Chasing the Moon by Melanie Hooyenga

Author:Melanie Hooyenga [Hooyenga, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Left-Handed Mitten Publications

13

Melody

Swimming in the Colorado River with my two best friends was near perfection, even if the big-horned sheep on the other side of the river were a little too close. Jess seems to believe me that she could never be a third wheel and Steph, well, the more time we spend together, the more I’m convinced she likes me.

Even though today was a lot more relaxing than yesterday, my legs feel like they weigh a thousand pounds. As soon as we’re back at the campsite, we crash in our tents for a nap, but thoughts of choosing a school and tormenting myself for making a mistake, even though I said I was okay with it, won’t let me sleep.

And of course I can’t stop wondering what it would be like to kiss Steph—and how Jess will react if we do.

After half an hour of rolling back and forth, I give up. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I whisper into the air. Their steady breathing answers.

Bryan’s sitting at their picnic table when I return, and I pause before he sees me, my feet frozen on the hard dirt. This is my chance to find out the truth.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asks.

I shake my head. “If there was a way to let my legs sleep while the rest of me was awake, I’d do that.”

He gestures at the bench next to him. “I think that’s called sitting.”

I laugh through my nose and sit on the bench opposite him. “Why aren’t you napping?”

“Wish I could. My mom says I fought naps from the time I was two and I’ve never been able to since then.”

“Huh.” I’m not sure what to do with this glimpse inside his childhood, and a twinge of guilt stabs me for not wondering about his life prior to meeting Mom. He obviously came from somewhere, but I’ve been too wrapped up in how their relationship and marriage affected me to really get to know him. “You grew up in Michigan, right? What was it like?”

He shifts so his elbows rest on the table between us. He holds his right palm toward me and points at the outside edge of his hand. “I’m from a small town in west Michigan right along the big lake.” When I tilt my head in confusion, he laughs. “Twenty years in California and I still forget that people aren’t familiar with Lake Michigan. Most Michiganders call it the Big Lake because there are thousands of smaller lakes all over the state.”

“So you’re pretty used to being on the water.”

His gaze travels past me to the river gurgling beyond the campsite. “You could say that. I’ve been swimming since I could walk and learned to canoe not long after at summer camp. Been looking for ways to be on the water ever since.”

“But you and Mom hardly ever go to the ocean.” Farmers markets and free concerts in the park, yes. But I don’t think they’ve ever taken a beach day.

He glances over his shoulder at his tent before leaning closer to me.

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