Island Girls (And Boys) Read online

  �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