Sarah was nearly in tears. “I’m sorry. I am being ridiculous. It’s just that you always...”
“Always what?”
“Get the guy!”
“Sarah!” Addie was more stunned at that moment than she’d been all evening. And it had been one hell of an evening. A vision of her neat and ordered rooms in Aunt Grace’s apartment floated temptingly. Maybe she wouldn’t get a condo. Maybe she’d stay there forever with her lovely routines and cats, flossing regularly, and never change anything in her life ever again. “I didn’t ‘get’ Derek. I don’t even want him. And I have no idea who else you could mean.”
“Kevin.”
“Wait, you want Kevin?”
“No!” Sarah wailed.
Addie pressed a hand to her temple. This was going to make her insane. “Do you want me to finish the story?”
“Yes.” She sniffled. “I’m sorry.”
“Okay. So I charged out of Derek’s room, still pretty much naked, and I bumped into Kevin. Literally.”
Sarah gaped at her. Let the record show that for once Addie had managed to render her speechless.
“You. Did. Not.”
Speechless at least for one second. “I did. And you know what? When he found out I’d been going to seduce him, he said he’d rather get to know me again slowly first.”
Another gasp. “Oh, Addie! That is adorable. I knew you and Kevin were right for each other. Derek is seriously bad news.”
For a weird second Addie wanted to defend Derek. Quite hotly. But that would get her exactly nowhere. Besides, she had no proof that Derek wasn’t a player, just Sarah’s word, which, depending on Sarah’s mood, might or might not mean anything.
“So now you and Kevin are good?”
“We’re good.” Actually Addie had no idea what they were, but she smiled and squeezed Sarah’s leg anyway by way of saying good-night, and got up, completely drained, not wanting to think about Derek or Kevin or any combination thereof for the rest of the night if not weekend. Sarah turned off her lamp and Addie got into bed by the nauseating green light of the glow stick, which she never, ever wanted to see again.
“Addie? Are you going to go after Derek now?”
Addie paused, about to bury the offending light under her pillow. What the hell was she talking about? “Of course not. Why, do you want to go after him?”
“Me? Me?” Sarah laughed loudly. “As if. I would never go after a player like that. His criteria for choosing a sex partner is female and breathing. No, no, I was just worried you’d get hurt.”
“Okay, then.” Addie sighed, feeling like she’d been hollowed out and filled with sadness. Maybe she’d give up this whole man thing. At least for now. It had all become way too complicated.
“Hey, Addie. I had a great idea.”
Addie groaned. “If this has anything to do with men, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Aw, Addie. C’mon. You...” Silence, while Addie could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. “No, nothing about men, it’s to cheer you up.”
“Go ahead.” Addie yawned and nestled into the pillow, immediately having to banish memories of lying nestled against Derek.
Oh, dear.
“There’s a secret cove on Storness Island. No one knows about it but our family. The entrance to the path is camouflaged and you can’t see the beach from the water, either, because there’s a spit of land in the way. Let’s go there and sunbathe nude tomorrow. Take a break from guys and everything....”
“Sure,” Addie murmured drowsily. Sarah was up to something, but right then she didn’t have the energy to care. “Fine. Whatever.”
“It’s great, you’ll love it.”
“Mmm...”
She was asleep in about ten seconds. When she woke up, she was sorting boxes in Great-Aunt Grace’s old bedroom, patiently and meticulously organizing the contents, letters here, photographs there, all spread out on Aunt Grace’s four poster bed.
Where suddenly Derek was lying naked, smiling devilishly.
Impossible. He didn’t know where Aunt Grace lived. He was in Maine.
A blink later, she was naked in bed with him, but not at Aunt Grace’s anymore, he was back in Maine, and she was kissing him ravenously until her body caught fire. Literally. And then Kevin was in bed with them, too, not seeming to mind the heat, making odd sucking sounds through his lips. Derek, not at all fazed by the bed being in flames, kicked with incredible power and sent Kevin flying across the room, where he curled up fetal and was instantly covered with seaweed, dribbling sand and water onto the braided rug.