Summer
My reunions with Pete and Justin are lower-key. A quick kiss and a hug, since the bonfire is in full swing by the time Justin pulls himself away from the water and Pete makes it to the beach.
“Sorry,” Justin says, giving me a warm kiss while peeling off his wetsuit. “I didn’t know you were down here.”
“Don’t apologize,” I tell him. I’m making a pathetic attempt to not ogle his magnificent body while he strips. “I know you’ve missed the water and for once, we have time. There’s no rush.”
Pete arrives thirty minutes later with grease-stained hands and a dirty look for Bobby. “Dude, that last boat that was out? They got stuck on the waterway. Me and Jerry had to tow him back in.”
“Sucks. Sorry, man.” Bobby gives him an apologetic look as he tosses him a soda.
Pete looks like he wants to say more but his eyes flit over to me and his entire face softens. In an instant, he’s across the sand and hugging me, lifting my feet off the ground.
The rest of the night is spent by the flickering flames, feeling the warm heat on my bare legs and toes, and as much as I want to relax into the ease of it all, I can’t. Not fully. Navigating the boys in one place at one time will be a challenge. I don’t want to play favorites. I also don’t know how act with them in public. Are we public? Can we be in this tiny town? Do I want to be? There’s something about the secrecy of our relationship that I crave. My last relationship was a secret, too.
Maybe I’m the one with the problem.
“So, Summer,” Ivy says, her blonde hair glinting in the fire, “You looking forward to your first year of being a townie?”
“What?” I ask as everyone in the group laughs.
“Last year you were a tourist—a visitor—but this is your second year. Your mom lives here, she owns a business,” Maggie says. “I think that by association, you’re a townie now, too.”
“Well,” I say slowly, “Exactly what does that mean?”
Justin, who’s sitting next to me, grabs my hand. “It means you’ll be working and have to deal with all the tourists and their demands. The traffic.”
“Right,” Pete adds, “You’ll learn how annoying it is not to being able to get a table at the Grill or making the mistake of shopping at the Piggly Wiggly on a Saturday during check-in.”
“But,” Justin adds with light in his eyes, “the good news is that you have us.”
“And exactly how is that good news?”
“We can show you all the town’s secrets,” Nick says. “Show you where to eat. What bars to go to. What back roads to take. All the tricks us townies use to stay sane during the on-season.”
“And,” Anita says, glancing over at a sleeping Sibley, “you’ll figure out what days to just say fuck-it-all and stay in bed.”
“You guys didn’t show me all that last year?” I ask.
“Nope,” Justin says. “We weren’t sure you were going to stick.”
“And now?” My eyes skim the group but focus on the four that I need to hear from.
“I think you passed the first te
st,” Justin says, pulling me closer.
“Just the first one?”
“Oh yeah, now we’ll see if you survive the tourist season and come back. That’s when we’ll know you’re one of us.”
Him, I have no doubt about. Or Pete or Nick. Whit is the one that stares at the embers silently until his gaze pulls up and meets mine, holding it until my cheeks are hot, and not just from the fire. I still have no idea how I’m going to balance the Boys of Ocean Beach, but I sure as hell am going to try.
4
Summer
The Ocean Beach commercial district runs along the intersection of First and Ocean Drive. The center point is the large, covered pavilion that acts as the entrance to the long, wooden pier that juts into the sea. On either side are a few shops and restaurants, and more across the street. These are located in a hodgepodge of buildings, some in low, brightly colored cement buildings. Others in wooden cottages. My mother’s shop is across the street from the pavilion in a lime green cottage with white trim and a hot pink door. There’s a small front porch with rocking chairs, a porch swing, and flowering, potted plants hanging from the rafters. It’s adorable and definitely contains my mother’s personality.