Page 5 of If the Summer Lasted Forever

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun shines, warming the graying wooden boards of the floating dock. In contrast, the breeze picks up a chill as it blows over the lake and is downright cold by the time it reaches us. I rub my arms, trying to warm up, wondering how Paige talked me into changing.

She hops into her dad’s pontoon boat, impervious to the cold, and stashes a soft-sided, insulated picnic tote under a seat. Her legs are a warm caramel even though it’s so early in the year, and they are crazy long. Mine are white and covered in goosebumps.

The boys aren’t here yet, and if it weren’t for the fact that Paige rode here with me, and I don’t want to leave her stranded, I might go back to the campground.

“Don’t even think about it,” she says, not even bothering to look up from the seat in front of the wheel.

I smile because she knows me too well.

The engine rumbles to life. It’s a familiar sound—the sound of warm days spent lounging on the deck, soaking up the summer sun. Warmer days than today.

“I can’t believe your dad’s letting us take out his baby by ourselves.” I shift my weight between my feet, trying to keep warm by staying in constant motion.

“He knew Jarrett was coming with us.”

Jarrett’s that type—quiet, responsible. Parents love him, teachers love him…and girls like Paige don’t give him the time of day.

The boys show up several minutes later, wearing heavy sweatshirts and jeans. I give Paige a pointed look, and she laughs under her breath, easily reading my mind.

“Tanner, this is Lacey,” Paige says, commencing the mandatory introductions.

I give the flaxen-haired boy a wave. He’s tall and extremely cute. With his flirtatious eyes and dimpled smile, he looks more like Gia than Jarrett.

“Hey, Lacey,” he says, greeting me with an upward jerk of his chin that reminds me of a different boy…a boy that has started consuming more of my thoughts than he should.

Tanner joins Paige in the boat, leaving me on the dock with Jarrett.

“Are you cold?” Jarrett directs the question to me, though his eyes wander to Paige. He frowns as she sets her hand on Tanner’s arm. “You can have my sweatshirt if you want.”

Poor guy. He seems to understand the arrangement.

“Nah, I’ll warm up,” I assure him, though it’s bound to get colder when we’re cutting across the water, and I might soon regret the decision.

He flashes me a knowing smile, but he’s too nice to call me on my ridiculous choice in clothing. “You ready?”

The picture of good manners, Jarrett takes my hand to steady me as I step into the boat. I choose a seat in the back and watch Jarrett as he frees us from the dock. Tanner gives Paige an uncertain look as she coaxes the boat away from the dock.

“She learned to steer years ago,” I tell him.

Paige is the youngest of four children, and her brothers made it their personal responsibility to teach her everything they know.

Appearances can be misleading. She looks like a cover model, but she can out-fish, out-hunt, out-everything just about any boy but her older brothers.

At one point, she was quite the little tomboy.

Officer Hilden, her father, didn’t know how to raise her any other way.

We skim over the water, talking and laughing as we get to know Tanner. Jarrett’s quiet as usual, but I don’t mind.

Thankfully, by midday, the day grows warm enough that the cool breeze is welcome. We float around the lake somewhat aimlessly, finally casting the anchor after several hours so we can dig into the lunch Paige packed.

I eat my sandwich, idly watching Paige and Tanner flirt. Not only does Tanner look more like Gia, but he acts like her too. Even though they barely know each other, Tanner’s pulled Paige beside him on the bench, and the two lounge next to each other like characters from a Greek painting.

I’m not too worried—Paige can take care of herself. It’s Jarrett I feel sorry for. He laughs with the rest of us, but it must be hard watching his cousin move in on the girl he’s had a crush on since we were young.

When the sun is low, and the smell of campfires and charcoal briquettes is on the breeze, we head toward the dock.

Kids squeal from the tiny state park campground that’s tucked in the pine trees by the shore.

The spots are small, designed for tents and little popup campers, but they’re mostly full.

Now that we’ve passed Memorial Day, Gray Jay is going to be packed with both tourists and people passing through.

I don’t mind. This is the time of year I like the most—when our little mountain town comes to life.

Eventually, it comes time to say goodbye to the boys.

“I had a good time,” Tanner says as he gives Paige a lingering hug that makes Jarrett clench his jaw and stare out across the water.

She giggles and promises we’ll do it again soon.

“Bye, Lacey,” Jarrett says, nodding in a friendly way as we part. “Paige.”

He walks away, shoulders slightly drooped, brown-haired head tilted down, half-listening to his cousin as they make their way to their truck.

“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Paige gushes about Tanner as soon as we’re alone. I frown, still thinking about Jarrett, and then turn to her and nod. He is easy on the eyes.

In fact, Tanner is almost as hot as Landon, but there’s one big difference between the two. While Landon’s charming, Tanner’s a little on the slimy side. He just has a way about him that makes me uneasy. Who knows—maybe it’s because he reminds me of Gia.

“Thank you for dragging me along,” I say to Paige as soon as we get back to my house.

She slings her arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a tight, one-armed hug. “You’re welcome. How about we go again next week?”

“We’ll see.”

Shaking her head, laughing, she walks across the gravel to her waiting truck. It’s a hand-me-down from her brothers, a beat-up, step-side, seventy-two Chevy in faded forest green. From the way they treat that thing, you’d think it was priceless. Paige was elated when it was her turn to drive it.

I watch as she pulls out of the drive, going slowly down the campground road since Mark’s a bit touchy about it. I follow her, off to check the flower barrels. Even though Mom said she’d water them, I want to make sure she remembered. It’s not her fault if she forgot—she gets busy.

Taking my time, I wander the campground, checking each one. Sometime, we should probably install a drip system.

I finally reach the gazebo, the place where we have a cell booster and WiFi for the guests. Landon’s young teen brother, Hunter, sits on a bench, staring at his laptop, muttering to himself.

“Hey.” I step into the gazebo just as the nighttime lighting flickers on. “How’s it going?”

“Slow upload,” Hunter mutters, not bothering to look up. “It’s taken all day.”

“It’s usually pretty decent.” I sit next to him, curious to see what he’s trying to do. “Well, no wonder. You have a zillion tabs open.”

“Four,” he corrects.

“What are you uploading?”

“A video.”

I make an understanding noise. “How long have you been at it?”

“Five hours.”

“ Five hours? ” I ask, aghast.

He shrugs. Hunter’s apparently a kid of many words.

“Why don’t you come to the house and finish it up? Our internet is much better.”

Finally, Hunter meets my eyes. “You save the crummy internet for the guests?”

From the rotten gleam in his eyes, I believe he might be joking. It’s hard to tell with angsty thirteen-year-olds.

Rolling my eyes, I stand, gesturing for him to follow me. “Come on. I made cookies the other day if you’d like to ruin your dinner.”

And like every other teen boy in existence, the promise of food is all it takes. He stands, closing the laptop, and follows me back to the house like an obedient puppy.

A delicious smell wafts from the back porch. Uncle Mark must be grilling steaks, but that’s something he usually reserves for company.

“What kind of cookies?” Hunter asks, breaking his sullen silence.

“Chocolate chip oatmeal. They’re my—” I stop abruptly when I open the front door and find Hunter’s older brother sitting on our couch, browsing through an old photo album. Mrs. Tillman and my mother sit at the dining room table, chatting over glasses of iced tea. They look awfully cozy.

Landon smiles at my surprise. Just how long has he been here?

Mrs. Tillman looks over from the dining room. “Oh, Hunter. I was just about to send your dad to find you. Cassie and Mark have invited us to stay for dinner.”

They did?

Immediately, I think of my messy, wind-blown hair and resist the urge to smooth it. Before I can rush into the bathroom to check my bedraggled appearance, a white blur of fluff comes running into the living room, yapping with glee.

Candy leaps up, setting her tiny paws on my legs. If she were a big dog, she’d knock me down. Considering she’s no bigger than a stuffed toy, it’s sort of cute.

“Uh, hi there…Candy,” I say, only remembering her name since she threw up candy the first day we met. That sort of thing leaves an impression.

“She’s a Bichon Frise,” Landon’s sister proudly says, following her dog into the living room. “Down, Candy. Be a good girl.”

Surprisingly obedient, the cotton ball drops to the ground.

“A bichon…what now? She kind of looks like a poodle—” I stop when Landon wildly shakes his head behind McKenna…but not soon enough.

The young girl scoops the dog into her arms and gives me a sad look, the kind that says she must educate me. She takes a deep breath and begins, going on about circuses and royalty, double coats, house training, and grooming schedules.

Hunter rolls his eyes and wanders into the dining room, politely asking my mother if he may have the WiFi password. Apparently, he does have manners hidden under that grouchy exterior.

Meanwhile, I gape at McKenna, nodding politely, baffled by the amount of information pouring from the girl’s mouth. She’s like a canine encyclopedia—she even cites her sources as she goes. Landon stands behind her, his grin growing as she goes on and on and on.