It Starts With L (The Letters of Love Series Book 1)

  He winked. “A little something to remember me by.”

  “Like I need your shirt to remember you,” she said, but she held the shirt up to her nose. His clean, citrusy scent surrounded her and she imagined she’d be smelling the shirt every day until she saw him again.

  He waved one last time, and she waved back, then he pulled out of the driveway and Arielle dropped to her knees, sobbing, the lumpy rocks digging into her skin, straight to the bone, but the pain in her legs didn’t hold a candle to the pain in her heart.

  When she’d cried so much she couldn’t produce another tear, she went into the house, bypassed her family, and went straight to her room, burying her face in the pillows.

  She stayed there the whole next day.

  Chapter 19

  The Start of the Summer

  With the arrival of summer break came vegetable season, her mom’s third job. Arielle ran the stand every day until Mom got home from work, then she took over, even if Arielle tried to make sure she didn’t. She was picky when it came to…well…everything. And stubborn, but of course she would never admit that.

  Strawberry season kicked things off, but they didn’t grow their own. Arielle had to get up at six in the morning to be at the strawberry field by seven, pick as fast as she could, then sell them. Meanwhile, they worked on planting their garden in between customers. It was a busy time of year, but also a fun one. Sometimes she wished she could be a normal teen and not have a care in the world all summer, but then working with her family taught her about responsibilities so she appreciated it too.

  The first few weeks of summer, Arielle spent her time taking care of customers and writing in her journal. She’d also started writing poetry. She didn’t know if it was any good, but it helped keep her mind off Blake until she could talk to him at night. Every night.

  Writing also stopped her from thinking of Jess, who still hadn’t spoken to her. Arielle didn’t have the energy to go to her house again, or the fight it would take to be invited inside. It turned her insides outside thinking about it. Jess knew how Arielle felt, so the ball was in her court. She knew where Arielle lived, so she could come over any time.

  Blake was working part time at the beach over the summer and spending his free time surfing. Arielle’s parents decided she could go visit in a few weeks, in time for her birthday, which was great news. Blake’s mom had said he could come up toward the beginning of the school year too, so at least they would see each other a couple times.

  When the day finally came for her to go to South Carolina, every part of her shook with excitement. She couldn’t wait to see him, but she would only be with him for a weekend. It made packing easy as she’d thrown a few outfits in a small bag and hopped in the car with her parents, who took her to the airport.

  About to board the plane, Arielle hugged Dad and then Mom. “Thank you, guys, so much for letting me go see him.”

  Mom held her breath. “Be safe, Ari.”

  “And don’t forget to call,” Dad said.

  “I won’t.” She kissed Dad’s cheek and gave Mom one last squeeze. “Don’t miss me too much.”

  She thought Dad whispered, “Oh, we will,” but she couldn’t be sure as she walked down the short hallway terminal to board the plane.

  The window seat was awesome and she found herself staring out it the whole flight, watching the clouds and the sky surround her. It was strange being this far up. She’d never ridden in a plane before, but she realized she kind of liked it. Except for the turbulence…which she hated. It scared the crap out of her the first time.

  When the plane landed, she couldn’t have been happier to get off. She carried her small bag off the plane and walked out to find Blake waiting with a smile on his face. He ran to her and lifted her up, spinning her around in the air. Then he planted a big kiss on her and it lasted way too long since they were in public, but she couldn’t worry about it because any moment she might fly away. She couldn’t breathe around the happiness threatening to suffocate her.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, setting her down and running his hands down the length of her hair, then tracing her face with his fingertips. Goosebumps ran down her arms from his touch.

  She linked her hand with his and left the airport with him leading the way to the parking garage where he’d parked his car.

  When they left the busy streets of the airport, Arielle grabbed his hand and pulled it into her lap. “So, what’s been going on?”

  “You already know. I’ve been working and surfing. That’s pretty much it. And talking my nights away with my girlfriend who I miss but didn’t realize how much until I saw her beautiful face.” He placed a hand over his heart.

  Arielle scoffed. “Oh please. I’m sure you have plenty of things to keep you busy. I doubt you’ve even thought about me much.”

  “Oh, trust me, I have. Plenty. Pretty much all I do is talk about you to everyone, and when I’m not talking about you, I think about you.”

  Arielle’s heart swelled. “I guess I’m kind of glad to hear it, but you sound like you might have a little problem. Maybe we should find a cure.”

  Blake laughed. “I’m afraid the cure would be for your family to move here, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

  “If they had the money, I bet they would because this place is beautiful.”

  All around them was green grass, and not the green like in Ohio, but emerald green. The leaves of all the trees shimmered in the hot summer sun. It was different, but in an amazing way.

  “It is nice, but this isn’t the most beautiful part. Wait until you see what I have planned for us.”

  She couldn’t wait.

  ***

  Blake took her to his house first. His mom was at work and his dad sat in the living room, watching something on TV. He didn’t say a word to them as they entered the house and took the stairs up to his room.

  The house was big, fancy, and a bit intimidating. The wood floors were a light brown and the walls were all blues and green with trim in different colors depending on the room. Blake’s bedroom was pale blue with white trim and paintings of the beach lined one whole wall. She examined one of them. The buttery golden sand sparkled against the vibrant blue sky. There were kids tossing a ball back and forth, laughter twinkling in their happy eyes.

  The painting was gorgeous and made her grin with happiness. Blake’s body heat hit her as he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “You like it?”

  She nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

  “You should take it, then. When you leave to go home, it’s yours.”

  She half turned to face him, still in his arms. “I can’t. Blake, it’s yours.”

  “It was mine, but now it’s yours.”

  There was no arguing with him, so she nodded and accepted his gift.

  He turned her all the way around. “Now, I have big plans for you tonight. You brought a bathing suit?”

  She nodded.

  “The bathroom is down the hall. Go change into it and put your clothes on over it. We will be at the beach all day.”

  “Okay.”

  She did as he requested, putting her one-piece black swim dress on. She loved it so much because it had white polka dots all over it. She threw on a pink sundress to cover her suit and walked back to Blake’s room.

  “I’m ready.” She held her arms out and spun around.

  “You’re perfect.” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s go. Bring a change of clothes.”

  She wasn’t sure why she would need one, but she grabbed her bag and brought it along, just in case.

  ***

  The beach was amazing. The swooshing sounds the waves made calmed her nerves and the smell of salt water and sun was infectious. She shuffled her sandals off and let her toes sink into the soft sand below her feet as she walked toward the water.

  Blake stopped her. “You do know how to swim, right?”

  She put her hands on he
r hips. “Yes. Of course I do. I took lessons five years in a row.”

  “Good, because I want to show you how to surf, but tomorrow. Today is about swimming and lounging and fun.”

  “Your parents won’t care if we’re down here the whole time?”

  He shook his head. “My mom is scheduled to work a lot this weekend so my dad will be home, and neither of us need to be around him.”

  “So nothing is any better with him, I guess.”

  Blake shrugged. “Sometimes…but most of the time it’s the same. I don’t know, I don’t think anything will ever change.”

  Arielle touched his face. “It will get better.”

  Blake leaned into her touch. “I hope you’re right, Ari. It’s hard to believe right now.” He tickled her sides, lightening the mood. She squirmed and ran away from him, her feet sinking into the sand, making it hard to gain any traction. He caught her, tackling her to the ground, and lay half on top of her as he tickled her even more. “Let’s get all the heavy talk out of us and have some fun. Three days is going to fly by.”

  As if she didn’t know. It was all she could think about.

  The afternoon they spent alternating between lying on the beach in the warm sun and swimming in the salty ocean. Arielle watched Blake surf. He’d said he’d show her tomorrow, but he couldn’t wait. Since she didn’t feel comfortable getting on a board, she sat on the sand and didn’t take her eyes off of him. He looked amazing standing on the board, riding the waves, although he wasn’t good at it. He stood for a minute or two each time before he fell.

  But he loved it and she wouldn’t be the one to tell him to find another dream.

  When the sun started to set, Arielle linked hands with Blake and walked along the shore, the water tickling her toes every time the waves crashed against the land. She watched the colors swirl through the sky, all orange and yellow with a vibrant pink, like some famous artist painted the picture, so close she wanted to reach out and touch it.

  They kept quiet, Arielle smelling the salt water and fresh air around them. She breathed deep, trying to inhale those scents so much she’d be able to take them home with her.

  Blake pointed to a spot a short distance up the beach. “Where we’re staying tonight.”

  It was a tent. On the beach. Arielle stopped, gulped, and stared at him.

  He laughed. “Calm down, Ari. Get your mind out of the gutter. I thought it would be nice to spend all three days together, so I found a tent in our garage and asked my boss if I could set it up here since this is his site. He said sure and so here we are.”

  Arielle melted in a puddle at Blake’s feet. Her knees grew weak as she stood on her tippy toes and kissed him, putting as much feeling into the kiss as she could manage. When she pulled back, she grabbed both of his cheeks with her palms. “Gosh, I love you.”

  He smiled. “I love you too, babe. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget what tomorrow is.”

  Arielle’s heart sped up. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. Your seventeenth birthday! I have something special planned.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  She climbed inside the tent and he followed. He didn’t pressure her for anything more than her presence, which made her melt a little bit more. Every moment she spent with him she fell for him even more.

  Blake wrapped her in his arms and she put her head on his shoulder. Her arms and legs felt like they weren’t even there and with heavy eyelids and a slow, steady heartbeat, she fell asleep.

  The next morning, Blake sat cross-legged, smiling down at her when she woke up.

  She blinked a few times and took him in. “What’s up?”

  “Happy birthday!”

  She sat up and ran a hand through her long hair. “Thanks.”

  He held out a pastry. “I got this for you. It’s a cheese Danish, so I hope you like it.”

  “Love them. They are, like, my favorite things ever.”

  “After you eat, I’m going to take you to the boardwalk, and around four, I made reservations at the best beach restaurant around, Crabtastic Vittles. Don’t let the name fool you. They have the best seafood around.”

  Arielle made a face while biting her lip. “I don’t know if I like seafood.”

  “Guess we’ll find out.”

  They walked on the boardwalk for a long time. There were game booths and even a Ferris Wheel, something she’d never seen somewhere like this. Not that she’d ever been to a beach, because she hadn’t. This was a first, but the experience took her breath away. She never wanted to go home.

  At dinner, she tried crab legs for the first time and she loved them, although they were a bit messy. It was one of the reasons she wouldn’t eat chicken wings. She hated getting all that food all over her face, and a napkin only did so much.

  After dinner, Blake took her back to the tent, where he had a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and a glittery pink candle on top. He pulled a lighter out and lit the candle. “Make a wish.”

  She had nothing to wish for. Everything she’d ever wanted was right there in front of her, but she blew the candle out anyway, wishing for everything to stay the same.

  It had been the perfect birthday.

  “One more thing, Ari,” Blake said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black velvet box.

  Arielle’s heart raced as he handed it to her. “What’s this?”

  “Your present. Open it.”

  “You didn’t have to do that, Blake. You’ve done so much already.” But she opened the box, flipping the lid up to reveal a silver heart necklace with rubies all around it.

  Blake took the necklace from the box, clasping in around her neck as she held her hair out of the way. “Do you like it?”

  “I love it. It’s beautiful.”

  “Since you already have my heart, I thought I would give it to you in the form of a necklace so you can wear it always.”

  She swooned, she couldn’t help it. Then she kissed him, pushing him back until she lay on top of him. In that tent, she wanted to do more than kiss him, but she stopped herself, knowing she still wasn’t ready. Blake understood and they fell asleep wrapped up in each other for the second night in a row.

  ***

  The next day, Blake’s mom called his cell phone and asked him to come home for dinner. Since it was Arielle’s last day with him, she said they should, so he took her back to his house.

  It was nice, but Arielle could cut a piece of malice pie from the tension in the air between Blake and his dad, which made a little bit of tension leak from his mom too.

  Arielle could tell she had no clue what to do or how to help the situation, so she did the best she could. It didn’t help she had a high stress, lots of hours job at a hospital as a nurse. Which meant she wasn’t home anywhere near as much as his dad.

  Arielle’s heart ached for this family. Blake and his mom were so great and so nice. She didn’t know much about his dad since he never made an attempt to talk to her or get to know her, but she was sure he wasn’t so bad under all the layers.

  She wished she could find a way to help them. There were a lot of levels of hurt which needed to be healed, but both men had to be on board for it to happen, and Arielle had a feeling Blake’s dad would be the kind to not admit he had any problems.

  After dinner, Blake grabbed the painting he’d given her and they went back to their “beach home” and spent their last night together under the stars, skipping the tent. Blake laid a blanket on the ground and they fell asleep with the stars shining above them.

  When they woke, Blake took her to the airport. “I don’t want you to go.”

  She wrapped her arms around him outside the entrance. “I don’t want to go, but I have to. We’ll see each other soon. A couple more weeks, right? Then you get to stay a whole week.”

  He kissed her. “Yes. A couple more weeks. I can’t wait.” He leaned into her, pushing her against the wall of the building, and pressed his lips against hers, forcing her mouth open w
ith his tongue. Shivers shot down her spine and she kissed him back with a fierceness she didn’t know she had in her. When he pulled back, he left her breathing heavily. “Love you.” He smirked.

  “So. Not. Nice. But…I guess I love you too…” Arielle said as she wandered into the airport, then hopped on the plane that took her home sweet home again.

  Chapter 20

  Home Sweet Home

  Arielle got right back into the swing of things at home. With no friends and no boyfriend to hang out with, she didn’t have much else to do but to help around her house, so she threw herself into work. She weeded the garden, watered it, fed the chickens and the dog and the cat. She didn’t see much of Reed because he was always with his football friends, so she didn’t even attempt to find him, not that she’d want to since she couldn’t stand him, but he would be better company than nobody.

  Before she knew it, there was only one more week before Blake came to visit. That morning, she got up and bounced down the stairs. She ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, then noticed Dad in his chair in the living room.

  “Hey, Dad. What’re you doing?” she asked, walking in and sitting on the couch.

  “I was thinking about going fishing. You want to come along?”

  Arielle grinned from ear to ear. “Would I ever? If boredom was a sickness, I’d be in the hospital by now.”

  “Good thing, ’cause I already packed the truck.” Then Dad narrowed his eyes at her. “And how about a little less of the dramatics, young lady?”

  She stared at the ground, hating the feeling of being scolded by Dad. “Sorry.”

  When he stood, he came over and patted her back. “No harm done. I’m just a little bit cranky today. Ari, I’m real glad you like this kind of stuff. Reed hates it and sometimes I want to take my kiddos fishing.”

  Arielle grinned. “I love fishing with you, especially since you do all the hard stuff: putting the worm on my hook and taking the hook out of the mouths of everything I catch. If I tried to do those things, I’d barf.”