Page 20 of Summer After Summer

“I hear you’ve been hanging out with my girl.”

He gives me a wild-eyed look before burying it in a grin. “Nice to see you again, Ashley. Hi, Olivia.”

“Hey, Fred.” I stand back, wanting some physical space between us so he knows this isn’t my idea.

“So, I’m wondering,” Ashley says, oblivious to my body language or the fact that half of Fred’s fellow beach dudes are listening in, “are you going to ask her out, or what?”

I’m sorry, I mouth behind Ashley.

“Isn’t that between me and her?”

“Well, it would be, I guess, but we’re on a timetable.”

Oh no. No, no, no.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s her birthday tomorrow.”

“Ash …”

“I’m aware.”

“Our July Fourth baby,” Ash says. “All the fireworks go off to celebrate her.”

“As they should,” Fred says, and I do love him for saying that.

“I agree. So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Excuse me?”

“We just agreed that Olivia deserves fireworks on her birthday, did we not?”

His eyes dance. “We did.”

“So?”

“I’m not quite sure how that works here. Are you allowed to do fireworks on the beach?”

I have to intervene. I can’t watch them negotiate our first date anymore.

“There’s a dinner,” I blurt. “At the club. This lobster night thing. And after, they’ll be fireworks. I can bring a guest.” My heart is pounding, and is this what almost fainting feels like?

Fred gives me that slow smile. “Are you asking me out?”

“Of course she is,” Ashley says.

“Olivia?”

“Yes. I’d lo—like you to come. If you can. I mean, there’ll be a lot of grown-ups and my father and my aunt, so if you don’t want to, I understand.”

“I can handle fathers and aunts.”

“You say that. But you haven’t met them.”

“Are you taking it back?”

“No!”