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“I did… You didn’t try to ring the bell, did you?” He looks over his shoulder as the noises grow louder behind the fence. “I swear they have only one volume, and that’s extremely high.”
“No, we just…” I try to come up with a plausible explanation as to why we’re standing in the front yard when Kiara chimes in.
“We just got into a discussion.”
Quinn drops the garbage into the can standing by the side of the house and dusts his hands. “So, are you two coming?”
“Sure.” Kiara gives me a little push and whispers so only I can hear, “Go.”
I turn over my shoulder, my fingers wrapping around her wrist and giving her a warning squeeze as I glare at her. “I’m going.”
Quinn pulls open the door to the yard. “I apologize in advance for all the stupid shit my friends might pull. Sometimes they act like they’re in eighth grade again, and…”
Nate and another guy I vaguely remember from the community center are wrestling just on the edge of the pool, ending with the latter falling into the pool with a loud splash.
“As you can see.”
“McLannister!” Nate yells, rushing for him.
“Watch…”
But before I can finish the sentence, Nate wraps his arms around Quinn’s waist, and they both go flying right into the pool with a bigsplash.
Everybody yells and laughs as they swim back to the surface.
“Boys will be boys,” I mutter to myself, my eyes glued as Quinn dunks Nate underwater to get back at him.
“I’m not really a fan of that phrase, but I guess in this instance, it’s right.” I turn around and find no other than Grace Shelton standing by my side.
“Hey, Grace, I didn’t realize you’d be here.”
“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision,” she says, running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair. “The better question is, what areyoudoing here?”
“I…” I can feel my cheeks heat. “Quinn invited us.”
“Did he now?” The corner of her mouth lifts in a knowing smirk. I expect her to ask more questions, but Grace tilts her head to the lounge chairs set on the grass by the pool. “C’mon, let’s get you settled while they battle it out.” Grace’s eyes dart behind my back. “A friend?”
“Yes, this is my best friend, Kiara. Kiara, Grace. One of the volunteers at the center.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Kiara smiles.
“Likewise.” She places two bowls that she’s been holding on the table. “Just take whichever chair you want.”
“Thanks.” I drop my bag into one of the lounges, pulling a towel out. “How is the summer going so far for you? Since you weren’t at the center, I figured you went home.”
“Good,” Grace Shelton smiles, taking one of the two unoccupied lounges and shifting her attention to her boyfriend, who’s also in the pool. The boys were apparently done with fighting and are currently playing volleyball. “We drove back to New York after the end of the school year. But things have been… tense, so when the guys called to drive up for the Fourth, we said what the heck, you know.”
Both she and her boyfriend have been volunteering at the community center this past year, and I’ve gotten close with them, so it was a nice surprise to see them here.
“How are things going with Mason?”
“Things between us are great but other than that…” Grace runs her hand through her short auburn hair, turning her attention to me. “It really depends on the day, I guess.”
I didn’t know details of what happened with Mason, just the gist of it. It didn’t seem right to pry at the moment, and I really didn’t need to know. Mason is a good guy, and the kids at the center love him. That was the only thing that mattered.
“Well, as long as you two are good, the rest will settle itself out. Give it time.”
“I hope so,” Grace smiles softly. “For him, he’s been through a lot, and he deserves a break, you know?”
