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It's a Wednesday, and I've been lying in the sun for a good while when Susie stretches, taking her sunglasses off next to me. She looks at me and shrieks with horror, and I shoot up.
"What is it?" I shriek back, and my friend points at me with a shaky finger.
"Oh God, Cass, you're totally sunburned," she says. "You look like a tomato."
I push my own sunglasses up my brow and look down at my skin. Sure enough, I've started turning into a beetroot. "Crap," I sigh.
"Did you put on sunscreen?" Susie asks with raised eyebrows, and I shake my head with regret. I have skin that is easy to tan, but if I don't put on sun block, I'm red within the hour. Of course I had to forget it today, so now I already know I'll be covered in blisters if I don't spend a few days out of the sun.
"Well, it's been nice knowing you," I say with a heavy sigh. "I'll have to barricade myself in the house for a good while."
"Oh no," Susie sighs. "I'll come visit, don't worry. I'll bring all the hot gossip." She pokes my tummy and I sigh in pain, the sunburn already starting to sting. "And the aloe vera lotion," Susie adds, nodding.
I laugh and wave at her as I grab my towel, running back towards the house, already cursing my stupid forgetfulness. This means I'll be stuck in the goddamned beach house at least until the weekend, and I'm not going to enjoy it.
I stomp into the house barefoot, discarding my stuff in the living room and heading to the bathroom to check out the damage. I'm standing in front of the reflective surface in my bikini, yelping as I take in my burn, when Valerie barges into the bathroom.
"Do you mind?" I snap at her. "God, there's no privacy in this house, I swear."
She ignores me, heading straight for the cabinet and rummaging in it while I take in her figure. She's lithe and petite, like some kind of middle-aged model. I wonder how my dad even scored her.
As I silently appraise her, she turns around, giving me a soft smile. There's a bottle in her hand and she hands it over to me. "What?" I demand.
"It's a cooling lotion," she explains. "Might help with that nasty burn you've got going on."
I just give her a blank stare, so she unscrews the cap and motions for me to turn around.
"No way," I snort, repulsed by the idea of my stepmother doing this for me.
"Suit yourself," Valerie shrugs. "Guess you'll be stuck with peeling skin for the rest of the summer. What a sight that will be." She smirks at me, and I swear I see Dom's features in her face.
Rolling my eyes, I turn my back to her. I want to get out of the house as soon as possible, and if her magic little potion can help me with that, I shouldn't object. A moment later, I feel instant coolness on my back as the lotion hits my skin.
"What is that stuff?" I frown, but I can't help releasing a soft moan as it sinks in, soothing my irritated skin. The stuff is magic.
"A family remedy. It's used for racing horses when their muscles are sore," Valerie explains, and I make a gagging sound deep in my throat.
"Gross," I say with a finality in my voice. I'm secretly hoping she'll scold me for being rude, but all she does is massage the rest of my back with the stuff. Then, she sets it back on the sink. She moves back and starts to walk out of the room.
"Thanks."
The word flies out of my mouth before I can stop it and Valerie stops in her tracks, as surprised as I am by the fact that I just said that. She gives me a small smile and starts to walk out again, then changes her mind, looking at me over her shoulder.
"I'm going to make cookies. Seeing as you're not going anywhere, feel free to join me in the kitchen."
I roll my eyes, a knee-jerk reaction, but she's already gone from the bathroom. My face twists in an uncomfortable way, and I walk back to my bedroom. My skin feels cool for now, but I do look like a lobster. Sunburn fades within a couple of days, so I am very much hoping I'll be fine by Saturday, when there's a party a few blocks down.
I plop down on the bed, cursing out loud when my back stings and itches as it hits the duvet. Picking up a book, I try to get immersed in some fantasy world, but I keep getting distracted. Minutes later, I'm sitting up again and putting on a light cotton sun dress. Anything to keep me cool and not irritate my skin.
