Summer by Summer (24 page)

“Technically, we could have done that before you found the brochures. Just add a note and send it off.” Summer was still perusing the pamphlet.

“Could have. Didn’t think about it.” I must have sounded a little ashamed, because she placed a flat hand against my cheek.

“We can decide what to do in the morning.”

The brochure slipped back into my hand and I folded it, wrapped it in the plastic, and then slid it into my shorts pocket.

“I have a confession,” Summer said after a moment. “Today’s my birthday.”

“What?” Summer’s birthday? Why hadn’t she brought it up before?

Long fingers brushed at the few remaining strands of hair, pushing them from her face. “At least, I think it’s my birthday. I’ve lost count of the days.”

“Why didn’t you let me know so I could —?”

“What? Run to the bakery and get me a cake?”

“Summer, it’s important.” My finger wound around the ends of a strand of her hair.

“You already gave me the hut, the swing. I don’t want anything else. Plus, I already made a wish.”

“What was it?”

“That they’d find us so we can go home. Together.”

I took her in my arms and pressed a kiss against her cheek. Then another on her lips. “Happy birthday, Summer.” We stayed on the swing until night closed around us.

“Considering our situation, is it okay to say it’s a really good birthday?”

“More than okay. Been writing?”

“Yes,” she answered and yawned. “Thanks to your never-ending bedtime stories. One of these nights you will have to actually finish one.”

“That’s your job. I start them, you write and finish them.” I drew her up and accompanied her into the hut, stopping at her bedroom door to lean against the doorjamb.

She turned to face me. “In case I don’t tell you later, thanks for everything you’ve done for me since we’ve been here, Bray.”

Our fingers wound together, making our arms a V between us. When she started to let go, I tightened my grip and tugged her close. Our hands stayed locked together as we kissed. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

Reluctantly, I let go and watched her disappear into the room. Stretched out on my mattress, I said, “Summer?”

I could still hear her moving around in her bedroom. “Yes?”

“If we don’t get off this island, what do you think you would regret the most that you missed?”

Her voice sounded a little self-conscious. “I guess the one thing I’ve always dreamed about and couldn’t wait to make happen was my wedding and what my life would be like married and with kids.”

“Tell me about your dream wedding.”

She sighed. “Guys usually aren’t too interested in stuff like that.”

“I am. I want to know what you want. Everything. Every detail. Start with your dress.”

“It’s charmeuse.”

“Char . . . what?” My back pressed into the mattress, and I imagined Summer lying on the other side of the wall.

“You know what satin is, right? How it’s so shiny? Well, charmeuse has a sheen to it, but isn’t as shiny. The dress is strapless, fitted through the midsection and flared from the hips down to the floor — sort of Cinderella-like.”

“You have an exact dress picked out already?”

“I have everything
envisioned
. Oh, it’s not really a bright white; it’s a soft winter white. Very fairy tale, with tiny pearls on the bodice.”

“You look beautiful in it,” I mumbled, crossing my hands behind my head.

Summer was silent for a long time.

“It’s going to happen, Summer. I swear you’ll get your fairy-tale wedding.”

“I love you, Bray.”

“I love you too.”

I drifted off, dreaming of Summer and an event I’d never dreamt of before. A wedding. Soft and whimsical and perfect. Like her.

Something startled me awake. First, I thought maybe Summer had stepped into the living room, but nothing moved inside the house. I waited. When the scraping, stepping sound came again, I bolted upright. Something or, worse,
someone
was outside.

I grabbed my fishing spear from the corner and silently opened Summer’s door. I expected to find her still asleep, but instead, she was sitting up, eyes wide and sparkling in the moonlit room. A finger slid to my mouth. She jerked a quick nod.

Neither of us moved for a few seconds. Then we heard the rustling again. Summer had drawn her knees to her chest, and now her grip tightened as she split glances from me to her window, where the sound drifted inside.

I took a slow step toward her, hoping my movement wouldn’t cause the floor to creak. The noise came again, louder, closer this time. It sounded like someone was dragging a body past the hut. My heart started pounding at the bump against our wash pan, a clunk of metal followed by a slosh of water. I tried to look out her window, but with the dense foliage beyond the hut, I could see nothing.

The boat men. They had to be back. And maybe they were dragging another murder victim right outside our door. My grip tightened on the spear. I could surprise one of them. But if there were more, my spear was no match for their handguns.

We remained frozen for a while longer, Summer’s eyes wide, the
whites glowing in the shaft of window light. I wished I could calm her, but needed to remain close to the door. Slick palms slid down the spear, so I swiped them against my shorts and adjusted my grip higher on the wooden weapon. Why hadn’t I made more of these? Summer was completely unarmed, incapable of protecting herself against an attacker. And all the knives were outside. We’d have to remedy that. That’s when her hand slipped off the edge of her bed and under her mattress. I saw the blade of a long butcher knife catch the moonlight as she drew it from its hiding spot.
Way to go, Wildcat.

Within minutes, the sound moved away, crushing hard, fallen leaves as it went. I waited. Counted to a hundred. Waited again. Summer looked like her breathing was slowly returning to normal.

When I was sure whatever it was had gone, I exhaled all the air and adrenaline I’d drawn. “I think it’s okay now.”

“What was that, Bray?” Her eyes pleaded with me for an explanation I didn’t have.

“What or who?” I went to her bed and sat down.

“You think the boat men are back, don’t you?”

I hated to admit it, but yeah. “Probably. I just don’t know why they didn’t come in. The fire was still burning, if only a little. The pan was at the edge of the cabin.”

Summer ran a hand over my shoulder. We were both slick with sweat. “Why didn’t they kill us, Bray?”

“I don’t know. Tomorrow we have to find out what it was. And from now on, be more careful.”

“What are we going to do?”

The thought of taking her to the cave entered my head, but right on its heels I saw her dangling from the rock face, hanging on by one hand. My eyes squeezed shut to close out the memory. “I don’t know.”

Frightened eyes searched me, and I wanted to have the answers, but I didn’t. I always had the answer. Always had a plan. She tried to offer me a weak smile.

“Get some sleep, Summer. I’ll keep watch.”

Hair fell over her shoulder as she shook her head. “There’s no way I can go to sleep now. What if they come back?”

“I’ll watch over you. If they were going to kill us tonight, I think they would have done it already. But, if it would make you feel better, we can take the tarp out onto the beach somewhere and sleep there.”

Her eyes darkened. “But no campfire, right?”

I nodded. “Right.”

“Without a campfire anything could crawl over us.”

“Yes.” Which is why I hadn’t suggested sleeping somewhere in the jungle.

“I’ll try to sleep.” She snuggled down on her mattress. “For a couple of hours, then we trade places and you sleep. Okay?”

“Deal.”

I didn’t wake her until morning.

I ran a hand through the hair that splayed across the mattress. It was cool to the touch, like silk. Like
charmeuse
.

She nestled into the bed, her long tan legs stretching out, ankles crossed. Her face and body had tanned to such a rich, deep color that she looked like someone who’d been raised on the island. Her hair had grown slightly wilder and it had a hint of curl to it now, making it even more beautiful.

Summer opened her eyes, stretched and smiled. “We survived the night,” she mumbled.

I should have stopped looking at her body, legs, torso, face. Her stomach was flat beneath the threadbare T-shirt. It had a rip in the hem, where the edges frayed.

I swallowed and knew I needed to get out of there. I’d stayed by her bed all night and watched her sleep. With the moonlight casting
a shaft of light across her body, she was even more beautiful. The road to hell really was paved with good intentions. My gaze rose to her face and held.

“Bray,” she whispered, and I felt her hand land on my thigh.

Oh boy
.

“There’s not really anywhere to hide if they know we’re here.” Her hand moved on my leg, only a few millimeters, but it sent my heart rate spiking.

She’s right. If they
knew
we were there, we were as good as dead. Even the cave couldn’t save us. Maybe they were just playing with us. We were stranded. Where could we go?

The crystal rays of early sunlight shone down on her through the window, highlighting every curve. She arched her back to scoot closer. The pounding of my heart stopped. As did my breathing. “You told me that you don’t believe God puts people in bad situations, right?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. “But there can be things taken away from the experience that will make us better people. We’re building our foundation for a life together right now, Summer. Right here on the island.”

She listened, but I couldn’t read her thoughts.

“I swear, I’m going to get you home. Okay? There’s only one thing left to do.” When I opened my mouth, words failed me. I jumped off the bed and paced. Three strides to one end of the room, three strides to the other. Wall to wall. And again. Three steps. Turn. Three steps back.

“What are you doing?” Summer stood slowly, but didn’t come near me, just remained there, standing at the edge of her bed staring at me like I’d lost my mind. I probably had. I continued to assault the floor.

Finally, I stopped and spun to face her. “I didn’t want to do this now. But I do.”

The flash of a frown appeared on her face. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“No. I know.” Nervous energy ran down my arms, settling and humming in my fingertips, so I flexed my hands repeatedly, but it didn’t help. “Um.”

She waited.

My mind blanked. Why was this so hard? I knew what I wanted. “Summer? I, uh . . .”

Her chin tilted down ever so slightly, urging me on.

“I love you.”

Her smile lit the room. “I love you too, Bray.”

Those words seeped into my skin, through my system, and right into the deepest pit of my heart. They gave me courage. I fumbled in the tiny pocket just on the inside waistband of my swim shorts. My fingers clamped around the small rope. “I wanted to do this later. After a nice dinner, maybe standing near one of the palm trees at the edge of the lagoon.”

“Bray, what are you talking about?”

I wasn’t sure if I should kneel down or not. Did people still do that? One knee bent slightly, or gave way, unable to hold my crushing weight anymore. My knee hit the floor. Already the rope ring was sweaty in my hand.

I closed my eyes for a second but when I opened them, Summer was face-to-face with me on her knees as well.
Oh no!

Her eyes searched mine. “Bray, are you okay?”

My head shook, lips forming the word
no
, but nothing came out. I clamped my hands on her hips and shoved her up.

She stood, but threw her hands up in frustration. Then, shock stole the place of her facial features. She looked down at me, there on one knee, then her eyes scanned her own posture, then back to me. For a girl with such a deep tan, she paled. Swayed. Grabbed her heart.
Great. I killed her.

I swallowed. “I need you to listen to me, okay?”

She jerked a nod.

“Close your mouth,” I coaxed. It was hanging open like a barn door.

She snapped it shut.

I pulled a breath of courage. “I might not be much of a handsome prince. And heaven knows it’s been no fairy tale since we met, but, Summer, I can’t imagine walking through life without you beside me. Every day. Every moment. You know what writing is to you? That’s what you are to me.
You
are the cup of hot chocolate after a cold rain.
You’re
the Christmas morning gift I hope for. I love you, Summer and I want you to marry me.”

Her legs gave way, and she fell down into my arms, our knees bumping. But that’s how our relationship was. Face to face. Eye to eye, breath for breath. She was right there with me. Ready to meet every challenge. Ready to fight side by side. Me with a fishing spear and her with a butcher knife, ready to take on the world.

Her hands came around my neck and I held her there, letting the elation take us both for a moment. “Hey, you haven’t answered.”

She tilted back and took my face in her hands. “Yes. Yes, of course, Bray. I love you. I will marry you.”