Page 32 of Something Blue

“Her? Go parasailing?” Piper laughed into her hand. “Not even a tiny bit. We went a few years ago, and even when Chase’s family offered to pay, Sadie refused to go. Instead, she sat on the beach and watched us have a blast. Such a chicken.”

Sadie’s smile slipped from her face. That had been the worst year Sadie could remember. She and her mom were accepting a day-old diagnosis, and while Sadie stuck by her mom, Chase asked Piper out.

Piper sneered. “You were kind of a party pooper that year, and that was the one place you wouldn’t go.”

“Not everyone feels the same about adventure as we do,” Chase said, pulling Piper behind him.

Uneasiness stole her ability to defend herself, and Sadie turned away to find something in her bag. She glanced up and saw Andy staring at her, and she weakened even more. She clasped her hands tightly around something in her purse—a bottle of water—and squeezed.

Andy stood and tugged Sadie’s arm, dragging her to her feet. “We’re gonna be at the pool. The air’s a bit too hot for us.”

Piper smiled up at him. “Good timing. We were just about . . .”

He dragged Sadie away before Piper finished her sentence. “See you two later.”

Andy’s arm stayed tightly around her shoulder, pushing her toward the boardwalk. “I’m not going to sit there and listen to them talk trash about you. If you can’t stand up for yourself, then at least don’t stick around to hear the crap coming out of their mouths. You’re better than that.”

Sadie stared at him for half-a-second before leaving her supposed-to-be friend in the sand. Andy was right, and she knew it.

15

Andy

The walk to the pool took longer than Andy wanted. It seemed like steam was coming off his back, and he was ready to bury himself in the water. It infuriated him how Sadie’s so-called friends treated her and how she sat there and took it. He’d met businessmen and women like that, sharks at tearing others down to make themselves look good, and he refused to stoop to their level.

When they reached the water station to clean off the sand from their feet, Sadie pulled her hand out of his. “Way to be a good boyfriend. Next time, I’ll do better at defending myself.”

His mouth twitched, but he didn’t respond. He cleaned his feet then offered the hose to Sadie. Without waiting for her, he dropped his belongings near a chair and jumped into the deep end of the pool.

Allowing his body to go completely limp, he floated with his back up and his head face-down. The water was cool and helped clear his mind. How could he help Sadie stand up to her friends? Piper was a bit crass and reminded him of a barracuda, but Chase seemed decent, if not a little thick.

A crash sounded next to him, sending waves of water over his head and back. Someone grabbed him, pulling his head up.

“Ahh,” he said, grabbing at his neck and straightening his body. He moaned as he reached for the side of pool.

Sadie panted next to him, slapping him on the back. “Are you okay? What happened? Your head was down, and I thought you had hit it or something.”

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “I was chilling.”

“Well, next time, do it with your face up!”

Her concern seemed to clear the tense air between them, and she sent a splash his way, making him laugh.

“Looks like you gave Sadie a scare,” an older woman said, carrying a jumbo-sized drink cooler. Her cheeks were red and her smile was wide and jolly.

“Oh, hi, Nancy,” Sadie said, climbing up the steps and running around to wrap her arm around the plump lady. The woman’s blonde, curly hair nearly covered the sides of Sadie’s face. “When did you get here? Is Camry with you?”

“Not this year. She’s too busy traveling with her new job. Who’s this handsome fella with you?”

Sadie stepped back. “Oh him? He’s my—”

“Fiancé. I’m Andy. Nice to meet you. You must be one of the owners Sadie grew up with?”

Nancy laughed with a twinkle in her eye. “Fiancé? What? Sadie hasn’t posted anything about that on social media. Is this something new?”

Sadie gave him a worried look. “Uh, not really. I’m more private about my love life.”

Andy swam to the edge to help her out. “Honey, I told you to post about us a long time ago so you wouldn’t give your friends such a shock when we get married.”

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