The Shore Page 8

  “Isn’t that something you’d usually check on during the day?” Sabrina asked, stressing the last three words.

  “Everything’s fine, Fred, why don’t you join us?” Polly asked, instantly prompting groans from some of the others. Polly looked around, a surprised expression on her face. Avery was quick to give her a reassuring nod, as if to let her know she’d done the right thing.

  Fred sat down so eagerly that it was clear he’d been hoping for an invite. Polly piled a plate with food for him.

  “I gotta go get some practice time in with the band,” Curt said, getting up.

  “Now?” Avery asked, disappointed.

  “Yeah. I told you we didn’t get enough rehearsal time before. I said I’d try again later,” he said, pecking her cheek. “Well, now’s later.”

  Avery felt sad as she watched him go. I hope it isn’t going to be like this all summer. Just when we start to relax and have fun, he rushes off.

  The group ate dinner and chatted. Most of them ignored Fred. Avery was sorry to see that even Polly tried to avoid him, as if she was worried about what the others would think. After a while, Avery stood up and wandered away from the fire. A light breeze was coming off the ocean. It ruffled her hair, and she tasted the salt on her lips. She walked along the edge of the water plunging her bare feet into the cool wet sand. The night sky was awash with stars. She liked it here, but it would have been nicer with Curt by her side.

  By the time she returned, the fire had burned down to a small heap of glowing red ashes. Without the flames, it was hard to see. People were just dark silhouettes. Familiar voices drifted her way, and out of the corner of her eye she recognized Owen and Sabrina sitting several yards down the beach. Numerous empty beer bottles were stuck in the sand around Owen.

  “I just don’t want to end up like my father,” he was saying in a slurred voice.

  “Why are you telling me this?” Sabrina asked a little impatiently.

  “I’m just trying to tell you . . . I like you.” Owen sounded vulnerable . . . and drunk.

  “Oh, come on, why bother?” Sabrina asked. “There are three other girls in the house and a few thousand more staying up and down the beach. I really don’t care what you’re trying to prove. I’m not going to be your test subject, or girlfriend or whatever. Got it?” Sabrina said, her tone harsh.

  Avery found herself wincing for Owen’s sake.

  “Oh yeah, loud and clear,” Owen said.

  They both stood up and moved off in opposite directions, Owen staggering back toward the remains of the fire and digging around for another beer.

  “Hey!” a girl yelled. It sounded like April.

  “Back off!” Owen growled.

  “You’ll burn yourself!”

  Suddenly Owen was out of control, stumbling and careening around the fire. April and Lucas had hold of his arms and were trying to keep him from falling headfirst into the red-hot coals. Fred and Polly watched with wary expressions.

  “Calm down,” Lucas was saying. “You’re a little out of it, man.”

  “What do you know?” he grunted. “You don’t know anything about me!”

  In the midst of the struggle, the sounds of voices and laughter came from up the beach. The smell of cigarette smoke was suddenly in the air. Avery turned and saw silhouettes and the red embers of cigarettes glowing in the night. A group of guys was approaching. The leader wore a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar and a yellow polo shirt underneath. It was Martin, the football player who’d hit on her the night before.

  “Yo, Owen!” Martin said. “Whassup?”

  Owen stopped staggering. “Martin, dude! Take me away.”

  “Away we go.”

  Owen staggered toward his friends. They clapped him on the back and welcomed him into the group, then headed off in the dark.

  “I hate those kinds of guys,” April muttered.

  But the good news was that Polly and Fred had drawn near each other. Fred whispered something to Polly that made her laugh. Avery smiled, glad that someone was still having a good time.

  “Guess it’s time to clean up,” Lucas said, and started to shake out the beach blankets. Avery started picking up plates, and April, Fred, and Polly joined in. Sabrina followed, carrying some forks. They were all a little smashed—not as bad as Owen, but enough that no one could quite make the trip back to the house in a straight line.

  A few moments later, in the kitchen, they dumped the stuff on the counter. Fred started to roll up his sleeves.

  “You don’t have to help,” said Sabrina, who leaned against the counter and watched while the others started to clean up.

  “I want to,” said Fred.

  “You’re our landlord,” she said. “Remember?”

  For a second it almost appeared that Fred had forgotten. Now he straightened up. “Yes, of course. Well, thanks for dinner.”

  He left. Avery glanced at Polly and saw the corners of her mouth turn down.

  “I really don’t get that guy,” Sabrina said. “I mean, you almost get the feeling he’s a landlord because it’s the only way he can find friends. What a loser.”

  No one else commented. They neither agreed, nor dared to disagree. Lucas positioned himself in front of the sink and started to wash the dishes.

  “There’s no dishwasher?” April asked, surprised.

  Avery hadn’t looked before; she just assumed there was one. Didn’t every house have a dishwasher these days?

  “I’m too tired to clean up.” Sabrina yawned.

  Avery didn’t believe her, and from the expressions of the others, she was pretty sure that no one else did either. But she wasn’t in the mood to deal with Sabrina’s attitude. Instead she said, “That’s okay, we’ve got it this time,” making sure to place emphasis on the last two words. Next to her, April snickered slightly, but no one said anything more.

  Even with all four of them washing, it seemed to take a long time to clean up. Maybe because they were all a little unsteady. Avery was glad that Lucas was pitching in. She really didn’t want to think of him as a slacker. “We should get paper plates if we’re going to do this again,” she said.

  “Or at least have Polly talk Fred into buying a dishwasher for this place,” April added.

  “Why me?” Polly asked.

  “Because Fred’s got a thing for you,” April said. Lucas’s eyes met Avery’s and he smiled.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Polly protested, but Avery thought she detected just the slightest hint of pleasure on the girl’s face.

  “Does so,” April said.

  Polly gave Lucas and Avery a quizzical look.

  “She could be right,” Lucas said.

  “It’s a compliment,” Avery said. “After all, before you showed up, he had his eye on Sabrina.”

  Polly looked somewhat dismayed. “Oh, great, the guy who everyone else thinks is a dork.”

  Avery knew right away that Polly was fishing for a protest. “He’s not a dork, and, anyway it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

  “Up to a point,” said April, who probably didn’t realize how Polly felt.

  “I’d be nicer if I were you,” Lucas teased April. “Otherwise, no dishwasher.”

  “You’re right!” April pretended to gasp. “It’ll be paper plates for the rest of the summer.”

  “I’ll write them on the list,” Avery offered with a wink.

  After that they grew quiet and concentrated on the dishes. Avery wished that Curt hadn’t left. She’d had such high hopes for this summer, but they were mostly based on Curt not running off to be with the band all the time. Besides, despite all the tensions from earlier in the evening, the wine coolers had left her feeling kind of warm and fuzzy and in the mood for something physical.

  Finally, the dishes were done. Lucas turned off the water after handing the last plate to April to dry.

  “It’s a good thing this is the last dish,” April said. “I’m tired. I’m going upstairs.”

  “S
leep tight.” Avery waved.

  “Nice doing dishes with you,” Lucas joked.

  “I’m going to bed too,” Polly said with a yawn. “See you in the morning.”

  A minute later Avery and Lucas were alone in the kitchen. She hopped up on one of the counters, not feeling at all tired. “That seemed to go well. I mean, except for Owen.”

  “Yeah.” Lucas leaned against the opposite countertop.

  He’d changed into a white T-shirt and khaki shorts. “I’m glad we got together.”

  They exchanged smiles. Avery had a fleeting image of Curt rehearsing with his band. Should she have gone with him, to be supportive? The truth was, she’d rather be here. She glanced again at Lucas. The dreadlocks were a shock the first time you saw them, but it didn’t take long to get used to them. And there was something sexy about the contrast of his light-colored shirt and shorts against his tan.

  “Just graduate high school?” Lucas asked.

  Avery blinked and realized she’d been drifting. “Yes,” she answered. “You?”

  He nodded.

  “College in the fall?” she asked.

  “I . . . guess.” Lucas seemed to hesitate.

  “Where?”

  “Not sure yet. How about you?”

  “I’ll be going to a JC,” she said. “There aren’t any four-year schools close enough that I can commute to. If I start out at a JC, I can still be close to Curt.”

  “You two been together long?”

  “A couple of years.”

  “The two of you could go away to college together.”

  “Curt go to college?” She laughed, and in so doing, leaned back and hit her head hard on the edge of the cabinets. “Ouch!” she said, her hand flying to her head.

  Lucas stepped toward her. “Here, let me take a look,” he said.

  “No, I’m fine. I just bumped it,” she said.

  “Some bump,” he said. “You hit the cabinet so hard, I’m surprised the whole thing didn’t fall down. I better take a look. Besides, I used to be a lifeguard. I’m trained to look for dangerous bumps and bruises.”

  And just like that, his hands were on her head, gently parting her hair. Their faces were only inches apart. Avery’s heart suddenly began to pound, and she licked her dry lips. She imagined him taking her in his arms and kissing her. It was just an idle thought, but she wanted him to do it.

  “So you’re not sure if you’re going to college, or is it where?” she asked, trying to focus on something else. His touch was almost a caress. This wasn’t supposed to be happening, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to stop.

  “Depends on who decides,” Lucas said. “If my parents have any say in it, the if and where are already a done deal.”

  His hands found the place where she had hit her head, and she winced. “You don’t sound too excited.”

  “Let’s just say I’d rather forge my own path, and I’m not sure college fits into my plans right now.”

  “And working for Habitat for Humanity does?” she said.

  Lucas’s eyebrows rose. His eyes met hers. Clearly Avery had caught him off guard. “How do you know about that?”

  “I saw you while I was shopping with Polly,” Avery said. “Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s cool that you’re trying to help out.”

  “Thanks.” Once again he moved his fingers softly through her hair as if reluctant to let go. “Everything looks okay here. The skin isn’t broken or anything.”

  He started to pull his hand away, but she didn’t want him to. As if it had a will of its own, her hand reached up and grabbed his wrist, holding him close. They stared into each other’s eyes, then Lucas’s lips began to move toward hers.

  Before either of them could move or say anything more, the front door opened and Curt entered.

  • • •

  Lucas was fully aware that he’d kept his fingers in Avery’s hair longer than necessary. He was aware that if Curt hadn’t come in just then, he would have kissed her. He’d wanted to touch her since he’d first seen her the day before. The words “soft” and “pretty” described both the girl and her hair, and he had to remind himself that he already had enough on his mind this summer without having the headache of messing with another guy’s girlfriend.

  And yet . . . there was something about her.

  Almost irresistible.

  At the sound of the door opening, Lucas backed quickly away from Avery. Avery slid off the counter and went to greet her boyfriend. Lucas wasn’t sure what Curt had seen, and now he saw a suspicious look in Curt’s eye and braced himself. But Curt’s attention went to his girlfriend, and Lucas felt a strange mixture of relief and jealousy as the handsome scraggly rocker took Avery in his arms and gave her a hug.

  “So what’s up?” Curt asked.

  “Just talking,” Avery said brightly, as if she too was relieved that he hadn’t noticed how close she and Lucas had come. “Did you have a good rehearsal?”

  Curt’s eyes lit up. “Great news. Darek got us a gig. One of those sunset concerts in the park. It’s free, but it’s the kind of exposure we need.”

  “Curt, that’s awesome,” she said, flinging her arms around his neck. Lucas turned away, thinking back to what she’d said about Habitat for Humanity. So she’d seen him while shopping.

  “When’s the show?” Avery was asking Curt.

  “Two weeks.”

  “See, I knew good things would happen here,” she said.

  Lucas knew it was time to leave them alone. “That’s awesome, bro,” he said, offering Curt his hand. As Curt shook it, his eyes hardened slightly. “Thanks.”

  Lucas crossed the living room and headed for his room. He’d made a mistake, but fortunately it was a small one. Just the same, he wouldn’t make it again.

  Four

  Polly checked her watch while she waited for Avery at the bottom of the stairs. It had been two weeks since she’d helped get Avery a job at The Seashell Restaurant. And every morning it was the same thing: Polly always up early and waiting. She knew she wasn’t waking early because she was so eager to go to work. It was Avery she was eager to see. Avery, who was the nicest and sweetest friend she’d ever had.

  I’ll give her another five minutes, then I’ll knock on her door, she thought, just as she did every morning. The minutes ticked by. Just as she was about to start up the stairs, Avery’s door opened and she came out, closing it behind her.

  Polly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to be responsible for waking up Curt. That was definitely not her idea of fun.

  “Am I late?” Avery said.

  “No,” Polly answered.

  They smiled at each other. It had become a routine, a private joke they shared. As Avery came quietly down the stairs she glanced over at one of the sofas and saw something that was not routine. “He been there all night?”

  Polly turned. Owen was sprawled on a couch. She hadn’t noticed him before. Then again, she hadn’t seen much of him recently. He was out partying every night and, she suspected, not always home in the morning. His clothes were badly wrinkled and stained in a few places. He was unshaven and a mess, and had drooled onto the couch. Polly winced. “Do you think we should wake him?”

  Avery shook her head as she headed for the front door. “Best to just let him sleep it off.”

  “We’ve lived in the same house for two weeks and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him sober after three in the afternoon,” Polly said as she and Avery left the house and stepped out into the morning sunlight. “You think he’s an alcoholic?”

  “I hope not,” Avery said.

  A minute later they were walking down the beach, their shoes tucked into their tote bags. The sand squished between Polly’s toes in a pleasing way. It was just after ten, and the beach was starting to fill up with families under the brightly colored umbrellas.

  As usual when they walked to work, Polly dropped her eyes to the sand, searching for shells. She had only found one really good one, so far
—it was the size of a baseball and black with gold streaks—and she kept it in a place of honor on her dresser in between a picture of her parents and another one of her grandparents.

  “You’re quiet today,” Avery said, interrupting her thoughts.

  Polly looked up quickly. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s cool, you’re just usually more talkative. Everything okay?”

  “Fine,” Polly lied. In reality, things were far from fine. Every day all around her it seemed like everyone else was partying, hooking up, and even getting into relationships. Why can’t I just meet a nice guy?

  “How’s the man-hunt going?” Avery asked with a grin.

  Polly blushed, surprised that Avery had seemed to read her mind. “Not as well as I’d like,” she admitted.

  “What about Fred? He likes you.”

  “But nobody likes him,” said Polly.

  “That’s not true,” Avery said. “Just a few big mouths in our house.”

  “Yeah, but I have to live with them,” Polly said. And, anyway, she didn’t want to talk about it, and the best way was to change the subject. “What about you?”

  “Me?” Avery asked, caught by surprise. “I’m with Curt.”

  “You never wonder about other guys?” Polly asked.

  “Who?” Avery asked.

  “Anthony?”

  “Our manager Anthony?” Avery asked bewildered. He was the manager of The Seashell and therefore her boss.

  “Yeah, he’s gorgeous, and I think he likes you.”

  Avery laughed. “No way.”

  “Come on, even I’m not that naive,” Polly said. “He’s so obviously into you. Why else would he tell you that you were too pretty to be a waitress and make you the hostess?”

  “Uh, maybe because he saw immediately that I’d make a terrible waitress and he couldn’t think of anything else for me to do?” Avery said.

  “Nice try, Ave,” Polly scoffed. “You’re not that naive either. Now don’t make a big deal about it. It’s not your fault you’re beautiful and men fawn over you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Which part?” Polly asked. “That you’re beautiful, or that men can’t help fawning over you?”