The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(77)

“You’ve thought of everything,” she said, slipping on the hoodie. She pulled the hood over her head and covered the top of her braids. The hoodie smelled salty like the beach. “You said your grandfather taught you how to drive a boat?”

“Yep.” He slipped on his hoodie and stretched his legs out in front of him. “He also taught Percy and Amara. We each got our boat licenses once we turned sixteen. My mom has hers too. She used to drive Pop’s boat sometimes, but he sold it a few years before he died. He offered the boat to my mom, but she said she didn’t want it. Percy and Amara said they didn’t want it either. They never liked being on the boat as much as I did. And I already had my own boat, so I didn’t need Pop’s too. Now I’m wishing that we’d kept it.”

“What was the name of his boat?” Noelle asked softly.

“The Minnie. He named it after my grandmother.”

“That’s so sweet.” Noelle glanced down at the photograph of his grandparents on the back of the Smith’s Sweets cookie box. His grandfather gazed at his grandmother with such obvious adoration.

“Yeah, they really loved each other,” Jeremiah said. “On the flip side, my parents’ relationship was the opposite of my grandparents’. They fought all the time. It was a relief when they split up when I was in middle school. They’re friends now, though. It was like once they were no longer married, they were actually able to like each other.”

“My parents divorced when I was young too,” she said. “But I was only three, so I don’t remember any of their arguments. My mom said they just became incompatible after a while.”

Jeremiah nodded as he grabbed another cookie. “I think maybe the key to lasting love is making sure you really like the person before you fall in love. That at the end of the day, they’re your friend first.”

Noelle swallowed thickly. It wasn’t until after Jeremiah was done speaking that he seemed to sense the irony of his words. He and Noelle had just agreed to stay friends very recently. He coughed and focused his attention on closing the top of the cookie box.

“I agree with you,” she said, after a beat. “Friendship is the best foundation.”

He looked at her again with a soft smile. Her butterflies preened their wings for flight.

“Thank you for the books,” she said. “They were perfect choices.”

“Good. I did a lot of poking around online for research.” He smiled wryly. “Book recommendations are all up and down my algorithms now.”

She smiled back and held his gaze. She liked him so much. But what would talking about their feelings again do? Earlier, she’d been so confused by Amara and Danny and how they’d stared at each other with so many things clearly left unsaid. But she understood their behavior now. She laughed to herself.

Jeremiah leaned closer. “Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing.” Her eyes roamed his face, and then a fat rain drop landed right on his cheek.

Jeremiah jerked back and looked up at the sky. More raindrops fell in quick succession.

“Okay, we should go,” he said.

They ducked under the cover above the steering wheel for shelter. As Jeremiah steered them back toward the marina, the rain intensified. The wind blew harder, rocking the boat. Noelle experienced a moment of panic where she imagined them getting blown off course and marooned in the middle of the stormy ocean. But that was the kind of thing that happened to paddleboats. Plus, Jeremiah looked assured and in control as he steered. It was really sexy, actually.

Once they reached the dock, Noelle hopped out and tossed Jeremiah the rope and he made quick work of fastening the knot and securing the boat to the dock. Rain was falling in heavy sheets now. They ran to their bikes and pedaled through the downpour. Thunder rolled across the sky. Noelle struggled to see in front of her. Riding a bike through this weather was low-key scarier than being on the boat.

As they pedaled through town, they saw other people running in the rain. Beachgoers, carrying their chairs and coolers. Kids running barefoot, their laughter tinged with a bit of fear. Neighbors welcomed passersby to wait out the storm under the protection of their enclosed front porches. A man who owned a convenience store was handing out umbrellas, free of charge.

When they finally arrived at the Smiths’ house, Noelle and Jeremiah rushed up the empty driveway and stashed their bikes in the garage before dashing up to the door. They stumbled inside. Without the sunlight illuminating the house through the windows, everything was dark. They kicked off their wet shoes and left them at the door.

“Hello?” Jeremiah called out. No one responded. He checked his phone and scrolled through his texts, squinting at his screen. “Amara and my mom met Robin and the girls at the mall. Percy’s at the coffee shop. They’re all waiting out the storm.”

“So it’s just us?” Noelle asked.

“Just us,” he confirmed.

A flash of lightning broke across the sky, and Noelle jumped. “Shit,” she whispered.

Gently, Jeremiah took her hand in his. “Come on,” he said.

She swallowed thickly as he guided her upstairs. Inside his bedroom, rain pounded against the windows. Noelle was so focused on getting out of the wet clothes that clung to her body, she tore off the hoodie, along with her T-shirt and denim shorts without thinking. It was only when she heard Jeremiah’s sharp intake of breath that she spun around to face him. He blinked at her, eyes briefly but hungrily sweeping up and down the length of her body. Her heart pounded as she stared back at him. Suddenly, he bent down and riffled through his suitcase. He stood upright and handed her another hoodie, looking away. This hoodie was plain and black with the Nike logo in the center. It was also dry and newer and smelled like his cologne. When Noelle put it on, it covered her torso and fell to the middle of her thighs. She sat on the edge of the bed as Jeremiah pulled off his T-shirt, giving her a glimpse of his muscular body before he shrugged on a new shirt. She stared openly at him, and he glanced up and caught her gaze. The air around them turned staticky. Noelle shivered, even though she was no longer cold. In fact, she was scorching.