Page 8 of The Summer that Ruined Everything

CHAPTER 8

I ’m going to regret this.

Cal knew it was risky, introducing Jack to the summer crowd. These were people he’d known all his life. Whose parents knew his parents. Word traveled fast in a small beach town like theirs, and all it would take was one wrong look, one accidental touch, one overheard comment, for all the carefully constructed dominos of his world to come crashing down around him.

He was already struggling to keep his hands to himself and his thoughts off of his face when it came to Jack, and it was downright terrifying to know he’d have to do it for an entire afternoon.

He watched his friends pull into the parking lot at the beach club, one right after the other, as if they’d coordinated a caravan. The Wallaces were in front in their blue Corvette, followed by Jay Ashford in his more sensible white Impala, and then Tom Benjamin in his cherry red Galaxie.

They turned into their parking spaces nearly in unison, like something out of a movie, honking and waving.

“So…” Jack said from beside him. “You’re a member of a street gang, right? They’re gonna spill out of those cars with knives and start a rumble with the Jets?”

Cal snickered. “Something like that,” he said. He raised a hand and waved back at the arriving crowd.

And it was a crowd, or more of one than he had thought there would be. Tom had brought along his kid sister and a friend of hers, and they climbed out of the Galaxie, giggling and straightening their sleeveless crop tops and matching checkered shorts. Jay was joined by Brian Bridgewater and his sister Susie.

It seemed as though more of the summer people had landed.

“Calloway,” Brian called. “Been a century. How’s your portfolio?”

Cal rolled his eyes. “Better than yours.”

“How’s your portfolio ?” Jack muttered under his breath. Cal glanced at him, and could tell he was suppressing a laugh.

Cal watched his lips curve, wishing he could trace them with his fingers. It was amazing that he still wanted to, that he still craved touching this man, after the night they’d had.

They’d woken up several times before dawn, falling together in easy, hushed exploration. Lips and tongues tangled and tasted, fingers skimmed over skin, they whispered and moaned in each other’s ears as they learned each other from head to toe.

In the morning, Cal had woken Jack one last time before he had to leave, feasting on his mouth once more.

Then he’d snuck home, needing to get in before either of his parents awoke. He’d made it without incident and had lain in bed, reliving the hours that had passed with a dazed smile on his face.

Now, Jack looked up at him, and his expression softened. His eyes dropped to Cal’s mouth, and Cal felt a thrill at the knowledge that — just maybe — Jack was remembering their night as well.

Stop, he cautioned himself. He cleared his throat and straightened up, resolutely tearing his eyes off of Jack and promising himself he’d keep it together. He had to.

The group gathered bags out of the trunks of the cars and made their way towards where Cal was standing with Jack, Ginny, and JC.

Cal shook hands with the guys and accepted kisses on the cheek from the girls. There was a flurry of how have you beens and god I’m so glad it’s finally summer and you look amazing . Then Cal introduced Jack and the girls to the new additions. The women all eyed Jack, and he grinned at them, clearly enjoying the attention.

No jealousy, Cal reminded himself.

Still, even though he knew he was playing with fire, he couldn’t help but place a firm hand on Jack’s shoulder, gripping it tightly as if to stake his claim.

“Shall we go in and show the visitors what Sea View Beach Club has to offer?” he asked.

They headed into the clubhouse, checking in with the front desk and registering the guests for the day. Richie had called ahead and reserved a couple of cabanas, and the group collected lounge chairs and then exited the clubhouse onto the sand and headed towards their designated structures.

There was easy chatter as they set things up, laying out towels and unfolding lounge chairs onto the sand. The girls broke out the baby oil and began to lather themselves from head to toe. Ginny and J.C. joined the others and in no time were giggling and sharing wide-brimmed hats and stories.

Jack collapsed onto a sofa inside one of the cabanas, and winked at Cal before patting the cushion beside him. With a quick glance around to ensure that the others were busy, Cal accepted the invitation and lowered himself onto the sofa. The canvas cushion crackled underneath his weight.

He was careful to maintain a space between them, but his skin rippled with nearness anyhow. Jack slid his foot to the right until it was just resting against Cal’s. They exchanged a glance, and then Jack moved his foot away just as Richie entered the tent.

Careful, Cal reminded himself.

“I’m starving,” Richie said, patting his stomach. “Let’s get some food.”

The rest of them agreed, and they raised the flag for the waitstaff. Within ten minutes, Richie had ordered burgers and fries for the group. He then settled into a chair near Jack.

“So what made you decide on Westerly for a summer vacation?” Richie asked.

Jack shrugged. “My agent set it up. I just needed to be somewhere that wasn’t LA, and I wanted to be near the beach still, but somewhere kind of out of the way. He found this.”

“We’re so lucky that he did,” Sally said, entering the tent and perching on the arm of Richie’s chair. “That you ended up here. What’s it like to be a movie star?”

“Amazing and a pain in the ass all at once,” Jack said, flashing a set of white teeth.

“But will you need to go back to LA to film over the summer?” Sally asked. “Or are you here for the entire time?”

“I might need to go back for some reshoots,” Jack said. “But I’m not scheduled to be on set again full time until September. In the meantime, I’m supposed to be reading scripts, but...I haven’t really gotten around to doing much of that yet.”

“Is that all the stacks of paper on your nightstand?” Cal asked, without thinking.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could swallow them back. How was he supposed to explain being in a position to notice what was on Jack’s nightstand, of all places? Fuck, he was messing this up already .

But Jack was already answering. “On the desk, the floor, you’ve probably seen some on the deck and the kitchen counter. My agent has sent me boxes and I don’t know how he expects me to read all of them.”

“Are any of them good?” Sally asked.

Jack shrugged. “A few I’ve glanced at look promising. Some not.” He rolled his eyes. “Unless a film about an alien who falls in love with a car sounds appealing to you.”

“Are you up for the part of the car or the alien?” Cal asked.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Neither, smartass. I’m supposed to be reading for the car’s owner, who the film is really about.”

The conversation continued, and Cal slowly relaxed. It seemed like no one had noticed or thought it strange that he’d seen the scripts.

The food arrived, and they ate with gusto. J.C. dragged Richie into the ocean, and they were followed by some of the others. Jack seemed content to sit out on the sand with a beer, and Cal tried to decide if he should go into the ocean with the others, so as not to seem too glued to Jack’s side.

Sally didn’t seem to have such concerns, as she sprawled herself artfully on her towel and continued pestering Jack with questions. Cal tried not to be bothered by the way she kept touching Jack’s arm or knee.

“You should let us take you out on the boat sometime,” she said. “We try to take it out on most weekends, so if you’re free you can join us.”

Jack hummed noncommittally. Then he turned to Cal. “What about you? Do you have a boat?”

“Oh, the Buchanan yacht is amazing,” Sally said, before Cal could answer. “Calloway, you haven’t taken him out yet?”

“You have a yacht?” Jack asked, a corner of his lip quirking up. “I should have known.”

“A small one,” Cal said, blushing. “And it’s my father’s, not mine.”

“It’s so nice,” Sally said. “Way better than our little thing.” She stood up and peered down the beach, holding her hand over her eyes to block the sun and squinting. “You can almost see it from here, I think,” she said.

“It’s here?” Jack asked Cal.

“Yeah,” Cal said. “Or rather, at the yacht club next door. It’s easier because they’ll maintain it for us as part of the slip fees.”

“Will you show it to me?”

Cal fidgeted. Jack was watching him, a glint in his eye.

“Ooh, yes,” Sally said, bouncing on her toes. “Let’s show Jack the yacht.”

“Sure, I guess,” Cal said, with a shrug.

He got to his feet, and instinctively reached a hand down to help Jack up. The man squeezed his forearm and pulled himself to his feet.

They started off down the beach. Within a few seconds, however, Ginny came bounding up.

“Sally,” she said, breathless. “Come on, you're coming with me.”

“Why?” Sally asked.

“I need you. Girl stuff,” Ginny said. She grabbed Sally’s hand and started dragging her away, tossing a wink over her shoulder. Sally made a few noises of protest, but eventually gave in, leaving Cal standing next to Jack, bewildered.

“Let’s go,” Jack said, poking at Cal’s bicep. “I want to see this impressive boat.”

“Did you ask Ginn—” Cal began, trying to articulate his thoughts.

“No, but she’s sharp. She sees us walking somewhere...she assumes we want to be alone if possible. I told you she’d help us.”

With a roll of his eyes and a zing of anticipation in his stomach, Cal led Jack down the beach to the yacht club entrance. He checked in at security and signed Jack in as a guest, then they walked out to the slips and over to his parents’ fifty-seven footer.

“There she is,” he said, waving his hand with a flourish. “Home sweet boat.”

Jack let out a low whistle. “She’s a beauty.” Then he glanced sideways at Cal and winked. “Or I’m guessing, since I know nothing about boats and have never been on a yacht.”

“Never?” Cal asked.

“Nope.” Jack squinted at the script scrawled across the white paint. “ Buchanan’s Bounty? That’s the name?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s dumb, but my father likes his name — our name — on things,” Cal said. He shoved his hair off of his forehead and laughed shortly. “Well...do you want to go aboard?”

Jack nodded eagerly. They made their way down the dock and, deciding to forgo the ramp, Cal stepped onto the gunnel. He unclipped the safety line, held onto the railing to make sure his footing was secure, and then extended a hand. Jack grabbed it and stepped aboard.

Cal showed him around, hyper-aware of Jack’s slightly skeptical expression as he took in the kitchen, the luxury seating, and the fully stocked bar of the main cabin.

“It’s a lot, I know,” Cal said, trying to see it with virgin eyes. It was a nice setup, but also pretentious, with white leather and chrome everywhere. And who needed a full humidor on a boat?

“It’s just...I’ve been sailing, and I kind of get that. It’s fun and sort of freeing to be flying along on top of the water. But I don’t get why you’d need to be on a boat if you’re sitting in here on a leather sofa and smoking a cigar, with tinted windows around you. You can do that at home or at a restaurant. Isn’t the point of being out on the water to be out on the water?” Jack frowned.

“Sure,” said Cal. “But there’s...come with me.”

He began climbing the stairs to the deck on the bow, Jack following behind. At the top of the stairs, he stepped to the side, and heard Jack gasp behind him.

“Oh, okay,” Jack said. “I get it. Here you can see the water, and not just through a window.”

“There’s also the aft deck, which is covered,” Cal said.

Jack moved to the railing and peered out towards the ocean.

“So when you take this out, you go out there?” he asked, pointing.

“Yeah. But I don’t take her out. It’s mostly my dad, and mostly on weekends, and mostly he uses it for business and whatever and not so much pleasure. Takes associates and contacts and their wives or girlfriends out, wines and dines them.” Cal shrugged. “I go along sometimes, but it can be boring. It’s okay when it’s the Wallaces or another family around here, because then my friends can go too. But the Wallaces have a Triton, and we usually go out on that if it’s just us. It’s easier.”

Jack spun around and leaned back against the railing. “What’s below deck?” he asked, his lips curving into a smirk.

Electricity began to crackle along Cal’s skin at the look in Jack’s eye. He cleared his throat. “I’ll show you.”

They went back down to the main cabin, and then Cal opened the door to the cabins below. He sidled down the narrow staircase, ducking to avoid hitting his head, and then headed directly into the first bedroom.

“Nice,” Jack said, moving into the space and spinning around slowly, taking in the double bed, the teak built-ins, the narrow windows high on the wall. “Seems to have everything you’d need.”

“There are two other bedrooms. One is almost exactly like this, but a little bigger — that’s the master. Then there’s one with bunk beds.” Cal looked around. “Bathroom is through there.”

Jack poked his head into the tiny bathroom. “Amazing,” he said. “I haven’t spent a lot of time on boats, so l never pictured there being so much space.”

“Yeah, and this is built special because we’re so tall…”

Cal trailed off as Jack twirled around once and then threw himself onto the bed with a whoop. He rolled onto his side and patted the mattress.

“Get over here. I’ve been thinking about nothing but touching you again since you crept out of my bed before dawn like a sexy ninja. By the way, you’re awfully graceful for someone so...so....”

“Massive?” Cal laughed. “Thanks, I think.” He hesitated, the rest of Jack’s words registering. “So you had fun last night?”

“It was unreal,” Jack said. He rolled onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows. “What are you waiting for? We’ve got a minute to ourselves, let’s not waste it.”

“Just hang on,” Cal said. He crossed to the windows and drew the shades. It was highly unlikely his parents or maintenance would come aboard while they were here, or that someone would walk by on the dock, but…. Better to be safe than sorry. When he turned around, Jack was watching him, his eyes hooded.

“How long do you think we have?” Jack asked. “A half hour?”

“Probably,” Cal said. “We can always say we stuck around to crack into the liquor cabinet, since I can’t drink on the beach.”

“Perfect,” Jack said. He licked his lips and smiled.

The way the man was watching him left Cal almost breathless, and he suddenly moved forward, feeling as if Jack was pulling on a string and drawing him in, inch by inch. When he reached the bed, he stretched out beside Jack, resting a hand on his chest.

They stared at each other for a moment. Cal let himself get lost in Jack’s gaze, their surroundings fading away. All he could see and think about was the man beside him. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Jack’s lips, drawing a soft sigh out of Jack before he returned the kiss.

With how anxious Jack had seemed to get started, and how limited they were on time, Cal expected it to be intense and urgent. Instead, Jack seemed content to kiss lazily, running his lips along Cal’s neck and nibbling at his collarbone. Cal sank into the sensations, letting his hand roam down Jack’s chest and stomach.

“Careful,” Jack murmured, closing his eyes. “We don’t have too much time.”

Then his eyes flickered open, and he rolled Cal onto his back, straddling him and grinding their hips together. “I can’t wait to fuck you,” he whispered. “Or for you to — which are you? Top or bottom?”

“Either,” Cal managed, moving his hips with Jack’s easily. “ Fuck ...either.”

He generally preferred to top, but with Jack…the idea of this man driving into him left him weak. That seemed to be the correct answer, because Jack grinned.

“Right on,” Jack said, his eyes sparkling. “I knew we were compatible. I’m good with either, too.” He dropped his torso onto Cal’s and attacked his mouth again with relish.

After a while, he rolled to the side with a sigh and began to trace circles on Cal’s chest with his fingers. “How many men have you had here?” he asked. “Ballpark.”

“Here?” Cal asked, momentarily confused.

“On this boat. How many guys have you tempted with all the luxury?” Jack poked Cal’s chest. “I’m just curious.”

“None, actually,” Cal said.

“None? Come on.”

“None. I’m not with guys at all around here. Usually.”

Jack stared at him. “Around here?”

“Westerly. Home. I only date at school. It’s too risky here. Someone might find out, or tell my parents, and then—“ Cal frowned and closed his eyes, the familiar lick of fear inside his chest. He shook his head. “It would be bad.”

“Oh.” Jack pursed his lips together. “But you’re with me.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I guess I decided you were worth the risk.” As soon as he said it, he knew it was true, and he surged up for another kiss, wanting to wipe away the uncharacteristically uncertain look on Jack’s face.

It worked. When they broke apart, Jack was grinning again. “Was it my movie star good looks? My keen wit? My fascinating conversation style?”

“Yes, yes, and a little,” Cal said, and Jack giggled. “We should probably head back.”

“I suppose,” Jack said.

They straightened the bed, raised the shades on the windows, and then shared one last kiss on the stairs before climbing back up to the main level. Cal jumped onto the dock and, just as he had on the way in, held out a hand for Jack.

When Jack’s feet hit the deck, neither let go immediately, hanging on for a few extra seconds before releasing their grip and stepping apart.

“You hate all of this, don’t you?” Jack asked, as they made their way back to the beach club. “All of this. What did Sally call it? Posh.” He waved a hand around at the rows of boats, the swanky clubhouse with its outdoor deck full of coiffed loafer-wearing couples.

“No, I don’t hate it. Sometimes I just don’t feel like I fit, not really. Like it’s an act I’m putting on, but it’s not actually me.” Cal was surprised as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He didn’t think he’d ever articulated his thoughts on his life so clearly before.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Jack murmured. He jumped off of the wooden walkway as soon as they had passed through the gate to the beach club and scuffed his feet in the sand. “Tell me about what’s next for you. You finish Harvard, and then what?”

“Then I come back here and go to work for my father,” said Cal.

“Right. And you don’t know what you’ll be doing.”

“Well, I know what the company does. They buy and sell other companies. So I’ll be working on that, I just don’t know exactly where he’ll put me. Maybe analysis.” Cal sighed.

“You sound thrilled,” said Jack.

“I mean, it’s not what I would choose,” Cal admitted. “But it is what it is.”

“What would you choose?”

Cal stopped walking. Jack made it two steps further and turned.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

Cal shook his head and smiled. “No one has ever asked me that before.”

Jack smiled back. “Well, I’m asking.”

“I have no idea,” Cal said.

“Hmmm.” Jack cocked his head to the side. “Think about it and let me know what you come up with.”

With a shrug, Cal started walking again. “What would be the point?”

“Humor me? Just in case,” Jack said. “After all, you never know when something might be worth the risk.”

Someone shouted Jack’s name, and with one last glance at Cal, he bounded forward to meet Sally, who was waving from near the water. As Cal watched, Jack peeled his tee-shirt off and took off into the waves, laughing.

Cal waited another minute before his shirt joined Jack’s in the sand.