The Summer I Said Yes Read online

  The Summer I Said Yes

  Tess Harper & Grace Wells

  Chapter 1

  “Shit!” Sophie yelped as she stumbled over one of the lawn chairs just outside the pool house.

  “Shh, or they’re going to hear us Soph!” I giggled, trying to keep my voice low.

  Sophie flipped back her long black hair and rubbed her right calf, grinning. “Is it bad that I kind of want us to get caught?”

  My laughter died as my heartbeat spiked. “How can you say that? We’ll get fired if we’re caught!”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “Yeah, probably?” I repeated, trying hard to keep my voice down.

  I glanced at the Southern Gothic-inspired mansion behind us, shivering. On the other side of it, about half a mile away, 1,000 socialites participated in what the bride’s family had promised would be Nantucket’s wedding of the summer. They ate the best, imported and local cheeses on nut-encrusted crackers, and drank from bottles of champagne that cost way more than what Sophie and I would be paid as caterers this week.

  POP!

  I squealed, startled by the noise and spun around quickly. Sophie was beaming. In one hand she held the cork and in the other was the, now-opened, $750.00 bottle of champagne.

  “What the hell Soph?” I yelled under my breath. “Where did you get that?”

  Sophie flashed me her ‘God I love this’ smile. “Um, from the trailer,” she giggled. “There were like five crates of this shit, it’s not like they’re gonna notice one went missing.”

  “That’s not the point!” I whispered back. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing this. We are both so screwed. I don’t care how cute Jerry thinks you are, he’ll fire us both on the spot if he finds out we snuck out of the rehearsal dinner. And stealing a nearly thousand-dollar bottle of champagne from the clients? Sophie! We’re so screwed!”

  “Ok, you need to calm down Em. First, your whole freak out is only if we get caught. And yes, if we get caught, we might get fired.”

  I gave Sophie the stink eye.

  “And,” she continued, “even if we did, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. You will learn this in time young buttercup, sometimes you’ve gotta take a risk to reap the reward.”

  My stink eye got stinkier. “You want us to get caught so I can learn this important lesson?”

  “Not so you can learn it, so you can remember it,” Sophie replied, ripping off her shirt. “Now get your sexy ass over here!”

  I glanced back at the mansion. Lacy curtains swayed in the forth story windows. I felt like the bride’s ancestors were staring down at us, whispering curses. “But what if—”

  “—Hey, I promised no one would see us, and no one will.”

  “I’m dead serious Sophie. If someone sees us, I’m killing you with my bare hands Jackie Chan style.”

  She laughed. “Ok, let’s just be clear, Jackie Chan doesn’t kill people. He just incapacitates them in the most painful and badass ways possible. And how many times do I have to say it? No one will see us.”

  I looked at Sophie. “Pinkie?” I asked, holding out my pinkie finger to her.

  “Pinkie,” she replied.

  We locked our pinkies and kissed our thumbs. It was silly, but ever since we were in Kindergarten, this was the way Sophie had convinced me to participate in her crazy stunts.

  “Can I at least wear my bra?” I pouted.

  “No, everything but the panties,” she said firmly. “It’s not streaking if you leave your bra on.”

  I yanked off my shirt with a half-whine, half-squeal. My fingers trembled as I unhooked my bra.

  “Who knew that Emily Vaughn was such a badass,” she announced in her co-host of The Bachelorette voice. Sophie’s dream job was to be Chris’ co-host from The Bachelorette. Sophie had some weird obsessions—reality TV being one of them—but I loved her anyway.

  My heart pounded in my chest. Was I really going to do this? I grabbed the champagne bottle from her, shut my eyes, and started chugging the champagne.

  Sophie giggled. “That’s the Emily I know and love!”

  I pulled the bottle from my lips, coughing from the carbonation. I handed back the champagne.

  “Wooh! You go girl!” Sophie said before tipping the bottle to her lips.

  Sophie grinned and set the empty bottle under the chair she had tripped over. We folded our catering uniforms, put them on the chair, and looked at each other.

  “Three,” Sophie started.

  “Two,” I answered, looking into Sophie’s bright, excited eyes. “One….”

  “GO!” we both yelled.

  We ran down the lawn, howling with laughter. Sophie was ahead of me, but not for long. I was the more dedicated athlete and much faster, thanks in no small part to the fact that I was almost six feet and Sophie was barely five two. “YOLO,” I giggled to myself, smiling.

  “Last one to touch the ocean loses!” I called out once we’d passed the pool.

  “You’re on, jock!” she laughed.

  Sophie took the cute, winding path that connected the courtyard to the beach. I decided to use my superior height to my advantage and jumped the bushes. My heels left large grooves in the cold, soft sand as I made my way down the dunes and on to the beach.

  “No fair!” Sophie yelled as I passed her skipping down the steps.

  I laughed and booked it to the ocean. When my foot touched the cold water, I shrieked. “Holy shit! It’s effing freezing!”

  Sophie raced past me right into the water. I hugged my chest as she started to doggie-paddle around in the waves.

  “It’s not that cold!” Sophie laughed.

  “I can hear your teeth chattering from here.”

  “Does that mean you’re too afraid to get in?”

  I frowned, stepping forward until I was wading. “No.”

  “Bet you won’t dunk your head,” she taunted.

  “You’re on!” I took a deep breath and ran forward.

  Cold, salty water splashed around me. I leaped forward, head-first into the waves. The current pushed me back as I stood, squealing.

  “Ahhh! It’s so cold!”

  Sophie grinned and dunked her head too. When she came up for air, we both looked at each other and started laughing hysterically.

  I finally settled down. “I don’t know if it’s the champagne or the rush of the ocean, but I feel…I feel….”

  “Alive,” she finished for me when I couldn’t find the words.

  She was right. Right there, topless and tipsy and splashing away in the ocean, I felt alive. “That is precisely the word Soph, and you were right. No one saw us.”

  Sophie reached for my hand, smiling. “On three?” she asked.

  “You’re on,” I grinned.

  Sophie started the countdown and we dunked once more, together, holding hands the entire time.

  ***

  I don’t know how long we’d been away from the party, only that my legs were starting to do that numb-tingly thing.

  “Maybe we should get out. I can’t feel my toes.”

  Sophie laughed. “Neither can I, let’s go back.”

  Amidst the rush of sneaking away from the party and stealing a bottle of very expensive champagne, we’d neglected to think about the other part of our wild and spontaneous adventure, the escape plan. Like how to sneak back into the party undetected. And towels.

  I hopped from foot to foot, shivering. “Shit Sophie, we don’t have towels.”

  “Not a problem, just hold onto the twins and run back to the pool house.”

  Damn that girl was confident and sure of herself. How did she do it? I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hold the twins and book it—that’s your master
plan?”

  “Yep. Ready? GO!” Sophie took off for the stairs, laughing and screaming into the night.

  I followed, sprinting with both twins strapped down by my arms. We slowed when we reached the bushes.

  Sophie crouched and snuck along the perimeter of the courtyard, I followed as we made our way around the pool. “Ok, the coast is clear,” she said right before dashing across the lawn.

  I took a step. Cool air froze the salt water running down my legs. Suddenly, the distance between the bushes and the pool house stretched, and the dim, outdoor lights along the path seemed to blaze like the sun.

  “Wait, Sophie!” I squeaked, but she’d already disappeared.

  Then I heard another pair of footsteps. Footsteps that were much heavier than Sophie’s, and coming from the opposite direction.

  My heart stopped.

  “Jack, over here.”

  Was that a guy’s voice? A fraction of a second later, my suspicions were confirmed. A dark haired guy dressed in a rumpled tux jogged with ease along the edge of the pool.

  “Dude—did you see that?” the guy murmured. He was talking to someone, apparently named ‘Jack’.

  Oh shit. That meant there were two guys here.

  I ducked into the bushes. Branches scratched my arms and legs, but I ignored them. A tall, athletic guy in sagging khaki shorts, a black polo, mussed-up blonde hair and navy blue boathouse shoes emerged. That must be ‘Jack’.

  He stopped at the edge of the pool and peered in my direction.

  Okay Emily, this is going to get way worse if they see you crouching, naked, behind a bush like some rando perv waiting for someone to get frisky by the pool.

  “Shit,” I whispered to myself.

  It’s dark. Ok, it’s sort of dark. They probably haven’t seen anything.

  Jack tilted his head to the side with a grin and winked.

  “Shit!” I hissed.

  “I think I found your water nymph,” Jack gloated with an irritatingly cocky grin and eyes so bright and blue that I could see the color from where I hid. Even though we’d only just sort-of met, I decided I didn’t like Jack that much.

  Then Jack started walking around the pool toward my hiding bush. Ok, scratch that. I decided that I didn’t like Jack at all.

  His friend fell into step behind him. At least he had the decency to look nervous. I swear to god, Jack’s cocky grin was getting wider with every step. What an asshole! It took every ounce of my self-control to not barrel forward and tackle him into the pool.

  He’s not worth it, Emily. Besides, if he can’t swim, you’ll have to save him.

  I was really at a disadvantage in this hunched over position. It made me look flustered and embarrassed and all sorts of other things, which…okay I totally was, but it’s not like they needed to know that!

  I took a deep breath I shot up, standing before them in all my glory, wearing nothing but my pink and black Victoria’s Secret cheeky lace panties.

  Jack’s eyes went wide as they dipped, lingering on my muscular legs.

  The other guy backpedaled so fast he almost fell into the pool. “Holy shit!”

  “Uh, hey guys,” I said, hugging my chest so tight it was a wonder I wasn’t cutting off my circulation. “I didn’t see you there.”

  “No shit!” the other guy replied. “I mean…shit!”

  Jack shook his head, trying not to smile. “You’ll have to excuse my friend. He isn’t used to finding naked women swimming in his pool.”

  “And you are?” I shot back without thinking.

  Jack gave me a lazy, heavy-lidded, bad boy smile that brought the feeling back to my numb little toes.

  My body involuntarily shivered. A dark heat rolled around in my stomach before spiking through my body like a sugar high.

  Oh God. This isn’t good. I had to get out of here fast!

  “Well, cool,” I said. Wait, what was cool? Did that even have anything to do with anything that had been said before? Shit! “I mean, I was just swimming around but I’m done now and I’m going to go do other things. With my clothes on.”

  Jack’s cocky grin deepened. Seriously, was that the only facial expression he could make? “That’s too bad.”

  Ok, time to drop back down into the bushes and die. What the hell is wrong with me? Be confident Emily, you are stronger than this! Beat this asshole at his own game.

  “I didn’t think anyone was down here,” I said as confidently as I could muster. “I got a little hot during the party and thought it would feel nice to take a dip in the pool.” Where the hell did that come from? And why did my voice suddenly get whispery and seductive like Marilyn Monroe in the Seven Year Itch?

  The two guys suddenly looked away.

  “Oh, um, I, um…we, um…” The first guy stuttered.

  I giggled and flashed a flirty Marilyn smile. Well, if I’m gonna go Marilyn, I better go all out. “Oh, it’s okay. You’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like.”

  The first guy shifted and looked terribly embarrassed. I smiled. Yes! It’s working! I thought. Or at least I thought it was working until Jack looked up at me with a gaze filled with challenge…and heat.

  Jack turned to his uncomfortable friend, “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Jack’s friend gave him a knowing smile. Disgust and anger bubbled up inside me. What the hell is that smile for bub?

  “It was nice meeting you,” the awkward and obnoxious friend said. “I’m sorry to interrupt your swim.” Then, he turned and began walking back to the party.

  Fuck. Horror struck me. Jack wasn’t leaving. Total backfire.

  Marilyn how could you do this to me?! I’m never taking your advice again!

  I looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say or do next.

  And then I realized I was still naked.

  Chapter 2

  The pool lights cast the guy’s face in a golden glow. His blond hair looked like sun bleached wheat. The muscles rippled in his arms as he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing a perfect, sculpted chest that slanted down to his hips in a perfect V.

  “Um, what are you doing?” I did my best to sound assertive and not at all like a star struck teenager.

  He dropped his shirt on the ground. “Joining you.”

  “Joining me,” I repeated lamely.

  “Yeah.” He kicked off one of his shoes, then the other. “You invited me, right?”

  He looped his thumbs in his pants.

  I spun around, careful to keep my arms tight around my chest. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

  The guy behind me laughed. “That depends on what you think I’m doing.”

  I shut my eyes and squeezed my chest. “Um, you’re not undressing, are you?”

  He took a moment to answer. “I might be doing that.”

  I whipped around, glaring, just in time to catch him popping off the first button of his pants. “Stop!”

  He looked up at me innocently. “Why?”

  “Why?” For some reason my voice didn’t sound indignant. It sounded breathy. Interested. And I so was not either of those things!

  He gripped his zipper. I shut my eyes. “Because it’s bad to run around naked,” I said.

  “Bad huh?” I can feel his gaze slipping over my body. “And here I thought I was being courteous.”

  “What?” I cracked open an eye. The guy now had his back to me. His strong, powerful back and impossibly tight…

  Alright, keep it PG-13 Emily!

  The guy glanced over his shoulder and flashed me a cocky grin. “Yeah, courteous. I didn’t think I was the only one who should be enjoying the view.” And with that, he cannon balled into the water.

  I shut my eyes as water splattered over my chest and face. I wanted more than anything to wipe the water from my eyes, but I didn’t want to expose myself to him even more.

  I heard him take a few luxurious strokes in the water. “So, are you going to jo
in me? Or was that invitation just a ploy to get me naked?”

  I scowled at him with my eyes still shut, really hoping that it didn’t look like I was making a sour face from having a little water on it. Be cool Emily. Think Sophie. Say something suave. “It was not.”