Page 3 of Surfside Sisters

Plus, Isabelle might think Keely was being her best friend just to have access to Sebastian. Keely never wanted Isabelle to think that.

She was so confused! She was such a loser! She wished she could talk this over with Isabelle, but that was the last thing she could do.

But she had to do something. She had to do something definite, memorable.

For once she was glad her parents weren’t home. On a shelf with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar was a bottle of cooking sherry. Keely poured herself a small sip of the amber liquid. She went into the dining room where her mother had two candlesticks on the table on either side of a woven basket of shells. Keely lit both candles. She took out two scallop shells and placed them side by side.

She said aloud, in a somber voice, “I, Keely Green, vow that I will never tell Isabelle Maxwell that I am in love with her brother, Sebastian.”

She tossed back the sherry (it tasted terrible). She put her hands on the shells and blew out the candles.

There. It was done. She had made a vow. She felt more mature, as if she had consciously created an important part of who she was.

She returned to the kitchen, ran a glass of cool water and drank it down. She took a quick shower and pulled on one of her bathing suits with a Kylie Minogue T-shirt over it. The day was hers. Isabelle would probably take a nap after the orthodontist visit. Keely would see her this evening. Until then, she could read the latest novel from the library, or—

Someone was pounding on the door. Keely opened it and found Isabelle’s brother standing there with steam coming out his ears.

“Sebastian!” Her heart nearly exploded.

“Didn’t your mom tell you to call me?”

“Um, yes.”

“The sand castle contest is today. I need your help.”

Good, this was something ordinary, normal. Something she, Isabelle, and Sebastian had done for several summers. Isabelle might join them after she got her braces fitted. All Keely had to do was act natural, like her own childish self.

“Okay, sure. Do you know what you’re going to do? Do you need, I don’t know, bowls for molds or something?”

“I’ve brought buckets and stuff. I’m not sure what to do. That’s why I want to talk to you. Get your bike and let’s go.”

“I’ve got to leave a note for my mom and dad.”

She scurried into the kitchen and scribbled a note. She shoved her feet into flip-flops, and checked the beach bag she always had waiting, filled with a thermos of water, towels, and sunblock. She pulled the front door shut, stuck her beach bag in her basket, and wheeled her bike next to Sebastian’s.

“So what are your ideas?” she asked as they biked toward Jetties Beach.

“Maybe Iron Man and Hulk and—”

“We did action heroes last year.”

“Well, what then?”

“What about a whale? A great big whale…smiling. The judges always go for what’s islandy and cute.”

“You’re right. We’ll do it,” Sebastian said.

Keely grinned.

They were late to the contest. All up and down the beach, people were on their knees, shaping and patting the sand. Keely and Sebastian locked their bikes to the stand and raced down the beach to an open space at the far end.

First they carried buckets of sand to their spot. The sand had to be just right, damp enough to hold its shape but not so sodden it crumbled. Sebastian drew an outline in the sand and they began molding the gigantic body of the whale. The tail was the most difficult, so Sebastian had it raised and slanted to show the entire fluke.

Keely’s eyes kept straying from the sand to Sebastian’s tanned hands and body. It was so intimate, working next to him like this. She could hear him breathe. She had to get him out of her sight.

She had to distract herself. “I’ll build a baby whale here, below the mother.”

“Fine,” Sebastian said, bent over his whale.

---