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“Yes,” I said. “You will learn all about it when you grow up.”
She closed her eyes.
“Don’t you feel bad about lying to your mom, though?”
“You don’t get it!” Summer yelled at me, flying into a sudden rage and running up to her room. I had to follow her even though I had never been upstairs before. Tate’s house was a magnificent beachfront property built into a cliff and consisting of several levels. I didn’t know how many there were, but I was guessing four or more. The first level was the kitchen and a kind of lounge area where I usually met him in the mornings to discuss the day. The next floor up was the bedrooms, I think. There was a gym below, and I was guessing a dining room and another more formal lounge too. Maybe a pool? But I’d never been beyond the kitchen area.
I went up after Summer and found myself on a huge floor with steps leading up to another level. I was guessing that the master bedroom would be on top. To be sure, I went up and entered a door from a narrow landing.
It took my breath away. It was a huge space, divided into a private lounge, a bathroom and the bedroom, with glass windows all around. There was a balcony too, facing the ocean and beachfront. The bed was huge but neatly made, there were no clothes lying around. It was the tidiest male bedroom I’d ever seen. I had a mental image of Tate walking across to take a shower in his bathroom, completely naked.
I quickly shut down that movie reel in my head.
I had to find Summer.
I went down a flight of stairs and went to one of the doors, but it was a guest bedroom. Not as big as the master suite, but still a generous space with quite a decent sea view. The other room was Summer’s. I heard music come from behind the closed door.
“Summer? Can I come in?”
There was no answer. I knocked again and went in.
Summer was standing out on the balcony, the wind blowing her hair back. Her room was a mess, clothes strewn all over the floor, dirty dishes and towels, books and drawings scattered all over the place. I carefully picked my way through the chaos to join her outside.
“Summer?”
She didn’t look at me and I went to stand next to her, looking out at the beach. There were people walking and a dog running and barking like crazy on the sand. We watched this happy scene for a while.
“I just… don’t think it’s right,” I said.
“Why not, do you have a boyfriend?” Summer asked. “Do you think he’ll be mad?”
“No,” I said, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
For a second, I thought of Xavier, who had kissed me a few nights ago after we’d gone out. It was a pleasant kiss but I hadn’t felt much in the way of fireworks. He wanted to come inside and I said I had to get up early. He had been very downcast and Luisa teased me about him afterwards. I told her that I liked Xavier but only as a friend.
“Then date him as a friend,” she had said with shrug. “Where’s the harm in that?”
I pulled a face and she had looked at me closely.
“There is someone else, isn’t there!”
“No,” I had said, but too quickly.
She scrutinized my face, “Who is it? Is it that hunky boss of yours?”
I may have mentioned that he was good-looking in the beginning, after I had just started working there.
“He won’t look at me twice,” I countered.
“But you still like him?” she asked.
“Not like that,” I said but she didn’t believe me, I could tell.
Now Summer was looking at me too.
“If only me and Dad go, it will be three against two.”
“What?”
