Page 47 of Fast

Maybe it’s just temporary. Until the pain of Atlas’s loss feels less raw, like the therapist Dad hired keeps promising will happen. But it’s been two years, and that scar is still raw, still bleeding.

I wish I could find a way to get back to just being Heather’s childhood friend and next-door neighbor, but right now things feel awkward between us. Maybe things will start changing when she gets a boyfriend. It would be a sign that at least one of us is starting to live again.

“Chance, catch!”

The frisbee comes flying my way and I catch it with ease. I throw it back at Zara, who throws it at Heather.

This is good. Playing on the beach is a great distraction, just as I was hoping.

Ares must feel the same way, because he joins us when he comes out of the water.

We play for a while, running on the soft sand and laughing at each other’s fumbles. It feels good to do something that keeps our minds off all of our worries.

It isn’t just the grief. College is starting soon, and that’s a huge change for all of us. Ares is the only one who decided to forgo getting a degree.

There’s also the wedding. I didn’t realize how anxious I was about the idea of Kelly’s daughter moving in with us. But not only wasn't my new stepsister a stranger, it’s Zara.

Two years ago, she took my breath away when she raced on the back of my bike; now she’s the breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gotten even more beautiful than I remember her.

“Ha, sucker.” She giggles, as she intercepts the frisbee I thought I had in the bag.

“I wouldn’t be so smug,” I grin. “You’ll have to throw it again, and I’m right here.”

Her green eyes light up with a hint of mischief, and rather than throwing the frisbee, she takes off with it.

We all give chase, laughing and stealing the frisbee from each other.

“Oof,” Zara gasps as I tackle her into the sand.

Fuck, her skin is so soft. “Are you ok?” I ask, offering her my hand to help her get back to her feet.

“I’m fine,” she beams, accepting my hand.

A spark of electricity travels up my arm when our fingers connect. The smile fades from my lips as I look at hers. They’reso soft, and I have to fight the urge to kiss her in front of everyone.

I almost went to her room last night to continue what Dad interrupted in the Country Club’s garden. But it was late, and Zara kept yawning during the short ride back home. I remembered that she had just flown in from the East Coast, so to her body clock it was three hours later.

“Is anyone else thirsty?” I ask, knowing full well what I’m thirsty for.

“Yeah,” Ares agrees. “I could eat too. Brunch was just two hours ago, but I was still tired and I didn’t eat much. I wouldn’t mind a snack with the leftovers.”

Heather nods. “I’m hungry too. Mind if I join?”

“Kelly had enough food for an army. We ate all the hot food, but there are still pastries and fruit. Which we should have put away, but we left on the table.”

He says the last bit in a semi-accusing tone. He’s right. Our housekeeper is supposed to come today, but Dad and Kelly would be annoyed that we left everything out for her to clean up.

“Are you hungry, Zara?” I ask.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say no to another chocolate croissant. But I have sand everywhere,” she says, wiping at her stomach and thighs. “I don’t want to track it into the house, or Mom will be annoyed before we’ve been back to living together for a full twenty-four hours. Maybe I should go wash it off in the sea, but I’m going to pick up more coming out of the water. Is there an outdoor faucet or something?”

I have a solution to her problem. “We have an outdoor shower, just behind the cabana. Let me show you. Guys, you get going,” I say to the others, who have already started walking back into the house. “We’ll be right behind you.”

The shower is surrounded by a semicircular tiled wall that shields it from view of the house; a frosted glass, saloon style setof doors offers privacy without completely blocking the view of the beach.

“There are toiletries in there and hot water. Let me show you how to work it. It’s one of those spa thingies that you need an engineering degree to figure out until you get used to it.”

In reality, it’s not that complicated. Some of the aromatherapy functions and massage jets do take a second to figure out, but a straightforward shower doesn’t require much of an explanation.

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