“Just two weeks. I haven’t had much of a chance to get out, but I’m living just up the road. My house is kinda set far back…” I stop when both of them look at each other and let out a laugh.
“Let me guess, you’re living in the bright green house, right? They’ve been trying to sell it for years, and I saw it had a rental sign out front.”
“That’s the place.”
“Not many people move to this side of the island, but we’re glad to have you,” Daisy says sweetly. “So what cupcake will it be?”
“How about half a dozen? It’ll hold me over till I can get to the store to get some shopping done,” I joke.
I pick out a few, and Daisy insists on not charging me for one of them, which is super sweet of her. I’ll definitely be stopping in to appease my sweet tooth often.
We chat a little, with Daisy and Miles sharing some of their favorite places and the beaches they love, telling me to check out the surf shop down the road if I want surf lessons or to pick up a new swimsuit. I wish I had brought my phone with me so I could jot down all these places, but I’ll just have to attempt to commit them to memory.
As she’s ringing me up, Miles whispers something in her ear, quiet enough that I don’t hear it, but Daisy’s face lights up at whatever he just said.
“Hey, would you want to come hang out later today? Friends of ours are having a barbecue tonight, and it would be a great chance for you to meet some of your neighbors,” Daisy suggests, and it feels really good to get invited.
“I’d love to.”
“Wow, you must be losing your touch.”
I turn to find Eli standing beside me, board tucked under his arm and a huge grin on his face. “What?”
He laughs, tipping his head in the direction of Quinn, my so-called new friend. “Couldn’t seal the deal? You must be losing your touch.”
I jab an elbow into his ribs. “Fuck off. For your information, she’s meeting me for lunch, so I most definitely haven’t lost my touch.”
Eli bursts out laughing, his head falling back as he says, “Fucking hell, not only have you lost your touch, but you’ve totally been friend-zoned too.”
“Again, fuck off,” I say as I turn and head back into the surf, trying to ignore the fact that he might actually be right.
“I mean, lunch,” Eli says mockingly, still laughing as he follows me in, the two of us lying on our boards and paddling out. “With the guy who doesn’t date and definitely doesn’t do relationships,” he adds, grinning. “I’d say that is the very definition of losing it.”
I roll my eyes, shaking my head at him as we both ride up over a breaking wave. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I say. “Just wait. I’ll prove to you I haven’t.”
We both sit up on our boards, eyes scanning the incoming swell as we look for the perfect wave. “So, who was she?” Eli asks.
I turn to face him, a huge grin on my face as I say, “Tourist.”
A couple of hours later, I’m home, showered and dressed in a pair of shorts, an old Olsen Boards T-shirt, and a baseball cap.
“Good luck,” Eli calls as I walk past him sitting on the couch.
“Don’t need it,” I reply, flipping him off as I push open the screen door and head outside.
It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk to my favorite spot to eat, and as I put my sunglasses on, spinning my ball cap around so it’s on backward, I can’t help but wonder where Quinn is staying on this side of the island.
She said it wasn’t a hotel, but I know she’s a tourist visiting from New York, so she’s got to be renting somewhere.
Having spent my life here on this island, I pretty much know everyone and everything, especially on this side, and the only place I can think of right now is that hideous pink and green place down the road from Daisy’s bakery.
I make a mental note to ask Quinn about that just as I arrive at the BBQ shack down by the water. Quinn is sitting out at one of the high tables on the deck, staring out at the waves as she fiddles with her sunglasses, almost like she’s nervous or something.
Smiling, I pull mine off and hook them into the front of my T-shirt, nodding at the guys behind the counter as I make my way over to where she’s sitting, oblivious to my arrival.
“Hey, friend,” I whisper, my mouth at her ear and my body behind hers.
Quinn jumps, turning, her cheeks instantly flushing when she sees me. “H-hi,” she stammers.
