Toe the Line(3)

Her eyes widened. “I do, actually. My sister dated Archie one summer.”

“Oh wow. Okay.”

“Yeah. He broke her heart, ended things before he left for college. She sort of hates him now.” She shrugged.

“I’m sorry.” I frowned. “I mean, I don’t know Archie very well. But that really sucks.”

She tilted her head. “You don’t know him, but you’re living with him?”

“He’s not even here yet. Our parents are friends, but the past summers I spent here, he acted like I didn’t exist. So I’ve barely spoken to him.”

“Ah, I see.” She nodded. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I should’ve properly introduced myself. I’m Cici. I live here year-round, and this is my mother’s shop.”

I looked over at a mannequin in a terry-cloth swimsuit coverup. “I’m Noelle. This shop is really nice. I’m just kind of wandering around today.”

“If you’re bored and want to chill, a few of my friends and I get together by the clam shack at the beach most nights. There’s usually live music and a bonfire. It’s pretty much where everyone goes to hang out.”

“That would be awesome. I don’t know anyone here.”

“Well, you do now.” She winked. “Give me your phone. I’ll enter my contact information.”

“Cool.” I handed it to her.

“I’ll check in with you tomorrow,” she said as she gave the phone back to me.

“Sounds good.”

I walked out of there with a new pep in my step. I’d vowed to meet people while I was here, and I’d done it within the first couple of hours. All I needed was one person who knew their way around this place, and it seemed I’d found her.

? ? ?

The following morning, I started my day with a run at sunrise. I left the house right around 5 AM before anyone else got up. It was as if I had the entire island to myself, and jogging with the beautiful Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop was like a dream.

When I returned to the house, my parents were at the kitchen table with the Remingtons. I joined them for breakfast and listened as they discussed plans to charter a boat later that day. That sounded like a recipe for barfing, with my tendency toward seasickness, so I opted out of that.

Once they’d departed, an anxious feeling loomed over me, as I knew Archie would be here sometime today. I had no idea what time he was arriving and hadn’t wanted to seem interested by asking.

Rather than hang around the house with my nervous energy, I texted my new friend, Cici, to find out what she was up to. She told me she had to work at the shop until two but would be free after that.

At 3 PM, I rode my bike to Cici’s house. The property was just as beautiful as the one we now co-owned. Gorgeous hydrangea bushes surrounded the home, which had a wide staircase leading up to the front porch.

I texted her that I’d arrived, and she met me out front.

“Hey! You found it.” Cici’s long, blond hair blew in the sea breeze as she came out to greet me.

“Yeah.” I stepped off my bike and parked it. “It’s beautiful.”

“I was just making some lemonade to bring out to the pool.” She waved me in. “Come meet my friends.”

Cici led me through the house to the pool out back. Her parents didn’t seem to be home.

She introduced me to two girls who were sunbathing on lounge chairs.

“This is Lara. And that’s Crystal.”

I lifted my hand. “Hey.”

While Crystal offered a simple wave, Lara held her hand up to her forehead to block the sun. “Nice to meet you, Noelle.”

Just then another girl burst through the French doors at the back of the house.

“Hey, have you seen my Michael Kors wedges?” she asked Cici.

“They’re in my room.”

The tall blond gritted her teeth. “Stop taking my shit.” She stormed away.

Cici turned to me. “And that rude bitch is my sister, Amanda.”

“I see.”

I assumed Amanda was the sister who’d dated Archie Remington. It was no surprise that she was beautiful and bitchy. I would expect no less from him.

“Where are you headed in the fall?” Cici asked.

“Boston University.”

“Oh, cool. What’s your major?”

“Journalism. Not sure what I want to do with it after graduation, but I’m gonna give it a go.”

She nodded. “At least you have some idea what you want. I can’t decide. I’m in general studies at U of Maine.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

The conversation continued to be pretty light the rest of the afternoon. We swam in the pool and drank lemonade—which Cici had spiked with vodka. I limited myself to two since I had to bike home.

When I returned to the house that evening, the parents weren’t home—still out boating, I supposed. The house seemed quiet, so I assumed I was alone and Archie hadn’t arrived yet.

Mr. Remington had mentioned a clam bake tonight for dinner to celebrate his son’s arrival, so rather than eat anything now, I figured I’d just clean up.

Upstairs in my room, I untied the top of my bathing suit and let it fall to the ground before slipping out of my bikini bottoms, readying to hop in the shower.