This Summer (24 page)

I can’t believe I just had sex with Will.

“Hey,” he says, catching my attention. “You okay?”

I turn my head, smiling. Yet another side of Will I cherished. “Yes. I’m fantastic. You?”

He smirks and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose before slanting his mouth over mine with a kiss almost as erotic as the sex had been. “Fantastic is a good word.”

My eyelids droop and I fight the urge to yawn.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He starts to slide off the bed.

I grab his arm to stop him. “Stay? Just for a little while?”

He sighs. “Sure. Be right back though.” He slips on his shorts and Ethan’s shirt and heads for the door. He slowly turns the knob until the lock pops open. He makes sure the hallway is clear before he slips out.

Even though my body is on fire, I jump up from the bed and get under the covers. I move to the side so Will has a space. As kids we had many sleepovers. Me on the left side of the bed and him on the right. But this time is different. So different. I close my eyes and relive each moment between us, savoring it. But inside the comfortable cocoon of my bed mixed with the excitement of the party, sleep starts to overpower me. I struggle to keep my eyes open. The door opens again a few minutes later and Will’s blurry form moves across the room. The bed moves under his weight and I plummet into the oblivion of sleep just as Will tucks me against his body.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Will

A car door slams, waking me from a deep sleep. I sit up and find my bearings. Hadley lays next to me, breathing softly. Her hair is a mess around her face. Someone moves in the hallway outside the door. And the one thing that can break that moment comes true.

“Hadley!” Ethan calls from right outside the door. “Mom and Dad are home.”

I grab my phone.

“Shit.” We slept through the morning. I squeeze Hadley’s arm and shake her lightly. “Hadley. Get up.” I jump off the bed and realize I’m fully clothed. Thank God for small miracles. But how the hell am I going to get out of there? “Hadley!” I hiss and she sits up. God, even just waking up she’s gorgeous. She squints at me, still half-asleep. “Your parents are home.”

Her eyes widen and she throws the covers off herself. When she realizes she’s still naked she covers up again.

“Now’s not the time to be shy,” I say, tossing her the robe hanging from her desk chair. She holds the robe over her head and manages to get inside of it without showing an ounce of skin. She frantically paces around the room, picking up her clothes and throwing them in the hamper.

The front door opens and we both freeze in place.

“It’s fine,” I say, thinking on the spot. I open the door and just as I suspected, Ethan is just coming out of the bathroom. I know she might be pissed but some sacrifices have to be made.

He stops, staring at me as if he’s seen a ghost. I close the door behind me, giving Hadley privacy. “I came over here a few minutes ago looking for my phone, okay?”

Ethan’s eyes dart to Hadley’s room and his nose wrinkles. “Man,” he says. “That’s my sister.”

“Yes, I know.” And I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her. Go figure. “We can discuss this later.”

“Or not,” he says, shaking his head.

“I'll do whatever you want. I just need you to cover for us. Can you do that?”

“Can you take this horrible image out of my head?” he groans. But I know I have him.

I pull my phone from my pocket and realize I had it on silent all night. I have twenty missed calls from Alex and several text messages.

“Where are U?”

“I told you I was going to do it.”

“I’m going to call the cops in a minute.”

My stomach lurches. I race down the stairs and touch the bottom just as the front door opens. Mrs. Beauman’s head tilts and she looks up the stairs. “Hi.”

“Hey Mrs. B,” I say, steadying my voice.

“Will forgot his phone here,” Ethan says, descending the stairs. “How was your trip?”

She gives me a look but I offer to take her suitcase and she holds her hand out. I take the handle and move to the side. “Great.” She gives Ethan the details and I sneak a glance outside. A sleek black car is in my driveway. My heartbeat roars in my ears and settles in there with a dull ringing. It doesn’t take long for me to put the two together.

Hadley appears at the top of the stairs and our eyes meet. She has a secret smile on her lips. And I’m totally going to ruin this.

A familiar laugh from outside settles in my chest like a concrete brick. I move the suitcase to a spot behind the couch and head for the open door.

Mr. Beauman is smiling from ear to ear as he enters the house. He sees me and nods. “Hey Will. I just met your girlfriend.”

I hold my breath as I make eye contact with Savannah Alexis. The afternoon light hits the top of her head, making her red hair look like it’s on fire. She’s in a yellow sundress and sandals, but even though she looks like any other simple girl from Texas, I know it cost her dad more than my weekly paycheck. She flutters her eyelashes and flashes me a grin.

“She’s—” I choke.

“It’s just so nice to meet y’all,” she says with her thick accent. She flips her hair off her shoulders and steps into the house. My past and present collide and it looks and feels wrong. My stomach rolls and the hair on my neck prickles. I can’t turn around to face Hadley.

God I’m an asshole.

Ethan’s mouth is slack as she walks past him and into the kitchen, following Mrs. Beauman. “Do y’all mind if I use your bathroom?” she asks, flitting another glance at me.

“Sure,” Mrs. Beauman replies. “It’s just up the stairs to the left.”

“Thanks,” Savannah says and brushes against me even though there’s more than enough room to pass.

She climbs the stairs and stops on the step above Hadley who’s stiff as a statue. “Hi there! I’m Alex.”

“Hadley,” she says in a low voice, still looking at me.

I don’t miss the body scan that Savannah gives her. She purses her lips at me before continuing up the stairs. The rest of the Beaumans’ resume their activity but Hadley and I stand in place, unable to move. I want to tell her that Savannah isn’t my girlfriend. Not even close, but I can’t form the words. How did she find me? For the past few weeks I’ve ignored her texts and phone calls, why didn’t she get the hint?

Hadley descends the rest of the stairs like it’s a funeral march. Her face is impassive. Almost too calm.

“Hadley,” I say as she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

“Your girlfriend?” she demands, in a low voice.

“She’s not—”

“Why did she tell my parents that she was?”

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know she was coming.”

The bathroom door closes upstairs. Hadley adjusts the tie on her robe and leans closer to me. “Well it looks like you have some things to figure out.” She turns away towards the kitchen.

Savannah bounds down the stairs as if she owns the place. She runs her finger down the railing as she nears me. I need to get her out of here.

“Thanks again Ethan,” I say.

His head pokes out of the kitchen, he’s chewing on something but his eyes narrow at me then slide over to Savannah. “Anytime.”

“It was nice meeting y’all,” Savannah says loudly, even though her eyes are locked on mine. In her sandals we’re the same height. I grab her arm and pull her to the door, shutting it behind us.

“What are you doing here?” I hiss as we walk across the lawn toward my house.

“It’s nice to see you too,” she mumbles, with a fake pout on her lips.

“Answer the question.”

“I missed you.” And I know she means it.

“So you decided to fly up here?” I unlock the front door and allow her into the house first.

“Well you didn’t answer my texts, so yeah.” She spins in a circle, taking in the house. Her hands fly up to her mouth and her eyes smile. “This place is so cute.” She reaches out and takes my hands. “I finally get to know more about you.”

“Savannah,” I warn. “We’ve talked about this.”

She rolls her eyes. “You know I only let my parents call me that.” She takes in an excited breath and claps. “Let me see your room.”

Given an opportunity to be away from her for a minute, I direct her toward it. When she disappears up the stairs I pull out my phone and type out a text to Hadley.

“Let’s talk later?”

I hold the phone in my hand, waiting. A minute later she texts back a simple response. “
K
.”

I put the phone back into my pocket.

“Will!” Savannah calls. “Can you bring in my bags?”

I ignore the request and head upstairs. She’s standing between me and the window, blocking my view. “Close those shades please.” I don’t need to add insult to injury by Hadley looking into my room and seeing her there.

“Will,” she says breathily, but doesn’t close the curtains. She steps closer. “I knew you didn’t mean that stuff before. She slides her arms over my shoulders and pulls her face close to mine.

I tilt my head back and wrap my fingers around her arms, moving them off my shoulders. “I meant it. And I still do.” My tone is harsher, but she needs to get the hint.

She rolls her eyes and holds her hands in front of her. “Fine. But I did have something to tell you. Something important.”

I remember all the voicemails I deleted and cringe. If I had just picked them up then she wouldn’t be here and Hadley and I would be fine.

I cross the room and pull the shades closed.

Her eyebrow twitches and she beams. “Actions speak louder than words.”

I lean against the footboard of the bed, my arms cross over my chest. “Talk.”

Hurt flashes over her face and quickly disappears. “Daddy has informed me of an opening at his practice and I suggested you fill it.”

Dr. Alexis is one of the top cardiologists in Texas, his practice well known for technologically advanced surgical treatments.

She continues, “It’s only part-time but he said the practice would pay for you to go to school and get your degree.”

“What?” I say.

She’s grinning like mad. “I know right? He knows the whole situation with your aunt’s ranch and if you accept the offer he promised to speak to the bank about taking a loan in his name.”

I stand up straight. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.”

I pull my hands through my hair, wondering if I’m truly awake. “Where did this come from?”

She shrugs. “He knows that you’re a hard worker and he’s willing to take a chance on you.” She moves closer and tugs my hand down from my head. “Don’t look so surprised.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

She lifts a shoulder, nonchalant. “It’s not a big deal. But you start next Monday.”

My chest tightens and I turn to the window. Hadley. How could I leave her after promising to stay? “Why Monday?”

“Well the semester starts in a few weeks, and he pulled a lot of strings to get you in there. And he needs a new office manager as soon as possible.”

“But I have to sell the house.”

“Did you fix everything?”

“Well, yes—”

“Then can’t you take care of it from down there? People do it all the time.”

“But I promised I’d work at the camp the rest of the summer.”

She scoffs. “What are they paying you? I guarantee you this job pays at least double and it’s only part time. I’m sure they can finish up the summer without you. It doesn’t take a genius to babysit some kids.”

“It’s not babysitting,” I snap. “I can’t just pick up everything and leave.”

Her eyes dart across my face. “He’s giving you a week.”

“I need to think about this,” I say.

“This offer expires on Friday. And just to let you know, if you don’t take this job, it won’t come around again.”

“I get it.”

She switches topics in the blink of an eye. “Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”

***

I don’t get a chance to talk to Hadley that day, but I make it a point to go into work early the next, knowing she will be there. And she is.

She’s in the art room helping the instructor cut up newspaper for papier-mâché.

I poke my head in the room. “Can I borrow you for a minute?”

Both girls look at me, but my eyes don’t waver from Hadley’s.

She hesitates but eventually nods and the instructor resumes her set up.

Hadley is out of the room first and I close the door, allowing us some privacy. “About yesterday—”

She holds up a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really, I should explain. Alex—Savannah’s family boards their horses at the ranch. We’re just friends.”

“Right, because friends introduce themselves to other people as their girlfriend?”

She’s not going to let me off that easily. “I’ve corrected her.” I lean closer to Hadley, her back presses against the wall, distancing herself from me. “The other night was amazing.” I take her hand. “Nothing’s changed.”

The corner of her mouth quirks up. I’ve got her. I match her smile and dip my mouth close to hers. I press a kiss to her lips and she responds quickly, her lips sweet and warm against mine. Two voices echo around the corner and Hadley pulls away, knocking her head against the wall.

“Ow!”

I step away from her just as Lily and Ethan round the corner.

Hadley turns her head and flicks her eyes to mine.

“Hey Will!” Ethan fist bumps me as he passes. “Gotta talk to Dad,” he says to Hadley.

“What are you two doing?” Lily asks.

“Helping set up,” I lie, pointing my thumb at the door.

Lily’s jaw clenches a few times as if she’s wondering whether or not to believe me.

“Well, I should to get back to it.” I brush my fingers over Hadley’s and her breath hitches. I grin at her and at Lily as I open the door to the art room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Hadley

The art room door closes and Lily takes my arm, pulling me away from the door. I’m still reeling from the stolen kiss with Will as she takes me further away from him. Yesterday I busied myself around the house, cleaning with Mom until it was dinner time. I forced myself not to look anywhere near his house, especially after Will and Savannah took his truck somewhere soon after she arrived. Ethan couldn’t stop talking about her, that is until I donned my earbuds and blasted music while I dusted and vacuumed. My mind tortured me with a million scenarios of them together.