Page 57 of Seven Summer Weekends

“Where’s your boyfriend?” he stung back.

“My boyfriend? Do you mean the guy who was here last night?” Addison laughed. “That’s Rome, Kizzy’s husband. He left on the morning boat.”

Ben’s expression said it all—followed by his words.

“Wow. Do you two share everything?” he asked.

“Yuck. Don’t be ridiculous. Kizzy was missing, and she left her phone behind—possibly on purpose. He came looking for her.”

“Kizzy is fine. Actually, more than fine. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but she’s in Montauk with Terrence Williams. They’re in love.”

“C’mon.”

“Yup. I asked her how she could do this to you—she said you’d be happy for her.”

“Of course I’m happy for her, but they’re in love?”

“For real. He’s giving up the road for her. Moving to the big city.”

“Who is he, Crocodile Dundee?”

“That’s what I said, and nobody got the reference.”

“Another gift from my mother. What’s your excuse?”

“I had a thing for reptiles—I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween four years in a row.”

She smiled, squeezed some Neosporin onto a Q-tip, and gently traced the cut with it. It had been so long since anyone had taken care of him. His eyes widened as he stared into hers.

“So, you and Terrence? Was that just your big foray into the one-night stand?”

He wasn’t happy about it but knew he could deal with it if it meant being with her.

Addison laughed, “Oh my God, Ben. That wasn’tme. It was Kizzy. You just saw them together—how could you think that?” She laughed again until she realized he was particularly serious.

“I thought it was you. That morning, when I came over, I thought it was you who had been with Terrence.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s not that crazy. You thought I traded sex for an autograph!”

“Well, I may have been wrong about that—but you had sex on the beach with that Sex on the Beach girl—I saw you saying goodbye to her on the stairs.”

“I was saying hello to her. She saw me walking Sally and called out to me.”

Addison laughed at all of the confusion. So did Ben.

“If conclusion jumping was an Olympic sport, we would have won gold,” he joked.

“Synchronized misunderstanding!” Addison added before carefully placing a small Band-Aid onto his forehead. When through, she rested the back of her hand on his cheek in a particularly loving way. It made his heart shake.

“You’re good to go,” she said, the words getting caught in her throat.

He blushed and looked into her eyes. “Do I have to?”

“Do you have to what?” she said, barely audibly.

“Do I have to go? I’m still a little dizzy, you know, from the gash,” he said, pointing to his forehead.

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