Page 24 of Keeping London (Flawed Heart)

“Penis!” Georgia giggles.

I follow suit. “Yes, Mr. Penis!” I believe his correct surname was Penash, but Georgia and I’d use our preferred last name for him—behind his back, of course.

“Whatever happened to Mr. Penis?”

“Who knows? I haven’t seen him since Chicago.” I shrug.

“That’s so strange because he and his wife used to come to our house all the time for dinner parties.”

“I know, but that’s how it is with Dad’s friends. They’re always changing based on his location.”

“Well, cheers to Mr. Penis for getting you interested in Michigan. You would never have met Loïc or Paige had you not gone there.”

Georgia holds up her coffee cup, and I gently tap mine against hers in an odd morning toast.

“True. I think I chose Michigan because I had the most fun tour there. Yes, their academics are great, but their parties are pretty amazing.”

“It was nice seeing Mom and Dad, huh?” Georgia asks, changing the subject.

“It was. I was glad that Dad stayed all day yesterday. I can’t remember the last time we’ve spent two entire days with him.”

“It was great,” Georgia agrees. “Any thoughts on what you want to do when Loïc comes back?”

Loïc’s currently out, running. Today’s our last day in California, and a few minutes ago, Georgia listed off some possible activities we could do. I’ve been thinking about our options while we’ve been out here, sipping coffee.

“Yeah, I think Santa Cruz sounds fun.”

“Sweet! Santa Cruz, it is! I love it there,” Georgia says with excitement.

An hour and a half later, Georgia is parking in a space along Pacific Avenue, which is a picturesque tree-lined street with adorable little shops and cafés. We grab our beach bags and start walking toward the water.

“If you get bored of the beach, we can always head to the Beach Boardwalk,” Georgia suggests. “It’s like an old-fashioned amusement park. It’s fun.”

“That does sound fun,” I agree. “I definitely want to show Loïc what a real beach day is like. He likes to do all these exhausting activities when he takes me to the beach. Right, babe?” I playfully nudge Loïc in the side.

“To which activity are you referring? The boogie-boarding or the other activity we did in the water? Because, if I remember correctly, you didn’t complain about that.” He shoots me a wink.

I shake my head and laugh. “I was talking about the boogie boards, of course.”

“Well, that doesn’t really pertain here. You’re not going to want to get in the water anyway. It’s freezing this time of year,” Georgia informs us.

“There are a few surfers out in the water,” I mention, looking out to the water as one of them rides a wave to shore.

“Yeah, but they have serious wet suits on. Most people aren’t swimming in the water right now.”

“I don’t know. Lake Michigan is pretty damn cold early summer, and I manage,” Loïc offers.

“You go for it, babe,” I scoff. “I think I’ll hang on the beach.”

“If I go in, you’re going in with me.”

“Don’t you dare.” I scowl at him. “I hate being cold.”

“It’s an adventure,” he teases me.

“That’s right—one you can go on yourself.” I narrow my eyes toward him in warning.

Georgia lays down the beach blanket on the sand. “I agree with London on this one. It might be okay to walk along the beach and dip your toes, but I wouldn’t want to go in. No way.”

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