“It’s freezing,” I say. “And scary.”
“Summer, I’m not going to let anything happen, okay? None of us are going to let anything bad happen to you. Never again.”
I believe he means the words he is saying, but I look at the endless dark water around us. Anything could be lurking under the surface, but instead of sharks or sea monsters, I see the smiling faces of the boys I’ve come to love. A piece of the fear breaks off and drifts away.
Until something brushes against my foot and I yelp.
“What about shar—,” I start to argue but he stops me with his lips, kissing me, as he walks in a bit further. Once he gets deep enough he sinks in so the water is up to our necks.
“You can’t just kiss me every time I freak out.”
“No?”
“No, because, oh my god,” I squeal. “Something just touched my fo—" Again his mouth is on mine and as much as I want to fight him, his method of distraction is very effective. I relax into his kiss and the feel of his body next to mine as we float in the water.
“See? Not so bad.” His hands wander, slipping beneath the bikini strap across my back.
“It’s horrible,” I say, but there isn’t an ounce of conviction in my voice. A burning heat spreads through my belly and I no longer care that we’re in the ocean, surrounded by sea creatures and other scary things. Splashing catches my attention and Pete’s dark hair bobs above the surface. Whit swims around me, fingers grazing my neck with the kind of heat that can’t be mistaken as a sea creature.
“You made it,” Nick says, smiling in his easy way. He never had any doubt.
“You’re kind of magic, you know.”
“Who?” Justin asks. “Us?”
“Yes.” I splash him in the face and he grips both my wrists with his hands. “You’re fearless. And determined. You know just how to make me feel comfortable, and you put your family and friends first—even when it’s the harder choice.”
“It’s not a choice, Summer,” Justin says.
Pete nods. “We spent years thinking we needed out of this place—that it was a trap we couldn’t leave. But now I know that’s not true. It’s the place where the world begins and ends. Anything can happen.”
“So what does that mean?” I look around them. “You’re not quitting school, are you?”
“It means that right now we’ll get our education and figure out how to bring that knowledge back to Ocean Beach to make it a better place,” Nick says. “This is our home and we’re blessed.”
We rise up and down as a wave comes, and four sets of hands brace me. “You’ve already managed the impossible, getting me out here.”
“Never underestimate the power of four determined men from the South, Summer Barnes. We’ll make this work,” Whit says, smiling in a way that melts my bones, “and if we don’t, we’ll have fun trying.”
Chapter 23
“You’ll never believe who called me.”
“Who?”
“Darlene!” my mother shouts, bursting into the camper. She’s very excited. I’m just not sure why.
“Didn’t we already talk to her?” A lot of things about the summer are a bit of a blur, but I’m pretty sure I remember talking to Darlene about her psychopath uncle.
“Yes, but she called me again and this time I met with her and her mother—direct family contact.”
“That’s great. Did she tell you anything new?”
“Yes, and she showed me some photos no one had seen or published before. Plus, she was at his execution.”
“Oh, that’s…great.”
“It really is. Eyewitness reports can’t be beat. She was really excited about helping with the process. I think it will make the book that much better.”