�I�m not scared,� I shot back.
�My bad. I mistook your silence for a scream.�
I twisted around and lightly slapped his shoulder. �Jerk.�
I didn�t mean it, of course. I was actually having fun. Even if the movie did give me chills. Or maybe it was Dylan being so close, because the chills were kind of pleasant.
�Your hair is tickling my nose,� he said. �Can I move it?�
�Oh, sure.�
He didn�t move it aside with the carelessness I would have. He looped it behind my ear first, his finger trailing down my face around my ear. Then he roped it around to the other side.
Now I had incredibly pleasant chills, because his warm breath was skimming along my neck.
�You smell really good,� he murmured.
�Gardenia Lily,� I said.
�No, chocolate chip.�
It was hard to laugh without making a sound, but I managed, my shoulders quaking. This guy had a one-track mind. I�d eaten some cookies before we left the house. So maybe that was why I smelled like them. Or maybe my hair had absorbed the aroma while they were baking. Or maybe he was just flirting, and I didn�t really smell like anything.
He, on the other hand, smelled really spicy, so I knew he�d showered again before he came over. I wondered how long his arrangement with Mr. P would last. Had Dylan given him a definite number of days�or was he still taking it day by day? How long was he going to stay? When would he leave?
Because I was really starting to like him. And that really was scary.
CHAPTER 14
The movie was over a little after midnight, and we went straight back to the house. Some of us had to work the next day, after all. Zach decided to call it a night, got on his motorcycle, and headed to the campground. Dylan came inside to get the remaining cookies. Amy went to her room. Noah and Chelsea were on the couch, doing their thing.
My grandma never threw anything away. A big drawer in the kitchen was filled with empty plastic butter tubs. I pulled one out and put the cookies in it. I snapped the lid into place and held it out to Dylan. I thought he�d snatch it up and leave.
Instead he asked, �How do you get to that crow�s nest up there?�
�There�s stairs.�
�I bet it�s an awesome view.�
�It is. You can see the whole island.�
He waited, his eyes on mine�until I finally realized that he was waiting for an invitation. �Would you like to see it?�
�Yeah.�
�Come on.�
I set the tub on the counter and led him up the stairs to the next floor. �Amy and I sleep in the bedrooms up here,� I said when we reached the landing, not certain why I felt this uncontrollable need to serve as a tour guide. I took him to the end of the hallway and opened a door that revealed the stairs that led to the crow�s nest.
They were steep and narrow. I went first. At the top, I unlatched the trapdoor and pushed it up. Then I climbed out. Dylan followed and closed the door behind him.
We moved to the edge of the crow�s nest. All the way around, the wall was about waist high. From there to the roof, it was open. The breeze blew around us.
�I love it up here,� I confessed. �Sometimes I come up here when I can�t sleep.�
�This is great,� he said.
The moonlight glinted off the water of the bay. A foghorn sounded. A sheet of lightning illuminated the sky.
�A storm�s coming in,� I said unnecessarily.
�I can smell the rain in the air,� he said.
�I guess if you didn�t have the arrangement with Mr. P, you�d be showering in the rain soon.�
�Might do it anyway. Want to join me?�
My mouth dropped open. I didn�t know what to say.
�Just think about it,� he said finally.
No problem there. Couldn�t stop thinking about it, actually.
We were quiet, simply listening to the water lapping at the shore, the occasional rumble of thunder, growing nearer.
�It�s cool that you have a guy living with you,� he said after a while.
Here I was hoping his thoughts had turned to me�and he wanted to talk about Noah. I couldn�t seem to escape the guy.
�Noah isn�t living with me. He�s living with Chelsea. Totally, exclusively.�
�But it�s good that he�s around. He can take care of things for you.�
�Right. About the only thing he takes care of is changing the channels and buying the beer.�
�You don�t like having him around?�
�It�s just that he wasn�t expected. Chelsea invited him to move in without asking us.�
�You don�t like the unexpected.�
�Not particularly.�
�So if I want to kiss you then I should tell you first?�
Okay. This was so not where I thought we were going with this conversation, but I could live with it. I could definitely live with it.
�Not necessarily. I mean, some things, even though they�re unexpected, you still anticipate them.�
I felt like I was talking in circles. Nervous, anxious, excited. �I guess what I mean is that you wouldn�t have to announce it, if you wanted to kiss me. You could just kiss me, and I wouldn�t be upset that it came without an announcement, because��
�Jennifer?�
�Yeah?�
�I�m going to kiss you.�
Simple. Quietly spoken. And then his lips were on mine.
And his kiss wasn�t at all like his smile. It wasn�t crooked or one-sided. It was quite simply�perfect.
CHAPTER 15
The next morning I woke up to the patter of rain hitting the roof and its scent wafting in through the open window. I reached down and brought the covers that I�d kicked off during the night up to my chin to ward off the chill of the cool breeze ruffling the curtains. I snuggled down against the mattress, listening to the rain, ocean, and wind. Heavenly.
I thought of Dylan and how all this might sound to him, zipped up inside his tent. Had he stripped down and taken a shower in the rain before going inside?
I thought about his kiss. I wondered what it had meant to him, if anything. And wished it hadn�t meant so much to me.
I wanted to be cool, carefree. A real island girl who just let life happen.
But the truth was that I didn�t give kisses away lightly. And I�d only once given my heart. It had hurt. And I didn�t want to feel that hurt again.
Chelsea kept saying that I didn�t know what it was to have a boyfriend. But I did. I knew what it was to plan my life around him, only to learn that he�d planned nothing around me.
I wanted a guy around. But I didn�t want to care about him the way I was already starting to care about Dylan. Dylan who had announced that he wasn�t looking for a girlfriend, Dylan who had announced that he was going to kiss me. And then had. Long, slow, without hurry.
With a moan, I clamped my pillow over my head. To block out the rain and the surf and the breeze. To stop the memories of his kiss from making my lips tingle.
To stop myself from wondering if he�d kiss me again. Tonight. After work.
After work!
I shot straight up to a sitting position. Work! Rain! No, no, no!
I scrambled out of bed and hurried to the window. I looked out at the drenched, dreary world. No sun. Just a steady downpour.
In my cotton boxers and tank, I shuffled out of my bedroom and across the hallway. I knocked on Amy�s door.
�Just a sec!� she called out.
I heard a thud like something dropping to the floor. A grunt. A whine?
�Amy, are you okay?�
�I�m fine! I�ll be there in a sec.�
I heard another thud. Then she opened the door a crack and peered out like she�d forgotten that I knew what she looked like in her underwear.
�Are you sure you�re okay?� I asked.
�I�
m fine. What do you need?�
�It�s raining.�
She pointed to her eyes and then her ears. �These work, you know.�
�Do you know what people who camp on the beach do when it rains?�
She bumped into the door, a look of panic in her eyes, then closed the door, and opened it back up�but the crack was even narrower than before. I heard scratching and definite whining. No doubts now.
�What is going on in there?� I demanded to know.
�Nothing.�
I pointed to my eyes and ears and repeated what she�d just told me. �These work, you know!�
�It�s my room, my business.�
The scratching got more frantic. She looked down, did something with her foot behind the door.
�Amy��
�No, wait. Stop! Don�t do that! No!�
She was gone, leaving the door ajar. Maybe it was her room, but it was my grandparents� house and I had a responsibility to them. I pushed on the door�
And was attacked!
The biggest rat I�d ever seen was running around my feet, jumping on my legs. I could see Amy on her knees on the floor, wiping at what looked like spilled lemonade. I didn�t want to think that it wasn�t exactly that.
The rat�which I realized was a dog�was yipping. I heard pounding on the stairs. Chelsea appeared. She screamed really loudly. Again. And again.
�A rat! Noah, help!�
�It�s not a rat,� Amy said with disgust, as she came over and picked it up. �It�s a hairless Chihuahua.�
It was a frisky thing, squirming in her hands.
�Where did it come from?� I asked.
Before she could answer, I heard louder pounding on the stairs. Noah appeared, a lamp in his hand held up a like a saber. Great! What did he think he was going to do with that?
�Where is it?� he asked.
Then I realized he was coming to our rescue. Chelsea put Noah between herself and us as though she didn�t quite believe Amy�s claim about the dog. I started laughing. This was just too much. The rain, the dog, the mess in Amy�s room, Noah�and how much I was starting to like Dylan when I shouldn�t�not this much anyway. Was he the important relationship that was going to go in a direction I didn�t want, which my horoscope had forewarned me about?
That thought made me stop laughing.
�Hey, where did you get the mutt?� Noah asked, as he came the rest of the way up the stairs.
This time, with no loud noises to distract Amy, she said, �I heard him whining outside when it started raining.�
�Who does he belong to?� Noah asked.
�Me, I guess.�
�No, not you. He has to belong to someone else,� I pointed out.
�He has no tags, not even a collar,� Amy said. �I�ve heard about people dumping their unwanted dogs on the island.�
�Well, regardless of how he got here, you can�t keep him,� I told her.
�Why not?�
�Who�s going to take care of him while you�re working?�
�I will,� Noah said, as he patted the dog�s head.
�Ew! No!� Chelsea said. �He looks like a rat.�
�But he�s not, he�s a dog,� Noah said. �What�s his name?�
�Like I said, no tags. So I don�t know,� Amy said.
�He�s a little thing,� Noah said. �That�s what I think we should call him. Tiny.�
Amy grinned up at Noah like he�d finally started paying for his share of the food.
�We can�t keep him. He peed on the floor,� I pointed out.
�I can train him,� Amy said.
I looked at Noah. �You don�t even pick up your clothes. You�re going to pick up after the dog?�
�Sure.� He took the dog from Amy�s hand. �Come on, Tiny. Let�s go back to bed.�
�You can�t have him in my grandparents� bed!�
�I�m not. I�m going to have him in Chelsea�s bed.�
�But Chelsea�s bed is my�� Before I could finish explaining the true ownership of the bed, Noah had disappeared down the stairs, Chelsea trotting after him.
I shook my head. �I don�t believe this.�
�Actually, I think he�s house-trained,� Amy said. �I just didn�t know that he needed to go out. Now I know.�
�Amy, a dog is such a hassle.�
�But they love unconditionally.�
I wagged my finger at her. �If he ruins anything��
�He won�t. And I�ll pay for his dog food, so it won�t be part of our grocery split.�
I couldn�t believe I was going to agree to this. �Okay.�
�You came over to tell me something.�
That seemed like hours ago. But the rain was still falling. �Yeah, I was asking if you knew what campers did when it rained.�
�Is this like a knock-knock joke?�
�I wish. When it rains, they can�t go play outside. So they play at the arcade.�
�Oh.�
�Yeah.�
CHAPTER 16
�Do you know karate? Because your body sure is kickin�.�
In my CCR uniform? Give me a break. Still, I turned to the shirtless wonder at the counter who I judged to be fairly close to my age. I smiled and said, �You come on as strong as a garlic milkshake.�
He grinned. �Ah, come on. Play along. I�ve got no sun, no fun. Flirting with a babe is about all that�s left to me.�
He was kinda cute, blond hair, eyes as green as mine. He looked like he was dressed so that as soon as the rain stopped, he could be on the beach. Swim trunks, flip-flops.
�Sorry. What can I get you?� I asked.
�Are you an option?�
I laughed at his pathetic attempts to make a favorable impression on me. �No, I�m not on the menu. Your choices are limited to popcorn, nachos, or hot dogs.�
�Hot dog.�
�One hot dog coming up.� The problem with my job in registration was that once the campground was full, I became a wandering employee. I had nothing to do so I took up the slack in the areas where others were really busy. Today the busiest place was the Beach Hut, so I found myself in the trenches with Amy.
I handed him the hot dog. �That�ll be a dollar.�
He paid me.
�I�m Matt by the way.�
�Jennifer.�
�You want to hang out tonight after you get off from work?�
�Actually, I sorta already have plans.� I didn�t, but I didn�t want to crush him completely. He wasn�t a total jerk.
�Well, if you change your mind, I met some people who are going to have a party down on the beach. Just look for the fire and the fun.�
�Thanks. I�ll keep it in mind.�
�Excuse me, but if you have time to work here�in between flirting and getting directions to parties�there�s a fly in my nachos,� Mr. Warner said.
�Enjoy it!� I said to Mr. Warner. �It�s on the house.�
He�d come to the counter less than ten minutes before complaining that his hot dog had been undercooked. No way, but the customer is always right. Besides, how could I determine exactly how it was cooked when the whole thing was already in his stomach? So I�d given him the nachos to make him happy. Didn�t charge him a cent.
I was beginning to think he wouldn�t know happy if it bit him on the butt.
He put the nachos on the counter. �Dead fly. Health violation.�
Okay. There was a dead fly, and it was gross. I took the nachos and dumped them in the trash. Then I turned back to him. �Popcorn?�
He nodded.
I scooped the popcorn into the sack and handed it to him. �At least today you�ve got your shade.�
�It�s raining.� He said it like it was my fault, like I�d done something to make it rain. Oh, to have such power. I�d turn him into a toad.
�Exactly, so there�s no sun, whi
ch is what you were complaining about the other day.�
�I like the sun.�
�I thought you wanted shade.�
�You have to have sun to have shade.�
Okay. This was going nowhere. �Enjoy the popcorn.�
Fifteen hot dogs, six nachos, and eight bags of popcorn later, I was beginning to wonder if people would ever stop eating. Or if it would ever stop raining.
�Can you believe how busy it is in here?� Amy asked. �My feet are killing me.�
�Do you want to take a break?�
�Where would I go? It�s raining outside.�
�To the store? Get a candy bar or something? Visit with Chelsea?�
A covered walkway joined the snack bar to the main building and store.
�Nah, she�s probably busy, too. Are Dylan and Zach coming to the house tonight?�
�I don�t know. Is it okay if they do? I mean, you seemed to get along with Zach.�
�Yeah, he�s nice. But you know they�re leaving in a few days.�
�I know.�
Amy nodded. �You just seemed to really have an interest in Dylan.�
�I like him�a lot,� I reluctantly admitted.
�Don�t get hurt.�
�I won�t. I mean, I know we can�t have anything serious. It�s just fun to hang around with him.�
�Hey, a guy told me about a party tonight, on the beach.�
�Yeah, I heard the same rumor.�
�Maybe we should think about going. You know, if it ever stops raining.�
I almost said that I�d have to check with Dylan. That made me sound so much like Chelsea, and I really didn�t want to do that. Dylan wasn�t my boyfriend. I didn�t know for sure if I�d see him after work.
�Let�s think about it,� I said instead.
�Okay.�
I heard a giggle followed by a familiar laugh. I looked toward the game room and saw Dylan playing pool with some girl in cutoffs and a halter top. I hadn�t seen him come in, and I wished that I hadn�t seen him now.
�It�s raining,� Amy said, like she could read my mind. �He has to do something.�
�I know.� But I couldn�t take my eyes off him. The familiar way he lined up the shot. The way he focused all his attention on the ball and not the girl�thank goodness. He sent the ball straight into the pocket. He grinned at the girl like he�d won something. I didn�t want to think about what they might have been wagering.