Page 1 of In the Pursuit of Haven
Chapter One
The canoe pushed up against the sandy beach, the fireworks blasting a sparkle of color above us. Jessie’s dark hair flipped over eyes that weren’t just brown, they were velvety black. Everything about him screamed bad boy, from the roughness of his chiseled jaw to that smoldering way he watched me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.
Aunt Haven’s going to kill me.
I shouldn’t have gotten in this boat with Jessie. Our families hated each other. I shouldn’t have taken his hand as he pulled me out of the hull as easily as if I was his catch of the day.
Was I?
I gave him a warning look that he probably wouldn’t see unless more fireworks went off—which wasn’t likely. Marblehead’s fire show was tapering off with this sudden wind. The water lapped against the sand as Jessie led me through the mud to get to the grassy hill on the small island. We could’ve walked over to Brown’s across the sandbar that made a natural bridge from the docks at low tide, but I’d worn my sandals and it was too muddy.
And Jessie had moved me to his boat so fast I hadn’t had time to think.
Had it only been an hour earlier when I’d been roaming Devereux Beach in my ragged Lady Liberty costume? Aunt Haven had convinced me to wear it on the float for the Horribles Parade earlier that day as part of a political satire gag that she’d cooked up with her BINGO friends, but I couldn’t find her anywhere to retrieve my real clothes.
The lights of the Ferris wheel had glowed over the white beach when I’d stumbled over Jessie’s rowdy friends. They were roasting hotdogs and s’mores over a bonfire. For all the times I’d seen them from a distance and heard their names in passing, we’d never really interacted before now.
My stomach clenched as Scrooby rushed forward. The sand flew from his bare feet as he loudly greeted me. “Lady Liberty, set me free!” he cried.
I let out an embarrassed giggle. I needed to get out of this costume stat! Scrooby was a good-looking kid, though maybe he should shave off all those dreads and lay off the pooka shell necklaces.
“C’mon, Roxy!” He grabbed my wrist and tugged me towards the “fun.” Before I knew it, I was dragged reluctantly over to the happening group. The girls were less inviting, which wasn’t actually too much of a surprise, considering the guys were falling all over themselves to keep me entertained.
The ragged Greek dress wasn’tcompletelyto blame; I was new blood. I got how it worked. During the school year, I lived in Boston with my mom, but Aunt Haven’s lighthouse on Baker’s Island was where I spent my summers. Salem might be known for the witch trials, but for me… it was my second home.
Mom had adored her childhood on the island. She wanted me to feel the same breeze in my hair, smell the ocean air while I ran up the steps of the lighthouse to look over the ocean and get the perfect view of the continent in the distance—the same view that many of Haven’s ancestors had when they first stepped foot here.
“Oh, my beautiful girl!” I watched as an older woman with short white hair enveloped my mother in a big embrace. The two screamed and shouted out for joy. “I’m so happy you moved to Boston,” Haven said. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.” The cheerful, hardy woman stepped back from my mother, pushing her hands deeply into the pockets of her overalls while her eyes found me.
I nervously sucked on my fingers. I was almost five, and I’d never seen this strange lady in my life.
Haven waved at me, her eyes twinkling. “She hardly knows me.”
“I know. I know.” My mother’s hand went to my hair. “Honey, this is your grandma. Haven adopted me when I was a very little girl.”
“Well, grandma seems so formal,” Haven said. She tugged at the pants of her overalls so she could lean down and meet my eyes. The first thing I noticed was her warmth. “Call me Aunt Haven, dear. Everyone does around here. It’s tradition.”
My mother’s laughter rang with hers. It was the first time I remembered Mom being truly happy, even before my daddy left us.
And Mom had absolutely made the right call to let me stay here in the summers—and though I had wanted to protect her from all those horrible guys she tried to date in Boston, I loved it here! Summers in Salem were idyllic. The place was like history meeting present.
“Hey!” Scrooby said beside me. He couldn’t stop his playful teasing: “I found your torch!” He handed me a marshmallow and tried to teach me how to roast one like I’d never seen a stick before.
Ruth was rolling her eyes at us so much that I was afraid those brown orbs would fall out of their sockets. She threw her red hair behind her shoulder. “Do you know what fire is?” she asked me in a voice that belonged to a rude teacher. “It happens when something getsrealhot.”
Wow, thanks!I forced a smile. “I guess I’ve been stuck in the Upper New York Bay for too long to know what fire is.” Doing my best Statue of Liberty impression, I held up the marshmallow like a torch. “I’m looking forward to finding out more about this strange new world.”
She didn’t answer. Her eyes went back to the guys playing volleyball on the sand. That’s when I saw Jessie Crabb.
My stomach clenched. He was here too?
Ruth’s eyes followed his every move and she whispered loudly to a scowling brunette next to her. What was I missing? A lover’s spat or just a really bad crush?
Girl, get a grip on yourself.
Yeah, the guy was cute… in a villain kind of way. Jessie came from a long line of beastly scoundrels; he was at least a foot taller than the rest of the guys he played against, and his every move was athletic. I could see it in his muscular shoulder blades when he hit back the volleyball.
And… I needed to retreat while I could. I wasn’t my mother, and I wasn’t about to fall for any player who thought he could use me and throw me away. Tossing the marshmallow back in Scrooby’s face and making my escape just wasn’t socially acceptable. Just one s’more and I’d beat sand and get out of here. I sat down on a camping chair to avoid catching any more attention while I roasted the marshmallow.
