Page 23 of My Summer Fling

He smiles.

I watch him walk out of the store, Frank Sinatra still playing in the background.

Why do I feel so guilty?Fuck.

I run my hands through my hair and groan, pacing in a circle around the soft rug. I should not feel this way. If anything, he should be the one that feels guilty. He’s the one that shredded my heart to fucking pieces all those years ago. I didn’t do that. He did.

So why am I letting him guilt trip me?

I sigh.

I don’t think he’s actually trying to do that. He seemed so sincere when he said we could keep this up. But that’s … too much. I don’t want to be stuck in a situation-ship until he decides that he’s found someone better. Why is that okay? Why the hell would he think that was okay?

“God dammit, Noah,” I curse under my breath as I bend over and stop the record player. After putting the record back in its case and tidying up the area, I walk back to the front of the store with my coffee and thank the girl behind the register as I walk out to find Noah.

I need to talk to someone about this.

Pulling out my phone, I text my friend Tiffany, asking her if we can meet up for dinner and drinks tonight. I haven’t told her or any of my friends about what’s going on, but I’m starting to think I’m in a little over my head here.

I shoot off a text and step out into the hot afternoon sun. Luckily, there’s a breeze, but it doesn’t do much to give me relief from the humidity. The wedding is going to be painful in this summer heat.

“Over here!” Noah waves from a couple shops down. The sun is highlighting his hair, and he even has some freckles coming out on his tanned arms and face. “My friend is going to come to the island to meet you and go over the videography and photography for the wedding.”

“I thought you and Teddy already had that all worked out? He’s your friend so I figured he was all good to go,” I say as I walk up to him.

“I know you well enough by now to know that you will want to vet him first. Laughable that you think we would plan anything without running it by you first.”

He throws his arm over my shoulders and I just roll my eyes. I mean, he isn’t wrong. I was a little peeved when Teddy told me they were setting that all up without me. Not going to lie, it gave me a little twitch.

But I was not about to let Noah know he was right.

“Okay, well, that sounds good. It may help him to be able to see the venue and stuff before the day as well. He can get a game plan going.”

“Exactly,” he says, smiling down at me. “Let’s go grab a late lunch. I did my research before we came and found a cafe down the road that’s supposedly known for their wild milkshakes.”

“Hell. Yes. I love milkshakes.”

“I know, sweet girl. That’s why we’re going.”

He winks at me, and we take off in the direction of the cafe. I try not to overthink what he said earlier, or dwell on the way he looked when he said it. This is supposed to be a fun summer thing. Just some casual sex between two people who are really, really good together in that aspect.

My phone vibrates, and I quickly read Tiffany’s text. She’s down to meet up and says she can meet me at seven. I’ll tell him after lunch, and hopefully seeing a good friend will help me work out whatever the fuck is going on in my head right now.

I’m starting to get a little worried that my vagina has a direct line to my heart, making me feel a little more invested in this deal than I want to be.

“Spill,”Tiffany says, leaning over her margarita and licking the salt off the rim. “What’s got you so desperate to see my gorgeous face?”

Tiffany is my best friend and also the first friend I made when I moved to the island. She’s a preschool teacher that I just so happened to meet in a hardware store while I was trying to find new paint colors for the cottage.

She’s a couple years older than me and has the prettiest blonde hair and green eyes. And she is incredibly empathetic, which makes her the best teacher for those little kids. She loves each of them like they’re her own.

“I’ve got a situation,” I tell her. “You know how I’m planning this wedding for my brother, right?”

She nods and I take a very large gulp of my own margarita for courage.

“Well, okay, god. I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about at the beginning?” she asks, scooting her drink to the side and giving me her full attention. I know she can tell that this isn’t just some little thing that’s bothering me. It’s big. And now that I’m about to spill everything, I feel like I might spew all over this table.

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