“What?” I panic.
“You look amazing. Iz, check it out.”
Isabel glances up from the magazine, eyes raking over me. “Looks hot.”
“Justin will love it. Trust me.”
I fidget with the ties at my hip. “Justin?”
“I saw you with him at The Camp. You guys are dating, right?”
And here’s the other side of small town life. Everyone knows your name. And your business.
“We’re close,” is all I’ll admit.
A snort travels across the shop. Jessica rolls her eyes. “Ignore her—she’s immature.” Her expression softens. “Look, I’m not trying to be nosy. I’m just stating a fact. You look bangin’ in that suit and whoever you’re dating will love it.”
I know she?
?s right and the suit is comfortable. It’s not like I’m buying it for the guys, anyway. It’s a necessity. I live here now. I need a bathing suit. Maybe two.
“So what are they like,” Isabel asks, when I get to the checkout.
I look down at the two suits. “Comfortable?”
“No,” she says, dark hair hanging in her eyes. “The boys.”
“What boys?” Yep. I can play dumb. You don’t have a secret teacher boyfriend for a year and not learn how to keep a straight face.
Her dark eyes flick up at mine. She wears a lot of eyeliner. There’s no doubt she knows I’m lying. “Justin and his friends, the Boys of Ocean Beach.”
“Oh well, they’re pretty great.”
“Your mom dates Justin’s uncle, right?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“So that’s how you met him…through family.”
I think about the first time I saw Justin on the highway when our car died, and then the second when he turned off my water when he was helping Ms. Dorothy. “I guess.”
“Justin’s nice,” Jessica says in a more even tone. “My dad has a boat and he always helps us.”
“What about Whit?” Isabel asks, handing over a receipt for me to sign. “Does he ever hang around?”
“Sure. I mean, he’s Justin’s roommate.” And my other boyfriend, I don’t add.
The girls exchange a look while I scribble my name.
“Lucky,” Jessica says with a quick smile. “Whit’s super-hot. Isabel’s had a crush on him forever, well now that she’s over her crush on Nick.”
“Jess—shut it!” Isabel loses her cool composure and jabs the other girl with her elbow. “Do you want me to tell her about your Pete fantasies from eighth grade? Because I can.”
They stare at one another for a minute.
“It’s okay, you’re right, they’re all really cute,” I say, at first trying to calm the tension, but then I can’t stop. “They’re also fun and smart. Whit is gorgeous and Nick is passionate and Pete is so smart.”
Their eyes widen. “Doesn’t Justin care that you feel that way about his friends?”