�In exchange for using the shower.�
�You say that like this is a permanent arrangement.�
She shrugged. �We have the extra room.�
�But he�s not on the contract we signed with my grandparents.�
�Neither is Noah.�
�I�m not believing this.� I plowed my hands through my hair. �Y�all can�t just invite people to live here.�
�I�m being charitable.�
I heard a mewling sound, glanced in the corner, and saw a cat drinking from a bowl of milk. �What is that?�
�A cat.�
�I know that. I mean why is it here?�
�Alex and I found it last night on the way home.�
�Amy, you can�t pick up every stray you find.�
�I won�t. This is it. A dog and a cat.�
�And a guy. Don�t forget the guy who nearly gave me a heart attack when I stepped into the hallway.�
�If you hadn�t stayed out so late, I would have introduced you last night. Where were you, anyway? You and Dylan disappeared.�
�We went swimming.�
�In the ocean? At night? Do you know how dangerous that is?�
�No more dangerous than letting some guy you don�t know sleep in the house.�
�Noah would protect us.�
�Yeah, I saw how Noah came to our rescue when I discovered the dog. He�s going to be a big help in a crisis.�
Amy dumped the eggs onto a plate. �Here. Go ahead and eat. You and I need to get to work.�
What was wrong with that sentence?
�Where�s Chelsea?�
�She�s not feeling well. She�s not going to work today.�
�What�s wrong with her?� Was it the summer flu? Was I coming down with it as well? Was that why my head felt stuffed?
�Nothing serious. She said she needs an attitude adjustment.�
�In other words, she just doesn�t want to go to work.�
�Yeah, but let it go, Jen. You�re not her mother.�
�I got her the job.�
�So? You don�t have to tell Mrs. Plackette that Chelsea is mentally sick, not physically sick.�
�I feel like I don�t even know who she is.�
�She�s our best friend.�
But a best friend doesn�t leave you in a lurch, and she�s not supposed to care more about being with her boyfriend than being loyal to you.
�Besides, she can spend today getting things ready for tonight,� Amy said.
Right. Tonight. The big party.
I should have let it go, should have left right then. Instead I marched to Chelsea�s bedroom and banged on the door. �Chelsea! Chelsea! We need to talk!�
She flung open the door and stood there in her shorty pajamas, hands on her hips, glaring at me. Her hair had a tousled look that I figured Noah had designed.
�Do you mind? We�re sleeping here.�
�You�re not going to work?�
�Amy was supposed to tell you.�
�Why didn�t you?�
�Because you�re not the boss of me.�
How juvenile did that sound? �Mrs. P��
�Is cool with me not coming in today. I already called. So chill.�
She started to close the door. I flattened my hand against it. �About this party tonight��
�I�ll take care of it. It�s the reason I called in sick. There�s a lot to be done, and this way you don�t have to worry about it.�
Yeah, right. Concern for me was the motive.
�No one comes inside the house,� I stated firmly.
She rolled her eyes. �Of course not. Relax. You can depend on me.�
�This from someone who just called in sick when she isn�t?�
�Like I said. You�re not the boss of me. Now get your hand off my door.�
�All right! Cat fight!� Noah called from the bed. �You go, Chels.�
Reflex had me looking past her to the bed. I saw more of Noah than I ever wanted to see. At that moment, I hated the guy.
�It�s not a cat fight,� I said. I looked back at Chelsea. �I�m just really disappointed in you, Chels.�
�Same goes.�
What was happening between us? I dropped my hand to my side. Chelsea slammed the door shut, reigniting my anger.
�I mean it, Chelsea! No strangers in the house! You�d better not do anything that my grandparents would consider wild!� Although I was pretty sure she�d already done that by having a guy in her bed. They were old-fashioned.
I walked back into the kitchen. Amy was wiping down the counter. She�d cleaned up everything except my plate of eggs. But I had no appetite. I dumped the eggs into the disposal, rinsed the plate, and put it in the dishwasher.
�I guess we need to go. Are you dropping Alex off somewhere?�
�Actually, I told him that he could crash in the extra bedroom while we�re gone.�
Great. Just great.
Amy was driving to the campground before we spoke again.
�It�ll be all right, Jen. The sun is out so the campground shouldn�t be too busy. It�s just maintenance today. No big deal.�
�I just thought we�d all be hanging out together, having fun.�
�We are hanging out together.�
I shifted around in my seat, gave the back an exaggerated look-see. �I see only two of us here.�
�So today is an exception. We can�t be together 24/7. Besides, I bet you�ll want to spend some time alone with Dylan this evening.�
I felt the heat rush to my face. I suppose I was being a little unfair, because not only did I want time with Dylan this evening, but I wanted time alone with him on my day off. So, okay, Amy had a point, and maybe Chelsea was right in wanting to spend time with Noah. I just hadn�t expected it to be like this.
We pulled into the campground, and Amy parked in the parking area. As we got out, I looked between the main building and the Beach Hut. I could see the beach that ran along the bay and Dylan�s tent. It was clearly visible between a motor home and travel trailer parked on sites side by side.
I had an irrational urge to pull a Chelsea, to tell Amy that I wasn�t feeling well, to walk down to the beach, and spend the day with Dylan. Two more days and that�s exactly what I would do.
CHAPTER 23
The hours slowly ticked by. The campground was full and we had no registrations to take care of, so I spent most of the day restocking drinks and souvenirs. Even though we didn�t really need Chelsea around, it didn�t lessen my irritation with her.
I thought about what Amy had said. I wasn�t Chelsea�s mother. Still, I found myself wondering if I was even her friend.
By the time Amy and I got home, the party was in full swing.
�Where did all these people come from?� Amy asked as she stopped the car.
I estimated over two dozen people engaged in various activities. Most wore bathing suits. Some stood around the grill, some were playing volleyball�I had no idea where the net had come from�some were dancing, some were hooking up on the balcony.
The balcony! They weren�t supposed to be in the house.
�There are people on the balcony,� I said in disbelief.
�So?�
�This was supposed to be an outside party.�
�The balcony is outside.�
I glared at Amy. �To get onto the balcony, they had to be inside at some point.�
�Hey, don�t get pissed at me. I had nothing to do with any of this. I was at work all day.�
She was right. She was so right.
�Why have I never noticed before that Chelsea simply does as she pleases?�
�It does seem like she suddenly thinks that no rules apply to her,� Amy said. �Maybe it�s a freedom thing. I�ve heard some people go wild when they move away from home.�
�This is beyond wild. This is�� I growled. I d
idn�t know what this was.
I climbed out of the car. As Amy and I walked to the house, people greeted us like we were old friends. I didn�t recognize a single one of them.
Inside the house even more people were hanging around: in the kitchen, in the living room. What had Chelsea done?
Then I spotted Dylan playing Ping-Pong with Zach. When he saw me, he grinned.
It was crazy, irrational, but suddenly I didn�t care about Chelsea�s irresponsibility or the fact that all these people were here. I only cared that Dylan was.
I walked over to him. He bounced the ball on the table, and caught it.
�This massive crowd was unexpected,� I said.
�Yeah.�
�Who are all these people?�
He shrugged. �They just started showing up. Word seemed to travel fast that a party was going on here.�
�I promised my grandparents we wouldn�t have any wild parties.�
�It�s not really wild.�
But it got that way. Someone showed up with a keg of beer. The music got louder as the night got darker. It served as a siren not for the police but for more people. It was almost as if the whole island was standing around in our yard.
I guess my stress level began to show, because Dylan and Zach helped me convince people that the true party was happening outside, not inside. And once strangers were no longer in my grandparents� house, I began to feel a little better about having all these people over.
I figured if we were really disturbing the peace, the Coast Guard would pull up in the water beside the house and tell us to break it up.
But no one came along to stop the festivities. Hot dogs were roasting on the grill. Before we�d chased everyone out of the house, crabs and shrimp had been boiled in the kitchen.
�We should do this every night,� Chelsea said, showing up on the balcony unexpectedly. I was sitting there with Dylan, watching the stars come out.
�People just arrived, bringing food and drinks,� she continued. �We haven�t had to spend a single penny. Isn�t this just the greatest?�
�Do you even know any of these people?� I asked.
�Sure. I�ve met some of them. It�s like one of those e-mail chain letters. You send it to six of your friends who send it to six of their friends and it multiplies into infinity. You should understand that. It�s a math concept. When you�re finished, you have all these people coming together��
�No, you end up with an inbox full of spam.�
�When did you become such a downer?�
�I�m not. I just don�t want to do this every night.�
�You�re just jealous because it was my idea and it�s gone over so well.�
I stared after her as she disappeared into her bedroom.
�Chelsea!� I finally called when my brain unfroze.
I got up and turned the door knob. She�d locked it. �Chelsea!�
�It�s not important,� Dylan said.
�How do you know what�s important and what isn�t?� I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.
He held up his hands. �Fine. It�s important.� He looked back toward the stars.
Whoa! Were we having our first fight?
I sat down in the chair. �I�m sorry.�
He shifted his attention back to me. I felt a desperate need to explain. �Chelsea has been my best friend forever, but living with her is a�challenge. This summer, it�s like an alien took possession of her or something. Do you and Zach have trouble living together?�
�No. Must be a chick thing.�
�And you�re sexist.�
�I�m sexy.�
�You�re that, too, but you�re trying to change the subject. Chelsea and I arguing is not a chick thing.� Was it?
�Zach does his thing, I do mine. Maybe you and Chelsea spend too much time together.�
�That was the whole point of us living together on the island this summer. To do things together, because we won�t be together in the fall. But we�re not spending any time together. It�s like I hardly see her, except at work.�
�Why don�t you worry about spending time with Chelsea after I leave?�
It was like he threw a cold bucket of water on me. What was I thinking to be sitting here arguing about something so trivial? He was going to be gone in a few days; I�d never see him again. Why was I letting Chelsea ruin my time with Dylan, ruin my summer?
Dylan was right. My problems weren�t his concern. I wasn�t going to have with Dylan what Chelsea had with Noah. And that was okay. Because I didn�t want commitment. I wanted a summer of fun with my best buds.
Dylan was an unexpected surprise, and when he left I�d get back on track with Chelsea.
I nodded. �You�re right. Let�s go have some fun.�
We went outside where the music was playing and the beer was flowing. We danced with each other. We danced with strangers. We danced when no one seemed to be able to tell who was partnered with whom.
I lost sight of Dylan. I lost sight of Amy. I lost sight of Chelsea. It was just me and all these strangers; people I didn�t really know, people who had shown up because they�d heard a good time was happening at our end of the island, on our bit of private land.
I was suddenly overwhelmed, wondering if this was what college would be like. A place with no familiar faces, hundreds and hundreds of strangers walking past me, bumping into me. I didn�t know what to say to these people. What did we have in common?
Nothing except the desire to have a good time.
What did they know about me? Nothing.
Yes, I thought. This was what college would be like. It would be like starting over, like kindergarten. Only my mom wouldn�t walk with me into the classroom. I�d be stepping onto the campus all by myself.
It was what I wanted. It truly was, but suddenly the idea of being surrounded by all these people that I didn�t know�
I saw the light go on in Chelsea�s room. Saw it go out. She was in there with Noah, probably clinging to him. Maybe she was as terrified as I was with all the changes. Maybe Noah was her haven, her refuge.
But where was mine?
An arm wound around my waist, and I was pulled up against a body. I lifted my gaze�Dylan.
He grinned. �Thought I�d lost you.�
I shook my head. �No, I was here.�
He pulled me closer, rubbed his cheek against mine.
�Don�t go to work tomorrow,� he whispered. His voice was low, sultry like the night.
�I have to. We�ll be so busy with people leaving��
�We don�t have much time left. I want to spend it with you.�
My heart was pounding. I felt like I was teetering on the edge of a cliff. I�d always been so damned responsible.
Chelsea had called in sick when she wasn�t. She�d still have a job tomorrow. She�d had no punishment. She�d been outside for most of the afternoon and evening and lightning hadn�t struck her.
�Please,� he said, nuzzling my neck.
And that was all it took for me to fall off the ledge.
�Okay.�
CHAPTER 24
I felt wickedly wonderful. Not a shred of guilt. Okay. There was a shred of guilt pricking my conscience, but I told myself that I would make it up to Mrs. P. I�d work a day when I really was sick. Go in with a headache or cramps or a fever. So I was sorta taking an advance on a sick day. At least, that�s how I rationalized it.
I called Mrs. P as soon as I woke up, before I�d used my voice so it sounded low, raspy�hopefully making me sound like I was truly ill. And hopefully so she wouldn�t notice on her end that my voice was shaking on my end. The fact that I had a slight headache from drinking the night before also eased my guilt. I was kinda sorta a little bit sick.
And I felt a lot worse when I went into the kitchen and saw the mess from the party. It had been so late when everyone finally left, and we�d been wiped out. So
we hadn�t bothered to wash the dishes that had somehow managed to get used�even though we�d put out paper plates and cups. We�d just stacked everything on the counters and island.
The cat was on the counter, lapping up beer that had spilled out of an overturned mug. Tiny was gnawing on a partial hot dog. But that wasn�t the worst of it.
Two large trash cans had been overturned, their contents spread over the kitchen. I could see the large, hairy back end of a strange dog sticking out of one of the cans.
Another dog, huge and mangy looking, had its paws on the island and was licking ketchup off a plate. The plate tottered, and before I could reach it, or even decide if I should approach the beast, the plate hit the floor and shattered.
�Amy!� I walked into the hallway. �Amy!� I shrieked at the top of my lungs.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. A heavy-set guy with a beard and a dirty T-shirt that said DESIGNATED DRINKER stopped in front of me.
�What�s wrong?� he asked.
�Amy!�
I heard softer footsteps on the stairs and a door open behind me. Amy and Chelsea reached me at the same time.
�What is wrong with you?� Chelsea asked.
�Amy�s strays. Let�s start with this guy. I don�t know him,� I said, looking at Designated Drinker.
�He drank too much and was just sleeping it off,� Amy said. �He�s not permanent.�
�And the two new dogs? Are they sleeping it off?�
Amy had the grace to blush. �No, they�re really strays. We have to keep them, Jen.�
�Have you looked in the kitchen recently?�
She cautiously eased past me and peered around the corner. �Shit.�
�Exactly.�
I looked at Designated Drinker. �Did you sleep on a bed?�
�Top bunk.�
�Wash the sheets before you go.�
Alex had crept down the stairs, and Noah was standing behind Chelsea, yawning and scratching his head.
I took a second to look at everyone, and then I said very firmly, �I want this mess cleaned up now.�
�You�re not the boss��
�Right now, I am,� I said, cutting Chelsea off. �This is my grandparents� house, and we promised to take care of it. We have one hour to make this house look as clean as it did the day we arrived. Or else.�