Page 4 of The Summer of Us

“You coming in? I won’t be a minute,” Olivia said, turning off the engine and climbing out.

Not wanting to stay inside the sweltering car, Paige followed her out, her white trainers hitting the cobbled drive with a soft crunch. The sun warmed the back of her neck, giving the tips of her curls a golden sheen.

“Mum?” Olivia called as she opened the front door, her voice echoing around the high-ceilinged hallway.

“Back so soon?” a voice said from somewhere above, and Olivia groaned out loud.

Footsteps thudded down the stairs, and Olivia’s little sister appeared in front of them, her blonde hair plaited over her shoulder and her blue eyes narrowed. The only difference between them was Olivia’s sea-green eyes and fuller figure, but otherwise they looked just like sisters.

“Hi Beth, it’s nice to see you again,” Paige said cordially.

Beth’s expression softened. “I don’t know why someone as nice as you still puts up with her,” she said, rolling her eyes towards Olivia, whose puffed-out cheeks made it clear she was displeased by the comment.

“That’s because we’re just as bad as each other in reality,” Olivia supplied before Paige could say anything, slinging her arm around Paige’s neck and pulling her closer.

Paige froze, her body flushing where Olivia’s sun-warmed skin touched her own. She could feel her friend’s breath on her cheek, lemonade-sweet.

“If you say so,” she said quietly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

“Your purse,” Rachel said as she came out of the kitchen with Olivia’s pink floral pouch in her hand. It had been a present from Paige five years ago and, like the suncatcher, it was starting to get old and threadbare, but apparently Olivia shared the same sentiment of not wanting to replace it just yet.

“Thanks, Mum,” Olivia said, pulling away from Paige and planting a kiss on her mother’s cheek.

Paige felt a pang in her chest, envy, perhaps, or sadness. Her relationship with her own mother couldn’t have been more different.

“Before you go, do either of you need the bathroom? It’s a long way to go with a full bladder.”

“Jeez, Mum, TMI,” Olivia muttered, throwing Paige an embarrassed look.

“You two have a lovely time,” she said, before turning to Paige with a wink. “Keep an eye on her, yeah?”

Paige merely smiled.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Olivia said, giving Beth a careless wave before grabbing Paige’s hand and dragging her out of the house after her. “Sorry you had to witness that.”

Paige gave a lopsided shrug. “Parents will always be parents,” she said, her tone jaded.

“Well, this trip is parent-free,” Olivia said with a wink. “Just you and me. Like old times.”

“Yeah,” Paige said soberly, “like old times.”

She reached for the car door, the black plastic handle scorching beneath her touch, and pulled. When it didn’t open, she shot Olivia an unimpressed look. “It’s locked.”

“Right, right,” her friend muttered, trying to hide a smile behind her hand as she unlocked it and climbed inside.

Paige shook her head, but a smile flitted briefly across her lips, small and secretive.

“Just think, in a few hours, we’ll be sinking our feet into the sand and breathing in all that sea-salt goodness,” Olivia said dreamily as they pulled out of the suburban neighbourhood and onto the thoroughfare through town.

Paige wanted to look forward to it just as much as her best friend, but something was holding her back. Something she couldn’t quite get a grasp on yet.

“I might need you to set up the SatNav when we get on the motorway,” Olivia said, flicking on the indicator and checking the junction before pulling out. “I pretty much know the way, but I’m unfamiliar with some of the twisty coastal roads.”

Paige nodded, digging into the glove compartment for Olivia’s beat-up navigation system. “What’s the address?”

“Uhh…” Olivia sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, tapping her fingers against the wheel. “I don’t remember the exact address. I think the cottage is called Breezehome or something. Just search Breezehome, Whiterock, and I’m sure it’ll come up.”

Paige typed the address into the search bar and waited for the results to load. “Alright, I think I’ve found it,” she said, clicking on the top result and bringing up a map of the Northern Coastline. “We should arrive there just after midday.”

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