This Summer (25 page)

But that kiss? That kiss made all of yesterday’s thoughts disappear. He does care. And even a girl with gorgeous red hair and legs for days won't come between us.

“I have to tell you something,” Lily says, stopping in front of the girls' bathroom.

“What?”

“The girl that showed up at Will’s house yesterday? She doesn’t happen to be a red-head?”

I try to remember if I mentioned what she looked like. My stomach drops. “She is.”

“I caught Ethan on the way in here and he said she stopped by the pool this morning to swim, but he had to check with your dad since it’s during camp hours. Will apparently told her it would be fine.”

I clench my jaw. I haven't told Lily anything explicit about our newly rekindled relationship so acting jealous will spark questions that I'm not ready to answer yet. “He said they are just friends and she’s visiting for a few days.”

Lily chews on her bottom lip, pondering this new information. “Well Ethan’s infatuated.”

I scoff. “He likes anyone with boobs.”

Something flashes in her eyes but it disappears so quickly it’s almost as if I imagined it. “I’m just letting you know.”

“Okay,” I say with a shrug.

I leave her by the bathroom and make my way back to the art room. I peek through the window and Will is on his phone, typing furiously into it. I open the door and his head snaps up, meeting my eyes with a grin.

Lily’s warning sticks in my head but I know everything is fine between Will and I.

***

Later that morning we head to the pool for lessons. I’m happy that I was warned, or else the sight of Savannah in her pornographically tiny bathing suit might have shocked me. The pool staff wrangle the kids into the pool for their lesson. Isabelle has a new enemy, apparent by her death glare at Savannah laying out in the sun.

Will heads over to her and she jumps up from the ground, hugging him. Even though he said there was nothing between them I can’t help the twinge of jealousy rolling around in my chest. The late morning heat surges through me and I sit by the edge of the pool, dipping my fingers into the cool water. I watch the kids for a few minutes before the heat really gets to me. Ignoring Will and Savannah, who are still together on the other side of the pool, I head into the shaded bathhouse.

I plop down on one of the benches, savoring the cool air.

A pair of wet feet slap against the concrete floor and I look up from the bench.

“Hi there!” Savannah exclaims, as if she hadn’t already seen me.

I stand from the bench and make my way over to the sinks. “Hi.”

“Hayley right?” She stands next to me and twists her fingers around her hair, squeezing the water out of it.

“Hadley,” I correct.

“Oh, sorry ‘bout that. I’ve met so many people in one day I just can’t keep them straight.”

I shoot her a quick smile and turn to the mirror. I adjust my ponytail, keeping my eyes straight ahead.

“How do you know Will?” she asks.

“We grew up next door to each other.” Duh.

“How nice for you.”

I glance at her mirror but she just stares at herself while checking her impeccable makeup.

“Aren’t you so excited for Will?” she says, meeting my eyes.

“What do you mean?

“He tell you about the job offer?”

I glance at her through her mirror. “No.”

She covers her mouth as if she’s said a dirty word. “Oh, then I think he should be the one to tell you about it. We leave on Friday.”

I nod and finish up, my stomach plummeting. I turn away and walk to the exit.

“Bye Hayley!”

“Bye.” I take a few deep breaths and step onto the deck. Ethan and Daisy hold Will’s attention on the far side of the pool as they watch the kids during free swim.

Will had plenty of opportunities to tell me about this supposed job offer. Maybe he isn't going to take it and didn’t think it was worth mentioning? But with him still not revealing why he left, another secret from me makes my head fill with questions. That is, until he waves me over. He won't leave after promising Dad. Right?

***

For the rest of the day my mind doesn’t wander far from the conversation with Savannah. Was she lying to catch me off guard? But why would she lie? She doesn't know me at all.

When camp is over, the kids and their families filter out of the main entryway of the building. I catch Savannah pushing her way through the doors looking around the room for Will. He finds her first and goes to her side. I scan the room but Lily is nowhere to be found.

I ask Aiden where she is.

“She left right before we got here,” he says.

Strange. I check my phone but I don’t have any messages from her.

In the span of one day my life is slowly spinning out of my control.

Will comes to my side, yet keeps his hands to himself. “Walk home with me.”

“What about her?” I indicate Savannah with my hand.

“She took her car here today.”

I nod, relieved to be rid of her for a little while.

“Sure.”

Will and I fall into a comfortable silence on the way home. Under the cover of the woods, he takes my hand as we walk. I don’t want to ruin anything but when the woods open onto our street and I see her rental car in the driveway, I can’t hold back any longer.

“I think we should talk about us.” I say, taking my hand from his.

He looks down at my hand then back up. “What do you want to talk about?”

I hesitate as we cross the street. Ethan’s car is in my driveway. Will sees it too and diverts our direction to his house.

He pushes through the front door and I’m relieved to hear the shower going upstairs. At least we have a few minutes of privacy before she barges in again.

I go into the living room and he follows. “I can’t keep lying to everyone. And with her here,” I point my finger to the ceiling. “I’m just confused. I think we should take a step back.”

He takes a few steps until he’s directly in front of me. “I told you there’s nothing between us.”

“What about the job?” I press.

Anger flashes in his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“She told me about the job offer.”

“She did?”

I nod.

“I didn’t give an answer yet.”

“What is it?”

“Her father offered me a position at his company, and help paying for medical school.”

I feel the room closing in around us. This was the part I didn’t want to experience with anyone this summer. The finality of any situation between me and someone I truly care about. But the offer is everything he missed out on when he left. Can I be the person to take that away from him?

“But I want to be here,” he says, taking my hands in his. “I made a promise to your Dad.”

“Will.” My voice cracks. “You’re leaving in a week anyway. I know you feel obligated to stay but really, it’s fine. I think this is for the best. It’s what you wanted all along right?”

“Yeah, but things change.”

I take my hands from his, unable to think with him touching me. “Not really. This was the plan all along right? Now you have something to go home to. We knew this had an expiration date.”

He hesitates before he speaks. “What if I told you I didn’t want to take it?”

“That’s just stupid,” I say.

“We don’t need to make any decisions tonight,” he says, pulling me close to him.

I press my palm against his chest before I realize I’m doing it. “It will be easier to end this now.”

He tilts his head back and his eyes scan my face. “You’re serious?”

“Yes,” I lie.

He steps back, raising his arms over his head, fingers twining through his hair. “I don’t believe this. What do I have to do to show you how serious I am about us?”

“What is your plan then? We fall for each other and then have to say goodbye? Your house is going to be sold. And what about Mabel? Are you going to leave her?”

“Why can’t we just see what happens?”

“Because,” I say, exasperated. “You have an amazing opportunity in front of you. Everything we’ve always talked about. You will regret it.”

His head dips to his chest and he massages his neck. When his eyes meet mine, I step back. He’s thrown the wall back up. “You’re right. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

He turns and grabs his keys from the side table near the stairs.

“Will,” I reach for his arm but he moves it away from my grasp.

“I think you know the way out.” And without another word he’s out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

I’m frozen in the hallway, until a door closes upstairs. I turn to the sound just as I hear Will’s truck engine turn over.

“Where’d he go?” Savannah asks from the top of the stairs, wearing nothing but a towel.

“Out,” I say.

She pads down the stairs and looks out the front window as if she doesn’t believe me. “I’ll be glad to get him out of this place.”

“Why?” I ask.

Her head tilts and she meets my eyes. “All the memories of his family in this house must be hard.”

“His mom left a while ago, but he’s been over that for a while. And he still has his dad.”

“Oh my gosh!” she says, her hands flying to her face.

I turn around, expecting to see Will again or something equally shocking. But when I turn back she’s in front of me, her lips tugging down into a frown. “Did he not tell you his dad died?”

It’s my turn to be surprised. “What? I thought he was living down there?”

Pity spreads over her face. “Bless your heart. He’s been gone since I met Will.”

A loud ringing settles in my ears and I bolt to the door without saying anything else. I grab my phone from my pocket and dial Will. Straight to voicemail. Crap! Was that the secret he was holding on to?

I spring across the lawn and burst through my front door. “Mom? Dad?”

“They went to a movie!” Ethan calls from his bedroom. I try Will again on his cell but I get his voicemail again.

I try a few more times without success. I sink into the couch, my eyes prickle with unshed tears. That was the secret he was hiding. He lost his father and tried to block everyone out of his life. And there I was, breaking up with him after he opened up again. I'm such an idiot.

I tuck my legs against my body and rest my chin on my knees, trying Will’s phone again. No answer. I leave a voicemail this time for him to call me back. I call Lily, needing someone to talk to, but after five rings it goes to voicemail. I check to make sure I have service but five bars indicate that I do. Where is everyone?

I sit on the couch for the next hour, numb to everything around me until the house phone rings. I spring up from the couch, stumble over the ottoman but reach the phone by the second ring. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Beauman?” an official sounding male voice asks.

My mouth is dry. It’s not Will returning my call.

“You are the emergency contact for Mr. Carson, correct?”

Emergency contact? My heart threatens to pound out of my chest. “Um, yes.” My cool fingers touch my lips as I listen. He probably listed my parents as his contact while he's up here.

“This is Dr. Santos. I regret to inform you that he was admitted to Trinity Hospital a few minutes ago. He was in a car accident.”

“Is he okay?” My breathing is ragged. I force myself to calm down.

“He suffered some injuries but he will be fine.”

“Is he allowed visitors?” I ask, scribbling down the name of the hospital on the nearby notepad.

“Absolutely. You can come through the main entrance and just give them your name to allow you access to the room. I’ll keep trying the other contact number as well.”

“Okay,” I say, hanging up. Poor Mabel. I send a text to Mom to get Mabel’s number so I can call her after seeing Will.

It takes me several attempts to get the phone into the cradle. My hands shake uncontrollably and I fight back a sob.

“Ethan!” I call up the stairs in a strangled voice. A thump sounds before rapid footfalls on the carpet.

“What’s wrong?” he says, plowing down the stairs. “You sound weird.” His eyes are wide.

“Will was in an accident. We have to go.”

He blinks a few times in disbelief. “Yeah, okay.”

I grab for the keys, but his hand covers mine. “I’ll drive. You’re navigator.”

I nod and we run out of the house.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Will

My subconscious takes over as I pull away from the house. The more distance I make from Hadley the more I’m able to think. What was I thinking? Savannah offering the job solves all of my problems. The ranch will be fine and I’ll be able to move on with life away from here and Dad. We’d finally be able to afford the rehab center for as long as Dad needs it, which will probably be forever in his case. And I was going to give that up to stay in Spring Falls?

I drive around town and through the next several towns before I’m calm enough to pull over. I reach across the seat for my phone but when I press the screen nothing happens. I plug the charger into the phone. Several missed calls and texts light up the screen, but only the top one makes me pull off the road. I don’t even listen to the voicemail before I call it.

A woman picks up the phone, “Patriot Rehabilitation Center. How may I direct your call?”

“This is Will Carson. I received a call a little while ago?”

She pauses then comes back on the line. “Yes. Dr. Santos called. One moment please.”

The phone clicks twice before I hear his voice. “Hello Will. It’s nice to finally put a voice with the name. Your aunt said you were in the area. We were hoping to see you—”

“What’s wrong this time?”

“Right.” He clears his throat. “Your father was admitted to Trinity Hospital. He signed himself out of our facility earlier today and got into a car accident.”

“Was he drunk?” I say through gritted teeth.

He pauses.

My stomach drops and my fist tightens around the steering wheel. “Is he okay?”

“He’s stable for now, but I’m sure he would appreciate his son stopping by the hospital. I can give you the address.”

When the conversation ends, I plug the address into the GPS and realize I’m only thirty minutes from the hospital. I sit back in my seat and watch the blue light on the screen blink. My mind races. I could leave without seeing him, but I know Mabel would give me hell for that.