“It works the other way, too,” Justin said. “Sometimes girls come between guys.”
“Has it ever happened to you?”
“No, but I’ve seen it happen to one or two of my friends. It started happening last year, when we were freshmen. It was no big deal, though.”
“Something you’ll look back on and laugh about?” asked Mel.
Justin smiled. “I guess so.”
“Well,” said Mel, “Lacey and I haven’t laughed about our fight, but I think we saw that there wasn’t that much to be fighting about in the first place. Neither of us did anything actually wrong, although I know Lacey felt hurt.”
Justin nodded.
“Well, on to cheerier subjects,” said Mel.
“So, besides having a fight with Lacey Reeder, what did you do while I was gone?”
“Played Trivia Chase till it came out my ears. I bet I know the answer to every single question on every single card. And I finished an Agatha Christie mystery and worked on a watercolor and wrote poetry in my journal. What did you do?”
“Nothing much,” replied Justin vaguely. “You sure were busy. Do you always have so many projects going?”
“Usually. I don’t know why. Dee once told me I act like someone who’s been told she has only six months to live, and has to cram as much as possible into her remaining time. I’ve always been like that.”
“Hey, Mel?” said Justin.
“Yeah?”
He paused. “Nothing.”
But the next thing Mel knew, he had reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. Mel’s heart pounded. They walked up the beach in silence.
On Sunday, they didn’t see each other. Mr. Braderman was on the island, of course, and Justin’s father had flown in unexpectedly. Mel and Justin spent the day with their families.
On Monday afternoon, Justin took Mel clamming in the bay. Mel loathed clams—live or cooked—but she enjoyed clamming under the lowering sun with Justin.
On Tuesday evening, they walked to Watch Hill again. They saw four deer in the wildlife preserve. “If I were a deer, I’d be scared of us,” commented Mel.
“I guess they’re used to people,” Justin replied. “Besides, if I were a deer, I wouldn’t be scared of you.”
He took her hand and they walked on.
Wednesday was a rainy day, so Mel stayed at home. The entire Reeder family came over just after lunch, and Mel, Lacey, Timmy, Jackie, Dee, Jeanmarie, Mrs. Braderman, and Mrs. Reeder began a vicious game of Monopoly. By the time Timmy won, four and a half hours later, he had cleaned out every player plus the bank, and the sun was shining palely.
Mel decided to find Justin. She ran along the damp walks, the wet trees dripping onto her skin, and nearly slammed into somebody as she rounded a corner.
“Justin!” she exclaimed.
“Mel! Where are you going?”
“To find you. The sun’s out and I thought maybe we could take a walk.”
“Oh, good. I was on my way to ask you the same thing.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the beach. Neither one felt the need to speak. When they reached the steps down to the dunes, Mel paused. “Let’s sit up here and look at the ocean,” she said. “The sand is too wet to sit in.”
They sat side by side on the top step, their shoulders touching. Justin took one of Mel’s hands and held it between both of his. “A hand sandwich,” commented Mel.
“You know what I’ve been thinking?” Justin said a few moments later.
“What?”
“That in less than two weeks, we’ll have left the island.”
“Yuck. I know,” said Mel. “Back to school. We might come out for a few weekends in September, though. What about you?”
Justin shook his head. “We only have the house until the end of Labor Day weekend.”
“Oh.”
“And then I’ll be back in New York.”
“And I’ll be back in Bronxville.”
“How often do you get into the city?” asked Justin.
“Not very often. Maybe three or four times a year—to see the Reeders or go to a show or something. My mother doesn’t like New York.”
“We’re not coming back, you know,” said Justin abruptly.
“Not coming back? Oh, you mean not coming back here next summer?”
He shook his head. “Dad’s thinking about going to Block Island. Or maybe back to the Hamptons. And my mother’s moving to L.A. I might be out in California a lot from now on.”
“Oh.”
“We’re really not going to see each other much after Labor Day.”
“I guess not.”
“That’s why I was thinking that we should make the most of what’s left of the summer—”
“Definitely.”
“—and then not try to see each other again.”
“What?” cried Mel.
“It would be too hard. You’ll be starting high school, You’ll want to go out with new guys. Believe me, they’ll want to go out with you.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, and we shouldn’t be tied down to each other. It would be pointless since we’ll probably never see each other again.”
“I suppose,” Mel said slowly. She stared down at the hand sandwich, willing herself not to cry.
And then, ever so slowly, Justin let go of her hand, drew her to him, and kissed her lightly on the lips. Mel was startled, then felt herself begin to tingle with pleasure. She leaned forward and, just as tenderly, kissed Justin back.
“A summer romance,” Mel whispered.
“Yes,” replied Justin. “It will have to be just a summer romance.”
Chapter Nine
LABOR DAY WEEKEND ARRIVED. Mel’s father showed up on Wednesday night. “For the final fling of the summer,” he said.
Mel felt happy and sad at the same time, although she had to admit that the feelings of sadness were greater than the feelings of happiness. Late Thursday afternoon she stood on her front deck and looked around, realizing that the leaves on the shrubs and trees were already beginning to turn slightly. And one bush, almost overnight, had become a fiery ball of red. In the distance, though, she could hear the ocean, and that was comforting because it was a summer sound.
Mel sat on the railing and did some fast calculating. Basically, there were four nights and three days left to her summer. Monday didn’t count because it would be spent packing up, putting the house in order, and leaving the island. If the Bradermans returned for any September weekends, they would bring only overnight clothing with them.
There were a lot of things Mel wanted to do for the “last” time before Monday. Some she wanted to do with her family, some with Lacey, and some with Justin. She didn’t think she would have time for everything.
Timmy ran up the walk to Moonrise, interrupting Mel’s thoughts. He plopped down on a beach chair and smirked at his sister.
“Hey, squirt,” said Mel. “What are you looking so smug about?”
“Da dum de-dum.” Timmy hummed the tune to “The Wedding March.” “Your boyfriend’s on the way over.”
Mel brightened, overlooking Timmy’s humming. “He is?”
“Yup. I just passed him. He said he was coming over here. He’s never done that before.”
“He’s shy,” Mel replied. “I think.”
“Who’s shy?” called Lacey’s voice from her deck. “Are you guys gossiping? I’ll be right over.”
Uh-oh, thought Mel. Lacey will have to face Justin.
Sure enough, Lacey had no sooner settled herself on the railing next to Mel than Justin strode up the walk, looking nervous but determined. “Hi, everybody!” he called.
“Well, I guess I’ll be going,” said Lacey.
“No, wait,” said Justin uncomfortably. “I wanted to know if you—all of you—would like to come down the beach and play volleyball. There’s a really good game going on right in front of my house, but they could use some more players.”
&n
bsp; “Hey, that would be fun!” said Mel.
“Yeah!” agreed Timmy.
“I don’t know,” said Lacey. “I’m not very good at volleyball.”
“It doesn’t matter. Nobody there is,” Justin assured her. “They’re just having fun.”
“I’ll go get Jackie,” said Timmy. “He’ll want to play, too.”
“So are you coming?” Mel asked Lacey.
“Sure,” she replied. “Why not?”
They played for over an hour, Mel, Lacey, and Jackie joining one team, Timmy and Justin joining the other. It wasn’t a very serious game, everyone laughing and making mistakes. Twice, Mel found herself cheering for the other team when Justin made a good play.
After it was over, they flopped down in the sand. Mel could tell that Timmy liked Justin. Timmy would have appreciated a big brother, she thought.
Mel could also see Lacey warming up to Justin. Lacey agreed to that later as she and Mel were walking along the beach back to their houses, Timmy and Jackie trailing behind.
“He’s not half bad,” said Lacey.
“Is that the best you can do?” teased Mel.
“Oh, all right, he’s nice. Really nice. And funny. I can see why you like him.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So you don’t think I’m bonkers anymore?”
“Nah…Cuckoo, yes. Deluded, yes. But not bonkers. No way.”
On Friday, Mel and Justin walked to Watch Hill one last time and later went clamming one last time. On Saturday, the weather reports began predicting stormy weather for Sunday and Monday, so Saturday was Mel’s Lacey Day—one last day baking in the sun on the beach. They ate both breakfast and lunch in the dunes.
“How about a seafood cookout tonight?” Mrs. Braderman asked Mel that afternoon. “We could send to the mainland for lobsters and fish and have a picnic supper tonight. You could ask Justin to join us.”
“Really?” cried Mel. “Oh, Mom, that would be fantastic!”
“Why don’t you go ask him now?” suggested her mother. “I need to know how much food to order.”
“Okay. Want to come, Lacey?”
“No, thanks. I’ll bake. See you later.”
Mel ran along the water’s edge. When she reached Justin’s stretch of the beach, she was sweaty and out of breath. She scanned the beach for him, then looked at his house. She saw him sunning on one of the decks and ran a bit closer.
“Justin! Hey, Justin!” she shouted.
Justin sat up and shaded his eyes. “Mel?” he called.
She waved. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m down here. Want to come over for dinner tonight? We’re going to have a seafood cookout. My mom asked if you could come.”
“Well…sure. Thanks!”
“Great. Seven o’clock, okay?”
“Okay. See you then. ’Bye!”
“’Bye!” Mel ran back to give her mother the good news.
Justin showed up at Moonrise House at exactly seven o’clock. He managed to look both casual and well dressed. He was wearing neatly pressed khaki shorts, a red-and-blue striped polo shirt, and running shoes with no socks. Mel noticed that he had tried unsuccessfully to tame his mass of curls, and decided that it didn’t matter. She didn’t see how a person could possibly notice anything other than those limpid brown eyes of his, anyway.
“Mom, Dad,” said Mel as Justin entered the living room, “this is Justin Hart. Justin, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Braderman. You know Timmy. Oh, and this is my sister, Dorothy.”
“Dee,” said Dee.
Justin shook hands with Mel’s parents and said hello to Dee and Timmy.
“Well, let’s go out on the back deck,” suggested Mrs. Braderman. “It’s much too nice an evening to sit around inside.”
So Justin and the Bradermans sat around outside instead. Mel could tell that Justin was a big hit with her family, even if he did seem more reserved than when he was alone with Mel.
They ate grilled bluefish and lobster and corn on the cob until they could barely move. Then Dee suggested a game of Trivia Chase, the women against the men. Thanks to Justin, who knew the answer to every single entertainment question, the men almost won. But the other team included Mel, so the women won after all.
When the game was over, Mr. Braderman said, “So you’re leaving the island on Monday, Justin?”
Justin nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“And will you be back next summer?”
“No, I’m afraid not. Dad’s decided to rent somewhere else. He liked Fire Island, but he likes change, too. He’s thinking of Block Island.”
“Well, I hope we’ll see you this year from time to time,” said Mel’s mother. “Bronxville isn’t too far from the city, and we do visit the Reeders every now and then.”
Justin smiled. Then he stood up. “I guess I should be getting back. Thanks for dinner. It was really great. I’m glad you asked me.”
“Our pleasure.”
Justin shook hands with Mel’s parents and said goodbye to Timmy and Dee.
“I’ll walk you partway,” Mel told him, and followed him through the house and down the walk. When they were out of sight of Moonrise, Justin slipped his hand into Mel’s.
“Will we see each other tomorrow?” asked Mel.
“I hope so,” Justin replied, “but I’m not sure. Dad’s here. And it’s supposed to rain. But I’ll see you Monday definitely. Even if it’s just to say good-bye.”
“To say good-bye,” Mel repeated. “Justin, we don’t have to, you know.”
“Yes, we do. This is just a summer romance, remember? It has to be.”
“I know. No strings attached.”
“Because it’ll never work out later.”
“Okay.” Mel nodded, trying to convince herself. “Okay.”
She and Justin kissed briefly. Then they parted.
Just as the weather forecasters had predicted, Sunday dawned overcast and cool. Mel and her family sat around their house with the radio playing. Mrs. Braderman worked on her needlepoint; Mr. Braderman, Dee, and Mel plowed through the New York Times; and Timmy decided to bake brownies.
It wasn’t until early afternoon that they heard the first warnings about Hurricane Chester. Mel and Dee were arguing over the New York Times crossword puzzle when Mr. Braderman suddenly began to shush them. He waved his hands for silence and turned up the volume on the radio.
“It’s official now, folks,” the newscaster was saying. “That tropical storm we’ve been watching has turned into a hurricane and begun its sweep up the eastern seaboard. Small craft—”
Mr. Braderman abruptly switched the station off.
“Da-ad!” exclaimed Mel.
We’ve got to find the local news,” her father explained. “We have to find out if Chester’s expected to hit Fire Island.”
Mel and Dee fell silent. Timmy looked up from his gooey creation. Mrs. Braderman dropped her needlework in concern.
After several frustrating seconds, Mr. Braderman found a Patchogue station. There was no cause for alarm, the weatherman said. Not yet. It was too soon to tell what Chester would do. He could spin out to sea at any time.
But by later that afternoon, the Davis Park police were striding up and down the wooden walkways, using bullhorns to announce that the island was to be evacuated first thing the next morning.
Hurricane Chester was expected to blow right over Fire Island Monday afternoon. Danger was imminent. Damage was expected to be considerable.
Chapter Ten
“EVERYBODY, START PACKING,” ORDERED Mr. Braderman. “Right now. You kids start on your rooms.”
“Should we bring everything home?” asked Timmy. “I mean, even the stuff we usually leave here?”
“No, we’ll never get on the ferry if we try to do that.”
“But if we leave things here, they’re going to get destroyed.”
“I don’t think so, honey,” said Mrs. Braderman. “We have the boards for the windows, and we’ll pac
k things away carefully. The house has survived other storms.”
Mel and Dee went to their room and pulled their suitcases out from under their beds. The cases were dusty and sandy, having been there for over two months. The girls packed quickly, piling belongings on their beds. Then Dee checked the closet and the bureau drawers to make sure everything was empty.
Mel began to worry. Would Justin and his father know what to do to their house? Would Mel really get to say good-bye to Justin? What if Hurricane Chester prevented them from seeing each other?
Mrs. Braderman interrupted her thoughts.
“Throw out anything you don’t need anymore,” she said, tossing a garbage bag into the room. The bag was followed by a broom. “Then sweep up,” she added.
“Boy,” said Mel, gloomily. “This is some way to end the summer. All of a sudden today is our last day, instead of tomorrow. And we’re spending it getting ready to escape a hurricane.” And I may never see Justin again, she thought. It was a tragedy.
It seemed that everything that could possibly be cleaned or cleaned out was given a thorough once-over that afternoon. Mel carted bags of trash to the cans at the end of their walk. She made sure the cans and their lids were chained down and hoped the garbage men would collect the trash before Hurricane Chester arrived.
Mrs. Braderman and Timmy cleaned out the kitchen. They set aside food for dinner and breakfast, then threw away any leftover perishables. The rest of the food—canned goods, spices, tins of flour, boxes of cake mix, and anything else that wouldn’t go bad—was packed into boxes and stored in a closet.
Mr. Braderman and Dee struggled with the boards for the windows. They were stored under the house, and hauling them onto the deck was a major job. The boards hadn’t been used in several years and were filthy. Dee hosed them down before Mr. Braderman disconnected the hose and put that away, too. “We’ll board up the windows last thing before we leave tomorrow,” he said.
Shortly before supper, the rain stopped falling. Mel stood on the deck and surveyed the sky and ocean. Both were a silvery gray. The color might have been pretty if Mel hadn’t known what it foreshadowed. She saw Lacey on her deck next door.
“Can you come over?” Mel called.