Three
Maggie
Maggie was curled up on the cushiony swing of the porch with her new summer read in her hands. She kicked off the worn floorboards to shove the swing into a smooth and steady motion.
Justyn raced out of the screen door and jogged to his truck parked in the driveway.
“Everything ok?” Maggie called to him as he fiddled with the keys he had left in the ignition.
“Yeah. Great!” He flashed her a wide grin. “See you later, Maggie.”
He threw the truck in reverse and peeled out of the driveway. Maggie placed her book next to her feet. Well, it seemed he and Blair had worked things out. That’s good, she thought. He was a sweet guy, and Blair needed someone to help her take the edge off. As much as she loved her friend, she knew Blair needed someone with a strong personality who could handle her. Justyn was as good at giving it as Blair was.
She blushed. “So, I guess you know we made up?” Blair peeked out of the door. Was she actually blushing, Maggie wondered.
“Is that what you call it?” Maggie laughed at her friend. “Yeah, I thought it would be better to hang out here while you two talked. This is great! Tell me, tell me what did he say?”
“I was thinking we should go to the beach today. What do you think about an all-day girls’ trip to talk about boys?”
Maggie noticed Blair was already sporting her bikini and a cover up.
“Perfect! I’ll go change. Let’s do it!”
The duo found the perfect spot to set up their camp for the day. They each had their own beach bag, fully equipped with lotion, magazines, books, snacks, and much needed hair accessories. They carried the cooler together to the flat, sandy spot, each one grabbing a handle. Their shoulders were loaded down with a beach chair and bag.
“Ok, spill it, chick.” Maggie snapped back the ring on a diet soda and settled in to hear the juicy details.
Blair squealed. “He’s so hot. Seriously, mind-blowing, I-can’t-get-enough hot!”
“That part I know. Tell me, what did he say to make you cave so quickly? You were pissed, girl. You made up faster than I thought you would.”
Blair chewed on her lip a second. “I’m kind of embarrassed I made such a fuss about Justyn not calling. After the afternoon we spent in my room, it seems silly.”
“But what did he say?” Maggie leaned forward.
“You know, he said he was sorry, blah, blah, blah. But he told me he has feelings. Real feelings.”
Maggie sat up in her chair and spit out her sip of diet soda. “What? What about straight up sex?”
“Calm down. We have an understanding. We’re both on the same page. We talked a little and we both know this is only for the summer. We just want to be together this last month.”
“Right. Ok. If you say so. But it sounds like it’s more serious than a summer fling.” Maggie couldn’t see how this could end in any way but total disaster for her friend. Blair put up a tough exterior, but Maggie knew her softer side.
“It’s going to be fun. Sex like that is totally worth it. So anyway, what’s going on with you and your no-attachment-to-Reid relationship?”
Maggie decided to stop pressing about Justyn. When Blair’s mind was made up, there was nothing she could do to persuade her otherwise.
“Ugh! He gives me such mixed signals all the time. I don’t know what’s going on with him. We talk all the time, so I think he’s into me, but he still hasn’t really asked me out. I keep thinking he wanted to get together—just the two of us—but I haven’t seen him since the pier. Do you think he’s put me in the friend zone?”
“What? No. No way. Reid likes yo
u. These island guys are just different.”
“You think so?” Maggie asked, hopeful that everything Blair said was true.
Blair grinned. “Trust me. I know so. Have you told him yet who your dad is?”
Maggie exhaled. “No. It hasn’t come up again, and I don’t know how to say, by the way, that guy you hate, yeah, he’s my dad.”