I thought we could just get coffee or something. We both know I don’t belong on a surfboard,” she giggles, looking down as she invites me to take in her double D’s.

A rush of guilt waves through me, realizing Jamie was right about Tasha, who I thought to be harmless. She was inappropriate, but I never thought she would be so bold.

“I’m just glad you don’t have that lonely ass girl with you this time,” Nikki chimes in.

“Oh my gosh! Where did you find her, Sam? She was so homely – all to herself at the party. She doesn’t have friends?” Tasha laughs, and Nikki claps her hands as if it was the funniest joke in the world.

“No, not there, she definitely didn’t have any friends,” I admit, more to myself than them.

“Sammy!!” Alyssa yells, and I brighten up, happy to see my favorite sister.

“Where have you been?” I ask after giving her a bear hug.

“Mom has me watching the barbeque, come help me,” she tugs at my arm.

“What? No chef?” I joke, knowing how my mom tends to over plan.

“Oh, they were here all day. I think she’s trying to make the evening more rustic – you know, a little DIY,” she says while turning a piece of chicken over on the grill.

“Where’s Don?” I ask. Alyssa’s husband is like another brother to me, but I haven’t seen him in weeks.

“Oh, he’s around here somewhere,” she looks towards the water before continuing, “I was hoping you’d bring Jamie.”

“Oh, yeah… We’re not on the best terms,” I confess.

“What’d you do?” She immediately blames me.

“How do you know it was me?” I frown.

“Tell me,” she orders with authority.

“Well, first it was Tasha. Jamie didn’t like that she was all over me at the party,” I begin.

“I saw that,” she turns her nose up looking back at Tasha and Nikki.

“Yeah, well I’m not interested in her, so I don’t see how it matters. She asked me to teach her how to surf, so I said I would, and Jamie kind of lost it,” I shake my head.

“You what?!” She turns to me so fast, her hair flies in the wind.

“She said I promised to teach her when I first met her,” I try to explain, but Alyssa isn’t having it.

“I don’t care if you promised her mother you’d teach her. That girl is trouble, Sam, and you know she’s not really interested in surfing,” she adds.

“Well, that’s not the big problem anyway,” I try to change the subject after seeing the aggression in her eyes.

“What else did you do?” She sighs.

“She was mad about the party – and how I didn’t introduce her to mom,” I study her face, curious to see how she’ll react. To my surprise, she smirks, and I know she’s on my side.

“That’s a tough one because you probably saved her a long, condescending conversation, but she can’t possibly understand that being from a sane part of the world,” she teases, making fun of the norms in Sutton Hills.

“That’s what I tried to explain. Of course, Nikki was rude, and then she brought Tasha over, and I didn’t introduce her to Mark or Michael because we just didn’t see them. She acts like I want to keep her a secret, but I took her to the party,” I plead my case.

“I know what you mean, but Sam if you want to make her feel comfortable, you have to just be bold. Forget what everyone will say and just let them know you love her. She’s head over heels for you, so at least you don’t have to worry about that,” she smiles.

“I don’t know about that. I saw her online with some guy last night. I almost broke my phone,” I growl, the anger instantly re-emerging as I remember the picture.

“What? When did you last talk to her?” She asks.

“We got in the fight over the party, and then she left,” I reveal.

“Sam, you haven’t talked to her in weeks?” She asks with wide eyes and I know she’s no longer in agreement with me.

“I’ve been swamped,” I justify my lack of communication, but she seems anything but convinced. In fact, I don’t even think she’s paying attention because her eyes seem to be focused on the party next to ours.

“Yeah, well, now is your chance,” she nods towards the group beside us as they celebrate the successful lighting of a bonfire.

Lisa is the first face I recognize, and then my eyes fall to Jamie, as she sits alone on the edge of a beach chair. She looks deep in thought, and I wonder if she could possibly be thinking of me.

Then a guy, the one from the picture, comes and sits beside her. She smiles, scooting over to make room for him to sit, and the rage boils in my veins.

“Be nice!” I hear Alyssa call from behind me, but I’m already halfway to the group, my feet moving faster than my mind as I rush to confront Jamie and her new little boyfriend.