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Reed sauntered over to us from his truck, still clad in his grunge-band T-shirt and navy-and-white swim trunks, fixing his focus solely on Tara. “You’re not ready to wrap it up?” He glanced at his watch. “Getting late.”

“It’s not even dark yet.” She huffed, like the notion was preposterous. “Suzie set up a net, so we’re going to play a round of volleyball until sundown. Can you get the stuff?”

Sighing, he flicked a hand through his windblown hair and nodded. “Yeah, all right. Tell me what you want me to grab.”

Tara rattled off a grocery list that included Willy Wonka’s entire chocolate factory while I stood like a stone beside her and counted the wrinkles on my hands.

“Want to be on my team?” she asked me, breaking through my zoned-out daze.

“Oh.” I blinked. “I was thinking of taking off. I’m getting tired.”

“So lame.”

“Sorry. I can walk home. It’s not far.”

“You’re wearing sandals. You’ll murder your feet.”

“I’m fine. It’s not that far and I can?—”

“I’ll drop you off at the house.”

Reed’s offer slammed into me, rearing my head up as my eyes locked on his. My face heated, and I was thankful for the sunburn flush that had graciously stained my cheekbones. “Um, you don’t have to do that.”

“It’s on the way. Come on.”

The reddest of red flags fluttered in front of my vision as I watched Reed spin around and stalk back toward his truck. What a terrible idea. We had no business being alone together only a week after our spontaneous, spine-tingling, utterly illicit and detrimental sexual encounter.

But I had no words to fight him. Tara was dallying beside me, extending her arms for a goodbye hug and sending me a smile.

“Thanks for sticking around so long,” she said, releasing me from the hug. “I know you weren’t really feeling it.”

“I was. Sorry if I was boring. I think I’m about to get my period,” I lied.

“Yuck. Totally understandable.”

Before I turned around and bounded toward an awkward ride with her dad, she reached for me one more time and hooked our pinkie fingers together.

Emotion seized me. It almost felt like our goodbye hug had grown wings, preparing to fly me far, far away from my best friend.

“See you back at the house!” She swiveled around, dashing back toward her friends as the setting sun splashed tangerine hues across her hair.

Swallowing hard, I stepped into my denim cut-off shorts and pulled them up over my bathing suit, then toed into my beach-dusted sandals. My trek toward the parking lot was steeped in nerves as I practiced potential conversations in my head. Reed was already in the driver’s seat, the engine rumbling, his head tipped back against the headrest.

I avoided eye contact through the windshield and slipped in beside him. We sat in silence for a few beats before he put the truck in Reverse and pulled out of the lot.

Five minutes later, we were at the grocery store.

Frowning, I glanced at the building, then at Reed. “I thought you were dropping me off at the house?”

His jaw was tight, eyes unreadable. “Figured we should talk.”

I scratched at my collarbone, where new heat lingered in rosy patches. “That sounds painful.”

He muttered a “yeah,” then pushed open the door and stepped out, until I had no choice but to follow him inside and hope no one could see the scarlet letter branded on my chest.

Grabbing a cart, Reed shuffled forward and glanced over his shoulder at me while I trailed him. “You all right?”

“Peachy.”

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