Derailed (18 page)

Those few words melted what little was left of my resistance. “You called me your spitfire.”

“Because that’s who you are. It’s who you’ve always been. Just think of how much you’ve been through. I hate to think of you suffering through so much alone. Never again. I promise I’m not going to let you down this time.”

“Please, I don’t even want to get into that now.”

“All right. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to go back to bed, so let’s go over to your house.”

“My house?” I asked.

“I know exactly what you need.”

“What?”

Grinning, he got out of bed and pulled on his t-shirt and jeans from the floor. “You can’t guess?”

“A night swim?”

“How does that sound?”

“Perfect.” I fished my bra off the floor—leaving fully dressed this time.

***

The water was still cool, but it didn’t bother me that night. If anything, it helped wash away the grief. Ben barely gave me time to strip down to my underwear before throwing me in. I loved how he never worried about breaking me. He knew, despite my breakdown, that I was still strong.

He teased me for a moment, standing in just his boxers on the dock like he wasn’t going to join me. “How’s the water?”

“Nice, but not as nice as the view.”

He laughed. “That’s supposed to be my line.”

“Well, you should have thought of that before you threw me in. You can’t stare at me while I’m in here.”

He jumped in, swimming right over to me.

“That was fast.”

“Yeah, I figured the only thing better than looking at you is touching you.”

I tried to swim away, but he caught up with me pretty quickly. He was always the stronger swimmer. “No more leaving me, remember?”

“I remember. I remember everything.”

“Everything?”

“Uh huh.”

“Like?” he asked.

“Like our first kiss right over there on the dock.” Treading water, I nodded toward it.

“I remember that too. I remember what you said afterward.”

“Yeah?” I leaned back and floated.

“You told me I kissed like a musician. I never got that, but I assumed it was a compliment.”

I laughed. “I just meant you made it an art form. If you didn’t understand, why didn’t you ask?”

“There was no way I was messing up that moment. The girl I’d been crushing on for years had finally let me kiss her.”

I went back to treading water. “When did you first realize you liked me?”

“Sixth grade. At Katie Oschner’s pool party.”

“Really? I thought you were into Dara then.” I reached out to him, starting to get cold.

“I thought she was okay, but then something clicked that day. You had your hair in those cute pigtails you used to wear, and you nailed Jake in the head with a volleyball.”

“That wasn’t intentional, you know.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely. Don’t get me wrong, he probably deserved it, but I wasn’t aiming for him.”

Ben chuckled. “He razzed me so bad when he found out I had a thing for you.”

“I bet.”

“Are you cold? Let’s get out.”

“We probably should.”

We swam back to the dock, and we both hung onto the ladder.

“When did you realize you liked me?” Ben asked.

“Eighth grade when we were assigned as partners for those manners lessons.”

“So I won you over with my gentlemanly charm?”

“Not exactly. Probably the opposite. You kept making these crude jokes, and it kind of thrilled me that a guy would talk to me that way.”

“What? You fell for me because I make sexual jokes?” he said incredulously.

“Yeah. I mean, come on, my dad wouldn’t even let me watch MTV. It was all pretty exciting.”

“Had I known you were into me that early, I wouldn’t have waited.”

“You asked me out on my fifteenth birthday. You called me at exactly midnight.” I remembered how my chest tightened when I’d seen his number flash across my screen. Kelly had overheard him talking to his friends about his plan, so I’d waited up for the call.

“I had to follow your dad’s rules. My mom insisted on it.”

“Was I worth the wait?”

“Is that a trick question?”

“No.”

“You were well worth it, both times.”

“Both times… so hmm, I guess we had both of our first kisses in the same spot.”

“I guess we did.” Ben got out first, waiting with a towel in his hands as I followed.

“It’s going to be so weird when Mom finally sells this place.”

“I know. So many memories.” He wrapped me in a towel, starting to dry me before stopping suddenly. “We should probably wash off the salt water.” He bent down to pick up our clothes.

The glint in his eyes gave him away. “I’m guessing you are hinting at the outside shower?”

“Uh huh.” He took my hand, leading me back to the side of the house. He stopped in front of the covered shower, reaching in to turn on the water. “Looks like it still works.”

He stepped into the shower, bringing me with him, positioning us under the warm spray. I pulled back from him for a moment, enjoying the way the water felt on my body, but he quickly reclaimed my attention as his lips first attacked my neck and then moved down.

I moaned as he discarded my bra. His lips continued their journey. He finally returned to my lips, and my arms went around his neck, pulling him to me. As the water flowed over us, I knew this was the start of something new. Neither of us were holding back, and we weren’t kids anymore. We were ready for something real.

The water turned cold before Ben turned it off. He wrapped me back up in the towel, taking another one for himself. I watched him dry off before picking up our discarded clothing.

“I know your bed is tiny, but I think we should stay here tonight.”

“Well if you insist on cuddling like you did earlier, it won’t be a problem.”

He smiled. “Hey, I like having you close.”

“I like being close.”

Chapter Eighteen

The sound of the front door opening woke me up around ten the next morning. Ben had left at six to get ready to take out a fishing boat, but he’d insisted I stay in bed and catch up on sleep. I was so comfortable that I didn’t need much persuasion.

“Molly? You up there?”

I sat up in bed, surprised to hear my sister’s voice. “Shayna?” I rubbed my eyes, trying to finish waking up.

Shayna stood in the doorway with a huge grin. “Surprise!” She sat down next to me on the bed, swooping me into a hug.

“Hey… you didn’t tell me you were coming.” I was suddenly very glad Ben had left early. I couldn’t imagine what Shayna would have thought if she walked into my room and found us together. I was also relieved I’d thrown on some pajamas when he left, avoiding another potentially awkward moment.

She pulled her blond hair back into a ponytail. We were definitely those sisters who looked alike. If I ever wanted a preview of how I’d look in five years, I’d only have to watch her. She looked great, so it was a good thing. “If I’d told you I was coming, you would have tried to convince me not to.”

“That’s probably true. Where are Terry and the kids?”

“Back in Seattle with Mom. I thought we could use some sisterly bonding time.”

“Sisterly bonding time?” I arched an eyebrow.

“Uh huh, we haven’t had any in a while. I figured we were due for it.”

I smiled. “All right, sounds good.”

“So, you want to do a late breakfast down at Surf Song? I’m starving.”

“Sure, did you just fly in?” I was still trying to process her presence in my room. I hadn’t seen Shayna since Adam’s funeral. She’d left her two young children with her husband and traveled to Boston with my mom. I appreciated the effort, but I hadn’t been able to accept the help they wanted to offer. I’d spent the holidays with Becca and her mom, waiting until the last minute to tell my family I wasn’t coming, so it would be too late for them to come to me. I did everything I could to distance myself. It wasn’t much of a stretch. I’d been limiting our contact since I left for college.

“Yeah, I took the red-eye last night.”

“You didn’t have to come, Shay. I’m sure it was hard to leave the kids and get time off.”

“I’m just in town for the weekend, and I needed to come. We’ve been so worried about you. You can’t call Mom to tell her you dropped out of school and not expect us to be concerned.”

“Well, it’s good to see you. Just let me get dressed.”

“Why don’t you put on a swimsuit and meet me downstairs when you’re ready? We can head down to the beach after breakfast. I haven’t been in ages.”

I threw on a pink bikini and a cover up, brushed my teeth, and quickly brushed out my hair. I didn’t want to make Shayna wait for me to shower. She was someone you didn’t want to mess with when she was hungry.

We decided to walk down to Surf Song, the best restaurant in town if you wanted a view along with your food. Shayna ordered blueberry pancakes, and I got strawberry French toast. The restaurant was fairly empty, not surprising for a Friday morning. It was more of a dinner or weekend brunch place.

“I still haven’t found better blueberry pancakes than these,” Shayna said between mouthfuls.

“I don’t know how you can pass up the French toast. You’re the one with the big sweet tooth, and you can’t get sweeter.”

Talking about food was easier than discussing what Shayna had really come to talk about. If she made the effort to come, she had something more than a quick visit up her sleeve.

She waited until our plates were cleared, and we were sipping coffee to start her offensive. “I got you a ticket to come back with me.”

I choked on a sip of coffee. “You did what?”

“You wanted to have some time alone. Fine. You’ve been back here for a few weeks, but it’s time to come home with us.”

“I am home.”

“Home is where your family is. No one’s here anymore. Why would you want to spend your time in this place?”

“I have my reasons.” I suppressed a smile, thinking about the reason that had slipped out of my bed a few hours before.

“You can stay with us for a while, but we’ll have you set up in your own place right away. I’m really excited to introduce you to someone I know from the hospital. You’re going to love him.”

“Are you crazy?”

“No. And I’m telling you Steve is perfect for you. He’s very outdoorsy, makes a great living as a surgeon, and is really looking to meet someone.”

“How do those things make him perfect for me?”

“You like the outdoors, you’re broke, and you really need to meet someone.” She smiled.

“What if I’ve already met someone?”

“You’ve met someone
here
?”

This time I didn’t hide my smile when I thought of Ben.

“Oh no. Please don’t tell me your back with him.”

“With who?” I feigned innocence.

“Ben. You’re seeing him again, aren’t you?” She pursed her lips.

“Maybe I am.”

“Not seriously though, right?”

“Serious enough that he left a few hours before you arrived.”

She slammed her coffee cup down into the saucer, spilling some over the side. “You spent the night with him?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? You know very well I’m not the wait until marriage type.”

“Still, you’ve only been back a few weeks. That’s moving fast by anyone’s standards. Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

“It’s not like I just met him. He’s not a stranger.”

“Mom’s not going to like this.” Her shoulders tensed. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to come up with a way to get me to change my mind.

“Mom’s the one who pushed Dad to let me date him.”

“In high school, not now. She doesn’t want you getting sucked back into this town.” Shayna hated Clayton Falls. She’d left after high school and never looked back. I did the same thing, but I was running from memories of Dad more than anything else. I’d never really understand what Shayna’s issue was. “There is so much more out there. You lived in Boston for five years. This place can’t satisfy you anymore.”

“I like that it’s not Boston. It’s what I need right now.”

“And what do you plan to do here? What kind of job are you going to get?” She picked up her coffee again, taking a few sips.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Then how are you going to support yourself? What happens when Mom sells the house? Oh, that’s right, you’re with Ben. You’re going to move in with him, huh?” She set down her coffee cup with exaggerated care. She was getting ready to let me have it.

“Don’t be a bitch, Shayna.”

“I’m trying to help you. I never understood why you wanted to be an attorney anyway. I think a better match might be pharmacy school. You were always good at science. I have an in at the school at U Dub. You may still be able to swing it for the fall.”

“In what parallel universe would my dropping out of law school mean I wanted to be a pharmacist?” The stretch in logic was pushing it, even for Shayna.

“I think it would be a great fit for you. It’s a career with lots of potential, and you can get a job with flexible hours for when you have kids.”

“For when I have kids? Because that’s going to happen anytime soon?”

“Steve’s really good with kids. Mine love him. By the way, they’d love to see their aunt once in a while.”

“That’s good for Steve, and I’ll try to get out there soon, but as you’ve already pointed out, I’m broke.”

“And I already told you I have your ticket.”

Shayna could be bullheaded when she wanted to be. She always had the world figured out and could fix anything. I wasn’t in the mood to fight. “Let’s get out of here and go to the beach.”

Shayna paid our bill and we walked down to the beach. After laying out our towels, I stripped down to my bikini, ready to enjoy the sun. Shayna had on a more conservative tankini.

“I envy you for looking so good in that.” Shayna flopped down next to me.

“You could pull it off.”

“Even if I could, it wouldn’t hold up well with the kids.”

“Probably true.”

She pulled sunglasses from her bag, propping herself onto her elbows. “Tell me more about what’s going on with you and Ben.”