Page 32 of Summer Reading

“If he was a fifteen-year-old girl who could barely reach the pedals and was afraid to take it out of second gear,” I said.

Finn howled. “But you did have to, didn’t you?”

“The guy noticed that we’d gotten into his car,” I explained.

“Uh-oh,” Ben said. He was smiling at me as if he thought I was the coolest kid in the class. My head felt fuzzy, but I hadn’t even taken a sip of beer. Who knew a man’s smile could be so intoxicating?

“Yeah, he started to chase us while holding up his shorts in one hand and throwing up at the same time.” Finn laughed.

“What did you do?”

“I drove the car to the police station,” I said. “I turned the car and the keys over to a friend of my dad’s and said someone had left their car running with the doors open. I just didn’t mention where they had done it or that I had driven it to the station.”

“You probably saved that drunk’s life,” Finn said. “Or someone else’s.”

I looked at Ben. “That was our line of defense with our parents.”

“Did it work?” he asked.

Finn and I exchanged a look of remembered pain and punishment.

“No,” I said. “Instead we spent the weekend trimming the lawn in my front yard.”

“That’s not so bad as punishments go,” Ben offered.

“With scissors, children’s scissors,” Finn clarified. “It took us two full days, and I blistered my thumb.”

Ben laughed a great big belly laugh. He didn’t even try to hold it in.

“Em did bring us lemonade and cookies, though,” I said.

“Homemade chocolate chip cookies to die for,” Finn added.

“Totally worth it,” I agreed.

“Then there was the time you, me, and Em put Bubble Wrap under all of the doormats on the street,” Finn said. He chuckled and I did, too. “If only we’d shot video of the residents jumping as soon as they stepped out their front doors. We’d have gone viral before going viral was a thing.”

I shrugged at Ben. “This is what happens when your parents don’t let you play video games all day.”

“Then there was the time—” Finn said, but I interrupted him.

“No, no more,” I said. I pointed at the end of the bar, where a customer waited. “I’m on island allsummer and working here every Friday. We have plenty of time to discuss the good old days.”

“Excellent,” Finn said. He nodded at Ben. “Nice to meet you. See you around, Sam.”

“For sure.”

We watched him move away. I took a long sip of my beer, also known as liquid courage, and said, “Now I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.” Ben wrapped his hand around his beer glass.

“I don’t want to pry—no, that’s not true—this is totally prying. Sorry. But I noticed you seemed to be checking out certain guests at the happy hour tonight.”

Ben went still with his beer halfway to his mouth, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Was I?”

“Yes,” I assured him. “I don’t want to overstep, but you’re new here, and if older guys are your thing, I’m happy to introduce you to some single men that I know.”

Ben blinked at me, and then he burst out laughing. I felt a whoosh of relief that perhaps I’d read the situation wrong.

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