He groans when I pull away, resting his forehead against mine. “You’re the best kisser, that’s for sure.”
I think I can agree to a tie on that one.
Chapter twenty-two
Gage
Weretrieveourthingsfrom the locker before we leave the park, and I note a missed call from my dad. He followed up with a text asking me to give him a call when I can, though he says it’s not urgent.
We hit a drive-through for dinner and then find the hotel and check in—Matt and I are sharing one room, with the ladies in another. I go upstairs long enough to drop my duffel bag off in my room and say good night to Olivia outside of her room, and then I go back downstairs, find a chair near the pool to sit, and call my dad back.
The line rings a couple of times before he picks up.
“Hey, son,” he says.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I lean back in the pool lounger and bend an arm behind my head.
“Your mom asked me to call you about the Fourth of July party. Are you planning to come home for it?”
I scratch my head. Every year for as long as I can remember, my parents host a huge party for the Fourth of July. They invite neighbors, friends, coworkers, anyone and everyone who shows even the smallest interest in joining us. We set everything up in the backyard by the pool and keep the gates open to encourage people to wander in and out. They cook brisket and ribs with potato salad, jalapeno poppers, cornbread, beans, and more on the side. For dessert, my mom bakes Texas sheet cake and serves it with cold vanilla ice cream. It’s one of the best days of the summer.
“Time is meaningless at camp,” I joke. “When’s the Fourth of July again?”
He chuckles. “Well, you see, it’s on the fourth day of the month of July.”
“Ha ha. Thanks, Dad. That’s helpful.”
He laughs again. “It’s in a couple weeks. It’s a Saturday this year, so I think that’s between sessions at camp right? A day off for you?”
My Olivia day. I’d love to go home to see my parents and Annie, but I’ve avoided it because I don’t want to lose any time with Olivia. And because we’re keeping our fling or whatever a secret from our families and friends at home, we’d be strictly “friends only” back in Austin, I’m sure.
But I would hate to miss the big party. Maybe Olivia would come with me, if I asked her.
“Yeah, I’m free on Saturdays. I’ll be there. I’ll drive over on Saturday morning and stay over that night, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay. This is your home. We can’t wait to see you, son.”
I miss them, too. I’ve lived with or close to my parents my whole life. Even for college, I stuck close to home, attending UT right there in town, even though I lived in the dorms because room and board were included in my baseball scholarship.
I was devastated when both Annie and Olivia decided to go to school three hours away in Houston. I like having the people I love right by my side at all times. Other than summer trips to Maggie’s house in Fort Worth when we were kids, and now this summer working at camp, I’ve kept close to my parents, and to Austin.
“Oh!” my dad says. “I almost forgot. Annie mentioned that Delaney is working at the camp there with you, too. Bring her along for the party, if she’s free. Her parents are coming, and we’d all love to see her.”
I smile to myself. Convincing Olivia to come with me just got easier. I know I won’t be able to touch her or kiss her while we’re with our families, but at least I won’t have to totally miss out on one of my Saturdays with her.
I get back to the room twenty minutes later, exhausted from being in the sun all day and ready to crawl into bed. I scan my key card and open the door when the digital lock turns green, but it gets caught on the swing bar.
“Matt!” I call through the small opening. “It’s me. Can you let me in, please?”
It takes a few minutes, but Matt finally appears at the door, disengaging the swing bar. He blocks me from entering and comes out into the hallway, closing the door behind him and shoving my duffel bag into my arms.
“Hey,” he says furtively. He’s changed out of his swimsuit into athletic shorts, but he’s not wearing a shirt. His hair is disheveled, and his face looks a little red, maybe from too much sun at the water park today.
“Uh … what’s going on? I’d like to go into our room and get some sleep.”
“Yeah … you can’t do that.”
I clench and unclench my fists. “Why the hell not?”
