Page 17 of High Season

TWELVE

SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

“So, what was it like?” Josie asked.

They were at the beach, supervising Nina as she built sandcastles with plastic buckets that Hannah had scavenged from the dive shop’s small children’s section.

It was the hottest time of the day, and Josie would have much preferred to be within the cool stone walls of the pink house, but Evelyn had insisted that she take Nina out, complaining that she was giving her a headache.

Already Josie could feel her skin, never quite used to the hot coastal summers, beginning to burn.

“What was what like?”

Josie flicked a handful of sand at her.

“Come on, you can’t play dumb with me. What was it like kissing Blake after all this time?”

She turned back toward Nina, momentarily distracted.

“That’s it. Tap it on the top with your spade so that the magic gets in. One, two, three .”

“It was… I don’t know.”

“Was it everything you always imagined?”

“Not exactly what I imagined, no. I was definitely expecting less water.”

Josie snorted.

“It’s all broken!” declared Nina as she lifted the plastic mould, the sandy mound emerging with its turrets not quite intact.

“It’s fine, look.” Josie clambered to her knees and patted some extra sand on top. “We can fix it.”

And then, to Hannah.

“But what was it like ? Actually kissing someone? Did he use tongue? Did you, like, French, or was it just a peck?”

“I don’t know, sort of in between, I suppose?”

“Josie?” Nina said, wheedling. “Did Hannah kiss Blake?”

“’Course not, Neens,” said Josie. “’Cos boys are gross, right? Hey, why don’t you try another one?”

She rolled over, wiped the sand off her hands.

“So, what?” she said. “Are you and Blake, like, a thing now?”

She tried to keep her voice light. Tried to keep the edge out of it, but somehow, it remained. She knew Hannah could hear it by the way she tossed her hair back, the way she said, “Are you jealous or something?”

Josie snorted.

“Me?” she said. “Jealous of you snogging Blake Drayton? Give over.”

“Anyway, what happened to you? You disappeared on me.”

Josie shrugged.

“You must have been off with Blake,” she said. “I didn’t go anywhere.”

“But you did,” Hannah persisted. “I looked everywhere for you. How did you even get home?”

“One of Tamara’s friends gave me a lift.”

“ Tamara’s friends? You don’t know any of Tamara’s friends.”

“Funny how quickly you get to know people when you get ditched at a house party in the middle of nowhere, though, right?”

Hannah fell silent. Josie couldn’t quite look at her. She flexed her feet against the sand, her gaze fixed on the sea.

“You’re not telling me something,” said Hannah at last.

“There’s nothing to tell, Jesus,” said Josie. “I got bored. I found some people who were heading back the same way as me, and I hitchhiked the last bit. I’m not the one sneaking off with Blake bloody Drayton.”

“Josie.” Nina looked aghast. “You said a bad word.”

Hannah stood.

“I should go,” she said. “I told Mum I’d be home for lunch. And I have to work on my Oxford application this afternoon.”

“Oxford application? That’s not code for meeting up with Blake, is it?”

“And what if I was?”

“I’m only looking out for you, Hannah.”

“The deadline is September and I’ve barely even—”

“Sure. Fine. Whatever. I’ll see you later on then, I guess.”

“You’re really not going to tell me where you went?”

For a moment, Josie was still. She watched as wave after wave crashed down on the beach.

“Fine,” Hannah said at last. “I’ll see you later on.”

Josie did not turn to see her go. She just watched the waves. The never-ending in-out rush of the sea.