Pulled Under (Sixteenth Summer) (23 page)

“I’ve got ten days left in the most amazing summer of my life. I know it’s going to end, but there’s nothing that I can do about that. So I’m going to make the most out of every one of those days.”

“You certainly did that today.”

I allow myself a moment of pride as I flash a big grin. “I did, didn’t I?”

“Okay,” he says. “We’ll wait and have the talk the night before I leave.”

“At the end of the pier,” I say. “But for now we just dance.”

He gives me a little look. “I didn’t realize you were in charge.”

“You didn’t? We’re on the beach and I am the king. I’ve got a trophy over there to prove it.”

He laughs some more and holds me tighter. I press my ear against his chest, and we continue to move to the mellow music. I feel completely different than I have ever felt in my entire life.

E
arlier in the summer I had expected that these last days would be the worst. I thought I’d be filled with dread as the clock kept counting down toward August twenty-fifth. Oddly, that’s not the case. I don’t know if it’s because I’m living in some sort of denial and will be a total cry factory on the twenty-fourth, or if I’ve somehow come to accept that I can’t control the things I can’t control. This is not to say there aren’t moments when I get in a funk or wallow in a momentary flurry of self-pity. But for the most part these are just quick and they pass.

The last day of summer camp is memorable because all of the kids celebrate our victory in the King of the Beach. As members of the Surf Sisters team, Rebecca, Tyler, and I are presented with cardboard crowns that we wear for most of the class. Normally I wouldn’t, but the kids really want me to, and I can tell that it drives Kayla crazy. Ben has a special little waterproof camera that he uses to shoot video of all the kids surfing. Then he pulls out a surprise and shows them how good he’s gotten at surfing too. At the end of the class, we have a graduation ceremony where Mickey and Mo present them with their official surf-plomas and we all pose for a group picture.

Every night Ben and I walk on the beach and check on the turtle’s nest. Sometimes we just sit there in the sand for over an hour looking at the nest and talking about anything and everything, except for the future. Then one night we’re about to get up when I notice the sand above the nest shift ever so slightly.

“Check it out,” I whisper. “I think it’s time.”

The sand begins to drain down and we see a tiny loggerhead, less than two inches long, pop his head up from underground.

“He’s so tiny,” says Ben. “How does he grow to be so big?”

There’s a flurry of activity, and one by one little turtle heads start popping up from the sand as the hatchlings use their tiny flippers to crawl out onto the beach. Within thirty seconds, there are nearly a hundred of them.

“Look at them all!” he says in total amazement.

“They’re going to follow the moonlight,” I remind him. “The reflection of the moon on the ocean is their guide.”

“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” Ben looks over at me in the moonlight and adds, “Well, maybe the second most amazing thing.”

“Is that so?” I ask. “What’s first?”

He gives me a coy shrug, then gets up onto his feet and follows behind the hatchlings as they scamper to the sea.

I follow too, and once the last turtle reaches the water, I hug Ben from behind and press my cheek up against his back.

“What’s the most amazing thing you ever saw?”

“There was this girl,” he says. “And she had a wrinkle in her chin.”

“And eyes that seemed to change colors?” I joke.

“That’s right,” he says. “And a big old guacamole stain on her shirt.”

He turns around to face me, but I still keep my arms around him.

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Well, I’m certainly never going to forget it.”

“You also better not forget that I have pictures of you . . . on the beach . . . in shoes and socks, coach’s shorts, a belt, and a tucked-in shirt. I’m talking photographic evidence that can be enlarged and printed.”

He pulls me even closer. “I only dressed that way to get your attention. I knew that you’d have to rescue me.”

I stand up on my tiptoes and give him a kiss. I close my eyes when I do and let my lips linger on his for a moment.

“You know, I haven’t officially asked you to the Sand Castle Dance,” he says.

“I was wondering when you’d get around to that,” I say. “And I think it was a big oversight on your part.”

“Is that so?”

“Earlier in the summer I’m sure I would have jumped at the chance to go with you. But now that I’m King of the Beach, I’ve got other offers to consider.”

He looks down at me, and I can see the moonlight in his eyes.

“Don’t even joke like that,” he says.

I give him an apology kiss. “I’m sorry.”

“Isabel Lucas, would you like to go to the Sand Castle Dance with me?”

“More than you can possibly know.”

He kisses me again, and then we walk back down the beach.

There are three days left of summer.

F
or more than fifty years the Sand Castle Dance has signaled the end of the summer season as the locals come out to the bandshell to dance the night away. Nicole and I have been many times, but this year is significant because it’s the first time we’ll be going with dates. We’re at my house and I’m putting on the finishing touches.

“You look amazing,” Nic says when she sees me in my dress.

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“So do you,” I say.

I’m wearing a white summer dress with floral lace over a soft interior layer. I’m hoping to strike a balance between cute and comfortable that will still look good after hours of dancing outside on a hot and humid night. A tall order indeed.

Officially Ben and I are doubling with Nicole and Cody. Sophie’s boyfriend, from Florida State, is coming, but they’re going to meet us there.

“Can you believe this summer?” I ask her. “I mean seriously.”

“It’s been a whirlwind,” she says. “Starting with Sophie’s first day back at the shop.”

“That’s the day I met Ben.”

“And the day you sentenced me to talk to Cody.”

I smile. “That turned out to be a good day for us.”

She looks at me, and I can tell that she’s concerned. “Are you going to be okay?”

I nod. “I’m going to have to be.”

“Have you told him?”

I shake my head. “No.”

She goes to say something else, but there’s a knock on the door.

“They’re here!” I say as I get up and start to walk down the hall to the front door.

Nicole comes right behind me, and before I answer it, she takes me by the shoulder. “Tell him how you feel. You owe it to him and you owe it to yourself.”

I nod.

Both of us take a breath and we open the door. Ben and Cody are standing together on the porch. In keeping with tradition, each one is wearing board shorts, a short sleeve button-down shirt, and a tie.

“Okay . . . wow!” Ben says. “You look sensational.”

“You look pretty good yourself,” I say, trying not to blush too much.

The dance is great. The band, which Ben picked out, is fun and plays covers of music from all different eras. This is important because the dance is for all ages. There are couples who have been married for more than fifty years dancing right next to teenagers like us.

“I know our big talk isn’t until tomorrow night,” I say while we’re slow dancing. “But there is something that I kind of need to tell you tonight.”

“Sure,” he says. “What is it?”

“I lied to you.”

He looks down at me with deep concern in his eyes. “When?”

“The first time we climbed up into the lifeguard stand. I asked you about Beth and why you broke up.”

“That was a fun conversation.”

“Anyway, you told me that you broke up with her because she loved you and you didn’t feel that way toward her. Then I said—”

“‘Lucky for us we don’t have to worry about that,’” he says, quoting me from that night. “‘We both know that this is just for the summer.’”

“So, you really do remember,” I say, surprised.

“I really do,” he says.

“It was a lie,” I say.

“I know.”

This catches me off guard. “What do you mean, you know?”

“I knew it was a lie that night. You were worried that if you told me that you loved me, then I might break up with you, too.”

I stop dancing and look right at him. “You knew that I loved you?”

He nods.

“But you didn’t break up with me.”

He shakes his head.

“Does that mean . . .”

“That I love you too?” he says. “Yes, it does. I’ve loved you from the beginning, Izzy. I am hopelessly, helplessly in love with you. Don’t you know that?”

Tears stream down my face. “Well, I do now.”

Luckily there are a couple more slow dances in a row, which gives me a chance to compose myself.

“Very nice, Ben,” Sophie says as we go back to a table and meet with the others. “You have organized a very nice Sand Castle Dance.”

“Why, thank you,” he says.

The boys head over to the snack bar to get us some sodas, and Nicole sees the tears in my eyes.

“You told him, didn’t you?”

I nod.

“And?” asks Sophie.

“And,” I say, “he loves me too.”

This is the moment it hits me. This is the moment I realize what’s really been bothering me. I haven’t been worried that he didn’t love me. I’ve been worried that he did. Because that makes what’s about to happen all that much worse.

“He’s loves me and he’s leaving.”

“You’re going to be okay,” Nicole says. “You really are.”

I nod. “I know. It’s just hard to imagine.”

I try to compose myself again as I see the boys come our way. Then the most unexpected thing happens.

“‘The Rockafeller Skank’!” I shout as the music blares from the speakers.

The band has taken a break and a DJ has taken over.

“Did you do this?” I ask Sophie.

“No, I didn’t,” she says, laughing.

The boys reach the table and I turn to Ben. “Did you pick this song?”

He nods. “I picked all the music. You like it?”

I smile. “You could say that.”

I look at each of the girls, and we know exactly what we have to do.

“All right, boys,” Sophie says. “Try to keep up.”

The three boys have no idea what’s about to happen, but Sophie, Nicole, and I all head out to the dance floor, turn to face them, and do the once unthinkable. We unleash the Albatross in full public view.

The shy girl that was once me is no longer.

A
ugust twenty-fourth is Ben’s last full day in Pearl Beach. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one in his life, and I have to share this day with others. He has a shift at Parks and Recreation, and they take him out to lunch. He also has to eat dinner with his aunt and uncle. That means I get a little bit of time with him in the afternoon, and then we’re meeting on the pier after dinner.

Judging by the tears that started falling at the dance, I’m beginning to worry about how emotional that conversation will get, but I’m determined to keep things light and happy in the afternoon when he comes to say his good-byes at Surf Sisters. That is,
if
he comes by. At the moment, he’s forty-five minutes late.

“Stop looking out the window,” Sophie says. “He’ll get here when he gets here.”

“I know. You’re right.”

The phone rings and I see that it’s him.

“Hey,” I say. “Where are you?”

“I’m sorry,” he replies. “I got held up at work. Is either Mickey or Mo there?”

“Mo’s off today, but Mickey’s here. Why?”

“I need to talk to her,” he says cryptically. “It’s important.”

This all strikes me as odd, but I take the phone to Mickey and they have a brief conversation.

“What’s all this about?” I ask when I get back on the call.

“I’ll explain it when I get there.”

And just like that he hangs up.

Twenty minutes later, Mo arrives with a man I don’t know, and the two of them meet with Mickey in the garage.

“What’s going on?” Nicole asks.

“I have no idea,” I reply.

Finally Ben walks into the shop. He smiles when he sees me and gives me a huge hug and a kiss.

“Sorry I’m late,” he says. “Where are Mickey and Mo?”

“In the garage,” I answer. “Why?”

He smiles again. “Come on. I’ll tell you when I tell them.”

Luckily there aren’t many customers, so Sophie, Nicole, and I are all able to follow Ben into the garage.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so cryptic,” Ben says, addressing us. “But I’ve been trying to come up with a really great good-bye present for Izzy, and I think I’ve done it.”

We’re all confused.

“What’s your present?” asks Mo.

“I think I’ve figured out how to save the shop.”

Mickey and Mo both gasp. The three of us girls are equally breathless.

“What are you talking about?” asks Mo.

“It’s the best present I could think of,” says Ben. “Izzy loves this place, so I thought that I should try to save it. You see, my dad’s a pretty awful husband, but he’s an amazing attorney. We’d always talk about the cases he was working on, and he taught me how to look for loopholes.”

“Like the team loophole in the King of the Beach?” I say.

“Exactly.”

“And you found a loophole that helps us?” asks Mo, trying to contain her excitement.

“I hope so,” he says. “Is this the attorney you told me about?” He motions to the man with them.

“Yes,” the man says.

Mickey and Mo are practically glowing with excitement.

“What’s the loophole?” asks Mickey.

“Luigi’s Car Wash,” says Ben.

It takes a moment to set in, but everyone in the room, except for Ben, deflates. He doesn’t realize that they’ve already pursued this option.

“Luigi’s Car Wash is protected because of the laws that were in effect when it first opened,” Ben says, continuing. “Luigi can’t be forced to sell his property and neither can you.”

“Actually, we can,” says Mo, her hopes dashed. “Surf Sisters opened four months after the new law was passed. We’re not protected.”