Welcome to Dog Beach (25 page)

“Yeah.” I go over to the table and take another cookie. “Love me like a friend, like his sister.”

“Well, I'm not so sure about that,” Claire says. Her eyes have this strange twinkle, and I get the feeling that she wants to tell me something but she's not totally sure that she should.

Micayla and Claire move closer together on the couch. It's getting chilly out here, the way it always does at the end of August. It feels like summer is tired and needs a rest and can't handle being so hot anymore. It's breezier and colder, and we spend most of our afternoons in sweatshirts.

“We need hot chocolate,” Micayla tells us, and she hops up from the couch to go and get it. I sit on the back porch with Claire, who now has her sweatshirt hood covering her head and most of her face.

I want to ask her what she's hiding, but I'm also kind of happy to have stopped the Bennett discussion. I don't know how I feel, and sometimes it's okay to admit that you don't know. It feels better that way. It feels like it's protecting me from doing the wrong thing.

“Remy, we have to tell you something,” Micayla says when she comes back from the kitchen with a tray of steamy mugs
of hot chocolate. I guess Claire and Micayla had a secret conversation at some point and I didn't realize it.

My heart starts pounding. It's happening, and I can't believe I haven't realized it until now. What if Claire loves Bennett and Bennett loves Claire and this has been going on all summer and I didn't even notice? What if that's why Claire told Bennett, so she could figure out if he liked her?

I don't want to know. I don't want to know.

“Bennett likes you,” Claire says. “Really, really likes you.”

“What?” I ask.

“I mean, okay, he doesn't love you like he's going to propose or anything. I mean, you're eleven,” Claire continues. “But he likes you in a different way than he likes us. He slept over the other night. And I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. My loser brother and Bennett were in my grandpa's upstairs den, and they were playing some dumb video game where they have to get robots into hot-air balloons. My brother might need an intervention, given how obsessed he is with computers and video games. But anyway—”

“Yeah?” I ask. My heart is racing. I can't look at Claire and I can't look at Micayla. I stare at the fraying cushion on Micayla's outdoor chair. I pick at the threads.

“And Bennett goes, ‘Remy loves hot-air balloons.' And then my dumb brother goes, ‘You've mentioned Remy, like, a million times tonight, dude.'”

Micayla starts laughing. “Your brother has a way of saying things. Have you noticed that?”

“Yeah. Always.” Claire rolls her eyes. “And then Bennett basically said that he hadn't mentioned you that much, but then Calvin said he had, and then Bennett said, ‘I guess I did. I dunno. She's pretty awesome.'”

Claire sips her mug of hot chocolate. “And then they went back to playing their game.”

I don't want to feel or act too excited, because all that means is that he thinks I'm awesome, but I have to admit that it makes me happy. My heart finally calms down, and I smile and sit back on the frayed outdoor chair.

“Thanks for telling me that, Claire,” I say. “You didn't have to.”

“Of course I didn't have to. Duh.” Claire eats another cookie. “But I wanted to. I thought you should know. Because even if you don't say anything, you can go home and spend the year knowing that Bennett thinks you're awesome. And yeah, that's a nice thing to know.”

We spend the rest of the night chatting and thinking about the parade tomorrow.

Instead of sleeping on the back porch like we'd planned, we bring our sleeping bags down to the beach and sleep on the sand.

“It's good to have the ocean at our sleepover,” Claire tells us. “That's something I never thought I'd say. But it's really true.”

Micayla's mom makes us waffles for breakfast,
and then we all head home to shower and get ready for Seagate Halloween. Micayla and Bennett came up with this awesome idea that all of us—Micayla, Claire, Calvin, Bennett, and I—should dress up as what Danish and I used to be for Seagate Halloween. So a few of us are beach pails and a few of us are shovels. Micayla's mom and my mom are both super crafty, so they were able to make the costumes for us out of cardboard boxes, papier-mâché, and paint.

I couldn't believe they thought of it, and that Claire and Calvin were excited about it too. Sometimes people will surprise you and do something so nice that it almost seems magical. Sometimes you don't even realize that people care that much about you, even though they've been caring all along.

“Is your grandpa nervous?” I ask Claire when Micayla and I get to her house. We walked over to pick up Claire and Calvin and then we'll all get Bennett together. “I mean, it's pretty much his first performance in—what? Fifty years?”

“I think so,” Claire says. “He doesn't seem nervous. More like excited.”

“What's his costume?”

“He dressed as Calvin!” She laughs. “I helped him order a pair of trendy jeans online, and he popped the collar of his polo shirt. He's even trying to spike his hair! And he's going to carry an iPad Mini! It's so funny.”

Micayla and I crack up. “Calvin hasn't seen him getting ready?” I ask.

“No. He's totally oblivious.”

Calvin comes out, barely able to walk in his red beach pail costume, and he high-fives us. “We look awesome,” he says.

I look at Claire and Calvin, and I truly can't believe how different they are from how they were at the beginning of the summer. I wonder if they realize how different they are, and if they will always stay this way.

Are they going to be Seagate summer folk forever now? Or will they go home and forget about this summer and how amazing it was? I hope they always remember, and I really think they will. I know I will.

I'm pretty sure that once you're a Seagater, you stay that way for life. And all my life, I was convinced that every Seagate summer had to be exactly like the one before it—with
all the same traditions and foods and routines. Now I know that's not true. Businesses can be formed, new people can join the group, anything can happen. Who knows—maybe I'll even pick a new favorite Sundae Best flavor next summer. Crazier things have happened.

Bennett is already waiting for us outside his house. He's playing catch with Asher, who is dressed as a baseball player.

“We're all going as baseball players,” Asher tells us. “My whole bunk from camp. Even the girls!”

“Wow,” I say. I've barely seen Asher all summer, and he suddenly seems taller and chattier and more mature. He's going over to the parade with the rest of his bunk from camp, so we say good-bye and our group of shovels and pails walks (or hobbles) down there together.

We must look so silly, but it doesn't even bother me. People say that cliques are bad, and they are in many ways, but sometimes it just feels so good to be part of a group. Earlier in the summer, I had no interest in Calvin and Claire joining our trio, but now it feels like they really belong, like they've been here since the beginning.

Bennett taps me on the shoulder. He and Calvin were walking a few feet behind us. “Are you sad about Danish today?”

“Not really. I'm excited to see all our dogs in the parade. And the fact that we're all wearing his costume kind of makes it feel like he's here with us.” I adjust the cardboard on my back. “Thanks for asking, though,” I say, because it really
was sweet that Bennett was concerned about me missing Danish.

I know people say that no one is perfect, but maybe Bennett is. I mean, sure, he said that thing about needing to have more than two friends, and some space from us, and stuff. But most of the time, he's so nice and caring. He notices things about me and remembers them later. That's pretty amazing.

We get to the boardwalk right in front of Dog Beach, and all the dogs are waiting for us. They look great in their costumes.

“I am so excited for this,” Dawn, Oscar's mom, says, pushing her superpowered triplet stroller back and forth. “You guys are seriously the best.”

“They're superstars,” Amber, Marilyn Monroe's mom, says. “Remy, may I please speak with you for a moment?”

“Um, sure,” I reply.

We walk over to one of the benches and Amber says, “Listen, Remy, you and Mari developed quite a bond this summer. We're moving to a new apartment this year, and it was a huge decision that I really struggled with, but the building doesn't allow dogs. It's getting harder and harder for me to watch both Hudson and Mari, and we were going to give her to my mom, but now that I'm thinking about it …”

Her voice trails off, and I wonder what's going to come next.

“Would you consider adopting her? I mean, if your parents
say it's okay? We could still visit. We both live in Manhattan and we're both on Seagate every summer. I just figured, y'know, because she really loves you, and you're dogless now, and … you know.”

It seems like it's hard for her to say this, so I just keep nodding and saying, “Yeah,” and nodding again. I need to ask my parents, but of course! It's Marilyn Monroe! “Of course, I'd love to. More than anything!”

We walk together for a few minutes, talking it over. I'll ask my parents as soon as the parade is over. I hope they say yes!

Andi and Paul are sitting next to each other on the bench that Mr. Brookfield usually sits on. They're sipping coffees and holding hands, and the dogs are at their feet. It's almost too cute to handle.

We round up all the dogs and head over to the stage, where the parade will be starting. Mr. Brookfield is hiding backstage until two minutes before, because he doesn't want anyone to see him. He may also be doing this because he's nervous, but I'm not really sure.

I run over to him and whisper, “You're going to be great, Mr. Brookfield. I mean, you're already great!”

“Thanks, Remy.” He pats me on the shoulder. “You're not so bad yourself.”

We quickly high-five, and I rejoin the group.

The Pooch Parade is always the first part of Seagate Halloween. I think it's because dogs are such an important part of life here. And they're treated like real Seagate citizens too.
From a dog-friendly restaurant like Daisy's to their own beach, it's clear that they're valued here. Seagate life wouldn't be the same without dogs. Everyone knows it.

And that's what makes it even crazier that there was never a doggie day camp before this summer. It's like it's been on the tip of everyone's tongue for years. I guess I'm just so grateful that it happened. And that we were the ones to make it happen.

“You guys ready?” Mrs. Paisley asks us. We're all lined up with the dogs, and the parade is set to start in exactly two minutes. I'm still amazed that we managed to get all the dogs into their costumes and they're all sitting patiently. It's like they know that they're part of something awesome and they're excited to be here.

“Yup!” I say.

Mrs. Paisley gives me a thumbs-up, which means it's time for me to go to the megaphone. My stomach gets all rumbly, and I can't believe I'm going to speak in front of every person and dog on Seagate. But even though I'm nervous, I can't wait to do it. I can't wait for Mr. Brookfield's amazing talent to be known by every person on this island.

“I'll be right back,” I tell Claire, Calvin, Bennett, and Micayla. Claire and Micayla know what's happening, of course, and as soon as I make the announcement about Mr. Brookfield, I'm going to hop off the stage and join them.

I follow Mrs. Paisley onto the stage and she whispers, “You know what you're going to say?”

I nod. I tried to write it down but nothing seemed right, so I just decided to memorize some thoughts and then speak from my heart. I think I can do it.

“Welcome to Seagate Halloween!” Mrs. Paisley yells into the megaphone. “This has been a tradition for fifty years, but traditions can always be improved upon, as you will soon see. So I'm turning this over to Remy Boltuck, a Seagater since birth!”

“Hello, everyone,” I say softly, and then realize I need to get people pumped up. “Hello, Seagate Island! The best place on earth!” I yell, and everyone starts cheering. “I know you're all as excited as I am for Seagate Halloween, so I don't want to take up too much time. But sometimes people have a secret talent that's really, really awesome, but no one knows about it. And then when one person finds out, she feels the need to tell everyone.

“So, without further ado, I'd like to bring out Mr. Donald Brookfield. I'm sure you've all seen him around—sitting on the bench by Dog Beach, sipping coffee at Mornings, and always ordering the butter pecan sundae at Sundae Best. But you didn't know he had this super amazing skill and that he's been in hundreds of movies—or at least, his voice has. So sit back, relax, put on your best listening ears, and enjoy the show!”