The Rest of the Story(33)

“You from around here?” Blake asked me.

I shook my head. “Just visiting. From Lakeview.”

“Oh. You at the U?”

Before I could answer, the band started up again. “Everyone, let’s SHAG!” the lead singer said into his mike. A few couples took to the floor, whooping as they twisted and turned to the music.

“I can’t take it,” Colin said to Bailey. “If everyone knows where the party is, let’s just go.”

She nodded, hopping down, then gestured for me to follow them as they cut through the crowd around the bandstand, then down the boardwalk until it ended. As we stepped onto the sand, Blake bent down, retrieving his own plastic cup from where he’d apparently left it hidden under the decking and taking a gulp.

“Gin and tonic,” he said to me, holding it out. “Want some?”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’m okay.”

He seemed hardly bothered by this, sipping again as we started toward a parking lot. LAKE NORTH YACHT CLUB said a large sign stuck in the grass. MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS ONLY.

“Saylor’s dad worked here when he was in college,” Bailey said to the guys.

“Yeah?” Colin asked. “What did he do?”

“Sailing lessons,” I said.

“Did he live on Campus?” Colin said.

I blinked. “What?”

“Campus,” Bailey repeated. “It’s what they call the apartments they rent to the employees for the summer.”

“I don’t know,” I said. My mom was the one who always talked about the lake. “If he did, he never mentioned it.”

“Then he probably didn’t,” Blake said as we stopped at the side of a road, waiting for a BMW to turn into the Club entrance. “You don’t forget Campus.”

Once across the street, we approached an L-shaped building made up of several units. It actually kind of reminded me of Calvander’s: plastic chairs outside the doors piled with swimsuits and towels, a full garbage can with a pizza box poking out of it. As Blake pushed open the door to the unit F1, though, I saw the inside was actually nicer than the rooms I’d cleaned all day, with more modern fixtures and a bigger kitchen area.

“Home sweet hovel,” Colin said, kicking aside a plastic garbage bag as he crossed the threshold. “Who wants a beer?”

“Me,” Bailey said, following him across to the kitchen area, where he bent down to open a small fridge. “Saylor?”

“I’m okay,” I called out as Blake flopped down on one of the unmade beds, grabbing a nearby remote. The flat-screen TV flashed and came on, showing a baseball game. “Thanks, though.”

Across the room, I heard Bailey laughing, and turned to see her leaning against the stovetop, now with Colin’s arms around her waist. She looked perfectly at ease, while I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to join Blake on his bed or just stand there. I was still wondering when the door opened again.

“Is this the party?” a girl’s voice asked, and the next moment two were entering. One was a tall brunette with long legs and cheekbones to die for. Her friend was a cute Asian girl with red lipstick and a high ponytail. They both had on black shorts and yacht club shirts, white sneakers on their feet. “Because we need one. Badly.”

“Very badly,” the second girl added, heading for the kitchen. “The monsters were in top form today. And by top, I mean at their worst.”

“Hannah,” Blake said, nodding at the taller girl, “and Rachel’s got the ponytail.” Both girls looked at me and nodded. “They work at the kids’ camp.”

“I almost quit today,” Hannah said, pulling a beer from the fridge as Rachel plopped down on the other bed, leaning back onto her elbows. “Between the vomit and the lice scare, it was almost too much.”

“Did you say lice?” Blake asked, rearing back from her, even though she was across the room.

“False alarm,” she replied. “Although my head is still itching.”

“But the vomit was real?” Colin said, coming across the room with Bailey behind him.

“Sadly, yes.” She sighed. “The make-your-own-sundae bar seemed like a good idea, except Braden Johnson is a total glutton.”

“Put the whole container of gummy worms on his,” Rachel added, then shuddered. “The puke was blue and slimy.”

“See, this is why you guys need to be working at the docks,” Blake said as Rachel took a seat on the end of his bed, crossing her legs. “No puke and people tip.”

“And deal with the parents of these children?” Rachel asked, pulling out her phone. “No thanks. They’re even worse.”

Listening to this, I couldn’t help but think of Trinity and the similar sentiments she’d expressed as we cleaned that day. Not that she’d ever think of herself as having something in common with this group. I barely knew her, but this I was sure of.

“Where’s everyone else?” Hannah asked now, taking a sip of her beer.

Colin gave her a look. “Do you mean everyone, or just Roo?”

Roo? I thought. My Roo? But he wasn’t mine.

“Everyone,” Hannah replied, her pretty, angular face reddening a bit. “And Roo.”

Bailey, sitting with Colin on his bed close enough that their legs were touching, pulled out her phone. After glancing at the screen, she said, “They should be here soon. I think work ran late.”