Page 56 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
Our barbecue is in full swing. We’ve had a record turnout this year. Even people staying at the state park and hotels in town have stopped by. Uncle Mark’s grilling hot dogs, sausage, and hamburgers, and Mom’s cutting up watermelon and refilling massive platters. We always pick a charity to donate the money to, and this year it’s going to the new park and playground Gray Jay wants to build at the edge of Main.
A little girl squeals when she finds her first piece of treasure, and Caleb promptly tells her it’s not real gold.
“Caleb,” Landon warns. His brother looks over, giving him a “well, it’s not”look, and goes back to sifting sand.
Despite himself, Caleb hollers with joy when he finds his first piece.
Landon rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. Everyone is in good spirits. We’ve had enough rain in the last few days that the town’s fire department has decided it’s safe to set off the fireworks we had to skip on the Fourth of July, so it’s the first year out of several that we will get a display. The barbecue wraps up around five, and then we’re headed over to the lake. Mrs. Tillman and Mom have been hanging out together all afternoon, and it seems they’ve decided we’re going to sit together.
I catch them flashing Landon and me indulgent looks, and that familiar feeling of guilt squeezes my chest. It didn’t seem like a big deal in the beginning, but now our fake relationship feels like exactly what it is—a lie.
Or is it?
This is why “It’s complicated” has become an official relationship status.
“Your brother is smiling,” I tell Landon, nodding toward the gazebo. Hunter sits with a pretty girl about his age. They both eat popsicles that Uncle Mark brought out in a huge cooler about fifteen minutes ago.
Landon pulls his phone from his pocket and snaps a picture. Then he grins at me. “Got to document these rare Happy Hunter sightings.”
A little later, when we’re cleaning up the gold mining activity, Paige shows up.
“Perfect timing,” I tell her. “Grab a side.”
Silent and obedient, she grabs a side of the kiddie pool and helps Landon and me drag the whole thing behind the office. I glance at her, instantly aware something is wrong.
Landon must sense it too. “I’m going to check on Caleb,” he says, “just to make sure he’s keeping himself out of trouble.”
I wait until Landon’s away before I turn to Paige. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she says, but she won’t meet my eyes.
“Come on. I know you better than that.”
She crosses her arms, and I realize she’s not wearing any makeup, and her shirt is one of her brother’s oversized T-shirts. She hasn’t dressed like this since she was fourteen.
“Tanner wasn’t as wonderful as I thought,” she finally admits.
“What did he do?” I ask, ready to hunt him down and make him hurt even though I don’t know what happened.
She rubs the bridge of her nose, acting like she has an itch. With the way her eyes glisten, I’m afraid she’s trying not to cry. “I’m so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” I say immediately, though I’m starting to get nervous. What happened?
Her face crumples, and she blinks quickly as several tears run down her cheeks. “I thought he liked me—like, really liked me. Then he just stopped calling, and this morning he admitted he has agirlfriend.”
I suck in a breath. It’s just like Thomas all over again.
“He said he feels guilty, and that he loves her, and he can’t see me anymore.”
I stare at her, genuinely hurting for her.
“You were right,” she says, wiping away tears. “You can’t trust summer boys. I was an idiot.”
“No.” I hug her, feeling ready to cry myself. I know exactly how she feels right now, and I hate that she’s hurting. “This isn’t your fault. He led you on and lied to you—this is all on him.”
“It feels like my fault,” she says with a sniff. “I let him get too close.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, and I mean it. “We all make mistakes—give our hearts to people who don’t deserve them, do things we wish we could take back. But soon it won’t hurt so much.”
