Page 64 of Until Summer Ends

“That’ll teach you to laugh about my allergy.”

“It’s a fake allergy!”

I grab his shoulders and start putting weight over them. “Want me to dunk you again?”

His hands land on my hips, thumbs pressing lightly against my waist. “I’d like to see you try.”

We’re too close. Our chests are nearly brushing, breaths mingling. Water droplets cover the freckle cloud under his eye and slip down his solid jaw. I want to follow them with my fingers, my nose, my tongue. I want to know if he tastes salty like I imagine, if the skin of his neck would smell like soap and salt air the way it did two nights ago. I feel him studying me, too, his grip never faltering. He’s not moving away, either.

When his whiskey eyes meet mine, he licks a drop from his plush bottom lip as he gives my hips another squeeze, and I know somehow that if it was just the two of us, we wouldn’t stop at that.

Yeah. Whatever happened between us? I don’t think it’s over just yet.

Chapter 26

People always talk about perfect summer days. You hear about sunlight so bright, you have to squint to see in front of you. There’s a warm breeze and a gigantic pool or lake to cool yourself, and stacks of cold drinks and fresh-fruit popsicles that melt all over your hand before you have time to finish them. Close friends are around, or maybe it’s just you, soaking up every single second of the peace and quiet to recharge your social battery.

Today is nothing like that. The sky is cloudy as Eli drives the boat toward the middle of the lake, a plush towel wrapped around my shoulders to counter the biting wind. The air is thick with humidity, tiny hairs slipping out of my bun and curling around my face. We’re listening to Zoe’s idea of a musical masterpiece—the newest Kid’s Bops album. I just ate a cold sandwich made of almost-stale bread and the last slice of ham we had.

And to me, itisthe perfect summer day.

I haven’t been able to stop laughing since Charlie told us the story of the patient she saw at the hospital who had unfortunately “slipped” onto a lava lamp and gotten it stuck in an untoward place, followed by Zoe saying in a comically serious voice, “Daddy, that’s not possible, is it?” Eli threw his sister a glare before changingthe subject and asking Zoe if she wanted to go swim, which got her mind away from the lamp debacle. I passed on going in with them once the boat had come to a stop, and after they both jumped, I laid on my back, enjoying the luxurious leather seats on the back of the boat. Apparently, Richard, the man Charlie’s and Eli’s mother got remarried to, is not only a mechanic, but also the owner of fifty auto shops across New England. Now, the two of them spend most of their time at one of his properties in France, only coming back to the cottage every few months.

“Scoot over.”

I open one eye to find Charlie hovering over me, her body shadowing the faint glow of the sun peeking through the clouds. She’s holding out the plate of watermelon I cut before leaving, condensation having formed on the side. I give her enough space to lie next to me and lean on my elbows to take a bite out of the thick slice of fruit. Splashes come to our left, where Eli is throwing Zoe into the water over and over again, and she keeps asking for more, her mustard-yellow life jacket keeping her afloat.

“I wasn’t happy when Mom remarried, but right now I’d marry old Dick myself if I could.” Charlie finishes her own piece of watermelon, then lies down, her honey-colored hair tangling with mine. The boatispretty great. I’m pretty sure you can call it a small yacht, actually.

“Sugar baby instead of doctor? I approve.”

“I’m embarrassed to say how many times the thought has come to mind since I started school.”

I’ve seen the way medical students and residents get overworked and underpaid—or not paid at all—so I can’t blame her.

“Hospitals will do that to you,” I say as I dig through the family-size bag of Sour Patch Kids Eli got for me on the car ride here.

“Right, Eli was telling me you’re a nurse now.”

I give her a half smile. I don’t know her enough to spill my guts out to her, and yet there’s a certain kinship healthcare workers develop between each other that can’t be explained. You could find another person wearing scrubs crying in the hallway and join them in a bawling session, no questions asked. We see and experience so many hard things that only someone else in the field can understand. It’s probably what pushes me to say, “I’m kind of in a ‘rethinking my entire career path’ phase at the moment, but yeah, I am.”

She nods, and I can feel her understanding even without words.

“How long are you off for?” I ask.

“A week. Thank God.”

Charlie’s the kind of woman who seems to run a mile a minute with endless energy, but even through her giddy exterior, I can see the fatigue. Another hospital worker thing, probably.

“Zoe is really happy to have you here,” I say.

Another delighted shriek comes from the water.

“I could say the same about you.” Charlie turns her head to me, her gaze hidden behind her oversized heart-shaped sunglasses. “Speaking of, are you banging my brother?”

I’m glad I was done eating, because I would’ve choked right there. “Jesus, Charlie.” My chest and neck flush so suddenly, I sit a little straighter for some wind.

“What? Too late to act prudish now.”

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