That Summer: A Small Town Friends-to-Lovers Romance (That Boy Book 6) Read online

  “You make a good point,” Jennifer says.

  But I shake my head. “I agree with you in theory,” I say sympathetically, “but it’s what society—or at least, high school—dictates.”

  “Oh, wow. We’re entering the forest, I think,” Jennifer says, changing the subject. “All the trees are gorgeous.” We all turn to look at the scenery when she adds, “Eek! Now, I see what Danny was talking about. This is going to be so much fun to drive on!”

  All of a sudden, the big SUV shifts, rolling around a sharp corner before the corner curves back onto itself.

  “Look at the street signs,” Chase says with a laugh after a few twisty turns, pointing out how each one seems to be different, like someone hand-painted it to match the actual road.

  The car lurches forward, speeding up on a straightaway, only to brake hard into a corner and then turn again in the complete opposite direction.

  “This is crazy,” Chase says.

  “Um,” Haley says from the back, “could you turn up the air? It’s getting a little hot in here.”

  “Sure,” Jennifer says happily. My dad was right. She’s loving this.

  But I’ll be honest, the snacks and loose-meat ordeal aren’t sitting in my stomach all that well right now.

  Another ten minutes of twists and turns, I’m feeling a little green, and even Jennifer doesn’t seem to be having as much fun.

  “What’s that smell?” Chase says.

  “It’s Emers,” Haley groans.

  “I’m gonna be sick,” Ryder shouts. “Stop the car!”

  “There’s nowhere to go,” Jennifer yells back, her eyes frantically searching for anywhere safe to pull off.

  And that’s when I hear, Urrrp.

  Then, I smell it.

  “Ryder just puked all over the car,” I say, as if everyone didn’t already know it.

  Jennifer rolls down the windows and takes another corner way too hard.

  A half-mile later, she puts her flashers on, slows down a bit, and throws her head out the window, puking as she’s driving.

  “Oh my gosh! Stop puking! It’s coming back in my window,” Chase yells out, trying to roll up his window, only to be denied due to the childproof locks that are turned on.

  The smell of a loose-meat burger mixed with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos puke is bad enough, but throw in a poopy diaper, and I’m feeling pretty nauseous myself.

  Finally, I can’t hold it in any longer. I have no idea why I don’t turn and throw up out the passenger window or why I launch my body over Chase’s and stick my head mostly out the window next to him to puke, but that’s what I do, just as Jennifer finds a little gravel road for us to pull over on.

  I look down, noticing something else that smells bad, and realize I didn’t quite reach the window. Puke is sliding down the door next to Chase.

  I see Jadyn pull in behind us, hop out of the SUV, and rush up to the window, wet wipes in hand. Grandma Mac is right there next to her with a trash bag and a handful of ziplocks.

  “I should have given you barf bags when we left the restaurant, but I forgot,” Grandma Mac says.

  We all pile out of the car, breathing in the fresh air, but Jennifer walks over to the other side of the road and starts heaving again.

  Haley unbuckles Emersyn from her seat, hands her to her mother, and then proceeds to puke on the other side of the road. Gotta give the girl credit for holding it in for so long.

  Chase pulls me into a hug and gently rubs my back. “You okay?” he asks.

  And I instantly feel bad for telling him the truth about dating down. I should have just let him find out on his own. I did sound mean. And possibly slightly jealous.

  I know I date other guys, but Chase has always been mine.

  He’s my best friend.

  He’s my everything, no matter what guy is in the picture. And the guys I’ve dated don’t see him as a threat.

  At least, not yet.

  I get tears in my eyes and shake my head against his soft tee.

  Because he is the sweetest boy ever.

  “How’s the barf crew doing?” Damon’s voice booms.

  “Fine,” Chase says. “Hopefully, we’re almost there.”

  “Just thirty-four more miles of roads like this,” Damon says, grinning.

  He doesn’t look the least bit green, and I can tell he finds this whole thing amusing.

  Mimi joins us and starts rubbing oil on everyone’s wrists. “Ginger is good for nausea,” she explains. “We’ll switch up the cars again, take the turns smoother, and if you do start to feel your stomach roll, just hold your wrist up to your nose and take in a breath. Those of you feeling sick will want to sit in the front of the car and stare out the front window. You’ll feel better soon. I promise.”

  When we finally arrive at our destination, I glance at the clock. Our fun little three-hour road trip actually took over six hours with all our stops.

  I’ve never been so happy to get out of a car in my life.

  Thank goodness we’re going to be here for a while before we have to make the trek back home. It will probably take me that long to recover from what will forever be known as the trip from hell.

  “Let’s deal with the luggage later. How about a house tour and I’ll show everyone to their rooms?” Jadyn says, making me even more excited as everyone piles out of the cars.

  The first thing I see when I step through the front door of the house is a three-story great room with a floor-to-ceiling marble fireplace on one wall, surrounded by comfortable couches, forming a large seating area. Beyond the great room is a dining room table that looks to seat twenty in front of a wall of modern black-framed windows. We all walk straight to the windows and take in the view of the sparkling lake.

  “Look at this deck!” Mimi gushes. “It’s huge! What a wonderful place to have breakfast every morning.”

  Jadyn hits a button by the door, causing hidden wall-sized screens to roll down, closing off the area. “And no mosquitoes.”

  Jadyn continues to point out features. “From here, you can obviously see the lake, the dock, boathouse, pool, hot tub, firepit, and lots of outdoor living space. And if you look over to your left, see those cabins? Those are full guest cottages. The grandparents each get one of their own. Why don’t you go check them out and get settled? The lock code for anything on this property is 5-2-5-2.”

  The grandparents head outside, looking happy to have their own space.

  Jadyn then shows my dad and Jennifer their first-floor suite, which even features an adjoining nursery for Weston and a spectacular bath.

  Jadyn tells us she and Phillip will be in a similar suite on the same floor and then points to a grand staircase. “Let’s go upstairs, kids. You can choose any room you want, but I’ll show you the rooms I think you will like best.”

  We go up not one, but two flights of stairs and then down a hall.

  “This is the kid zone,” she says. “Ryder and Madden, I thought you might like to sleep here. Go on through that door.”

  The boys barrel through it, along with both dogs, who I didn’t realize had followed us up the stairs.

  “We want this room!” they both scream upon seeing the bunk room designed to look like a tree house.

  While they scramble up the beds, Angel jumps on a lower bunk, curls into a ball, and goes to sleep.

  I think the car ride wore her out, too.

  Winger, however, is now making her way unsteadily across a rope bridge to the bunk where Madden is lying down. The original Angel, who passed away, was Chase’s best friend. Winger loves Madden the best and rarely leaves his side.

  “I kinda wanna stay here, too,” Chase says. “It’s so cool.”

  “Me, too,” Damon agrees.

  “I have something better for all of you,” Jadyn says, leading us back down the stairs to the second floor. She goes to the first door on the right and points. “Haley, why don’t you see if this will work for you?”

  We step into a gorgeous pale pink–walled room. Sweeping views of the lake are framed by pink floral curtains.

  “I have my own balcony?” Haley says, rushing to the French doors. “This place is so Instagram-worthy.”

  “Wait until you see your private bathroom,” her mother says, causing Haley to rush back through another door.

  I don’t go in there, but I can tell by her happy screeches that she might not come out for a while.

  “Dani,” Jadyn says, leading me and the boys out of the room and to the first door on the left, “I thought you’d like this one. I will admit, I actually designed it with you in mind. Tripp has nieces about your age.”

  One step inside, and I know she’s telling the truth. This is even prettier than my room at home. Totally luxurious bathroom, grand canopy bed, and a balcony with an incredible view.

  “Thank you,” I say. “It’s perfect.”

  “What about Chase and me?” Damon asks. “Are we up here, too?”

  “I have something else in mind for you boys.” She turns to me. “Dani, I considered putting you with Chase and your brother, but I thought you might prefer something more luxe. But you can stay in whichever room you want.” She steps out onto the balcony with the three of us following her. “See the boathouse, down there by the water?”

  “Yeah,” Damon says.

  “It’s a playhouse of sorts, too. Just for people too old for the tree house. Why don’t you go see if you’d like to stay there? If not, you can pick any other room. There are plenty to choose from.”

  Damon grabs Chase’s wrist, and Chase grabs mine, saying, “Come on. Let’s go!”

  We rush downstairs, outside, across the pool deck and grassy area, and to the boathouse.

  “This is sick!” Damon says, his eyes going wide.
r />   The boathouse has a deep-covered porch with hanging swings and red Adirondack chairs. The walls of the first floor are glass garage doors that I’m assuming open the whole thing up, and inside, I spot a pool table, foosball, ping-pong, shuffleboard, bar, and big screen TV.

  Jadyn enters the code on the door and then steps inside, turning on the lights and opening the doors with one switch. “Tripp wanted an area for relaxing after a hard day of fishing, skiing, and swimming,” she tells us. “I imagine that the whole family will spend a lot of time here before dinner, having appetizers and drinks. There’s cornhole, horseshoes, and washers just outside. Upstairs are three bedroom suites and another bunk room. Take your pick.”

  “So, this is what it’s like to be a billionaire?” I ask in awe. “I haven’t even seen the whole place yet,” I say to Jadyn, “but I bet Tripp is thrilled with your design.”

  “He is. His family reunion was held here in May, and he said it was their best one ever. Mostly because there are so many large gathering spaces, yet there are rooms that fit everyone’s needs. What did you decide? You like the boathouse?”

  “It’s super cool, but I think I’ll go with the room you showed me upstairs.”

  “Awesome. I’m going to head back up to the house. Chase, Damon, why don’t you come with me and help get the luggage to all the rooms? Then, you are free to do whatever you want. The kitchens in both the house and the boathouse are already stocked if you need a snack, and we’ll plan on meeting in the backyard at five to kick off the official start of our vacation.”

  I go to my room, take a shower to wash away the car ride, put on the fluffy robe that was hanging on a hook, wrap my head in a towel, and go sit out on the balcony for a moment.

  I’m surprised to see all sorts of activity on the back lawn. A crew appears to be setting up dining tables and a buffet. I glance at my watch, seeing it’s already four forty, and realize I’d better get ready and get down there.

  A few minutes before five, Haley knocks on my door, letting herself in and calling out, “Looks like a party tonight. What are you wearing?”

  “High-waisted chambray flutter miniskirt and a pastel-striped tube top. What about you?” I yell from the bathroom, where I’m currently putting the outfit on.

  “A pink floral minidress, is what I planned, but then I saw the red-and-white checkerboard tablecloths and am thinking of switching to a navy top and nautical-style shorts with brass buttons.”

  “That sounds cute,” I say, zipping up the skirt and fluffing my hair one last time before joining her in my bedroom.

  “You look gorgeous. We’ll have to take some cute photos together and post them.” She looks down at the phone in her hand. “No one has taken it away yet. What about you?”

  I shake my head. My phone is lying on the bathroom counter, and I’ve been texting Hunter, who keeps asking for a photo of me in the shower.

  Like I’d ever be stupid enough to do that. It would end up plastered across the boys’ locker room, and my father would kill me, if the embarrassment hadn’t already done so first.

  “Hmm,” she says. “I can’t decide if I should take it with me. Do you think they forgot? Or weren’t serious?”

  “I’m not sure. Your mom doesn’t usually say stuff she doesn’t mean.”

  Haley sighs as she heads out my door. “I’ll go change. Meet you out there.”

  I make my way down the stairs and explore the walkout basement, discovering it includes another game and family room, more bedrooms, a temperature-controlled wine cellar with space to hold intimate dinners or larger tastings, a bowling alley, an indoor basketball court, a sauna, home spa, a gym, and a movie theater, complete with a concession stand.

  I’m now kind of hoping for a few rainy days here.

  Outside, I find the family gathered on the lawn. A cute college-aged server is quickly at my side, offering me a flute of champagne.

  It appears I arrived just in time.

  “All right, everyone,” my dad says, “as we discussed earlier, this is going to be the best vacation of your life. There is a box sitting on the kitchen island. All your electronic devices are to be placed in it before you go to bed, and they will be returned to you for the trip back.”

  He turns to Phillip, who is standing next to him.

  Phillip says, “We thought we’d start off our time here with a celebration. The way we always have done—with fried chicken and champagne. So, everyone, raise your glasses in the air.”

  “Here’s to the good life!” my dad toasts.

  “And all the fixings,” Phillip adds.

  I take a drink, expecting to find sparkling cider but am surprised to discover a really good champagne on my tongue.

  Chase and Damon must have been served the same as me because they raise their eyebrows, my brother grinning and saying, “This trip is going to be badass.”

  Wednesday, July 15th

  Let her lips do the talking.

  I wake up to Chase sliding into my bed and wrapping his arms around me. I roll toward him and snuggle up, my face on his shoulder, my nose against his neck.

  I breathe in his familiar smell, a scent that has always been crisp and sweet, like an apple, but has changed slightly over the years. Now, his neck reminds me of a warm fall day spent at the orchard, where you pick an apple fresh from a tree, cut it into slices, and then dip it in warm cinnamon caramel.

  “Do you want to go fishing this morning?” he asks.

  “I’d rather stay here and sleep,” I murmur.

  “You’ll miss the sunrise, and it’s supposed to be breathtaking. Grandpa Mac seemed pretty excited about it.”

  “How do you even know he’s going fishing this morning?” I grumble. I’m not much of a morning person.

  “He put it on the schedule board.”

  “I thought this vacation was supposed to be all about no schedules.”

  “It is. Weren’t you listening when my mom showed us the bulletin board in the laundry room?”

  He moves his hand up to gently stroke my hair. I just sigh in response.

  “Mom said if we want to sit up in our rooms all day by ourselves and read, we can. But if we’re open to someone joining in on an activity, then we put it on the board. The board is already filled with fun stuff. Like Mom has a spa afternoon planned, so if you want to go, you sign up on the board, and she’ll make your appointments. Jennifer and Haley have a shopping day listed. Your dad put horseshoes on there for every night before dinner. That kind of thing.”

  “I just want to go back with a killer tan.”

  “That isn’t all you want,” he says, his voice deep and sounding much older than his almost sixteen years. It causes me to consider all the possible things I could want when it comes to Chase Mackenzie.

  “What else do I want?” I finally ask since I have no idea what he’s referring to.

  “You want me to take the fish you catch off the hook and let them go, and you want me to make you chocolate chip pancakes when we get back.”

  “What time is it anyway?” I ask, trying not to wake fully.

  I know I’m going to get up and go with him if that’s what he wants. Sometimes, I think I’d follow him to the ends of the earth. Other times, I feel the need to get far away from him.

  And sometimes, I curse the fates that we weren’t born at different times. That he wasn’t best friends with my little brother. That he was older than me, so I could date him.

  Of course, I’d probably screw that up and ruin our friendship. And honestly, I don’t know what I’d ever do without him in my life. He’s like a pillar of strength that I cling to while at the same time knowing I need to forge my own path to become a strong, independent woman.

  My mom says a man’s role in your life is not to take care of you. That you should never depend on one because it takes away your choices in life. That you should be with someone, marry someone, only when it suits you. Only when they add value to your life. I used to think by value, she meant money, but after her divorce from my dad and her independent wealth, I think she meant companionship—and mostly, sex. Personally, I don’t find Richard attractive. He’s a nice enough guy, and he seems very into my mom. And I think that’s all she wants—to be worshipped. And if he ever stops, she’ll be out of the relationship in an instant.