Page 55 of Second Chance Summer

“Hey,” she said, looking up at me in the moonlight as she bobbed below the dock, “do you remember any of those codes we used to have?”

I felt myself smile as I thought back to all those messages we had figured out how to send each other across the water. “I think so,” I said.

“Good,” Lucy said, using the paddle to push off the dock and propel herself forward with swift, practiced strokes, the beam of her flashlight bobbing on the water. “Just stay out here for a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” I called back. She waved the paddle at me, and I sat down on the dock and watched her progress, my eyes straying only occasionally to the carving at the end of it, the inscription that joined my name with Henry’s.

When I looked back at the lake, I couldn’t see Lucy anymore, and figured she must have made it home. Just as I thought this, a beam of light flashed across the water at me. One flash, then three. Then two more, then three.

It came to me after a moment, and I felt myself smile as I translated the message she was sending me.

Good night, Taylor. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Chapter twenty-three

Five summers earlier

“TAYLOR?” I LOOKED UP FROM MY LOUNGE CHAIR AND LOWERED MY dark sunglasses. Lucy was standing in front of me, wearing a bathing suit I’d never seen before, and an expression that fell somewhere between happiness and annoyance.

“Hey, Luce,” I said as I stood up and we hugged, my excitement at seeing her tempered by all the half-truths I’d been telling her about Henry, not to mention the secrets about him I’d been keeping from her. Even though I’d seen the bandanna a week and a half ago, I’d been avoiding her as much as possible. I was spending most of my time with Henry. We had carved our initials into the dock the day before. Part of me thought it was the most romantic thing that had ever happened, but another part of me kept looking across the lake, worried that Lucy would see us. She’d been calling every day, and I’d promised Warren my dessert for a month if he would make up excuses and not ask questions. “Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk to her without telling her everything that had happened with Henry—which meant explaining that I’d never actually talked to him about her, even though almost a month had gone by since she’d asked me.

My mother, saying that my father needed peace and quiet to work, had shooed me out of the house. Not wanting to go to the lake, I’d gone to the pool with a pair of my mother’s old sunglasses and took one of the least desirable lounge chairs, hoping to fly under the radar.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Lucy said, pulling me into another hug, and as she did, I realized with a pang just how much I’d missed her, and how she was the only person I wanted to tell about all the Henry stuff—that even my first kiss didn’t seem complete, because I hadn’t been able to discuss it with her. “We have so much to talk about,” she said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me in the direction of the concession stand.

“Where are we going?” I asked, letting myself be pulled.

“Snacks,” Lucy said, grinning at me. She pulled a ten-dollar bill out of her pocket and waved it at me. “I think it’s guilt money. Both my parents are giving it to me. My treat.”

Lucy talked a mile a minute as we waited in line, and got Cherry Cokes and a frozen Snickers, to split. She only seemed to notice I hadn’t been saying much once we’d paid and were heading toward one of the wooden tables. “What’s been going on with you?” she asked, finally taking a breath.

I set my can down and brushed my fingers through the lines of condensation that were already starting to form on it. “Actually,” I said, a little haltingly, “there’s something I have to tell you.” Lucy smiled and leaned forward, but then she looked past me, and her smile froze, turning into something much less relaxed.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed, sitting up a little straighter, a faint blush coming into her cheeks, “he’s here. Do I look okay?”

I turned around to look behind me, and felt my stomach plunge when I saw Henry heading toward me, smiling. Before I could say or do anything—although what I would have said, I had no idea, as I felt totally frozen—he had reached us.

“Hi,” Lucy said, in a giggling, high-pitched voice I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard before. She smoothed down her bangs and tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling wide at him. “How’s it going, Henry?”

“Fine,” he said, glancing at me, and giving me a smile. “When did you get back?” I saw him start to reach for my hand, but I immediately stiffened, and moved my hands so that both were around my Cherry Coke can.

“Oh, about a week ago,” Lucy said, her voice still high-pitched and giggly. “Did you miss me?”

“What?” Henry asked, looking baffled. He took a step closer to me. “Um, I guess.”

“Taylor,” Lucy said, turning to me, still smiling brightly but a little fixedly. She jerked her head in the direction of the concession stand. “Why don’t you go get us some napkins or something?”

She was trying to get rid of me. She was trying to get rid of me so that she could talk to Henry—my Henry, who just a second before had tried to hold my hand. I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing that all of this would just stop, the whole time knowing it was my fault this was happening at all.

“Taylor?” Lucy asked again, her voice a little sharper this time.

“I’ll come with you,” Henry said, taking a step closer to me and, before I could stop him, taking my hand in his. “Lucy’s being weird,” he whispered in my ear.

Lucy was staring at the two of us, and she looked much paler than she had just a moment ago. “Taylor, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice no longer giggly.

Henry looked between the two of us, uncomprehending. “Didn’t Taylor tell you?” he asked with a wide, happy smile. He squeezed my hand and swung our linked hands a little. I just stood there, feeling like I was rooted to the spot, not able to speak, or look away from the expression on Lucy’s face.

“She didn’t tell me anything,” Lucy said, her voice now laced with anger.

“Oh,” Henry said, his smile dimming a little. He looked at me, frowning slightly. “Tay?”

I cleared my throat, and even when I spoke, it was like the words were sticking there. “Listen,” I said haltingly. “Lucy, I didn’t…”

o;Hey,” she said, looking up at me in the moonlight as she bobbed below the dock, “do you remember any of those codes we used to have?”

I felt myself smile as I thought back to all those messages we had figured out how to send each other across the water. “I think so,” I said.

“Good,” Lucy said, using the paddle to push off the dock and propel herself forward with swift, practiced strokes, the beam of her flashlight bobbing on the water. “Just stay out here for a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” I called back. She waved the paddle at me, and I sat down on the dock and watched her progress, my eyes straying only occasionally to the carving at the end of it, the inscription that joined my name with Henry’s.

When I looked back at the lake, I couldn’t see Lucy anymore, and figured she must have made it home. Just as I thought this, a beam of light flashed across the water at me. One flash, then three. Then two more, then three.

It came to me after a moment, and I felt myself smile as I translated the message she was sending me.

Good night, Taylor. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Chapter twenty-three

Five summers earlier

“TAYLOR?” I LOOKED UP FROM MY LOUNGE CHAIR AND LOWERED MY dark sunglasses. Lucy was standing in front of me, wearing a bathing suit I’d never seen before, and an expression that fell somewhere between happiness and annoyance.

“Hey, Luce,” I said as I stood up and we hugged, my excitement at seeing her tempered by all the half-truths I’d been telling her about Henry, not to mention the secrets about him I’d been keeping from her. Even though I’d seen the bandanna a week and a half ago, I’d been avoiding her as much as possible. I was spending most of my time with Henry. We had carved our initials into the dock the day before. Part of me thought it was the most romantic thing that had ever happened, but another part of me kept looking across the lake, worried that Lucy would see us. She’d been calling every day, and I’d promised Warren my dessert for a month if he would make up excuses and not ask questions. “Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk to her without telling her everything that had happened with Henry—which meant explaining that I’d never actually talked to him about her, even though almost a month had gone by since she’d asked me.

My mother, saying that my father needed peace and quiet to work, had shooed me out of the house. Not wanting to go to the lake, I’d gone to the pool with a pair of my mother’s old sunglasses and took one of the least desirable lounge chairs, hoping to fly under the radar.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Lucy said, pulling me into another hug, and as she did, I realized with a pang just how much I’d missed her, and how she was the only person I wanted to tell about all the Henry stuff—that even my first kiss didn’t seem complete, because I hadn’t been able to discuss it with her. “We have so much to talk about,” she said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me in the direction of the concession stand.

“Where are we going?” I asked, letting myself be pulled.

“Snacks,” Lucy said, grinning at me. She pulled a ten-dollar bill out of her pocket and waved it at me. “I think it’s guilt money. Both my parents are giving it to me. My treat.”

Lucy talked a mile a minute as we waited in line, and got Cherry Cokes and a frozen Snickers, to split. She only seemed to notice I hadn’t been saying much once we’d paid and were heading toward one of the wooden tables. “What’s been going on with you?” she asked, finally taking a breath.

I set my can down and brushed my fingers through the lines of condensation that were already starting to form on it. “Actually,” I said, a little haltingly, “there’s something I have to tell you.” Lucy smiled and leaned forward, but then she looked past me, and her smile froze, turning into something much less relaxed.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed, sitting up a little straighter, a faint blush coming into her cheeks, “he’s here. Do I look okay?”

I turned around to look behind me, and felt my stomach plunge when I saw Henry heading toward me, smiling. Before I could say or do anything—although what I would have said, I had no idea, as I felt totally frozen—he had reached us.

“Hi,” Lucy said, in a giggling, high-pitched voice I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard before. She smoothed down her bangs and tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling wide at him. “How’s it going, Henry?”

“Fine,” he said, glancing at me, and giving me a smile. “When did you get back?” I saw him start to reach for my hand, but I immediately stiffened, and moved my hands so that both were around my Cherry Coke can.

“Oh, about a week ago,” Lucy said, her voice still high-pitched and giggly. “Did you miss me?”

“What?” Henry asked, looking baffled. He took a step closer to me. “Um, I guess.”

“Taylor,” Lucy said, turning to me, still smiling brightly but a little fixedly. She jerked her head in the direction of the concession stand. “Why don’t you go get us some napkins or something?”

She was trying to get rid of me. She was trying to get rid of me so that she could talk to Henry—my Henry, who just a second before had tried to hold my hand. I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing that all of this would just stop, the whole time knowing it was my fault this was happening at all.

“Taylor?” Lucy asked again, her voice a little sharper this time.

“I’ll come with you,” Henry said, taking a step closer to me and, before I could stop him, taking my hand in his. “Lucy’s being weird,” he whispered in my ear.

Lucy was staring at the two of us, and she looked much paler than she had just a moment ago. “Taylor, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice no longer giggly.

Henry looked between the two of us, uncomprehending. “Didn’t Taylor tell you?” he asked with a wide, happy smile. He squeezed my hand and swung our linked hands a little. I just stood there, feeling like I was rooted to the spot, not able to speak, or look away from the expression on Lucy’s face.

“She didn’t tell me anything,” Lucy said, her voice now laced with anger.

“Oh,” Henry said, his smile dimming a little. He looked at me, frowning slightly. “Tay?”

I cleared my throat, and even when I spoke, it was like the words were sticking there. “Listen,” I said haltingly. “Lucy, I didn’t…”

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