Page 35 of The Summer House
Thirteen
When Callieand Luke got up on the deck with Aiden and Olivia to get their drinks, the thump of live music echoed in Callie’s chest and she peeked inside the house to see that a group of musicians had set up and begun to play in the corner of the great living room.
Juliette appeared, a glass of white perched delicately in her fingers. “Don’t you just love this? I got a band!” she said dramatically, a delightful grin on her face. “I rented out a string of small cottages for everyone here, since they’re all from out of town. I have a shuttle running the whole night. I figured that once the kids get tired, the daddies can take them home and the mommies can party into the night.”
“Fun for the daddies,” Aiden laughed.
Juliette gave him a light-hearted eye roll. “These women are my good friends. The men are lovely, don’t get me wrong. But we girls need some time to let loose too, don’t you think?” Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but Juliette gasped, cutting him off, clearly a little chattier after a few drinks. “You and Callie should stay late with us tonight,” she said to Olivia. “And Mom! Where is she? We need to get her a drink!”
“Speaking of drinks,” Aiden said. “What would you ladies like? Another… Is that a mojito?”
They both nodded.
“Great. Luke and I will get you one.”
After Juliette had run off into the crowd, Olivia turned to Callie. “I’m having so much fun,” she said. “We should stay. Maybe Gram can watch Wyatt for us—she’s always asking for him to stay over. If I text her, and she says yes, would you stay?”
Callie chewed on her nail.
“Don’t think so much,” Olivia said, that sisterly look in her eyes. Callie and Olivia had shared so many moments together that they might as well be sisters.
“Okay,” she relented. Olivia rarely got time to herself and if she wanted to stay, then Callie should put her own confusion aside and stay with her.
Looking deliriously happy, Olivia pulled out her phone and started texting madly. “Thank you,” she said, looking up for a moment before turning her attention back to her phone.
Luke and Aiden came back with more than their drinks. Juliette was with them, but also another woman walked beside Luke: An older woman, she was thin, with salt-and-pepper hair styled just so, fanning across her forehead and diamond earrings the size of small buttons in her ears. Her demeanor seemed slightly stiff, given the party going on; her expression was serious, yet gentle. Luke leaned down to say something to her, and she smiled warmly at him before the sober expression returned.
As they got closer, Callie could see the woman’s complexion; clearly she’d spent a lot of time and money to keep her skin looking flawless for her age, but her eyes told a different story. There was something behind them—they looked tired, or maybe sad. She couldn’t tell.
“Callie,” Luke said, stepping forward and handing her a new, ice-cold glass. He moved to the side to allow the woman to take the spot directly in front of Callie. “This is my mother. Mom, this is Callie.”
“Lillian Sullivan,” she said, giving her an appraising once-over, making Callie feel as if she were just another girl Luke brought to the house.
While the others fell into conversation, sitting down on the deck chairs, Lillian turned to her son. “Where have you been, dear? I’ve been looking for you all night.”
“I was showing Callie my work in the garage.”
Lillian was motionless for an instant, the comment noticeably affecting her. “Oh?” she said, before turning slowly and looking at Callie as if she’d only just now seen her. She smiled at her, and Callie had to work to keep her breath from coming out like a popped balloon. Lillian Sullivan could certainly be intimidating. But when she softened, it was like she was a totally different person.
“Have you seen Luke surf? I love to watch him surf.” She looked up at the sky and shook her head as if the memory was right there, before her gaze landed back on Callie.
“I haven’t,” she answered, nervously taking a sip of her drink.
Luke piped up, “I tried to get her to go surfing with me, but she wouldn’t go.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go. You asked me to go today and the party was today.”
“So you would go?” He was grinning at her as he lifted his drink to his lips. What was it—whiskey and coke? She knew he was baiting her.
“Yes, I’d go.”
Amusement swelled in Luke’s features. “Are you nervous about surfing?”
“No.” What she couldn’t say out loud was that she was nervous about being with him. She was finding it harder to push her feelings away; unable to control how her body responded to Luke. Her skin felt all tingly and alive just looking at him.
“Callie,” Olivia called from the sofa. When she leaned around Luke to see her friend, she was surprised to find Aiden with his arm stretched out behind Olivia. They sure did look cozy. Olivia waved her phone in the air. “Gram’s coming to get Wyatt later. We can stay.”
“Yay!” Juliette said, coming back over after being sidetracked by a few of her friends.
