Page 101 of Summer Ever After
“Uncle Walker!” Serenity jumps into my arms the second I join them in line.
“Hey, pretty girl.” I tug on the huge flag bow on her ponytail. “I like your Fourth of July outfit.”
“Thanks. It’s new.” She wiggles out of my arms, pointing at her baby brother in his infant seat. “Lucas and Jack have matching shirts.”
Jack puffs his chest out, pulling his flag shirt out for me to see.
“Dude, you look awesome.”
Tala smiles at me. “When did you get back on the island?”
“I got here last night. I stopped in Jupiter after Detroit, just for a day.”
“We’re glad to have you here.” Tala bumps me with her hip. “I can’t remember the last time you were home for a Sunset Harbor Fourth of July bash.”
“Senior year of high school. And even then, I doubt I woke up for the pancakes or the parade.”
“They’re just cold pancakes with cold syrup,” Heath mutters. “Nothing to get excited about.”
“Don’t mind him. He’s a warm-syrup snob.”
“Everyone should be,” he defends his stance. “Pancakes taste better with warm syrup. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.”
“Where’s Capri?” I glance around.
“She should be here any minute with Tristan.”
Annoyance flickers through my eyes. “Are they, like, a thing now?”
“I don’t think they’re telling people yet.” Tala frowns at my sober expression. “Does it bother you that something’s happening between them?”
“A little.”
“Why?”
Why does my sister’s happiness bother me?
I could give the easy answer and say it’s because I’ve never liked Tristan Palmer. But even that’s not a good reason, since disliking him was always about teenage Tristan telling me to be nicer to Capri and me wanting him to butt out.
He was right, but none of that matters now. I think the real reason I’m bothered about their relationship is because Capri won’t endorse me for Jane. It’s annoying.
I adjust my hat over my hair. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Capri can date who she wants.”
I wish that statement were true for me.
“Alright, kids, look alive.” Tala tugs on Serenity and Jack to pay attention. “We’re almost to the front of the line.”
My stomach dances with anticipation at the thought of seeing Jane.
I’ve missed her.
I’ve had half the week to think about our phone call last Friday night. I know she said not to complicate an already complicated situation, but what if I can’t leave well enough alone?
There’s always this fine line with Jane, this compromise between what my ego wants me to do, what life experience tells me to do, and what my nerves let me do.
My ego wants to say the heck with Capri and the fact that I’m leaving next week and press a frantic kiss to her mouth. But life experience tells me I’m not the kind of guy who cangive Jane everything she wants, and I don’t want to let her down or break her heart when I leave. And then there are my nerves: what can I actually work up the courage to do or say when she’s standing in front of me? It changes every second, based on whether or not she pulls me in or pushes me away.
But there’s no point in overthinking my feelings. I just want to spend time with Jane. She’s dopamine for my brain. Why would I try to stay away from that?
