It Happens in the Hamptons by Holly Peterson

Author:Holly Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-05-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Misunderstandings and Miscommunications

Katie called Luke about fifteen minutes after she left the docks, her voice sounding sanitized. “Sorry, Luke. Can you possibly drop Huck off at the house?”

Luke barely knew this woman, but he very much wanted to ask her, “What the hell? Why the chilly tone?” Or, “Don’t sweat Simone. She just likes to screw with my head and keep other women at bay by shoving her body in their faces.”

But, since he was, in fact, not remotely dating Katie, he agreed to her plan. “Yes, uh, fine. Sure. I’ll do that.”

“I appreciate it a lot. I have the daughter of my neighbor who will be there waiting for him. Her car is at the shop, so she can’t get him. My tutor meeting is taking longer. The house is close.”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“You don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind, no.” But of course Luke minded; he’d wanted to take Katie to the beach, with sandwiches, chips, and guacamole. He wanted to do something fun to celebrate his favorite season, bring them to a beach cleanup, teach her kid to understand marine life. He couldn’t help as a last-ditch chance to ask, “Do you want to meet us instead later in town or something? I could keep him until you’re ready.”

“I can’t hear you. I’m inside the educational offices already.” And Katie’s voice trailed off. She sounded distracted, like he didn’t matter to her. Luke felt silly. Maybe it was baby fat on his arms, after all.

“Fine,” he relented. “I’ll drop him off. What’s the address?”

“Thirty-seven Willow Lane.”

Luke froze. “Can you repeat that?”

“Thirty-seven Willow Lane. It’s in town, two blocks behind the CVS drugstore. A small cottage. The number isn’t easy to find, but Huck will show you, just five minutes from you.”

“I know it.” Even when his mom was alive, both she and Frank had forbidden him to go near that house.

“Okay,” Katie answered. “Thanks, bye, gotta go.”

Click.

Luke’s sun-kissed face turned ashen. Even little Huck noticed. He tugged on his shorts, asking, “What’s the matter?”

Luke ignored the question and walked like a zombie to the end of the dock, carrying two huge bags of gear. Huck followed him, insisting on grabbing the five children’s life jackets which engulfed him.

“We leave those on the boat.”

“But I want to carry something, too.”

“The bags are too heavy for you; it’s fine. Quit it. Kids don’t know how to . . .” He felt bad for snapping at this kid, the only one who’d offered to help out all summer. Most kids were so used to nannies and housekeepers, they left behind a trail of their own snacks, expensive new Patagonia wetsuits, and designer towels swiped from the family pool basket. Luke and the guys hadn’t bought towels in years.

Huck looked up at Luke despondently. “I just really want to carry one thing.”

The boy could only handle two wet, heavy beach towels before getting toppled, so Luke threw them on his shoulders.

As Luke and Huck walked up to the camp meeting area on the sandy shoreline, he knew that seeing Simone again would only bring those windy, gray clouds back.

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