Page 28 of Hook, Line, and Summer

“Oh, sorry Eve,” she said. “It’s just Adam.” She looked down toward her feet and nodded. “Yeah.” Shaking her head, she added, “No, I don’t need a ride. I’ll just grab one with him.” She looked up at me and our gaze held for several heartbeats. “No, but it’s fine.”

I heard laughter from the other end of the phone before Summer disconnected the call.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

Thea jumped down and I opened the door and stepped out of the truck.

“Ready to go home?”

I opened the back door and she looked at me and the truck before sitting and directing her attention to Summer.

“It’s okay, Thea. You can get in.”

She walked over and patted the seat. Thea stood and happily jumped in then sat and looked at us.

“Your turn,” I said to Summer as I closed the door.

She followed as I walked around the front of the truck and opened thedoor. Ignoring my extended hand, she stepped up into the truck and settled into the passenger seat.

We’d had our first date in my dad’s truck years ago and even though this is a different vehicle, I felt a strong sense of déjà vu as I settled behind the wheel. There was a pull between us long before we knew what it meant, and that hasn’t been muted by a decade apart.

As I drove home, the tension in the truck heightened. I’ve avoided her for the past couple weeks and if I’m being honest, it’s driving me crazy. Keeping her out of my thoughts was nearly impossible with thousands of miles between us, but knowing she’s right next door literally keeps me awake at night.

A loud snore sounded from the back seat. I looked in the rearview mirror and chuckled at the sight of Thea lying on her side, spread out across the whole seat.

“She looks exhausted,” I said.

Summer glanced over her shoulder and nodded.

“We had a busy morning, then went for our weekly hike. I guess walking another few miles was a lot to ask.”

“Why were you walking?”

“I stopped at the clinic on the way home from our hike and when I came out, my car wouldn’t start.”

“Did you call for a tow?”

She nodded.

“I left a message for Art.”

“Why didn’t you call someone for a ride?”

“I thought about it, but then decided to walk home,” she said.

That decision obviously backfired, but I didn’t point that out.

“Who did you end up calling for a ride?” I asked. “I’m assuming that’s what you were doing when I pulled up.”

“Eve Reese.”

“She lives in Seaside?”

“Mmm Hmm. Eve is Winnie Everly’s niece. She moved here a couple years ago. Now she’s engaged to Max Corbin.”

Max moved here after high school, so I don’t know him well. But we hung out with some

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