Page 9 of His Girl of the Summer

“Thank you. You have made this the summer of my life. Actually, the time of my life. I've never felt so free before,” she says.

“You’ve made this time of my life, Fairy. Thank you for hanging out with me, even if you had to do it in the greasy kitchen of the diner most days.”

“And they will always be some of my favorite memories,” she whispers.

We clean and pack everything away. It's time to meet up with the guys and Harper, so we rush to get back down to the Inn. We spent the rest of the night with our big group, and the next morning, we lie around, laughing and joking around on the beach.

It’s Saturday now; we only have until Monday with them, and my heart is breaking. The girls fit perfectly with our group. They make us whole. Charli makes me whole.

“Oh shit,” Charli whispers, and I'm instantly on alert. I follow her wide eyes and see a tall, pissed-off-looking man standing on the sidewalk in front of the inn. He’s glaring a hole at Harper, and the anger radiating off him is suffocating. I watch as Grayson stands in front of Harper protectively, and I’ve already pulled Charli behind me. This can't be good. I turn to look at Charli and see her face pale.

“Daddy,” Harper whispers nervously.

“Harper Grace. I have both your bags packed and in the car. We will be pulling out of here within the next ten minutes, and I don’t want to hear a word about it. Say your goodbyes and get your asses up here,” the man nearly yells, and my worst fears are coming true. No, this can't be happening. We still had time left.

“But… we’re coming home tomorrow,” Charli protests. His eyes swing to her, and she stops talking, visibly shrinking under his stare. I growl and step between his view of her again.

“And since neither one of you has been answering your phones for almost a week now, your parents, Charlotte, and I decided it was time to put an end to this charade you both think you were getting away with and bring you home,” he grits through his teeth. I hear Charli’s snort at that, but I grab her face and bring her eyes to mine.

“I’ll fix this. Please, just give me time,” I plead with her, not knowing if she understands what I'm saying, but before I can reassure her of us, she's ripped from my grip and heading home in the car.

“How did this happen?” I almost choke out. I nearly fall to my knees as I watch Charli turn to look at me out the back window. She gives me one wave before wiping a tear from her cheeks, and then she's gone.

“I can't believe that's the end. This can't be real,” Grayson says from beside me. I can barely think, breathe, or move. My mind is racing almost as fast as my heart, and I don't know what to do. I stand there for lord knows how long. I'm only brought out of my misery by the sound of a text coming through. It's from Charli. After reading her words, there's only one thing on my mind.

“Fuck this. We're going to get our women,” I tell Grayson, and head straight for his truck.

Chapter Seven

Charli

As I turn around and wipe the tears from my face, I can't help but let the misery overtake me. Watching Kas get smaller and smaller out of the back window nearly broke me. What hurt the most was the torture on his face. I know that feeling, but I turned my back this time and walked away. Even if it wasn't by choice today, it would have had the same effect and emotions if this had happened on Monday.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

I pull out my phone and text Kas. I didn't get a goodbye, so this will have to do.

Me: I hate that this had to end this way, but maybe it was for the best. I couldn't have lived with the heartbreak of watching you walk away. You’ve shown me so many amazing things this summer. You took away the loneliness of my life, and I’ll never be able to repay you. I will miss you always. Please take care of yourself.

My heart shatters as I hit send, but I know this is for the best. With every bit of strength I have left, I try to rebuild the wall I worked so hard to construct over the years, the one Kas knocked down in a matter of weeks, and let the numbness take over. I sit quietly in the back seat of Harper’s dad’s car as my heart gets left further and further behind us until my phone vibrates in my pocket.

Kas: Don't you dare write off the summer we just had. Don't you dare give up on me. Tell me where you are right now, Fairy. What mile marker?

Me: There's nothing you can do. I have to go home. I can't take this.

Kas: What did I tell you, baby? Before you left. What did I say?

Me: It doesn't matter.

Kas: It fucking does! Now, what did I say?

Me: You will fix it.

Kas: Exactly. I'm going to fix this, but I need you to tell me where you are. Please, baby, tell me where you are.

I break. I text him exactly where we are. As we drive, I watch the clock, the miles, and the road signs. I feel like I'm on autopilot, just continuously texting Kas updates. It's like I can feel him getting closer to me, and it's easier to breathe. The weight on my chest slowly lifts with each update I get from him as he and Grayson catch up with us.

Mr. Jackson finally stops for gas and to grab a quick dinner. I relay that to Kas and hope they are close enough to catch us. I can't even eat as I sit at the old table; I just push things around the plate. I don't even have the energy or forethought to look at Harper, but I'm guessing by the deep sigh from her father, she’s probably doing the same thing.

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