Love Bait

15| Aint no sunshine

Lina's house sits at the bottom of a grove, surrounded by overgrown foliage. Her mom is one of those au natural types who believe everything should be left to grow wild, so she doesn't believe in gardening. Lina says it's just an excuse not to do any yard work, but I'm not so sure.

Heart pounding, I wave goodbye to Dad, still thinking about my kiss with Jordan. It seems insane to think that less than ten minutes ago, we were busy locking lips. This is the same boy who is hellbent on selling the cafe, who annoys me beyond belief, but for a brief moment, it's like I'd forgotten all that. All I could focus on was how good he tasted, how much I wanted to kiss him back. How much I still do.

Lina throws open the front door before I can dwell further. She beckons me over, throwing an arm around my shoulder before guiding me inside. The house is what you'd expect: faded orange walls, brown tiles, and countless plants on every surface. I guess Hallie, Lina's mom, was going for the Mediterranean vibe, but it comes off more unkempt jungle.

Still, for as long as I can remember, Lina's house has felt like a second home. Each room, each object, is as familiar to me as my own house, as if an extension of me, and the thought of going off to college and not being able to come over every night is unsettling.

"Everyone's out back now that the storm has cleared up," Lina says, and she drags me into the garden, where several people are huddled under the gazebo, picking food off the buffet.

Kali is sitting in the corner, his arm around his wife while they tenderly feed their daughter. Layla's here, too – I'm certain she's the one behind the incredible buffet – and a few girls from school, who are sitting in the corner table, laughing.

The Morrisons, our neighbors since forever, are at the other end of the gazebo, dancing to music. They're probably the oldest couple on the island, but you wouldn't think it to look at them. They're both so active, and right now they're lost in each other's eyes like no one else is here. 

Suddenly, it's like I forget what happened with Jordan. I forget I've been fired, or that I'll be going off to college soon, leaving these people behind. Right now, all I can think about is how these people are here for me, the way they have been my entire life, especially after Mom died. Everyone had gathered around us the same way as now, providing us with casseroles and groceries and most importantly, love; sometimes I forget how lucky I am.

Most of the party is spent mingling, listening to people curse Jordan's names. But when Lina takes me upstairs to fix her makeup, I finally cave and tell her what happened.

"No way," she says, whipping around to face me. "There's no way you kissed him, Evvy." She swats my arm, and I lower my head in shame. "You're really taking the whole sleeping with the enemy thing literally, aren't you?"

"We aren't sleeping together," I say, "nor will we ever. It was just a heat of the moment, mid-thunderstorm mistake."

"Good," Lina says, but she doesn't look convinced, "because starting something with the boy trying to sell the island's favorite cafe is a recipe for disaster."

"I know." Boy, do I know. So why can't I stop thinking about that kiss? "It was nothing. I barely even remember it"

She smiles now. "You're a god-awful liar, Evelyn. Come on, let's rejoin the party." She grabs my hand and leads me back downstairs, where Kali is standing on a makeshift stage performing his version of 'Aint no Sunshine When She's Gone'. I physically cringe when he tries to hit those low notes, but I can't stop laughing.

"It's going to suck not having you at the cafe," he says when he's finished. "You were the glue holding that cafe together, Evvy. That tool trying to sell it doesn't know what he's doing."

"He needs to go," someone calls out, and others murmur in agreement.

My cheeks burn for him. As much as I dislike Jordan, it unsettles me to hear people talking this way about a kid. I am certain he's not a terrible person, which means he must have his reasons for selling the cafe, even if he refuses to share them with me.

Lina nudges my arm and says, "Guess you better not tell them about your rendezvous." I shoot her a look that could turn her to stone, and she smiles sweetly.

"Don't waste any more breath talking about him," Marge from down the street, says. "Let's just have fun."

Someone else turns the music up, and everyone gets up and dances, even though it's starting to rain again. A boy from my school, Teddy, pushes through the crowd until he gets to me and offers out his hand. "You still got two left feet?" he asks.

I give him a look. Teddy, who is good friends with Ryan, asked me to dance at prom, only to discover that I am rhythmically challenged. Taking his hand, I say, "Are you still missing a brain?"

"Nah, I found it behind the dumpster last week, still in working order."

I smile now, letting him pull me closer. Teddy is one of those typically handsome surfer types, with this dumb-as-a-post look about him, but he's got to be the smartest, sweetest person I know. "Thank god. Wouldn't want you to head off to college without it."

"Oh, I decided against college," he says. "Gonna help my old man run the bike rental shop. He hasn't been feeling too good lately. Needs some help."

"That's nice of you. Wish I could stay."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why don't you?"

"I don't think my dad would ever forgive me if I didn't go to college."

"I know what you mean," he says. "That's the exact reason I'm not going to college. I'd never hear the end of it. Still, there are worse places to be stuck, right?"

I smile. "Right."

"And the mainland isn't far," he says, "so it's not like you're stuck, either. You could come back every weekend if you wanted to."

"I know," I say. "It's not the same, though. I feel like everything is changing too fast. I wish I could press pause and just take it all in, you know?"

"Me too." His dark eyes find mine, and for a moment I see in them that same panic I've been seeing in my own these days. "You think that feeling goes away?"

"Maybe," I say, but I'm not so sure.

We dance for a little while longer, but when the rain starts to come down in buckets, we call it a night. I say goodbye to Teddy, to the others, and then Lina's mom drops me home, where I dash across the wet lawn and into the house.

As much as I've enjoyed myself, tonight has been bittersweet. On the one hand, it's been nice to see everyone gathered like this, but it sucks that the reason is that I've been fired from the one place I've always thought of as home.

Suddenly, I can't keep it in anymore. I've been putting on a brave face so as not to worry the others, but now that I'm alone, all I can feel is this hole in my heart that grows bigger by the day. If I don't think of a way to stop Jordan from selling, it's going to tear me apart.