Just for the Summer(18)
He replied with a smiling emoji and the number 3.
“Let’s go.” I got out.
“What the heck are we doing?” Maddy asked, following me.
“Get a picture of me on this bus bench. Help me make it look good.”
She eyed the bench. “I don’t think anything can make this look good.”
She took the picture and handed me back my phone. I cropped the photo so it was just me and the ad on the seatback. Then I sent it through.
It was a solid fifteen seconds before my phone started to ring.
CHAPTER 6
JUSTIN
When the picture of her came through, I stood up so fast my chair fell behind me, and Brad got scared and ran under the bed.
No fucking way. No. Fucking. Way.
My heart was pounding in my throat. She was sitting on a bus bench. A Toilet King bus bench. She was here.
I called her immediately.
“Justin…”
“Are you serious? You’re here?”
I could hear her smiling before she said a word.
I was pacing across my apartment. “Are you just stopping here on your way to Hawaii? Can we meet? I could take you to dinner, I can leave now.”
She started laughing. “Justin.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m here for six weeks.”
I stopped, and a grin ripped across my face. “You skipped Hawaii?”
“Are you surprised?” she asked.
I bit my knuckle and did a silent fist pump in the middle of my kitchen. “Are you kidding me? Where are you staying? When can I see you?”
“I’m on Lake Minnetonka, in a cottage on an island. And I think… tomorrow? Does that work for you?”
I nodded. “Yes. Definitely. That definitely works.”
“Okay. Justin?”
I was beaming. “Yeah?”
“You’re right. Minnesota is beautiful.”
CHAPTER 7
EMMA
Four hours later, Maddy and I were back at the cottage sitting in the screened-in porch. We’d had dinner in town and then boated back. The fridge was stocked up and we’d unpacked.
Maddy came out of the house and handed me an iced tea. “No caffeine.”
“Thanks.”
There was a party going on somewhere on the island. We could hear music and shouting and the air smelled faintly of a charcoal grill. The sun was setting over the water.
This was going to be an amazing summer.
Maddy sat down with a can of Sprite. “So… Justin tomorrow.”
I looked at her. “Is it strange that I’m this excited?”
“Uh yeah, for you it is.”
“What if he smells weird?” I asked. “Have you ever had that happen? You meet someone and everything about them is perfect but the way they smell? Like, they don’t smell bad or anything, they just don’t smell… attractive?”
“Yes! Why is that a thing?” She opened her soda with a pith.
“I don’t know. Pheromones maybe? I hope he smells good. I have to kiss him.”
“Look at you, doing charity work,” she said sarcastically.
Even Maddy with all her cynicism couldn’t deny that Justin was very attractive.
“Would you do more with him?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if he smells good.”
“Well, do you like him? Like, like him like him?”
“Yeah I like him. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“But?”
I glanced at her. “But we’re dating to break up? I’m not really sure what the rules are. He might just want to get through the dates and be done with it.”
She made a Come On face. “Really? You don’t think he’s going to try and see if there’s something there with you two?”
I laughed. “Why would he? I mean, the next girl is supposed to be The One. He probably wants to get to that. And I’m only here six weeks anyway.”
“I think if you like him you should give him a fair shot. Don’t just treat him like a checklist.”
I gave her a look. “We’re just doing this for fun, Maddy. He’s not giving me a fair shot either.”
My phone started to vibrate.
I pulled it out expecting Justin, but I didn’t recognize the number—and when I didn’t recognize the number, I always answered. “Hold on, I have to take this. Hello?”
“Emma, you will not believe who I found.”
I bolted up straight. “Mom? Where have you been?”
Maddy rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone.
“Boston,” Mom said. “I told you.”
I shook my head. “No. You didn’t. And your phone’s disconnected. I was worried—”
“I gave you the new number weeks ago, remember? I was still on Jeff’s plan and he canceled my line, can you believe that POS? God, J-named men are the worst.”
I put my forehead into my palm, feeling the wave of relief I always got when I finally knew where she was.
“Anyway,” she went on, “guess who I found? You won’t believe it.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Stuffie.”
I lifted my head. “Stuffie?”
“Yeah. That little unicorn doll you used to carry around everywhere? I went to visit Renee. Remember her? We stayed with her for two months back when you were in the fourth grade? She divorced that guy she was married to, the electrician? Finally. I don’t know why she thought a Libra was a good idea—and a Taurus Moon of all things, can you imagine? She’s selling dream catchers on Etsy now, I got you one. Anyway, she still had our boxes in her garage. Opened a few up and there he was, just sitting on top of a bunch of board games.”