The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(47)
She drank her coffee and ate some cookies while she finished packing, making sure to fit her new stuffed turtle prize in her suitcase, then she made her way downstairs. Robin sat alone at the kitchen table, peeling a grapefruit. Noelle let out a small sigh of relief that she didn’t have to face all the Smiths at once. After her and Jeremiah’s “breakup” last night, her interactions with his family this morning were bound to be a bit awkward.
“Pregnancy craving,” Robin said, gesturing to the fruit in her hand. “Want one?”
“Oh, no thank you.” Noelle turned at the sound of music coming from outside.
“The girls are coming up with their talent show routine,” Robin explained.
“What song did they pick?”
“?‘Last Dance’ by Donna Summer.” At Noelle’s surprised expression, Robin laughed and added, “Celeste helped them pick it. After she showed them videos of Donna Summer performing, they decided their entire routine would be disco themed.”
Noelle smiled. “I’m sure it will be cute.”
“Morning,” Amara greeted as she sauntered into the kitchen. She was wearing a high-rise black denim skirt with a black bikini top. A canvas boat tote was slung over her shoulder. “I’m gonna sketch at the beach for a bit. Where’s everyone else?”
“Your mom and Miah are in her office, the girls are outside, and Percy’s at the coffee shop,” Robin said.
Amara raised an eyebrow. “On a Sunday?”
Robin sighed. “Don’t get me started on how your brother doesn’t know how to take a break.”
Amara shook her head, then focused on Noelle. “Jeremiah told me you’d be heading out early.” She walked over and enfolded Noelle in a warm embrace. “It was nice hanging out this weekend,” she said as she pulled away. “And thank you for helping Jeremiah pick out that copy of Dracula. I love it.”
“You’re welcome,” Noelle said, glancing between Amara and Robin. “It was really great meeting you both.”
The chances of her seeing them again were extremely low, and that made her kinda sad because she genuinely liked Amara and Robin. She wished she’d had time to get to know them more. Celeste and the twins too. Percy was a little prickly, but his prickliness could be overlooked. If she were Jeremiah, and she had this nice, big family who wanted her to spend time with them at their gorgeous summer house, it would be hard for her to choose to stay away in favor of working. She had to wonder if there was more behind Jeremiah’s reasoning. But then again, it wasn’t her business.
“I’m gonna wait outside for Jeremiah,” she said. Amara and Robin smiled and nodded before turning to each other to discuss their afternoon plans once Amara returned from the beach.
Noelle rolled her suitcase outside and found Harper and Ashley standing in the driveway, along with their friends Ciara and Zoe, whom Noelle had met at the party yesterday. Harper and Ashley seemed to be in the middle of an argument. Zoe and Ciara watched, their eyes volleying between the twins like they were witnessing a verbal tennis match. At eleven years old, Zoe was the oldest and tallest of the group. Ciara, having just turned nine a couple months ago, was the youngest.
Noelle sat on the porch steps and after a couple minutes of listening, she gathered that the twins were arguing about the group’s formation for their dance routine.
“We should be in a square shape, and I should stand in front of Zoe, and Ciara should stand in front of you,” Ashley argued.
“No, I should stand in front of Zoe, and Ciara should stand in front of you,” Harper countered. “Ciara and I are almost the same height! You’re taller than her!”
“I don’t care if I’m short,” Ciara mumbled. “I don’t want to be in the front. It’s too much attention.”
“I don’t think it’s fair that I can’t be in the front just because I’m tall,” Zoe said.
“Can I offer some help?” Noelle interrupted.
The girls turned to look at her. In middle school, Noelle and Tati had been part of the Brickton drill team. Her performing days were behind her, but she remembered a thing or two.
The girls nodded, and Noelle walked over to them.
“You don’t have to put the shortest in the front if you’re in windows,” she said. She hovered her hands above Ashley’s shoulders. “May I?”
Ashley nodded, and one by one, Noelle moved the girls into a new formation. Harper and Zoe were in the front, and Ashley and Ciara were in the back, but they were standing to the left of Ashley and Ciara, instead of standing directly behind them.
“This way, everyone will be seen,” Noelle said. “And halfway through your routine, you can switch spots if you want.” She looked at Ciara, who probably didn’t want to move to the front. “Or you can stay in the same spot. What do you think?”
The girls exchanged glances, holding a silent conversation. Then they turned to Noelle and smiled.
“This is a great idea,” Ashley declared. “Thanks, Noelle!”
She hugged Noelle and the rest of the girls followed suit.
“You’re welcome,” Noelle said, laughing as she hugged them back.
The screen door opened behind her. She turned around to see Celeste standing at the door watching them with an unreadable expression. She probably now thought of Noelle as the woman who’d broken her son’s heart. The girls went back to discussing their routine, and Noelle pushed aside her nerves and walked to the bottom porch step, looking up at Celeste.