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

  Chase must think I fell back asleep because he slowly untangles himself from me, trying to get out of bed.

  “I’ll go,” I say, popping my head up.

  He glances at his watch. “We have seven minutes to meet them.”

  I jump out of bed, grab a bikini, and run into the bathroom, where I brush my teeth, wash my face, pee, and get dressed.

  Chase is sprawled across my bed when I come back out.

  “New swimsuit?” he asks, his eyes gliding down my body and making me feel naked.

  “Yeah,” I say, searching for a cover-up. Why do I feel like this? Usually, I strut around in a bikini. I work hard on my body and know I look good in one.

  Chase leans off the side of the bed, picks up a shirt, and tosses it at me. “I brought you a proper fishing shirt. It will protect you from the sun. I know you want a tan, but you don’t want to get fried on your first morning out.”

  I pull it over my head. The sleeves are too long and need to be pushed up. The shoulder seams fall over my arms, and it’s long enough to hit me mid-thigh.

  “Is this your dad’s shirt? It’s huge on me.”

  Chase gets up off the bed, and just like when he got out of the car the other day, I notice again how much he’s grown over the past year. His chest is broader, his body taller, his muscles visible under what I now realize is a shirt just exactly like the one I have on, just a different color.

  “No, silly,” he says. “It’s mine.”

  He grabs my sunglasses from the nightstand and hands them to me as I slide my feet into a pair of flip-flops.

  It’s still dark when we get outside and walk down the hill, and I’m surprised to discover we’re not the only ones up. Besides Papa and Grandpa Mac, there’s Ryder, Madden, and even Jennifer.

  We grab our life jackets, help the younger kids put theirs on, choose fishing poles, and get in the boat.

  By the time we motor out to the lake, dawn is upon us, those little rays of light brightening the sky and peeking over the hills even though the sun isn’t yet visible.

  “This is the spot where the fish are supposed to be biting,” Grandpa Mac says, idling the boat and then letting it glide to a halt before throwing out the anchor.

  Everyone starts to prepare their lines, going through Papa’s enormous tackle box for the perfect lure to catch the biggest fish.

  I stay in the back of the boat with Jennifer.

  “It’s so peaceful,” she says. “I’ve always loved the sunrise.”

  “That surprises me,” I tell her. Jennifer seems more like a sunset girl.

  “Years of early morning call times on set, I suppose.”

  “Do you miss it?” I ask her, wondering if it was worth leaving LA and moving to Kansas City for my dad.

  “Not as much as I thought I would,” she says sincerely. “I enjoy the slower pace of life here.” She breaks out in laughter, only to get shushed by Ryder, who tells her she will scare off the fish.

  “I lied. I don’t know if the pace in Kansas City is slower. You kids are constantly on the move, and my schedule is still busy when we’re filming. Throw a baby into the mix, and it’s a little crazy. But I’m happy. And in love. So, it feels amazing.”

  “Do you fish?” I ask her.

  “I did with my dad when I was a kid. I grew up in a small town, and there was a lake within walking distance. It was a place I often escaped to.”

  Then, she says, “Oh, look,” pointing toward the sky just as the brilliant golden sun peeks over the horizon and brings with it a barrage of fiery colors.

  Chase sits down next to me, handing me a pole, all ready to go. “Worth getting up for?” he asks.

  To which Jennifer and I respond with a happy, “Absolutely.”

  We fish for a few hours with me not getting a single bite, so I decide to go up on the front of the boat and lay out.

  I am surprised when Chase joins me.

  “You giving up?” I tease even though he’s already caught three fish big enough to eat.

  “Yeah, well, I have to leave some fish for everyone else,” he quips.

  He pulls up the hem of his shirt.

  He does it without thought, and normally, I wouldn’t think twice about it either. And maybe it’s because of the sunrise, but today, I’m noticing details. Like the first sliver of his flat stomach, followed by a teeny trail of hair leading to his shorts, which are slung so low on his hips that they are practically indecent. The shirt slips across a stack of ab muscles, up to a broad chest. His biceps flex as the shirt moves over his head.

  Once the shirt is stripped free of his body, he rolls it into a ball, puts it under his head to use as a pillow, and lies back on it.

  “Doesn’t the warm sun feel good on your skin?” he asks me.

  “Yeah,” I say, knowing it’s not the sun that has me feeling heated.

  I sigh and think about Hunter. I’m nervous that regardless of all the promises he made me, this trip could cause us to be over before we ever really started.

  And then I wonder why I even care.

  Chase is right. Hunter is kind of an ass. But he’s a hot ass. And I’ve crushed on him for a long time, and then the crush, even though I had moved on, was suddenly there in front of me. I feel almost honored, like my seventh-grade self has finally won the boy.

  I turn my head and glance at Chase, only to find him staring at me.

  “I don’t have any pennies with me,” he says, and I can’t help but smile.

  When we were kids, we heard the saying, A penny for your thoughts, and took it literally—Chase always giving me pennies from his pocket when he wanted me to tell him how I really felt about something.

  Everything about him is familiar, and I can’t decide if that’s good or bad. If it makes it more exciting because he knows me so well or less exciting because, well, he knows me so well. Too well sometimes.

  “I was thinking about Hunter,” I say, skipping over the thoughts I was having about Chase.

  “Miss him already?”

  “Actually, I was thinking being gone for so long and not getting to text him will be the end of us.”

  “I heard he’s only talking to you now.”

  “Yeah, and it’s hard to ignore all the gossip.”

  “You think he’s just trying to make Taylor jealous?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, either way, you deserve a guy who is willing to wait for you.”

  He moves his fingers slightly, so they brush gently against mine, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s talking about himself.

  Even though he probably has his pick of girls, he says he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.

  But he seems to have plenty of time for goofing off and playing video games with my brother.

  And he always has time for me. Even if it’s in the middle of the night.

  “I know,” I reply with a sigh.

  He doesn’t say anything else.

  We just lie side by side on the boat with our fingers barely touching, half-asleep until the boat starts for our ride back to the house.

  When we get back, Chase does as planned and makes pancakes.

  It seems everyone ends up in the kitchen. Chase does make good pancakes.

  Jennifer loves when my dad cooks for us. She says there’s something sexy about it. And I will admit, I get it. Maybe because cooking has traditionally been a woman’s role.

  My dad joins us with Weston on his hip, causing Jennifer to get a huge grin on her face—one reserved for the people who make her the happiest.

  And I hope to someday look at someone like that.

  Once the pancakes are all served to everyone else, Chase and I finally get to eat ours, which we take out onto the deck after his mother offers to clean up since he cooked.

  “Got any big plans for today after this?” I ask him.

  “Not really. We should go check the board and see what everyone else is doing. And we should make some plans of our own, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah,” I reply, taking a bite of pancake and letting the gooey chocolate melt in my mouth. “These are so good.”

  Chase gives me a smile, and then we eat in a comfortable silence. Well, sort of silence. I can hear Weston wailing from inside the house, and Madden and Ryder are running off the dock and then screaming in delight before they hit the water, causing our dads to laugh.

  I watch as my dad says something to Phillip, and then they move to the back of the dock. Then, they both take off running and cannonball into the lake, splashing the boys.

  “They’re crazy,” Chase says.

  “But fun. Do you want to go join them?”

  He rubs his flat stomach. “You know, they say you shouldn’t swim for an hour after you eat.”

  He’s inhaled a stack of pancakes, a bowl of fruit, numerous pieces of bacon, and now, he is sipping on a protein-filled smoothie. I’ve been finished eating for a while.

  “Tell that to them,” I say, pointing at our dads, who are climbing up the dock ladder to do it again.

  “I have a better idea,” Chase says, standing up.

  He takes my hand and leads me to a side door off the deck and into the laundry room.

  “See?” he says, pointing out the wall-sized bulletin board.

  It’s got string running down it, making vertical strips. The top of each row has a day of the week marked.

  “There are already all sorts of things pinned on it. Dinner plans, movie and game nights. Look, tonight, at five, our dads want to play horseshoes. The drink of the night is an old-fashioned.”

  I laugh out loud at the little note next to the drink name that says, Get it?

  “That is kind of funny—that they are kicking off tonight’s old-fashioned family vacation with old-fa
shioneds. Oh, look,” I gush. “Tonight’s dinner will be prepared by your grandparents. They’re making grilled chicken and veggies, oven-roasted potatoes, and Grandma Mac’s delicious triple-layer chocolate cake.”

  My brother strolls in. He still has bedhead, but his eyes are bright.

  “Dude,” he says to Chase, “while you were out fishing, I was busy checking out the hotties over at the resort. I say we go over there. Like, now. Auntie Jay gave me this club card.” He pulls a piece of green plastic out of his swim trunks pocket and holds it up. “This is the key to the kingdom, bro. Anything we eat over there, they charge to some account. We want to rent a paddleboard and show off? Done. Lunch? Done. Wanna golf? Done. And I’m pretty sure, combined with the fake IDs I got us, we could get some fruity drinks by the pool while we check out the babes. This might shape up to be an okay vacay.”

  Chase turns to me. “What do you think? It would be fun to check out the resort.”

  I notice he doesn’t say check out the girls. I study his face, which looks sincere, like he does want me to join them.

  “Uh, thanks, but I need to use the house phone to call Hunter. See what’s up at home.”

  Chase glances down before looking me in the eyes and nodding in understanding, but I can see that he’s disappointed. “Cool,” he finally says. “Guess we’ll see ya later.”

  When I walk back into the kitchen, I find it cleaned up and empty. I look outside and see everyone but my brother and Chase in the backyard.

  Between Jadyn and Mimi, baby Emersyn is toddling across the lawn in an adorable watermelon swimsuit.

  My dad and Jennifer are in the pool with Weston, possibly trying to teach her how to swim—or at least to enjoy the water. Right now, it looks like they are not succeeding. Although I can’t hear her through the heavy glass, I can tell by her face that she’s wailing.

  The grandpas are messing around with their fishing gear, and Phillip is taking turns in throwing Ryder and Madden off the dock and into the lake. The boys look like they are having the time of their lives.

  Haley is lying on a towel on the dock, getting her tan on. And Grandma Mac is sitting under an umbrella, reading.

  I smile. Even though I didn’t really want to come, I will admit that it’s a beautiful place.

  I pick up the phone, excited to dial Hunter’s cell. We agreed this would be a good time to call him each day. He’s done with his football workout and home to relax before hanging out with his friends later. And even if he isn’t home, he is about as attached to his cell as Haley is. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s because he’s waiting for his ex to call. Regardless, I was able to text him the house number as soon as we got here, so he would know it was me and not some random spam call.

  But he doesn’t answer.

  I leave a message and check the time again.

  Then I sit by the phone and wait for him to call me back.

  After twiddling my thumbs for about half an hour, I give up. I shouldn’t be sitting around, waiting for him to call, when I could be out there, getting tan.

  I take a clean towel from the laundry room and make my way down to the dock.

  “Hey, will you grab me a beer out of the boathouse?” Phillip says to me.

  “Oh, make that two,” my dad yells from the pool.

  “Three!” Jadyn calls out.

  I roll my eyes, toss my towel down on the dock, and go get some beers.

  I take one up to my dad. I look at Jennifer but don’t offer her one. I know she isn’t drinking much since she’s still nursing. She shakes her head, but then she looks at my dad holding Weston, who is slapping the water with her hands and then laughing in delight, and smiles broadly.

  And I know what she’s thinking.

  That skipping a few beers is totally worth it. She’s been a great mom to Weston, she seems to adore my father, and she doesn’t try to act like my mother—which is a really good thing because my relationship with my mother can only be described as dramatic.

  Papa has put his fishing gear away and appears to be napping in a hammock, but when I go by, he raises his hand, so I toss him a beer. Grandma Mac is walking up toward the house, presumably to either change a diaper or put Emersyn down for a nap, while Jadyn is on the dock with Phillip.

  The boys are now wrestling on the big inner tube tied to the dock. Phillip has his hands wrapped around his wife. I have always loved how in love they are. My mom and dad never really had that kind of sweet relationship, although Dad is making up for lost time with Jennifer. They can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. And it always makes me think about Chase. About what we’re supposed to be. If we’ll get married, like his parents. They have been best friends since birth, but they didn’t actually get together until after college. The minute they did though, everything went fast. From first kiss to being married in a few short months with Chase on the way not long after. But I guess when you know, you know.

  I hand them each a beer, spread my towel out next to Haley, and crack open the beer left in my hand, hoping no one says anything. My mother, who drinks bottle-sized glasses of wine at home, always tells me not to drink. She’s super strict about some things and super lax about others. Of course, if this were champagne and not canned beer, she’d probably be cool with it.

  My dad and Jennifer, minus Weston, who is now rocking in Mimi’s arms, come down to the dock. They’ve barely stepped on it when Dad picks Jennifer up, twirls her around, and then tosses her out into the water, screaming. Then, my dad gives Phillip a little nudge, and together, they grab Jadyn—one taking her arms, the other taking her legs—and literally swing her back and forth before throwing her out to the water. Jadyn is grinning like a maniac during her protests, and I’m assuming this isn’t the first time they’ve done this to her.

  And I wonder if that’s how Chase and I will end up.

  Best friends for life, like Jadyn and my dad.

  I think their long friendship is amazing, but my mother—who I recently learned was having affairs during her and my dad’s fifteen-year marriage—thinks it’s stifling. She thinks I should hang out with more people, see the world, which I get. On Sundays, we sort of do the same thing—all the friends come over—and sometimes, I don’t want to be a part of it, but when I’m at my mom’s, I feel like I missed out. I’m torn about what I want out of life.

  I watch as Jadyn, Jennifer, Ryder, and Madden swim simultaneously toward the dock, looking like they are on a mission.

  Haley finally acknowledges my presence by saying, “They’re going after our dads. We should help.”

  She grabs the beer from my hand, takes a sip, makes a face, mutters about it being dreadful, and then sets it on the dock.

  Phillip and my dad are holding their hands up in the air, like they didn’t do anything wrong, but they are grinning from ear to ear as the crew gets out of the water and moves toward them.

  Limbs are grabbed, and the dads are being pushed toward the edge, but it’s not until Haley and I rush them from behind that they both go into the lake.

  Jennifer and Jadyn jump up and down and cheer. Haley leaps in the water with them, and the boys follow.

  “How come you didn’t go over to the resort with Chase and Damon?” Jennifer asks, sitting down next to me.

  “I needed to call Hunter.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” she says with a smile. “How did that go?”

  I sigh. “He didn’t answer or call me back.”

  “I’m sure he’s just busy.”

  “Hopefully not with his ex.”

  “I know that you have been hanging out and that you like him, but I thought it wasn’t serious. That he was dating other girls, too.”

  “It wasn’t. His breakup is still new. It’s only reasonable he’d want to date around a bit. I used to crush on him when we were kids. But last week, he told me that he was only talking to me.”

  “Talking to you? What does that mean?”

  “Talking is when you are texting someone. Lots of guys talk to a lot of different girls. That’s normal. But when you like a girl and you don’t want her to be talking to anyone else, then you decide to only talk to each other.”

  “So, you’re going out?”

  “It’s more like the first step. You talk, then you talk exclusively, and then if that goes well, you become boyfriend and girlfriend.”