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shows I’d watched. Then again, it’s not like Austin and I were dating. We’d struck up a friendship. Nothing more.
    Austin was lonely, same as me. We were both summer kids trying to make the best of our summer away from home. Most likely, if we’d met in our hometowns, we wouldn’t have hit it off. From what I’d seen of Austin, I was guessing he was pretty popular where he was from. We probably wouldn’t have run in the same circles. But that was the cool thing about vacation. Anything could happen.
    Austin: Good morning, summer girl.
    Sitting up in bed, the sheets dropped, pooling around my waist. My lips twitched at the corners as I responded.
    Me: Good morning.
    Austin: Ready for me to kick your butt at soccer?
    Shaking my head, I chuckled.
    Me: I’m ready to kick YOUR butt at soccer.
    Austin: If you play soccer like you bodysurf, I’m not worried.
    I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip, my hand hovering the touch screen of my phone. It’s true that I made a complete fool of myself when I bodysurfed with Austin. I kept missing the waves. Either I jumped in too soon or too late. Pretty sure I inhaled at least a gallon of salt water up my nose and in my mouth. Something about him made me nervous. But I knew that I could beat him at soccer. It was my game. I’d never let anyone rattle me on the soccer field before, and I wasn’t about to start now.
    Me: I guess you’ll just have to see for yourself.
    After pressing send, I was proud of myself for my answer. Resting my head against my pillow, I awaited a response. When it came, I smiled.
    Austin: Looking forward to it. Pick you up in an hour.
    Dropping my phone, I slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom across the hall to take a shower. I wore my hair in a high ponytail and didn’t put on any makeup, so it only took me thirty minutes to get ready. Not that it would’ve taken me much longer had I fixed myself up. I never wore much makeup – just some mascara, blush and lip-gloss every once in awhile. And my hair was stick straight, so I either let it hang down my back or I put it into a ponytail or bun, and that never took long.
    When I went into the family room, I found Luca sitting on the couch playing a video game. He was so engrossed in it, he didn’t even notice me. Scouring the room, I looked for Dad, but he was nowhere to be seen.
    “Luca, where’s Dad?”
    “In his office,” Luca responded, without taking his attention off the screen. His hands flew over the controller.
    Sighing, I headed past the kitchen toward the office. The door was open, so I stepped inside. It was a small room, but large enough for a desk and an office chair. Plus, it had a window that overlooked the side of the house showing a portion of the sandy beach. Dad was hunched over his computer moving his mouse as he edited the graphic on his large computer screen. When he heard me enter, he swung around in his chair. The wheels scraped on the ground with the movement. 
    His lips curled downward when he took in my gym shorts and soccer t-shirt. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
    “Oh, Mina, I’m sorry. I have to work today.  Maybe we can hit the park later this evening.”
    “It’s okay,” I assured him. “I actually was going to go play soccer with Austin.”
    His eyebrows raised. “Austin, huh?”
    “Yeah.” I shifted from one foot to the other, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his gaze.
    “Well, he seems like a nice boy,” Dad said. “And I like that you’re playing soccer again.” It was like he was trying to convince himself that this was a good idea.
    “I’ll be fine, Dad,” I assured him. “I’ll have my phone on me.”
    He hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. “Okay. Be careful. Call if you need me.”
    “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s not a serial killer,” I teased.
    Bad idea. Dad froze. “Not funny, young lady.”
    “Sorry,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
    “Maybe you should see