Truth or Dare (10 page)

Tenley sat up gingerly, wincing as the knifing pain in her head intensified. The end of the night was slowly coming back to her. After the last of her guests had left, around three
AM
, she’d texted Guinness to come meet her in the pool house—and had apparently fallen asleep on the couch waiting. She stretched her arms over her head, working out the kinks in her neck.

“Good night?” Guinness eyed her low-cut dress, which, after a night of tossing and turning, had managed to dip even lower on her chest.

“No,” Tenley corrected. “Epic night.” And it had been. The party had been just what she and Caitlin needed to cross that perilous line, from old friends back to best friends. And just as important, she was hoping it would make sure that every senior knew Tenley was back—and more fun than ever. “Too bad you had to leave so early.”

Guinness met Tenley’s eyes and she felt that strange leap in her stomach, the one she got whenever she was around him. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to. She was supposed to be the one who
made
stomachs leap. But everything with Guinness was topsy-turvy and inside out. He was her stepbrother, for god’s sake! Just the fact that she liked him was wrong in about a thousand different ways. But every time she tried to banish those feelings, they managed to return, stronger than ever.

“Mmm,” Guinness said vaguely. “There’s always the next one. But in the meantime, we’ve got work to do on this one.” Guinness swept
a hand through the air, indicating the beer-soaked disaster that was the pool house.

“
We
?” Tenley asked. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

“Well, you need someone to help,” Guinness said. “And we both know it’s not going to be Sahara.” The Reeds’ live-in maid had been abundantly clear from day one that she wasn’t a fan of Tenley—or Trudy. “So looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“Thanks,” she said, meaning it. Nothing was worse than facing a party aftermath alone.

“No problem.” Guinness smiled at her, making her stomach do another leap. “Besides,” he went on, his voice playful again, “it is my pool house, too… which means, technically, my ass is on the line as much as yours.” He went to the kitchen to grab a trash bag. “Even if it doesn’t look as cute in a dress.”

Tenley gave her butt a little wiggle. “Not many do,” she said in her sauciest tone. As Guinness burst out laughing, she felt a rush of satisfaction.

As they made their way through the pool house, collecting cups and bottles and discarded bathing suits, Guinness kept bumping into her, his skin brushing against hers. It sent tingles running through her every time. “Hey, Guinny,” she teased, holding a leopard-print thong between her fingers. “Did you leave your underwear here last night?”

Guinness put a hand on his hip in mock offense. “I thought you knew me better than that, Tiny. I’m totally a zebra-print kind of guy.”

“Of course,” Tenley said, tossing the thong at him. It hit his chest and tumbled into the trash bag. “I’ll be sure to include a zebra-print nightie on your Christmas list.”

“The more lace the better,” Guinness added. “And bows. Lots of bows.”

Tenley laughed. “You know, I think I had an old gymnastics costume like that,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ll see if I can dig it up for you.”

“I’m still not sure I believe this whole gymnastics-pro past of yours,” Guinness said. “You look more like a tiny dancer to me. Or one of those dramatic theater types.”

Tenley wrinkled her nose as they headed out to the deck. “I was not a theater geek!” she protested, punching him lightly in the arm.

She could feel Guinness studying her as she gathered up the trash littering the fire pit. “Come on, Tiny. You have drama queen written all over you.”

“Gymnastics junkie,” she corrected haughtily. “That’s what we were called. I was at the gym every day when it opened at five
AM
….” When Guinness still looked doubtful, she let out a loud sigh. “
Fine.
Just watch. I’ll prove it.”

She raised her arms over her head and arched her back. Even after all these years, and despite the crook in her neck and the pounding in her head, the position felt like second nature to her. Taking a deep breath, she threw herself into a flawless back handspring. She landed firmly on her feet. “Still got it,” she said with a tight smile, dusting her hands on the sides of her dress.

“Wow,” Guinness said wryly. “Where’s your Olympic medal?”

Tenley blinked. Winning an Olympic medal had been her dream growing up. But then her dad had died, and gymnastics hadn’t been the same anymore. Tenley had hung up her leotard and ankle wraps for good—and taken up pageant dresses and high heels instead.

“We should probably hose the deck down,” she said, clearing her throat. “It smells like a drunk skunk died out here.” She picked up the hose, turning the nozzle to
full spray
.

“Here, let me,” Guinness offered. “The water comes out of that thing at, like, sixty miles an hour.” He reached for the hose, but Tenley shrugged him off.

“What? Am I too much of a girl to handle it?” she teased. She squeezed down on the handle. At the same moment, Guinness grabbed the bottom of the hose and pulled. Hard. The hose flew out of her hands, crashing to the floor as it pelted her with a heavy stream of water. “Holy shit!” she shrieked, leaping desperately out of its path. But it was too late; she was already soaked.

Guinness was laughing hysterically as he grabbed the hose to turn it off. “Like I said. Sixty miles an hour. It can clean a deck in four seconds flat. Or,” he added, “a dress.” His eyes ran down Tenley’s sopping-wet dress, which was now clinging to her like a second skin. He took a step closer to her, and Tenley suddenly felt as if she couldn’t breathe. It amazed her how he was able to do that, change her very being with just a look.

“You know, if that’s uncomfortable, you could always take it off,” Guinness teased.

Tenley kept her eyes on his. She could feel the friction between them, the air prickling with tension. She just wished she knew if he felt it, too. She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to come out steady. “Is that a dare, Guinness Reed?”

Guinness cocked his head. “Sure,” he breathed. “That’s a dare.”

Tenley’s heart sped up. “Well,” she said softly, her hands finding the hem of her dress. “I never can say no to a dare.” She inched the wet fabric up on her thighs, her heart racing faster than ever. Guinness looked into her eyes and suddenly she was sure: Whatever was between
them, he felt it, too. He moved even closer. He was going to kiss her. It was going to happen….

And then, just like that, he pulled away. For a split second he looked flustered. But then a smirk slid onto his face.

“Kidding,
sis
,” he said. Reaching out, he ruffled her hair, as if she were a little girl.

Tenley’s face flushed with embarrassment. Did he really not feel the connection between them? Or was it that he still thought of her as a kid—someone to joke around with and nothing more? “So,” she said as casually as she could, busying herself with rescuing a stray cup off a lounge chair. “I hope that photo you found of your
sis
last night didn’t make you jealous.”

Guinness aimed the hose at the deck, washing it down. “I managed to survive,” he said, giving her a lazy half smile. He looked as though he was about to say something else when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket. His eyes softened as he read the text.

“Who’s that from?” Tenley asked, feeling a flicker of envy at the look on his face.

“Oh, just some photo stuff,” Guinness said quickly. He slipped the phone back into his pocket without responding to the text. “Speaking of, I have to be off. I’ve got work to do. See you later, Tiny.” He squeezed her shoulder, and then with a backward wave he took off for the main house.

Tenley waited until he’d disappeared through the manicured hedges to let out a loud groan, banging her fists against the iron fire pit. If that picture hadn’t made him see her as more than a kid sister, what would?

She collapsed into a lounge chair. It didn’t have to matter, she reminded herself. It wasn’t like Guinness was the only guy in the world,
after all. Her boyfriend in Nevada, Dylan, had been obsessed with her. He’d broken up with her friend Lila to date her instead, and he’d been devastated when she ended things. He’d take her back in a heartbeat if she asked him to. But somehow, the thought just made Tenley even unhappier. The truth was, she’d never been that into Dylan in the first place. But she’d been so lonely in Nevada; it had been hard to say no to him.

In Echo Bay, she’d been
Tenley
—the girl with the sleepovers, the girl with the dares, the girl everyone vied to be friends with. In Troye, she had no history, no past, no best friend. She was just any other girl—ordinary. It didn’t help that her mom was never around, leaving Tenley home every night with her ancient grandparents as she went on date after fancy date. Sometimes Tenley would play a game in bed at night, taking odds on when, if at all, her mom would come home.

But that was before.

Tenley had to give her mom credit: She’d been right. Things
were
better now.

Her mom had met Lanson Reed during one of her many weekend trips to Vegas. “He’s one of Boston’s richest men,” she’d told Tenley excitedly, as if Tenley didn’t already know. If you were from Echo Bay, you knew who Lanson Reed was the same way you knew who Tom Brady was. Although he only summered in town, his name—and his money—was everywhere: Reed Park. Reed Dock. Reed Gallery. “He owns that incredible mansion at the end of Dune Way,” her mom had continued. “It’s the biggest house in all of Echo Bay. And it’s his
summer
home.”

Tenley had nodded as though she were impressed, but she remembered thinking how far away that all felt: that old life, that old Tenley. But then her mom and Lanson had gotten engaged and her mom had convinced Lanson to move to the Echo Bay house full-time after the
wedding. In the blink of an eye, that life wasn’t Tenley’s past anymore, but her present.

There was a bang on the door, making Tenley jump. She wondered if someone from the party had left something behind. Peeling herself out of the lounge chair, she crossed back through the pool house.

“Did someone forget…?” she started to ask as she swung the door open.

But there was no one there. The backyard was still, the grass barely rustling in the wind. Tenley took a tentative step outside. “Hello?” she called out. No one answered.

As Tenley went to close the door, she noticed that a torn magazine ad had been taped to it.

Her heart sped up as she reached for it. It was a page out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog, showing a model in a skimpy bikini. A note that looked as if it had been typed on an old typewriter was taped to the bottom.

Love truth or dare so much? Well, here’s a dare for you, Ten. You have an hour to post the truth about your new assets on Facebook--or I’ll spread the news for you. Be at the docks at midnight tonight, because the game is far from over.

Tenley had to read the note three times before she could make the words come into focus. Who would leave this for her? She stepped outside once again. But the yard was empty, the only sound the thrumming of the ocean in the distance. Quickly, she tore the paper into tiny
pieces. She could feel her face burning red as she stomped back inside, drowning the pieces in the beer-soaked trash bag. Other than her mom, Caitlin was the only person who knew about her surgery, and there was no way Caitlin could have sent her this.

Someone at the party must have guessed. Her boobs were really natural looking—they’d better be, for what she’d paid for them—but they weren’t exactly subtle on her small frame. They must have thought they were so clever, whoever they were, playing on the truth or dare game from last night to mess with her.

She headed back to the main house, fuming. What if Guinness had found the note? She couldn’t help but cringe. She thought about how he’d asked her to take her dress off earlier. Would he have still wanted that, if he knew? Suddenly something occurred to her.
That’s a dare.
There’d been a glint in his eyes when he said it. What if
he
was the one who’d left the note? He had been in the pool house only moments earlier….

Tenley blew out an angry breath as she stalked into her bedroom, yanking the door shut behind her. She was being paranoid. It was a nasty joke and nothing more. She stopped in front of the mirror, turning a little to admire her new additions. She’d gotten them done last year, when she lived with her mom’s cousin in California for the month of August. She’d gone to one of those famous L.A. surgeons whose résumé read like a who’s who of celebrity boobs. Tenley lifted her dress off, letting it fall to the floor. Even in her bra, they looked perfect. It was only when you looked really closely that you could tell. She unhooked her bra, dropping it on top of her dress. The scar lines were tiny and growing fainter by the day, but still, they were there.

She couldn’t believe someone had made such a lucky guess last night. She just hoped none of her pageant competition would notice.
Her mom had signed her up for the Susan K. Miller Scholarship Pageant, which was taking place in Echo Bay next weekend, and technically plastic surgery was against the rules. But it was fine; she would just have to make sure no one saw her topless.

“You would not believe this gala last night, Ten Ten.” Her mom burst into her room in a cloud of chiffon and Chanel No. 5. “It made the Troye Tennis Club look
third world
.”

“Mom!” Tenley yelped, grabbing a blanket off her bed to cover up. “Haven’t you heard of knocking?”

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” her mom said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her mom’s Botox-smooth face was perfectly made up, and she was wearing a red dress that looked more New Year’s Eve than Sunday afternoon. “When I first got the twins, I couldn’t stop staring at them either.” She let out a tinkling laugh. “Just look at you,” she continued wistfully. “All grown up and a real, live girl. Feels good, doesn’t it, Ten Ten?”