Page 23 of Summer Ever After
I flopped onto the lounger next to my sister. “How’s the summer been so far? I can’t believe it’s already July.”
“You’ve missed some good parties. Amanda hooked up with an NHL player and Tripe J has been dating a hedge fund trader.”
Water dripped from my hair as I leaned my head against the lounger and closed my eyes, taking a page from Ginger’s book, and basked in the late July afternoon sun. Damn, it felt good. “I’ve missed this, but I have to admit, I don’t miss the parties. The same thing has been happening every year since we were fourteen.”
“It is getting a little tedious, but everyone is pumped about the masquerade.”
The masquerade. “Right. That,” I groaned. “I can’t believe that we have to hold it here. I pushed to have it in the winter in the city. It just seems so out of place to be having such a formal event…here.” I sat and rested my elbows on my knees, studying the sparkling lake.
Jess stretched her arms above her head. “That’s what makes it so special, Max. How many fundraisers have you gone to in the city? They’re all the same. The Summer Ever After Ball is going to be remembered.
I imagined one of the wooden boats sinking to the bottom of the lake, like a Titanic lifeboat, filled with the elite of the country. “I hope that it’s remembered as famous, not infamous. There’s so much that could go wrong.”
Jess swiped some sunscreen across her nose and pulled down her big floppy straw hat. “Is Max Starling, Mister go with the flow, worried about something? Don’t worry. You’ve got the best event planner in the city. And don’t forget, Mrs. Graham is in charge of everything here on the island. Your biggest concern should be finding the perfect date.”
Sighing, I finished my beer. “I wasn’t going to bring a date.”
Jess slid her oversized sunglasses down her nose to stare at me. “You’re bringing a date. No more of this most eligible bachelor in the state stuff. You’re getting too old for that. It’s starting to look weird.”
“I call it my Clooney years.”
“You can’t sit around pining for your Amal, Max.” Wait. She sat up and ripped off her hat. “Don’t tell me you’re staying single in case your little flower petal girl shows up.”
Daisy. I said the name inside my head. “No, I just don’t have time to deal with the drama that comes with bringing a date. I’m way too busy to get involved with anyone, and don’t you think it would be worse for the family optics if I string along a bunch of socialites?”
It had crossed my mind that she might show up. I knew that it was a ridiculous thought. Tickets to the ball were five thousand dollars a plate. Somehow, I didn’t think that the girl with the duct tape on her shoes was going to magically appear next to the martini station.
“Why don’t you just pick one and date her? I’ve got a few friends who are crazy and think you’re cute.”
“Great sale, Jess. I want to minimize the crazy.”
She put her hat back on and sipped her wine. “I mean that anyone who thinks your hideous face is cute has to have a few screws loose.”
We had been mistaken as twins all of our lives, even though there was a two-year age gap. “If I’m hideous, you’re hideous with tits.” I kicked at the water, droplets splattering across Jess’s body. She squealed and threw her hat at me. It missed and sailed over my shoulder and into the lake.
“My hat.” She hopped to her feet. “Max, you have to get it.” Her voice echoed across the bay.
I crossed my arms across my chest. “I’m not the one who threw it into the lake, Quasimoto with boobs.”
Jess pursed her lips, but I could tell that she was holding in a smile. Like a lot of siblings, our love language was teasing each other. When we were younger, we often took it too far and she was the one who usually ended up in tears. As a kid, I found myself wishing that I had a brother so we could fight with our fists instead of words.
“Get my hat.” She pointed to the hat which was slowly sinking, the brim floating below the surface.
I dove into the lake, surfaced with it on my head, and returned to the dock. The brim sagged over my ears from the weight of the water, and drops flowed down my face.
“Thanks.” She held out her hand.
I crossed my arms. “I’ll give it back to you on one condition.”
“I’m already cat-sitting.” She jabbed at my chest with her pointy finger. “And if I become known as the cat lady of Windswan Lake it’s going to be all your fault.” Her eyes glinted as she put on a fake pout.
Jess had a lineup of men from the mountains to the city that would jump in the lake ten million times for a chance with her - becoming a crazy cat lady was not in her future. “Leave the whole date thing alone.” I held the hat high above my head. “I don’t want any surprise set-ups, and new eligible friends showing up here. I just want to be left alone.”
Jess’s eyes softened. “Fine. No surprise set-ups.”
“No more talk of dates?” I prompted, lowering the hat an inch.
“Not a word.” She made the zipper motion across her lips with her fingers. “I won’t say anything, even if you decide to bring Fanta as your date.”
