The Boyfriend Project (8 page)

I woke slowly, lethargically, with the sun barely peering into the room. I fought not to move, not to disturb Kendall. She was snuggled against me, her nose buried in my chest. Her eyelashes rested on her cheeks.

Even in sleep she had a little furrow between her brows, and I figured she was trying to organize her dreams or something. I'd known that she'd created an itinerary for our vacation. She wasn't a fan of surprises. Respecting that, I'd never given her one, but now I wondered if maybe that was part of the reason she seemed discontented. I was predictable. We were predictable.

Knowing my mom wasn't happy, I wanted to be the complete opposite of my dad. I wanted Kendall to be happy.

I probably should have picked the bigger bed. But then
it probably wouldn't have mattered. We were so close together that we weren't using all of this one.

Slowly she opened her eyes. Her mouth curled up. “Hey.”

Her voice was raspy with sleep, and the sound of it shot straight to my gut. Placing my hand against her throat, I tilted her head up slightly and kissed her. She released a soft sigh. I loved the way she always managed to sigh when we kissed.

I could stay here forever. Holding her, kissing her. I usually wasn't a fan of the morning, was a grump until I'd had my first cup of coffee, but Kendall made me glad to be awake. She was better than any dark roast. I became lost in her, lost in the sensations. She was breathing heavily, her breath warming my ear—

Wait. I broke off the kiss, glanced back, and was greeted with dog breath. “Whoa!” I covered my mouth and nose. “Dog, go lap up some mouthwash or something.”

Kendall laughed. “Pooh Bear, down.”

I released a puff of air as the golden leaped onto the bed, straddling me to nudge at Kendall's shoulder. The dog weighed a ton. Kendall shimmied away from me and got up. The golden jumped from the bed.

“Think she needs to go out,” Kendall said as she clipped up her hair.

“I'll come with you.” Guess putting on our shoes was a signal because both dogs rushed to the door and slammed against it.

“I'll meet you by the front door,” Kendall said as she let them out and followed them into the hallway.

I finished putting on my sandals. When I caught up with them, she already had them leashed. I took the bigger dog. She strained against the leash as we went down the stairs, and immediately did her business once we hit the sand.

“The sun's just coming up,” Kendall said. “Why don't we take a short walk along the beach?”

“Sure.” I took her hand. “Even though I shouldn't reward them for interfering with my moves this morning.”

“It was nice waking up next to you,” she said. “I wish we were sharing an apartment at college. I don't know why I thought we should get the full college experience by spending at least a year in the dorm.”

She'd researched all the dorms and analyzed the campus map before deciding which one we should request for our residence. While we couldn't share a room, we'd still be near each other. “We'll have enough adjustments without trying to set up an apartment,” I said.

“I hope we have roommates who don't hang around much.”

“We'll make it work.” We left the dunes and walked
over the packed sand to the water's edge. The sun's glow was casting the sea in gold. The sky was streaked with deep blue, orange, and pink.

“So pretty,” Kendall said.

“Like you.”

She looked at me. “You've never told me I was pretty.”

“Haven't I?”

She shook her head. “No, I would have remembered. I mean, I didn't think you thought I was a troll or anything, but I don't really think of myself as pretty.”

“You are. You and your seventeen freckles.”

With a laugh, she covered her face and peered at me through her fingers. “You counted them?”

“This morning while you were sleeping.”

“I hate my freckles.”

“They're cute.”

“You can say that because you don't have any.”

“I can say it because it's true.” I put my hands on her waist, drew her in—

And jerked her to the side when Pooh Bear went after a sandpiper and reached the end of her tether. I firmly set my feet so she couldn't go any farther.

Kendall rubbed her hand along my shadowed jaw. “I'm liking this.”

“Glad you like it. I forgot to pack a razor.”

“Didn't you make a list?”

“Nope. Decided to wing it, take my chances. Be wild.”

“Of all the different ways to be wild, you decided to let loose with your packing?”

“What can I say? I live for danger.”

Her laughter echoed over the surf. I loved making her laugh.

She tiptoed her fingers over my jaw again. “You should consider going with this look for the gun show. It's pretty sexy.”

Was I not sexy before? I didn't think that's what she'd meant, but still it bothered me. Lately I was noticing lots of little flaws in myself and I had to wonder if she'd noticed them, too. Maybe it was my dad's constant harping making me second-guess everything. I really couldn't wait to get to college.

Kendall tugged on Duchess's leash. “We should probably get back.”

As we headed for the beach house, I was beginning to wish that I hadn't agreed to participate in the gun show. It was all supposed to be in good fun, but I wondered if I'd have anyone other than Kendall donate even a penny on my behalf.

We returned to find Avery and Fletcher preparing breakfast. I put out food and fresh water for the dogs, then sat at the counter and helped myself to the bacon, biscuits, and scrambled eggs. For some reason, everything tasted better. Maybe the salty air cleared the palate.

“So, I know we just want to chill,” I began, “but I think we probably should head to the beach as soon as we've eaten so we can claim a spot before it starts to get crowded. Jeremy and I could wander on down if no one else wants to go out this early.” I couldn't quite let go of the schedule I'd made for the weekend.

“We'll all go,” Avery said. “There's a little storage room beneath the stairs where Dot keeps some umbrellas and lounge chairs that we can use.”

“We expecting rain?” Fletcher asked.

Laughing, Avery gave him a playful push. “No. They're big beach umbrellas for providing some shade.”

“Why do we need shade?”

“Because not all of us tan like you do.”

Fletcher had dark hair and looked like he lived most of his life in the sun. Came from riding his motorcycle, I guessed. Avery was fair-skinned with blond hair, while I was freckle city if I wasn't careful. Jeremy's hair was sandy-blond; the bristles along his jaw—which I was really loving—were darker than his hair. In spite of his coloring, he did tend to tan. Maybe it had something to do with his brown eyes.

When we finished breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen, we changed into our bathing suits, stuffed towels and essentials into my huge beach bag, grabbed the umbrellas and a small ice chest filled with drinks, leashed up the girls, and headed out to claim our spot.

We drove a couple of spikes into the ground and secured the leashes to them so the girls could wander around but not bother anyone. Avery and Fletcher set up under one umbrella, Jeremy and I beneath the other.

I settled onto one of the lounge chairs. “You might want to lie in the sun for a while,” I told Jeremy. “Even out your tan a little.”

He gave me a blank look.

“You know, for the competition,” I explained.

“Didn't think we had to take our shirts off.”

“You don't but, you know”—I rubbed his arm—“bronze is sexy.”

“And prone to cancer.”

“I'm just saying a little bit of sun wouldn't hurt.” I nodded toward Fletcher who was already stretched out on a lounge chair and sipping a root beer. He was tanned to perfection. I lowered my voice and arched a brow. “If you want to give him a run for his money, that is.”

“Yeah, I do. He already thinks he has me beat.”

“You'll show him.”

He grinned. “I'll try.” He dragged off his loose T-shirt. He really did have a nice physique. He just didn't show it off the way Fletcher, or even Chase, did. For a moment, I simply enjoyed watching the way his muscles rippled as he slathered on lotion. Then I scooted toward him. “I'll do it.”

Taking the tube, I leisurely spread the sunscreen over his back. “See? I had an ulterior motive,” I whispered near his ear.

He laughed. “I know your motive. Funds for the shelter.”

“This, too.” He was so firm. Not an ounce of fat. I ran my hands over his shoulders and back.

“That feels good,” he said. He twisted around. “Let me return the favor.”

I drew my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms
around my legs, and pressed my cheek to my knees. I'd clipped up my hair so Jeremy had easier access to my back. He took his time. The long, slow movements were luxurious.

“Maybe we should give each other massages later,” I suggested.

“Was it on your to-do list for the weekend?” he asked.

“No, but since we're not using my itinerary . . .” I shrugged.

“Does that bother you?”

“A little. How can we relax if we're constantly worrying about what we're doing next?”

He kissed my bare shoulder. “Don't worry. It'll all work out.”

I sighed. “I guess I should be more spontaneous.”

“You were last night. That was fun.”

“For all of two minutes.”

“It was a great two minutes.”

Turning my head back, I managed to capture his mouth for a short kiss. “Thanks. You always make me feel like I'm not totally obsessive.”

I took the tube from him, wiped off some lotion that had oozed out when he'd capped it, and tucked it into its place in the side of my tote. I handed Jeremy his book—he usually read books with
clockwork
or
iron
in the title. I didn't really get steampunk, but that was okay because
Jeremy wasn't a fan of romance, which I read voraciously. I loved that they always had a happy ending. I pulled out my latest Meg Cabot book.

More people began arriving. Some with surfboards headed out into the waves. I spotted a couple on a Jet Ski. In the distance, a speedboat sliced through the water and a guy dangling from a parasail lifted up. Other people were lying around. Some kids were building a sand castle. A group of five—three guys and two girls—claimed the volleyball net near the sandy area where we'd set up. They tossed the ball back and forth among themselves for a while.

Then one of the girls wandered over to Fletcher and thrust out a hip in what I guessed she thought was a provocative pose.

“Want to join our game?” she asked, like Avery wasn't sitting right beside him.

“No, thanks,” he said.

“But we need someone on our team.”

He waved his hand. “Lot of people around.”

I thought she'd ask Jeremy next. Instead, she trudged away. I huffed.

“What?” Jeremy asked.

“I can't believe how girls notice him.”

“He's six three. He could spike the ball without even jumping, so of course they asked him.”

“You're tall.”

“Five eleven. Not that tall.”

“Tall enough that they should have asked you,” I said.

“If they asked, I would have declined, so what's the point?”

The point was that they should have paid attention to him. That I didn't like that he was ignored. If they weren't impressed with him, who was going to notice him at the gun show? But I couldn't tell him that without hurting his feelings, undermining his confidence. “You're right. I just thought it was rude.”

“Maybe they could just tell that I was taken.”

Maybe. Fletcher did have that lone-wolf vibe.

“Do you think we're boring?” I asked.

“What? No. Why would you think that?”

“We're never noticed. We never do anything exciting or different.”

“Last night we swam with the sharks.”

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the chair. “You said it was a dolphin.”

He shrugged. “Could have been a shark.”

I looked out over the water. Was it still there? The odds were it was a dolphin. What did it matter? I was dissatisfied and I didn't know why. “Yeah, let's tell people it was a shark.”

“Done.”

I settled back down and tried to bury myself in my story but I kept getting distracted by shouts from the volleyball players or the squeals of little kids running into the waves or the roar of the ocean itself. My gaze would wander from the words to all the activities surrounding me. The breeze brought tiny particles of sand and the fragrance of sunscreen. It was growing warm, warmer. . . .

I didn't realize I'd drifted off until I felt a nudge on my shoulder. I opened my eyes. Jeremy was sitting on the edge of my lounge chair holding a blue snow cone. “Where did you get that?” I asked.

“Went for a walk. There's a stand just down the beach a bit.”

I swung my legs to the side and sat up. “You should have woken me up.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

Nudging my shoulder against his, I took the snow cone. “Thank you.” I bit off a section of crushed ice. “Mmm. Coconut. My favorite.”

“I know.”

I handed it back to him, watched as he took a bite. Then I pressed my cold mouth to his. It felt funny until my lips grew warm. “You're the best boyfriend ever.”

I took another bite, glanced around. “Where are Avery and Fletcher?”

“They headed back to the house to fix lunch.”

And had packed up all their stuff, taken it and the dogs with them. I didn't blame them. It was really getting hot out here. “Guess we should head back, too.”

We finished off the snow cone first, then gathered up our stuff and trudged back to the beach house. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches were waiting for us. I wolfed mine down. I hadn't realized how hungry I was or that it was already the middle of the afternoon.

“So I know this may sound silly,” I began, “but this is my vacation for the summer. I was thinking of going souvenir shopping this afternoon. Anyone up for that?”

Fletcher looked like he was trying to blend in with the woodwork. I had a feeling he was not one for browsing shops. Avery looked at him, then looked at me. “I was thinking of napping.”

The sun could zap your strength but I'd already gotten in my nap.

“I'll go,” Jeremy said.

I knew he was just doing it to be a good boyfriend. I shook my head. “Never mind. It was just a thought.”

“You don't want to be with me?” he asked.

His question took me totally by surprise. Where had that come from? “No. I mean, yes, no.” I shook my head. “Of course I want to be with you, but I know you're not into shopping.”

“I'm into hanging with you, so that works out. Besides,
what else do we have planned for this afternoon?”

According to my itinerary, this afternoon I'd planned to gather seashells that we could use for craft projects, but even as I thought it I realized how totally unexciting that sounded. Not to mention, no one really cared about my itinerary. “Okay, then, yeah. Let's go.”

Avery said she and Fletcher would clean up. Jeremy and I were in charge of supper.

Leaving the dogs behind, Jeremy and I walked along the hard-packed sandy road. Tall grass and dunes on one side separated it from the public beach. I'd grabbed my wide-brimmed hat and tossed on a lacy top to shelter me from the sun. Jeremy had put his T-shirt back on and added a baseball cap.

Seagulls squawked and swooped down. The sky was an incredible blue, hardly a cloud in sight. And my boyfriend was holding my hand.

“Guess you know what we're fixing for supper,” he said as we walked past a grocery store.

“I brought a box of rice and beans because it was easy to transport, but now it seems boring.”

I felt his gaze land on me. “You're really worried about being boring.”

I shrugged. “Didn't you think things would change after we graduated from high school? That there would be this big moment of wonder, discovery, and expansion?”

“I figure that will happen in a few more weeks when we head off to college.”

“I guess I'm just impatient, but I do know I don't want beans and rice.”

“How about some danger?”

I looked over at him. “Excuse me?”

“Cooking with fire, down on the beach at sunset. Hot dogs, roasting marshmallows.”

I grinned. “I like that.”

“We'll stop at the grocery store on the way back.”

I leaned against his arm. “We're a good team.”

“The best.”

We reached the souvenir shop. The large, weathered wooden building was almost completely open on one side. We went up the steps, walking past barrels that contained seashells for sale. For anyone who was too lazy to bend down and pick one up off the beach, I guessed.

“So what are you looking for?” Jeremy asked.

“Just browsing really.”

“I see a cooler at the back. I'm going to grab something to drink.”

“Okay.” He wandered off and I walked over to a rack of T-shirts. I found a muscle shirt that was kind of stretchy. I wondered if I should buy it for Jeremy for the gun show. Maybe. I'd think about it.

I walked by a carousel stand that had small license
plates displayed on it, the kind kids bought to go on their bikes. Each one had a different name. I noticed
WARREN
was next to
ADAM
. How had that happened?

I moved
WARREN
to reveal
ALICE
. People were so careless when they put things back. I put
WARREN
in his place, noticed another out of place. . . .

“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked.

“These are all out of order.”

“Kendall, babe, that's not your job.”

“It'll just take me second.”

He took the plate I was holding and slipped it into place so
MARY
was now hiding
NANCY
.

“But, Jeremy, if a girl named Nancy is looking for a license plate she's just going to see two Marys. She's not—”

“You need to let this go.” Folding his hand around mine, he began leading me outside.

“It's chaos and it's supposed to be orderly.”

“It doesn't matter. It's just a cheap souvenir.”

“It might matter to someone.”

Stopping, he faced me. “Go fix it.”

“It'll just take me a second.”

Took me more like a hundred and twenty, but he was sitting on the steps waiting for me, drinking a cherry-flavored water, when I was finished. I crouched beside him. “I know I should have been able to walk away. . . .”

“It's okay.” He extended his bottle. Taking it, I gulped
down some water before handing it back. He finished it off and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. He shoved himself to his feet. “Come on, let's go grocery shopping.”

Taking his hand, I couldn't help but think that I was so lucky to have him.