Page 19 of Same Time Next Summer

“I have a surprise,” Wyatt said, waiting outside the library.

Sam threw her arms around him and kissed him, right there with Mrs. Barton looking out the window. “Tell me.”

“I love you.”

Sam laughed. “No. The surprise.”

“I stopped and changed Mr. Cameron’s flat tire on my way to work today, because I’m a local hero, obviously.”

“I am not surprised.” She kissed him again. “So?”

“He’s given me his boat for the day. It’s small, just a two-seater, but why would we need more seats? We’re going to Starfish Beach.”

Sam threw her arms around him again. “Can we go now?”

“Yep. I even brought lunch.”

They set off from the Camerons’ dock on the canal and rode out into the open ocean. They rode past the stretch of their own beach, where their homes looked so cozy together. The engine was too loud for them to hear each other talk, but he loved looking over and seeing Sam smile into the ocean air.

Starfish Beach was a small stretch of sand and dunes that you could only access by boat or on foot. Mr. Cameron had told him exactly how to get there and how to tie up the boat. Wyatt unpacked a blanket, towels, and a bag of sandwiches and helped Sam off the boat. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

She laughed and nudged him and tried to braid the whole mess.

They found the beach completely deserted. No one was using the picnic tables, but they decided to eat on the beach. They laid their towels on the sand and unwrapped their sandwiches.

“This is the nicest surprise I’ve ever had,” Sam said, wiping mustard from her mouth.

“You are,” he said.

“Have you always been so romantic? I don’t remember this from when you were twelve.”

“It’s happened just recently,” he said, and pulled her down to lie next to him. He closed his eyes and listened to the waves breaking just beyond the bluff. He felt the weight of Sam’s head resting on his chest.

“How long do you think this will last?” she asked.

“What kind of a question is that?”

“I don’t know.” She was running her hand from his chest to his stomach in perfect rhythm with the waves. “I mean I can’t imagine not being like this. Like, I don’t want to go back.”

Wyatt moved her hair out of her face so he could look at her. “If you’ve loved someone your whole life, it kind of makes sense that you’d love them forever.”

NOW

22

I am parked in front of the Old Sloop Inn. Jack is in the passenger seat. These are the only things I know for sure. Because I must have imagined—hallucinated even—Jack’s telling me that my dad has invited Wyatt to cruise to Starfish Beach with my family tonight. There is no way.

“Sam. It’s no big deal. Your dad just wanted to thank him for fixing his car.” My hands feel clammy against the steering wheel, but I don’t want to let go. I am clearly not steering anything anymore.

“So all of us, my family and Wyatt, are cruising to Starfish Beach tonight? Were they going to tell me?” I flash on Wyatt and me, lying on Starfish Beach, talking about forever. I was stuck on that after we broke up, trying to reconcile Wyatt’s saying he thought he’d love me forever and then his not, in fact, loving me forever. Dr. Judy helped me understand that when you’re eighteen, you change your mind. Obviously. But I cannot walk through that space with Wyatt there.

“I just told you. It’ll be fine. By the end of the night, things will be so normal. We’re grown-ups, Sam. And so is he.”

I rest my head on the steering wheel. We should have gone back to the city when we had the chance. I cannot explain what happened between Wyatt and me on that beach, because I know it will come out heavy.

He looks up at the inn. “Honestly, this place is a little tired, and all the nautical stuff isn’t really my thing. But let’s look. It’s fun to see your mom so excited.”

I want to start feeling excited.

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