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bikini top, apple green jacket, and sari,
and then, a dark haired young man that did not illicit any reactions from
Shannon, and the infamous Henry.
    He’d clearly not given up surfing in the years since Shannon
had seen him, and I totally understood the appeal. His blond hair was sun
colored with skin like honey and muscles that, wow, took both our breaths away.
He didn’t even bother to wear a shirt and only brightly colored swim trunks and
tennis shoes without socks. He smiled easily and greeted Shannon with the appraising
gaze she and I’d both been hoping for. When he hugged her, I could feel her
tremble all the way to where I was standing.
    “Henry, this is my best friend and roommate Jessica Lewis.
Jessica, Henry McCollister.” She kept her hand on his arm when he took my hand
and shook it. Strong, confident. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Shannon
deserved a boy like Henry.
    “A pleasure, Jessica. This is my mate, Cole Veras and my
sister Eva.” Cole took my hand too, squeezed instead of shaking it. Cole
mimicked Henry in being one of the most good looking boys on the beach that
night. His blond hair was darker, a little longer and slightly curly. It made
his face softer, more boyish. He smiled, winked.
    “Jessica. Can I call you Jess?”
    “Sure,” I breathed and was sad to feel his hand pull away
from me. “Everyone else does eventually.” Everyone except Jonah.
    Eva nodded and quickly disappeared into throng of Silvers.
Shannon invited Henry and Cole to the bar and I stepped back from the mass
hugging that then took place between the McCollisters and the Silvers. I’d
already filled up my lifetime of hugs in one night and had no interest in
getting swept up in more.
    I lifted the sword of cherries to my lips and took the first
one into my mouth. He appeared then, from behind, maybe so I wouldn’t run away.
I sensed him before I felt his hand on the small of my back just above where
the dress covered my skin. His breath touched the back of my neck, exposed
where I’d pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail. It took all my will not to
pull away.
    “Now that,” he murmured, “looks familiar.”
    My body blushed for him from my cheeks down to my thighs and
everywhere in between. He could have no idea how his breathy voice made me
react.
    I sucked the cherry between my lips, pursed them. His nostrils
flared just a little.
    “You’re being admired,” he said and lifted his eyes across
the bonfire to the bar. Sure enough, Henry and Cole were watching me, Cole
leaning into whisper to his friend. Henry turned to Shannon, accepted a drink
from her. “Will you meet him tonight?”
    “Would it matter if I did?” I asked. I took another cherry
between my lips. His fingertips pressed lightly into my skin. He didn’t say
anything for a moment.
    “No, it wouldn’t matter. I was just curious.”
    Liar , I thought. His answer hurt. Cole was very good
looking and I liked the appraising looks he was giving me across the party, but
he’d want me to take off my shirt and he’d be frustrated by my inability to do
so. He’d question it, because they always do, and he’d spend the rest of the
retreat avoiding me. Jonah’s strange attention, as inconsistent as it was, was
preferable. He didn’t ask questions last night and I didn’t think he would
start now.
    “I should go join them.” I started to step away but his hand
briefly held me still. I waited, waited for him to pull me back, but then he
let go and when I glanced over my shoulder, he was already gone.
     
    ***
    Cole, as it turned out, was completely predictable by
Jonah’s standards. He asked me if I would like to meet him on the beach that night,
after the party had died down. He said he wanted to get to know me. He touched
my hair, tucked it behind my ear, didn’t notice when I flinched away. He said
he liked my dress, that he saw me as soon as they’d pulled up. The compliments
were lovely and free flowing and a little addictive and I told