Island Girls (And Boys)

  She�d given in without a fight. I would at least make the guy crawl over broken glass, beg�right before turning my back on him and walking away.

  No way would his mouth even get close to mine again. Chelsea was pathetic, absolutely pathetic, wanting a boyfriend so badly that she�d forgive him for anything.

  I stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door. The ice cream had leaked through the carton, onto the coffee table, onto the floor. The dogs were licking it off the floor, the cat had leaped onto the table and was going at it there.

  I should have chased them away and cleaned it up properly. But the truth was I didn�t care anymore.

  Not about Chelsea and Noah or Amy and Alex or me and Dylan. Only there wasn�t a me and Dylan.

  I went up the stairs and into my bedroom. I didn�t bother to turn on the lights. Just crawled into my bed, lay in the dark, and let the tears fall. And faced the truth.

  Unlike Noah, Dylan hadn�t come back. Unlike Chelsea, I wouldn�t have taken him back�even if he�d given me the chance.

  CHAPTER 32

  �I quit.�

  It was early morning, a week after the Noah-caught-in-a-lip-lock scare. Amy and I were sitting on the floor beside the coffee table in the living room cutting out coupons and making our list for our trek to the grocery store so we could go right after work. We were still following our budget pretty closely, and so far, we�d had no problem covering our bills.

  Amy and I looked over at Chelsea. She was always the last to get up. We were usually yelling at her that we needed to go. But this morning she was standing in the doorway�well, the only way to describe her stance was�defiant.

  �You quit what?� I asked. Being with Noah? Not after what I�d witnessed lately.

  �I quit my job at the campground.�

  I released a brittle laugh. �You can�t quit.�

  �I can and I did. Just now. I borrowed Noah�s truck and drove out there and told Mrs. Plackette I wouldn�t be coming back.�

  I stared at her, unable to believe this. �How are you going to pay for your share of the bills?�

  I hated to admit it, but I liked having Noah and Alex around, dividing our expenses by five instead of three�now that they were contributing. It gave us some play-around money. Not that I was doing any real playing, but still. I was able to relax a little. I didn�t want to lose that.

  �I got a job at the Sandpiper, working nights. So Noah and I can be together during the day. And we�ll be together at night.�

  �I got you that job at the campground.�

  �Yeah, and I hate it. I hate not being with Noah.�

  �You owe the campground��

  �I don�t owe them anything, Jen.�

  �We�ll be shorthanded, it�ll make the work harder on everyone else.�

  �They can hire someone else.�

  �Everyone already has summer jobs.�

  �Not my problem.�

  �I can�t believe you�re doing this to us.�

  �I�m not doing anything to you. You think the world revolves around you. And it doesn�t.�

  I looked over at Amy. �Say something.�

  �What�s to say? She quit already. It�s done.�

  There was something strange about the way she was looking at me, then Chelsea.

  �You knew she was going to quit,� I said.

  �Chelsea told me she was thinking about it.�

  What was going on here? There was a time when my friends and I had shared everything. Now I felt like there were secrets and things going on behind my back.

  �Are you going to quit?�

  �No. But I�m going to ask if I can work in the store. I�m tired of smelling like boiling hot dogs all the time.�

  I turned my attention back to Chelsea. �This was supposed to be the summer of us.�

  �It still is.�

  �No, it�s not. It�s the summer of you and Noah, the summer of Amy and her strays. The summer of�� I couldn�t say it. The summer of me. Alone. The island.

  �Never mind. Do what you think is right.�

  �I already have.�

  And with that she walked into her bedroom and slammed the door.

  Amy was quiet as she drove us to work. I looked out the passenger window and watched the island go past me. The shacks, the dunes, the sandpipers. The people sunbathing, playing in the surf.

  �I can�t believe Chelsea is running her life totally around Noah,� I said distractedly.

  �She�s insecure.�

  I snapped my head around and looked at Amy. �Huh?�

  She cast a quick glance my way. �She�s insecure. He was kissing another girl. She�s worried about losing him.�

  �I think he would be worth losing.�

  �Love is strange. It has no rhyme or reason. It simply is.�

  �Who are you now? Buddha?�

  She smiled. �No. I just understand it�as much as anyone can understand it, I guess.�

  I shifted around in the seat. �I�m so sorry, Amy. I�m sorry that I haven�t paid more attention to what was going on in your life, to the fact that you have a boyfriend��

  She waved her hand. �No big deal. You were all wrapped up in Dylan.�

  �Just for a few days. The rest of the time�I should have noticed what was going on with you.�

  �It doesn�t matter, Jen.�

  But it did matter. It mattered that all of us were falling in and out of love this summer and we weren�t sharing the experiences with each other. We were drifting apart.

  �Do you love Alex?�

  She nodded, a secretive smile playing over her face.

  �This is a stupid question, because he lives in the house with us, and I should know, but he�s so quiet. What�s he like? Really?�

  �He�s a deep thinker. Supersmart. And we so get each other. We don�t have to talk unless we want to. It�s amazing, Jen.�

  She pulled onto the road that led into the campground. Then she parked the car and looked over at me.

  �I was jealous when you were with Dylan. You had a guy, Chelsea had a guy. I had a dog.� Tears filled her eyes. �I was glad when Dylan just packed up and left. I�m sorry, Jen. I didn�t want to be there for you. And I wasn�t.�

  �I haven�t been there for you.�

  �Did you like him a lot?�

  What could I say? She was asking, but I didn�t feel like telling her the truth. �No, I just liked him a little.� I looked toward the beach where his tent used to be. I did that every time we came to the campground, like I thought one day I�d look out and his tent would miraculously be there again.

  �I�m sorry, Jen.�

  I took a deep breath. �Nothing to be sorry for, except for the fact that you�re going to be freezing your butt off today. Come on, let�s get to work.�

  June 22 came and went. Amy and Chelsea didn�t switch bedrooms. Big surprise there. Amy and Alex liked the room they were in. It had memories. Chelsea and Noah were still making up and needed the big bedroom to do that.

  The truth was, I figured they both thought it was more trouble than it was worth to move all their stuff. But come July 22, I was taking over that room.

  It would be the turning point of my summer. I absolutely knew it.

  Because except for the little time I�d spent with Dylan, my summer sucked so far. Big time.

  Amy and I hardly ever saw Chelsea. She and Noah were practically superglued together. Work, play�whatever, they never left each other�s sight. I wasn�t sure that was the best way to handle a relationship, but I�d decided that it wasn�t really any of my business.

  Who would have thought when I�d had this brilliant idea for a summer together that a month into it, I would have accepted that together was not where we were anymore.

  Amy and I spent time together. Working at the campground, basking in the late afternoon sun after work. We�d watch a movie in the
evenings. Then Alex would return from working at some bar where he was the bartender. He always came through the doorway with a �Hey, babe,� and a smile that said he thought she was the best. And then they�d disappear.

  And I�d be alone. I avoided my once favorite place�the crow�s nest�because the memories of my time there with Dylan always overwhelmed me. So I�d sit on the balcony, watch the night and the stars, the lights of the ships on the water. It was romantic and sad at the same time. Then I�d hear Chelsea and Noah return from work and go into their bedroom.

  I�d hear them talking, giggling, moaning, and I�d get up and go to my room. Lie in my bed in the dark, and think about a guy who I�d never see again. It was pathetic. It was like I was going through the stages of grief or something.

  Then one morning I woke up to a horoscope that read:

  Hug a best friend. It�ll improve your outlook.

  And it changed everything.

  CHAPTER 33

  �What was that for?� Amy asked.

  She�d been coming out of the bathroom as I was heading to the kitchen.

  �Just doing what my horoscope advised and hugging a best friend. It�s supposed to improve my outlook.�

  �Did it?�

  I took a deep breath, thought about it��Not really.�

  �Bummer. I was hoping you might do me a favor tonight.�

  �Just because my outlook on life sucks doesn�t mean I won�t do you a favor. Just ask.�

  �Will you watch the dogs?�

  Okay, that was asking me to do something above and beyond. I stared at her. �Huh?�

  �Noah and Chelsea are working�like always. Alex isn�t.�

  �Then let him watch them.�

  �Well, that�s the thing. We�ve never really had a chance to have a real date. Tonight we thought we�d go to the mainland, catch a movie, or whatever.�

  I so did not want to do this.

  �The dogs are your responsibility. And Noah�s. I never wanted anything to do with them.�

  �But if I leave them in my room, and they need to go out, they�ll make a mess. All you have to do is walk them. Come on, Jen. What have I ever asked for?�

  �Let�s see.� I ticked off on my fingers. �A little dog, a medium-size dog, a big dog, and a cat. Oh, yeah. And a boyfriend.�

  �The boyfriend you don�t mind because he helps with the expenses.�

  I nodded. �Okay. I don�t mind the boyfriend.�

  �You wouldn�t mind the dogs either if you got to know them. Please, Jen. I won�t be able to have fun if I�m worried about them.�

  I sighed. It wasn�t like I had any exciting plans for the night�except to curl up with a new romance novel. �Oh, all right.�

  She beamed her brightest smile. �Thanks!�

  I walked back toward my room.

  �Where are you going?� she asked.

  �To get ready for work. I�ve lost my appetite for breakfast.�

  �You guys are pathetic, you know that?�

  We were in the utility room, and I was trying to get leashes put on each of the dogs. I tried to remember what Amy had named the two newest dogs and couldn�t. So out of fairness, I renamed Tiny so the dogs became Dog 1, Dog 2, and Dog 3. From smallest to largest.

  Dog 1 was yipping, Dog 2 kept leaping on me every time I got close to having the leash attached to its collar, and Dog 3 was throwing itself against the door.

  �Okay, already, I know you need to go. Just hold on.�

  I finally got all the leashes snapped into place. I held tightly to my end. Then I made the mistake of opening the door. They bounded out like steak heaven was waiting on the other side.

  And I went with them.

  �Hold on!�

  I held tight to the leashes while closing the door. I locked it and slipped the keys into my shorts pocket. �Okay, fellas, let�s go.�

  And they did, pulling me along while they sniffed the ground. Our journey was a series of quick walks, then standing around waiting for one or more of them to mark its territory. We headed up the road toward the beach. My goal was to walk them until they were worn out and pee�d-out. I didn�t want to have to go through this again.

  We walked past the Coast Guard station. A Coastie waved and yelled, �Beautiful dogs!�

  Was he kidding? I guess they weren�t as ugly as I�d thought. As a matter of fact, they were looking better than they had when Amy first took them in.

  �Thanks!� I yelled back.

  Then I looked at the dogs. �Amy takes good care of you, doesn�t she?�

  She�d also looked spectacular earlier when she and Alex left. She�d gone all out, putting on a halter dress and actually styling her hair. The normally straight brown strands had been curling over her shoulders. And her makeup had been perfect. Alex was one lucky guy.

  The dogs and I made our way over the dunes. I had a feeling that my shoulder was going to be aching in the morning. It was aching now. How did Amy do this every night?

  Then the dogs went wild, bounding over the sand, headed for the surf, jerking me along. I figured once they got to the water, they�d retreat. But nooo!

  In they went, bounding over the waves, splashing, jumping on me. I started laughing. This was insane!

  Then Dog 3 knocked me down. I screeched and hit the water, the sand. Laughing harder. For no reason, except that it felt good.

  I flopped back, letting the water rush over me and retreat.

  �Come here, you!� I grabbed Dog 3, holding him close.

  And it suddenly occurred to me that I was hugging man�s best friend. A best friend. Just like my horoscope had advised.

  And it did improve my outlook on life!

  The dogs licked my cheeks, my neck, my hands. I buried my face in Dog 3�s fur. Why was I spending my summer moping around? I lifted my head. Remarkably, the dogs had calmed.

  We sat there, at the water�s edge, and watched the sun go down. And I made a decision. It was time that I took charge of my life again.

  �Let�s have a huge Fourth of July bash,� I announced after everyone got home that night. �We have a week to plan. They�re going to have fireworks at the campground. We could have fireworks here��

  �Isn�t there some sort of ordinance against fireworks on individual property?� Alex asked.

  �That�ll be your job to get it okayed.�

  He nodded. �All right.�

  �It�ll be great, guys. We�ll invite everyone we know on the island. It�ll be even bigger and better than the last party we had here.�

  �Sounds cool,� Noah said.

  �Because it�ll be cool,� I assured him.

  He yawned. �Just leave me a note with instructions. I�m wiped out from work. I�m going to bed.�

  Chelsea started to go with him, then stopped and faced me. �I�m not too tired yet. Let�s get this thing planned.�

  Alex went to bed as well, but Amy, Chelsea, and I sat on the floor around the coffee table.

  Before we got started, I looked at Amy and asked, �How was your date?�

  She blushed. �We had such a good time. How did it go here?�

  I had my hand buried in Dog 3�s fur, his head in my lap, his doleful eyes looking up at me. I smiled. �We did okay.�

  Then we started discussing our plans: decorations, food, drinks. How we were going to afford it all.

  We decided people would bring their own drinks and whatever they wanted to go on the grill. We�d provide lots of chocolate desserts and the space. And I�d be cool with people in the house. We�d invite the island people that we knew. Some people from the campground�if Amy and I agreed that they were cool enough. We�d have an open invite policy. Anyone could bring anyone.

  The object was to get lost in the crowd, to have a super great time.

  I had a mission now, a purpose. And I was really excited about it. I thought about the party constantly. Amy and I talked about it on t
he way to work and on the way home. It was going to be the absolute best.

  I had everything planned out perfectly.

  There was just one thing I hadn�t planned on happening.

  But then no one else had, either.

  CHAPTER 34

  Tonight Cupid will have you within his sights�retreat if you don�t like the prospects!

  Retreat? No way! I was ready for a little romance, because I was totally over Dylan and ready to move on to new conquests.

  July Fourth was hot almost beyond endurance, but it didn�t really seem to matter. There was a breeze blowing across the ocean, across the island. There was excitement in the air that I couldn�t explain.

  Party atmosphere. Amy and I both felt it, even before we left work.

  The partying was scheduled to begin as the sun began to set, but with island time, it started when anyone, everyone wanted.

  Alex had taken the night off from work, and he became our official bartender. Chelsea and Noah�to everyone�s complete surprise!�called in sick. Like their boss wasn�t going to figure that one out.

  But it was something for them to worry about�not me.

  I�d adopted the new attitude that nothing was my problem�unless it really was my problem. I couldn�t run the lives of my friends. I had to let them make their own choices, just like I had to make mine. And for tonight my choice was to have the best time of my life, to drink and dance, and find a guy who would take my mind completely off Dylan.

  And there were ample selections to choose from. Many of them cute, a couple of them very charming�but most important, they were all here. Available. Not about to take off for parts unknown.

  �Alex made some margaritas,� Amy said when I walked into the kitchen to check on the brownies that I�d put into the oven earlier.

  �Sounds good,� I said.

  �Can you believe how many people are here already?� she asked.

  �Must be at least fifty.�