Page 24 of Old Acquaintances

“Yes.” He tilted his head. “You know I think you’re gorgeous. I tell you that all the time.”

“Yeah, but it’s a joke.”

“That’s not part of the joke.” Tucker stood up. “Come out and get a burger. We’re going to play games on the deck.”

He held his hand out to me.

We weren’t hand-holding people. I didn’t need help getting off a boat or out of a ditch. Still, I put my hand in his. I stood up, realizing that I didn’t have pants on, and grabbed the comforter before it slid completely off my lap. “I-I’m going to put clothes on first,” I stammered.

His cheeks blushed. “Yep, yep, you do that.” He dropped my hand and walked out of the room. I walked over to my duffle bag and took out a tank top and sweatpants. I pulled my bra off just as I heard the door open again.

“Hey Ella,” Tucker started. He froze.

I stood there, topless, staring at him, and he stood at the open door, staring at my boobs. I don’t know how many times I had to say his name before he finally snapped to attention.

“Eli!” I whispered.

He shuddered. “Oh God. I’m sorry.” He shut the door. On the other side, he repeated, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

I didn’t have any choice after that moment. I couldn’t avoid him. At the very least, I knew Tucker would never bring it up again. So, I changed my clothes and left the room. Tucker kept his distance, he didn’t look at me, and we only exchanged pleasant conversation when we were forced to.

Before everyone turned in that night, the most horrible thing happened. I think it was quite possibly the worst experience of the entire day.

Our parents sat us down and gave us a speech about abstinence and teenage pregnancy. They insisted that we sleep with the door open, that we would not be allowed alone in a room together ever again. They even complained that we were sitting too close on the couch, in the positions they placed us in. At one point Tucker said, “You do realize thatwe’renot the ones who asked to sleep in the same room, right?”

That first night, with our door wide open and a bright streetlight shining through the hallway window, we lay on our separate beds, arms distance from one another. Tucker announced into the dark, “This was the weirdest day.”

I clasped a hand over my mouth and laughed.

His pillowcase ruffled, he was looking at me, and he laughed back. When he stopped laughing, he said in his sing-songy way, “I love you, Ella.”

I smiled, thinking about the game we played and how this was part of the joke, but him finding me beautiful wasn’t.

Chapter Nine

Today

We get to the house Johnny rented and I stand aghast, mind-blown not at the short yellow house with green shutters but at the large infinity pool, the outdoor tiki hut bar, the sand volleyball court, and the private dock just steps away. The air smells salty. My sinuses already feel clear. The bright, green water sloshes gently against the rocks.

It’s the perfect temperature for my perpetually cold body.

Tucker’s going to burn like the devil here.

When we get out of the car, Johnny announces, “It’s great, right?”

“How richareyou?” I ask.

“We all pitched in. It’s not that bad. My mom knows a guy who knows a guy who got us a deal.”

“Is that why your family has money?” It’s all starting to add up. “Because sheknows a guy?”

He blinks against the sun, confused.

There’s a skateboard in the driveway, Wyatt’s, and I laugh internally at the image of him at thirty-years-old, his hair some unnatural color, skateboarding down the Charlotte airport. Probably while on the phone with work, talking about banking things. Ritchie would have walked beside him, dressed expensively, unaffected.

They all arrived last night. I wasn’t interested in taking ared-eye flight and I assume neither was Tucker. I’ll bet they stumbled in at midnight and started drinking right away. Serena probably took out her tarot cards and Johnny probably turned on the Golf Channel.

Maybe everyone has that friend group: the one where you make the effort so many times that you can’t stop a rolling stone. There’s no reason for it. You’re spread out all over the country, it’s expensive and complicated to get together, but if you don’t, then who will come to your funeral?

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