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“Don’t worry, I already checked. We don’t know anyone here.” We got our drinks at the counter and he left a generous tip. The barista batted her long lashes at him and winked. WINKED. I didn’t think people actually did that anymore. I narrowed my eyes at her with aback offglare. She got the hint and turned away quickly. Too bad Scott wasn’t actually mine, though.
Arm in arm with our warm drinks, we headed down to the sand. Scott laid out the blanket he brought with him. We sat together in silence and watched the waves while we drank our coffee. The smell of our drinks mixed with the salty air to create a cozy and comforting scent. The sound of the waves calmed my nerves, helping me relax from the worry of seeing other people we knew.
“How’s Amy?” Scott asked, breaking the silence. He didn’t talk to her anymore, now that she had publicly broken ties with her family, quit her job, gotten married and basically decided to live her life. “Is she still in Georgia?”
“They come back tomorrow. Lucas just finished collaborating on all the songs for Stella’s new album.” Stella, as in Stella Knight, world’s biggest country star. “Amy’s doing really well,” I said, patting his arm. “She’s so happy. Lucas is good to her. He helps her feel whole.”
“I’m sure you help with that, too,” he said. “You’re the best friend to her.”
“We’re good for each other. She balances out my crazy.” I crossed my eyes and stuck my tongue out at Scott, and he shook his head.
“You’re just the right amount of crazy.”
“Well, thanks. I work hard to strike the perfect balance.”
“And yet you volunteered to move back home to help your parents.”
I shrugged, brushing him off. “It’s family. Everyone takes care of their family.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know about that.”
He still felt guilty about Amy. She looked at him as the bad guy, but I knew better. “You’ve watched over Amy her whole life. Maybe she doesn’t see it that way, but you always had her best interests at heart.”
“I tried, but I failed her. I didn’t protect her from our parents, and I think that was the worst of all.”
I couldn’t deny him there. He was right. Their parents had broken Amy’s spirit time and time again, holding her college tuition over her head to force her into submission. Once she decided to be free from their meddling, her life had opened up to love and light.
“Well, younger siblings can be difficult. I don’t know how I’ll deal with Katy as she grows up.”
“Oh, Katy. She gets her feistiness from her biggest sister, that’s for sure.”
“Yep. And I’m proud of it.” My seven-year-old little sister was a firecracker, but she had a huge heart. Everyone loved her, including Scott. The feeling wasn’t mutual. He hadn’t had many interactions with her, except at Evan and Hannah’s wedding.
“Are you Amy’s big brother?” Katy asked. She looked up at him with her hands on her hips, demanding an answer. She was a mini version of me: blonde hair and blue eyes. I cringed next to her, wondering why exactly she had demanded that I introduce her to Scott.
“Uh, yes. And who are you?” Scott replied.
“I’m Katy. Katy with a Y.” She was still in her Anne of Green Gables phase and modeled her introductions after her role model.
“Hello, Katy with a Y. What can I do for you?” he asked, crouching down to get eye level with her, making my heart melt.
“Amy says that you’re the worst. You’re too perfect and she feels bad. You should be nicer to her.” Katy turned on her heels and danced her way back to our family. My mouth hung open in shock.
“I am so, so sorry,” I said to him. Scott watched her walk away, still crouched down.
“I’m the worst, huh?” he asked. He stood back up and gave me a small smile. “Did she hear that from you?”
“No!” I exclaimed quickly. My heart raced, just like it did every time I was near him. “She . . . tends to overhear private conversations.”
“Ah, so it was Amy.” His smile faded, but he didn’t look too upset. He scanned the attendees dancing on the floor, his eyes landing on Amy and Lucas laughing and grooving to the Black Eyed Peas. Well, Lucas was grooving. He had some rhythm. Amy was having fun. Scott’s face turned dark as he watched them together. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the DJ’s abrupt change to Stella Knight’s “Nights Beneath the Stars.” Lucas and Amy gravitated towards each other and began swaying to the ballad.
Scott turned his attention to me and held out one hand. “Care to dance?” he asked.
“Is Katy still going to be on your dance team next year?” he asked, interrupting my memory.
“Lisa hasn’t published the assignments yet,” I replied. “But she’ll give me the top teams again. She knows my choreography always wins.” No need to dwell on the new teacher, Blake, and the moms’ obsession with her.
Thinking of Katy reminded me it was time to tuck her into bed. “I should probably get home.” I stood up and brushed the sand off my legs. “Katy wanted me to read her a book before she went to sleep.”
