Page 5 of Memories By the Shore
Two more people introduce themselves, but I don’t hear them because a loud buzzing whips past my ear. Simultaneously, I catch sight of a dark shadow coming directly toward me. A sharp pain hits the left side of my face. I lose my balance, and instantly, I’m knocked into the warm, unforgiving sand.
“Oh my god!” I hear Helen gasp.
“Is she okay?” A woman’s voice I don’t recognize.
Flashing lights dot the darkness on the inside of my eyelids. My cheek is throbbing with pain. My arm flies up to protect the ache on my skin, but a steady hand stops it. Fingers gently wrap around my wrist.
“Don’t touch it,” the smooth yet commanding male voice instructs. I listen, releasing my muscles. “I’ll take her back to your place to get some ice.”
“What happened?” My eyes flutter open just as I’m hoisted into what feels to be moist, bare skin.
“Alright. Thanks, Jasper. I’ll call Dr. Waverly to see if he can come by to give her a quick once over.”
“I’m okay,” I mumble, a little dizzy.
“I’m going to grab you some ice anyway.” His breath is labored. My left eye barely opens through the pain. I keep them closed, but I know we’ve entered the house since the sound of the waves is muffled. “I’m going to sit you up on the couch.”
I nod. The man, who smells of suntan lotion and a hint of sweat, gently sets me down. Letting my back rest against the cushioned armrest, I’m slightly propped up.
I peel open my eyes, one at a time, then blink them a few times until his face comes into focus. Staring back at me is a pair of large brown eyes and a head full of tousled dark brown hair attached to a shirtless guy.
Fuuuck.
“Hi,” he whispers, kneeling on the floor before me.
My stomach flips. I’m suddenly aware of how I might look. “Hi.”
“I’m Jasper.” He pushes a few loose hairs away from my eyes. “Are you alright?”
His tanned, misted skin makes my mouth dry, trapping a ball of air in my throat. I struggle for a minute to speak. “I’m—um, I’m Avery.”
“Helen’s niece,” he says like he already knows.He did know which house to bring me back to.
“Yes.”
“Are you okay?” He pauses. “Avery?”
I wince. “The side of my face is on fire.”
“Sorry about that,” he softly apologizes, climbing to his feet and walking to the refrigerator. “It was me who accidentally hit you with that volleyball.”
What the hell kind of luck is this?The first day Iget here, I’m on the direct path of a rouge volleyball—which happens to belong to an incredibly attractive surfer who looks my age.How fucking embarrassing.
“Here.” He hands me an ice pack before sitting beside me on the couch.Will he put on a shirt?How am I supposed to have a casual conversation with him when I can only focus on those golden pecks and that white shell necklace dangling from his neck?
“How do you know my aunt?” I ask, recalling her use of his name on the beach.
“She isfriendswith my dad.” Then he glances down, blushing a little.
My eyebrows snap together, wondering why he’d be shy about his dad’s friendship—oh. “Are they—?”
“Yes.” He nods. “They’re friends who spend a lot of time fucking each other.”
I laugh. And not just a light giggle, but a deep roaring laugh from within. “Wow. Okay. Go, Aunt Helen.”
He smiles. His eyes dart to the floor before meeting mine again. “If you’re staying here for the summer, you’ll get used to their late-nighthangouts.”
“Good to know,” I quip, my cheeks burning. Resting the ice pack on my knee, I bounce it nervously.
