Island Girls (And Boys) Read online

  �Wait for the weekend,� I told her. �We�ll be full by then, and you�ll wish you didn�t have any customers.�

  �I hope you�re right, because I need something to make the day go by quickly.�

  �Trust me. The days will go faster than you can imagine.�

  �If you say so.�

  �Did you happen to see the motorcycles out there?� The front of the building was all glass, giving her a view of the campers coming through.

  �Yeah. Why?�

  �They belong to a couple of hotties who are putting up a tent on the beach.�

  �So things might get interesting around here.�

  �It�s a possibility.�

  CHAPTER 6

  Our usual shift was ten until four, but with the shortage of campers, Mrs. P cut us loose at three. The evening crew would arrive soon, and it was slow enough that she could handle things until then. She had Amy close down the snack bar. A metal fencelike barrier slid from one side of the building to the other, keeping people out of the snack area while letting them play in the arcade area.

  We climbed into Amy�s car. Me in the back, because I rode in the front on the way to work. Even without all the boxes and bags, it was still cramped.

  �What are we going to do when we get home?� Amy asked.

  �Change into bathing suits and hit the beach,� Chelsea answered. She looked over her shoulder at me. �Right?�

  She was asking me?

  �Sure. I�d like to be a little tan by the end of summer. If I start now with just a bit of time in the sun each day, I should be able to spend more time outside without burning. Peeling skin is the absolute worst.�

  �Do we get a discount on things we buy in the campground store?� Chelsea asked.

  �Yeah, but everything is more expensive on the island,� I said. �Even with a discount. Maybe we should plan on going back to the mainland once a week for major shopping.�

  �We could make a night of it,� Amy said. �Catch a movie or whatever.�

  �We�d need to go to the matinee,� I said. �When tickets are cheaper.�

  Chelsea turned around in her seat, straining against the seatbelt to face me. She moved her sunglasses down her nose so she could peer at me with her piercing violet eyes. �Why are you so worried about every penny?�

  �Because we have bills to pay, and our parents aren�t here to hand over a twenty if we need something.�

  �So we go see them if we run out of money. It�s not like they�re in another country.�

  I wanted to pound my head against the back of her seat. �I�m trying to prove that I can live on my own.�

  �Me, too,� Amy said. �No emergency trips to our families.�

  With a heavy sigh, Chelsea pushed her sunglasses into place and twisted back around. �Okay. It just seems like undue hardship to me.�

  �Think of it as an adventure.�

  �An adventure in poverty,� Chelsea said. �Doesn�t really appeal, you know?�

  �I think it�ll emphasize our resourcefulness,� Amy said.

  She turned the car onto the sand-packed road that led to our house. Past the Coast Guard station. One of the Coasties waved at us. We waved back.

  �Think they�d give us a ride in the Coast Guard boat?� Chelsea asked.

  �I doubt it,� I said. �But the campground rents sailboats at the marina. We can use them for free if they�re available.�

  �Those little things bobbing in the water?� Chelsea asked.

  �They hold two people. I took one out last summer. They�re fun, and pretty easy to handle.�

  �I�d rather have a big boat with lots of guys around who know what they�re doing,� Chelsea said.

  �Who�s here?� Amy asked.

  I looked through the windshield. I could see a black truck parked near the house. A guy stepped out.

  Chelsea released an earsplitting squeal. �It�s Noah!�

  She had the door open before Amy brought the car to a stop. She leaped out, ran to Noah, and threw her arms around his neck. His went around her waist. And then they were kissing like they�d stepped into make-out central.

  Amy twisted around and looked at me. �Well, this is a surprise.�

  �No kidding.�

  �You�d think she�d tell us if she knew he was coming.�

  �You�d think.�

  Amy turned the car off. �She had to know. Otherwise, he wouldn�t have known where to find us.�

  �Yeah.�

  �I guess she didn�t have to tell us he was coming.�

  �No. But she didn�t have to keep it a secret either.�

  �Too bad he didn�t come yesterday. We could have used his truck to get everything here in one trip.�

  �Yeah, it would�ve been nice,� I said.

  We climbed out of the car, slamming the doors extra loudly to give warning that we were on our way.

  But Chelsea and Noah were caught in a lip-lock that seemed to know no end. I didn�t want to be rude. I cleared my throat. �Hey, Noah!�

  He pulled back. �Hey, Jen. Hey, Amy.�

  He was really cute. Tall and lean, with dark hair and eyes.

  Chelsea wrapped her arm around his waist, and he anchored her up against his side. Like he�d topple over if she weren�t there.

  �This is a cool place,� he said.

  �You�re going to love it,� Chelsea said. �Come on. I�ll show you my bedroom.�

  Chelsea showed him �her� bedroom with the door closed.

  After nearly half an hour, Amy and I got tired of waiting for them to emerge from their cocoon. We changed into our bathing suits and headed out.

  The beach was totally open and almost deserted except for a couple of little kids running around near one of the other beach houses. We laid our towels on the sand. I�d slathered a huge amount of suntan lotion on my body before I�d left the house. So I sat on the towel, reached into my beach bag, and pulled out a romance novel. I rolled over onto my stomach, rested on my elbows, pushed my sunglasses farther up the bridge of my nose, and started reading.

  I was completely lost in the story when Amy asked, �Do you think they�re in love?�

  I pulled myself back to reality and looked around. I couldn�t figure out who she was talking about. Finally I looked at her. �Who?�

  �Chelsea and Noah.�

  �Sure looked like it.�

  �I knew they were dating, but I didn�t realize it was serious enough that he�d come down here to see her.�

  �Looked pretty serious,� I admitted.

  �What�s he doing for the summer?�

  I shrugged. �I don�t know. I think he actually lives somewhere near Fort Worth. Chelsea hasn�t told me a lot about him.�

  Amy grinned. �Except that he�s hot.�

  I grinned back. �He is that.�

  �Does it bother you not to have a boyfriend?� she asked.

  Her brow was furrowed. Even though she was wearing sunglasses, too, I could see that she was serious about the question. Her brown eyes were lost behind the shades but I could feel her studying me, and I knew my answer was important.

  �Sometimes, sure. But I figure when we go off to college, we�re going to meet so many new people. By Christmas, we�ll both have boyfriends. That�s why I wanted to spend this summer with you and Chelsea. Just the three of us. When we go off to different schools in the fall, our lives will change so much.�

  �But we won�t change,� Amy said.

  �Of course not. Just everything around us.�

  �I�m cool with that. But sometimes I get scared. I want to hold on to what we have, but it seems like parts of it are already going away. I mean, look, Chelsea isn�t here.�

  �Noah will leave soon, and then she will be.�

  �You�re right. I�m worrying for nothing.� She unclipped her hair, ran her fingers through it, then re-clipped it. �Those guys you