Page 14 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

He nodded his acceptance and pushed himself to his feet. “All right. But, just so you know, I’ll be making a plan in case the worst happens.”

I grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

As they disappeared inside, I felt content with my answer. I didn’t know what was going to happen any more than the next man, but I refused to stress about it any more. Whatever was going to happen, would happen. And I would roll along with it.

Chapter 11

Olivia

The night after Aunt Jenny came home, we decided to stay up and watch old movies in her small home theater. She’d been a massive fan of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn her whole life, and regularly felt the need to instill some respect of the classics in me whenever she got the chance.

It was close to dawn when we finally managed to get ourselves into bed, so neither of us made it up until eleven o’clock the next morning. I was a little horrified about the time, but Aunt Jenny just laughed. We sat quietly eating our breakfast—or maybe it was lunch—like we were both seriously hung over or something. It was my first real taste of how different life on my own might be like.

When I finished off the last bit of my fruit salad, Aunt Jenny took my plate and rinsed it in the sink. “So, what do you want to do today?” she asked.

I raised my eyebrow at her. All I’d heard when she got home from LA, was how much shit she had to do to fix what Jeremy had stuffed up. “Don’t you have to work?”

Her lips pressed together as she drew in a long, slow breath. “Yes,” she said cautiously. “But you’re on vacation. I should be doing stuff with you.”

“I’m okay. Dad told me you’d have work to do while I was here. I feel lucky just to be in such a beautiful place and not have any chores to do.”

She eyed me dubiously for a while before answering. “All right. If you’re sure.” I nodded to reassure her, but she still looked as though she was struggling with the whole thing. “Okay. I’ll just go get ready.”

I sat in the living room after she left, listening to the sounds of the ocean outside. The sky outside the window was a soft icy blue, with barely a cloud in sight. You really wouldn’t have known there had been a storm here the night before. The trees were mostly still, except for a slight flutter of a leaf every now and again. It was the perfect weather for a walk.

The new denim shorts Aunt Jenny had bought me were wonderfully soft, like they’d already been worn for years, and sat low on my hips. They fit very snugly, which I’d been a little worried about, but Aunt Jenny had reassured me it was the way teenagers liked to wear them these days. As much as I didn’t care about trends anymore, I also didn’t want to stand out like an oddity.

Grabbing one of the tanks we’d bought to go with them—a baby blue one that Aunt Jenny said matched my eyes—I ripped the tag off and pulled it on. I didn’t worry about shoes. Barefoot was always the best option for the beach.

Leaving my cell on the table beside the bed, I wandered down the grassy trail to the beach. The sand was cool between my toes, but it felt nice as I made my way along the golden stretch to the rocks at the other end. When I was almost directly in front of the other house, the boy came walking down the trail, surprising me. He stopped when he reached the spot where the grass ended, and just stared out at the ocean, a frown on his pretty face.

I slowed when I got close enough to talk. “No surfing today?”

His gaze flashed my way and he smiled, but the curious crease to his brow, and the way his head tilted to the side a little, made me think he was assessing me for something. “I think my board might get broken if I tried to take on those dumpers,” he said, his eyes darting back out to the ocean.

I looked out at the waves, trying to determine how they might’ve looked different from the waves I’d seen yesterday. They did look a little more explosive when they broke, I guessed. Meeting his gaze again, I decided it was time to at least know his name. I wasn’t sure how much his friends would’ve told him, if anything, so I just went with the whole story.

“Um . . . I’m Olivia, by the way. I’m staying with my aunt until my parents get back from overseas,” I said, gesturing toward Aunt Jenny’s house.

He searched my face for a while, looking for something I didn’t know the answer to. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his cargo shorts. He looked like he was trying to make a decision of some sort. Eventually, he took a breath. “Ah . . . I’m Joshua.”

Joshua. Hmm . . . I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head to the side, trying to fit the name with the face. I just couldn’t see it.

“What?” he asked.

My cheeks flushed a little. God, what was I going to say? I’m sorry, I just don’t think your name suits you. “Nothing.”

“Just say it,” he said, his voice a little forceful, although more resigned than anything else.

“It’s just . . . you don’t really look like a Joshua.” I pursed my lips as I looked him over again. His face seemed to have changed into one of surprise. “Josh, maybe. That suits you better.”

He stared at me for a while longer with the same surprised look on his face, then he burst out laughing. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

I frowned, biting my bottom lip, and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to

offend you. Joshua’s a nice name. I like it. I just think Josh fits you better. It’s more relaxed and casual.”

His eyes never left my face as I spoke. They gazed at me with what looked like suspicion. I didn’t understand it at all. And this was why Aunt Jenny was so very wrong. “Um . . . it’s nice to meet you anyway, Joshua. I’ll be on my way now, so I don’t embarrass myself any more.” I flashed him a bright smile as an offer of apology, and turned to leave.

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