Page 11 of The Summer that Ruined Everything

I ndependence Day dawned bright and sunny. It was the sort of July day that promised to be a true scorcher. The sea glittered and the land was blanketed in a shimmery haze, the air already hot and muggy before the first cups of coffee were drained.

In other words, a perfect day to be out on the water, where it was bound to be a few degrees cooler and the breeze would keep the sweat from lingering on the skin.

Cal left home a few minutes before nine-thirty to pick up Jack and J.C. next door. Katherine sat shotgun in his Azure Blue Ford Thunderbird, a red scarf tied around her hair and wide sunglasses perched on her narrow face.

He’d tried to slip out on his own, hoping for some freedom with Jack, but she’d jumped at the chance to ride to the yacht club with him and meet the man as soon as humanly possible.

“Tell me about him,” she demanded, after he’d settled into the driver’s seat. “Is he as adorable in person as he is on film and in magazines?”

Better, Cal thought.

But he just shrugged. “I don’t know. He looks the same. I recognized him right away.”

“How did you meet him? I can’t believe he’s right next door, that’s so unreal.”

Cal put the gear shift into first position and eased onto the drive. He thought back to that late night walk on the beach, where Jack had been delightfully drunk and flirting, and smiled.

He’d been so embarrassed that night. How far they’d come.

“I met him on the beach,” was all he said.

“Did you approach him? Or?—“

“He talked to me,” Cal said, pulling onto the street. “He’s just a person. Friendly. Was meeting a neighbor. It’s really not a big deal.”

“But your father said you spend a lot of time together?” Katherine asked.

Cal hesitated. That was true, and his father had indicated that; he just had to be careful what he said.

“I spend time with the whole crew,” he said. “It’s not just him. There are fifteen of them staying for the summer. He’s just the most well-known.”

He turned up the drive to Jack’s house.

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” he asked suddenly.

“Of course,” Katherine said.

“Can you be normal? Just act like you’re meeting anyone. Don’t freak out. It’ll make him uncomfortable,” Cal lied. He knew Jack liked a little gushing now and then, but he really didn’t want to watch it happen, not with Katherine.

“I can be in the groove,” she said, flashing him a smile.

“Thanks.”

Cal put the car in park outside Jack’s house.

“Wait here,” he instructed, when she moved to open her door.

He got out of the car, jogged up to the front door, and rang the bell. It was only a few moments before the door swung open. J.C. grinned at him.

“Heya, Cal. Thanks for the invite. A day on a yacht, that’s fab.”

“Well, we’ll be stuck with my parents, so don’t get your hopes too high,” Cal warned her.

“Not to worry. Parents love me.”

“Everyone loves you,” Cal said.

“That is a true statement,” she replied, poking him in the chest. She craned her neck to peer over his shoulder. “That her?”

“That’s Katherine,” Cal said. “Be nice to her, or my life becomes more difficult.”

She whacked him on the shoulder. “I’m nice to everyone.” She turned back inside the house, and yelled for Jack.

He appeared a moment later, a stuffed tote in hand.

“I’m here, you don’t have to yell,” he said. His eyes landed on Cal and his face lit up in a way that made Cal’s heart soar. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Cal said, grinning back.

Jack walked backwards into the house, beckoning Cal inside. Cal followed him into the front hall and around the corner, then found himself pushed up against a wall and Jack attacking his mouth.

“Sorry,” Jack said, when he came up for air. “You look good this morning, and if I didn’t get that out of my system —“

Cal shut him up with another kiss, and Jack received him with a groan.

After a few minutes of this, J.C. cleared her throat loudly. Cal pulled away from Jack, and J.C. rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Get it together, boys,” she said. “Someone is waiting in the car, and she looks like she’s the kind to be impatient.” She spun around and bounded out the open door.

“Right,” Jack said, straightening up and wiping at his mouth. “We’re just buddies. Pals. Chums. I barely know you and don’t even like you.” He reached out and smoothed a palm over the curve of Cal’s ass. “Don’t like you at all.”

Cal snorted. “Come on, she’s going to do her best not to jump you, let’s not keep her waiting any longer.”

Jack closed the door behind him and they made their way to the car, where J.C. was already chatting up Katherine, one hand on her hip and her hair bouncing as she talked.

For her part, Katherine looked overwhelmed by J.C. She looked up as the boys approached, and her cheeks flushed pink. She pushed open her door and slid out of the car, slipping her sunglasses off and extending a hand.

“Jack, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve seen all of your films, and am a big fan,” she said. Cal smirked. He should have known that Katherine’s breeding would allow her to keep herself under control.

Jack paused for a moment, looking her over, before he responded.

“Hi. Katherine, right? Call me Jack.” He took her hand, and then leaned in to kiss her cheeks. She let out a breathy giggle. “Cal has told me so much about you.”

“Oh, he’s talked about you, too,” Katherine said.

Jack shot Cal a glance, and then, with a sly smile, said, “Then I’m sure he’s mentioned that I get car sick?”

“Car sick?” Katherine asked, her brows bunching together in confusion.

“I need to sit shotgun,” he said. “Or else…”

“Oh. Oh! Of course,” Katherine said.

Cal bit back a laugh at the blatant fib.

The drive to the yacht club was mostly uneventful, aside from a patch of traffic that slowed them down. Holiday beachgoers clogged up the main roadway that led to the club, and there was nothing to do but take their place in the line of automobiles, enjoy the sunshine, and wait it out.

J.C. chattered away, focusing Katherine’s attention by asking her a string of questions — what are you studying in school, where is your family from, what designer made that stunning dress — and, as predicted, Katherine appeared charmed.

Jack sat quietly beside Cal, his elbow on the edge of the door, watching the passing scenery as his curls were tossed by the breeze. Cal glanced over at him, and he couldn’t help but imagine how free it would feel to take a long drive, top down like this, with Jack by his side.

When they finally arrived, Cal and Jack grabbed the bags from the trunk and they made their way to the yacht. The hot day was getting hotter, the sun beating down at an angle, and Katherine commented that it was a perfect day to be out on the water.

“It’ll be cooler,” she explained. “Have you been yachting before?”

“I’ve been on a yacht,” Jack said. “But not yachting. As such.” He caught Cal’s eye, his lip quirking up. “You’ll have to show me the ropes. Wouldn’t want to embarrass myself.”

“You can’t,” Katherine said. “Nothing for you to do but hang loose and enjoy yourself.”

Cal watched them interact, his eye twitching.

They were the last to board. After a round of greetings and introductions, Theodore shook his head, aiming a look at Cal.

“You’re late, son. We’re behind schedule, and we haven’t even begun.” He raised an eyebrow, a signal that he expected a response.

“Sorry, sir,” Cal said. “There was some holiday traffic?—“

“Sounds like something you could have anticipated, left a bit earlier.”

Cal nodded. “Yes, Sir. I apologize.”

“It’s my fault,” Jack said, jumping in. “I wasn’t ready when Cal arrived.” He shrugged. “But it’s a holiday.”

Theodore eyed him a moment, then turned to give the captain the signal to depart, and they were off.

The parents took cocktails out to the aft deck, and the girls decided they wanted to spend the time before lunch in the sun before it got too hot to stand. Katherine and Sally dragged J.C. down to the lower cabin to change, leaving the guys on the fore deck.

Once they had stripped down to their swim trunks, Cal passed around beers and they settled onto the bench seating around the edge.

“Are you glad to see Katherine?” Richie asked.

“Sure,” Cal said, glancing at Jack, who was studying his beer intently.

“You must be, she’s looking like a fox these days. The Hamptons beaches have been good for her.” Richie nudged at Cal with his elbow.

“Are the Hamptons beaches anything like ours?” Jack asked. “I’ve never been.”

“Ours are better,” Cal said, and Richie agreed.

The girls returned, clad in brightly colored bikinis. Richie let out a wolf whistle, and J.C. struck a modeling pose, then launched into a catwalk strut, landing in front of him with a hand extended.

“Sit with me, you big hunk,” she said.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” said Richie, following her to the lounge chairs.

Cal rolled his eyes, but when Katherine took his hand, he let her lead him to the chairs on the opposite side. After a moment, Sally and Jack joined the group in the chairs between the two couples, Jack closest to Cal.

The conversation began light and easy. Richie and Sally had been to a movie Katherine had also seen, and it turned out Jack and J.C. knew one of the actresses in it. There was a lighthearted comparison between beaches in Westerly, the Cape, the Hamptons, and California. Jack had taken surfing lessons but J.C. had been surfing since she was a kid. Cal thought he’d be terrible at surfing since he was so tall, Jack pointed out that if he was a good downhill skier (he was) there was no real reason he couldn’t find a way to stay up on a board.

As they talked, Katherine reached an arm across and took Cal’s hand, dangling their linked hands between them. It was casual, and comfortable, and he didn’t think much of it.

...until he glanced over and saw Jack watching him, his eyes stormy. Feeling suddenly on edge, Cal gently dropped Katherine’s hand and stood up. Jack’s gaze flickered up to his.

“It’s pretty warm,” Cal said. “I think I need to get out of the sun for a minute.” He raised a brow at Jack, who looked away. “Jack, you want to go with me to grab some sodas?”

“Sure,” Jack said, sounding surprised. He followed Cal off of the deck and into the main cabin, where the hired chef was preparing trays of sandwiches for lunch. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said quietly, once the glass door swung shut behind them.

“I was afraid not to,” Cal replied in a whisper. “But you know it’s not real. Don’t let it bother you.”

Jack chewed on his lower lip. “I can’t seem to help it,” he said.

Cal stared at Jack in wonder. “You really are jealous,” he murmured, glancing at the chef, who seemed entirely focused on making up a batch of chicken salad. “Come on.”

He led the way down the stairs to the lower cabin, and checked that the bedrooms were empty before turning back to Jack.

“I’m not into her. It’s just a show. Meaningless. Like...like when we go out with J.C. and Ginny and pretend,” Cal said. “You don’t get jealous then.”

“That’s different,” Jack said. “J.C. knows about us and isn’t trying to seduce you.”

Cal burst out laughing, and then sobered up at the pained look on Jack’s face. “Katherine isn’t trying to seduce me either. She’s not like that, she’s just…it’s affection. She was only holding my hand.”

Jack scowled. “I know it’s not real for you, but I keep thinking that it’s real for her, and I hate that it’s her and not me who—“ He snapped his mouth shut. “I just don’t like it.”

Cal sighed. On the one hand, Jack’s sudden fierce jealousy was flattering and made his stomach tingle. On the other hand, if Jack kept shooting daggers at Katherine, someone was going to wonder why.

“Look,” he said, “it’s going to keep happening. She’s going to keep being my girlfriend. Are you going to be able to keep it together?”

“Maybe,” Jack said, pouting.

“You’re an actor. Try. Or people are going to start asking questions.”

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. “I shouldn’t have come.”

Cal reached out and tangled his fingers in Jack’s curls. “I’m glad you’re here. Like we said, it’s great to be able to spend the day together.”

Jack’s face cleared a bit, and he smiled slightly. “Yeah. You’re right. What’s fucking wrong with me? Sorry. I’ll be fine.”

Cal glanced at the stairs, and then pushed Jack into one of the bedrooms. He swooped down and claimed Jack’s mouth in a hard, thorough kiss.

When he pulled away, he said, “We better get back. Just...when she puts her hands on me, imagine what you’ll do next time we’re alone to erase it all.”

“I’m going to lick every inch of your skin. Watch me spend the rest of the day imagining that.” Jack smirked, and Cal laughed.

Lunch was an elaborate spread of sandwiches, chips, and fruit salad. Everyone gathered on the aft deck, where the breeze was cool in the shade of the canopy and the views of the water were spectacular.

With the elder Buchanans, Thorntons, and Wallaces present, there was standard chatter about plans for the future. Joe Thornton asked Cal how he was liking working for his father, and Cal did his best to feign enthusiasm. Theodore pointed out that Cal only worked in the office a couple of mornings a week, and how different things had been for him, where his father had expected him every day during every break from school all the way through college.

“I’ve been too easy on the boy, I fear,” he said. “You know how kids are today, Joe. No appreciation for the value of hard work.”

Cal focused on the thick bacon in his club sandwich, tuning out the griping. He knew there was no point in arguing, and if he left it alone, they’d move on. Besides, Richard was turning his attention to Richie with a similar commentary, and Cal didn’t want to make things more difficult for him.

“Isn’t Calloway top of his class at Harvard?” Jack asked suddenly, sitting back on the bench seating, his half-eaten chicken sandwich in one hand and a beer in the other. “And Richie is in a similar position at Princeton, I think.”

Cal shot Jack a warning look, but Jack just shrugged.

“Doesn’t seem to me like something that could happen without hard work.” He took a large bite of his sandwich, and then spoke around it. “Just an observation.”

Theodore huffed. “Were you at university, Jack?”

“No, sir,” Jack said. “Went straight to L.A. after high school, where I got a job washing dishes at a studio commissary, and started auditioning for anything I could.”

“You’ve had good success, I hear,” Richard Senior commented.

“Yes. I was lucky to get the job I did, because I got promoted to waiting tables and was able to talk to a lot of people. Some of them were the right people.”

“I don’t think I ever considered how much of Hollywood involves networking,” Richard commented.

The conversation shifted then with the Wallaces curious about the movie business. Cal relaxed and enjoyed the sun on his shoulders and the sound of Jack’s voice mixed with that of the waves below and the gulls overhead.

After lunch, they dropped anchor for some swimming. Katherine used the opportunity to cling to Cal, squealing as Richie splashed her. Jack joined in, pushing the water so that a wave drenched her, leaving her dripping and coughing.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know it would make such a big wave.”

Cal snorted, and covered it up with a cough of his own.

When they tired of swimming and lounging, they took turns showering and changing into dry clothes for dinner. Cal was fastening his belt in one of the bedrooms when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called.

He was expecting Jack, or maybe Katherine. He was not expecting his mother. She closed the door behind her and smiled.

“You’re having a nice day?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, mildly surprised at the question. It was one she hadn’t asked him in a long time. He’d assumed she’d stopped caring how much he enjoyed anything, focused only on how he looked and acted, how he reflected on her.

“It’s so good to spend time with the Thorntons again,” she said. “And it makes me — and Emily — so happy that you and Katherine have come together. We used to talk about it, you know, when you were little.”

“You talked about Katherine and me? Together?” Cal asked.

“Yes.” Her eyes went far away, sinking into the memory. “We’d watch you play and dream that maybe one day you’d choose each other. You really are a perfect match. She’s a lovely girl, with such poise, and so tall and pretty and bright. Your children will be stunning.”

Cal swallowed. “Our children? Mother?—“

But Judith was still talking. “It’s such a perfect day. I thought you might...I brought this, in case.”

She crossed the small space, drawing a hand out of her pocket and unfolding it, revealing a glittering jewel on her palm. Cal stopped himself from taking a step backward, barely.

“What…” His stomach turned. “Is that a ring?”

“My mother’s,” Judith said. “I asked her for it last time I visited. I knew it was almost time, and I wanted you to have it.”

“Almost time? For me to…” A band began to tighten around Cal’s chest, and he struggled to pull in a breath. “You think I should propose to Katherine.”

“Of course. Tonight could be perfect,” Judith said. “You’re clearly enjoying each other so much, and with all of us here...I thought maybe over dinner, or while we were watching the fireworks show. Think of it, how romantic. She’ll be thrilled.”

Cal cleared his throat. It felt thick, like something was stuck in it. “Mother, I hadn’t...we haven’t talked about getting married. I’m not sure she?—“

“Nonsense,” Judith said, brushing off his protest. “Obviously she wants to marry you. Why wouldn’t she?”

“I’m just saying that I don’t think tonight is the night,” Cal said. “They’re here for a couple of weeks, can I just...I wasn’t thinking about that today, and I’m not prepared.”

Judith’s smile softened. “You want to plan it out, what to say,” she said. “I promise she’ll be thrilled no matter what, but that’s thoughtful of you to want it to be perfect.”

“Yes,” Cal said. “I don’t want it to be rushed.”

“Well, why don’t you hang onto this, just in case,” Judith said, pressing the diamond ring into his palm and closing his fingers around it. “If you change your mind...and otherwise, you can keep it with you for when the right moment arises.”

“Thank you,” Cal said. The ring bit into his flesh as he clenched a fist around it. “Could you give me a minute? I’ll be up shortly.”

“Certainly,” Judith said. She reached up and patted his cheek. “I’m proud of you, darling. You’ve chosen well.”

She retreated then, leaving the door ajar. Cal carefully opened his fist and stared at the jewel.

It was a large, high quality gem, brilliant cut, set in an elaborate platinum Art Deco setting. There were smaller baguette diamonds flanking it, and additional single cut diamonds glittering from the setting.

It was a beautiful ring, that was certain. Katherine would love it, and she’d love that it was from the early part of the century. She’d be thrilled to wear it, showing it off however she could.

And the idea made him sick to his stomach.

He had known, on some level, that Katherine expected them to marry someday. He’d worried about it occasionally, but it seemed so far off that he’d shoved it deep down and pretended it didn’t really exist. Maybe he shouldn’t have stayed with Katherine for so long. But it was simple. They were friends, and he knew what to expect from her. Dating someone new would be...difficult.

With a sigh, he plucked the ring from his palm and held it up to the light coming in from the small windows. He tried to imagine proposing, getting married, what would happen after that. Tried to get used to the idea, since it was unlikely he’d be able to avoid it forever. And in that case, perhaps Katherine was?—

The door opened. He turned to ask whoever it was to leave him alone, and froze.

“There you are. People were asking where you’d gone off to...“ Jack trailed off, hand still on the doorknob, eyes fastened on the ring in Cal’s hand. “What is that ?”

“It’s nothing. It’s—” Cal sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. He didn’t want to lie to Jack, not after he’d accidentally concealed Katherine’s existence in the first place. “It’s my grandmother’s engagement ring.”

“Why do you have it?” Jack asked. His eyes widened, and he stepped into the room and closed the door. “Wait. Are you...were you going to propose to Katherine? Today?”

“No ,” Cal said. “No. I would have told you if — my mother gave it to me. Just now.”

Understanding dawned, and Jack grimaced. “She wants you to propose.”

“Yeah,” Cal said. “I swear I had no idea.”

“I believe you,” Jack said. “So are you going to? Propose?”

“Not today.” Cal shook his head. “I told my mother I needed more time.”

“But you might? In the future?”

“I don’t know,” Cal said. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath. “I guess I have to marry someone at some point. I just didn’t think I’d have to think about it so soon.”

Jack frowned. “Do you? Have to marry someone?”

Did he? Cal tried to imagine not getting married, the opposite of what he’d tried to picture a few minutes earlier. It was just as hard to envision, but not nearly as distressing.

“I always thought I would,” Cal said at last. “It’s what everyone expects.”

“Yeah.” Jack chewed on his lip. “I guess.”

“What about you?” Cal asked. “Think you’ll get married?”

Jack let out a laugh. “No idea. Commitment isn’t really my thing. I’ve never thought much about it.”

Cal wondered, for the millionth time since meeting Jack, how it must feel to be completely your own person, to have your future be yours, and not some obligatory path laid out for you before you were born.

A stab of envy hit him in the gut. He shook it off, because it wasn’t going to do him any good.

“Does Katherine expect you to marry her?” Jack asked.

“Probably,” Cal said.

Jack reached out and took the ring from Cal. He flipped it between his fingers, squinting at it.

“This is nice,” he said.

“Yeah.”

With a smirk, Jack slipped the ring onto his finger. It wouldn’t go past his second knuckle, and he held his hand up, turning it this way and that to catch the light. Cal’s breath caught in his throat.

But then Jack pulled the ring off and handed it back to Cal.

“I feel sort of bad for Katherine,” he said. “She thinks she’s getting her fairy tale prince, and you’ll never be...you know.”

“Yeah,” Cal said. And here was the guilt. Fantastic . “We should head up.”

“One second,” Jack said.

He stepped close, took Cal’s face in his hands, and kissed him gently. Cal gratefully let him, allowing the feel of this man to smooth out his nerves and make him forget, for a moment, about everything else.

There simply wasn’t room for anything else when he was kissing Jack.

When Jack broke the kiss and stepped back, he examined Cal’s features and smiled. “There,” he said. “Much better. I’ll go up first, you follow in a minute.”

He slipped back out the door with one last wink over his shoulder. Cal watched him go, feeling an ache rising in his chest, a familiar emptiness that he’d almost forgotten about this summer, with Jack to fill its space.

He shoved the ring in his pocket and went up to join the others.

* * *

By the time dinner rolled around, they’d returned to the dock, the sun had begun to sink towards the horizon, and the oranges and pinks streaked across the sky and sea like a painting.

The table was set on the fore deck with linen and champagne, and the party settled in for Independence Day supper and to watch the fireworks that would follow. The chef served up a lobster bisque as a first course, and everyone dug in, eating in silence for a few minutes, tired from the long day in the sun.

During the salad course, quiet chatter began in pockets around the table. Emily, Judith, and Felicia began to plan the social activities for the next couple of weeks. Theodore and Joe entertained Richard Senior with tales from their youth. J.C. and Richie seemed to be having an intense, whispered discussion, and Sally was talking to Jack about something that had him plastering a neutral expression in his face and nodding every now and then.

From her seat beside Cal, Katherine sighed happily.

“What a great day,” she said. “Don’t you think?”

“Sure,” said Cal. “The weather was good.”

She hummed. “And the company.”