A Summer to Remember Read online

  ‘I come bearing gifts.’ Ethan places a cooler in the sand with a thump. ‘Steaks and beers,’ he says when we glance at it quizzically.

  ‘Hi. Again.’ He runs his hand through his hair, and the few golden strands mixed in with the brown ones reflect the sunlight. His eyes catch mine and I realise he’s talking to me.

  ‘Hi,’ I say back. Other than Harry and Barney, we’re the only two people here.

  ‘I’m just going to double check Barney got a beach-fire permit before I light this thing.’ Harry stands up and makes a beeline for Barney, who is setting up a foldaway table and some deckchairs and my heart starts to beat rapidly. I’ve never been in Ethan’s company and lacked a snarky comment before, but he’s brought steaks and beers, what could I possibly snipe about? He’s a delightful guest.

  ‘How was your drive out?’ Ethan asks after a few moments of uncomfortable silent shuffling. This new dynamic between us feels weird.

  ‘Fine,’ I say, not wanting to speak any more than I have to, but the silence is so awkward that I add, ‘I loved the car.’

  He takes his T-shirt from the back of his shorts and lays it out on the sand and sits on it, his movement casting a fresh, lemony scent. ‘They’re fun in the summer.’

  I nod and glance over to Harry and Barney for a reason to go over. They’re having a heated discussion about napkin positioning that I’m ill-equipped to get involved with. I’ll have to wait.

  ‘Your customer service has improved,’ I say and add a smile so he knows I’m teasing. To my surprise, he smiles back.

  ‘I figured I should work on it if I want to keep taking your money.’

  Hesitantly, I untie my hoodie from around my waist and look at Ethan, who gestures for me to sit. I lay it down a couple of feet away from him before sitting down on it. ‘So, it seems that you like to be on time for a party too.’ I’m scrambling for conversation.

  ‘I thought these guys could use a hand, but they’ve got it under control.’ He leans back to rest on his hands. ‘Actually, that’s a lie, I thought they said five-thirty, so technically, I’m an hour late.’

  I laugh softly, though I can’t tell if he is late or he really did want to help. Something inside of me thinks it’s the latter.

  ‘Do you want a beer?’

  I’m a little taken aback, small talk is one thing but having a drink together is another. Some alcohol would be brilliant though.

  ‘I’d love one.’ I feel guilty when I catch how full Ethan’s cool box is. All I’d brought along was a bag of giant marshmallows, and that was only because I’d never seen them before and got excited by them in the shop.

  There’s a hiss as Ethan pops the lid off the cold bottle before handing it to me.

  He tilts his head to take a sip of his beer, and his Adam’s apple glides up and down. ‘This has got to be one of my favourite places to sit and enjoy a beer.’

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ I agree, without taking my eyes off Ethan, who is staring out across the water. Whilst he has a near perfect record of driving me mad, something about him is so compelling. I can’t put my finger on what it is and it’s hard not to look at him when I know I won’t get caught. He almost seems lost.

  ‘So where do you live when you’re in England?’ he asks, and I’m grateful for his help with the conversation. A woman arrives with two children, a girl and a boy, who both look around twelve. Ethan waves, and she shouts ‘Hey Ethan’ before heading to place a bag by the table which Barney has almost finished setting up. When Ethan doesn’t move to go and talk to her, I fill him in briefly on my past seven years in London.

  ‘Where did you live before London?’

  I swallow a lump in my throat. ‘The Cotswolds.’

  ‘The Cotswolds?’ The words sound funny in his gravelly American voice. ‘Sounds quaint.’ He smiles before taking a pull of his beer.

  ‘How about you? Have you always lived here in Provincetown?’ I ask, mostly to make polite conversation but also because I find myself intrigued, both by Ethan, and by growing up in such a place.

  ‘I was born here, but I went to the University of Massachusetts Boston and ended up living over there for about ten years …’ He trails off and stares out across the ocean.

  ‘What did you study at university?’

  ‘Environmental Sciences. I was on the marine science track there. I’ve always been interested in marine ecology – living here it’s hard not to be.’ He lets out a small laugh.

  Marine ecology to bike rental? I sense there’s much more to his story, but I don’t probe any further. I know only too well how an innocent question, intended to scratch the surface, can open quite a deep wound.

  ‘The ocean fascinates me. It’s like a whole other world,’ I say. ‘It terrifies me too though.’

  ‘You have to respect the water. I’ve always surfed and kayaked. It’s a given, living so close to the ocean. But even now, I’m still on my guard when I’m out there.’

  ‘I get scared if I’m ankle deep and something brushes past me,’ I confess, and he smiles an easy smile that warms his features.

  ‘You’ll have to stop by our kayak rental place, face your fears and all that.’

  ‘Well, I suppose it isn’t worth trying to avoid you anymore, is it? You’re literally everywhere.’ I laugh softly at my own joke and whilst it would be a bit strong to say I’m enjoying talking to him, I don’t hate it either.

  He pulls a pretend-hurt expression. ‘The bike rental is my usual haunt, so unless Harry and Barney poison everyone tonight, there should be no need for me to cover. You’ll be safe if you go tomorrow.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’m not sure I’d know how to kayak. I’m happy with a book and a sun lounger,’ I say, suddenly aware of how dull I sound. How odd it is that I care. When I look around to see Barney and Harry, I’m surprised to see quite a large crowd has gathered around the now-crackling fire. Barney is talking and animating with his hands and everyone is laughing.

  ‘We should go over there and be sociable,’ I say, not really wanting to move from this quiet, beautiful spot on the sand that seems to have embraced the shape of my bottom like memory foam. The sun has disappeared and the sky above the water has turned a soft grey-blue. It’s the perfect companion for the gentle lapping sound of the water.

  ‘Yeah, I should get these steaks on the grill too.’ He stands up and dusts the sand from his toned calves.

  Harry runs over panting. ‘Guys, there are some burgers ready. Come get one.’

  Ethan and I exchange glances. He holds out his hand in an ‘after you’ gesture, so I follow Harry.

  ‘You two seem to be getting along now,’ Harry whispers as Ethan goes over to where he dumped his cooler.

  ‘We’re being civil, but I do hope you didn’t leave us together on purpose earlier? Your two single friends …’ I raise my eyebrows in anticipation of a confession.

  ‘Listen, I’m a sucker for a real-life romance, and I’m not completely above matchmaking, but not this time. You’re being paranoid. Ethan is off limits, and I know you are too, so believe me when I say it was nothing more than a coincidence that you two ended up sitting together.’

  I eye him suspiciously, but he says no more. I wonder why Ethan is so off limits. At least I can chat to Ethan tonight knowing that it will be a simple, face-value conversation. That fact helps me relax a little more.

  Barney is by the large charcoal barbecue, flipping burgers with an exuberance rarely seen outside of the Pineapple Dance Studios. I’ve no idea how they got that thing here, but I’m glad they did because I’m starving and the food smells delicious. ‘Here you go, my dear,’ he says with his hallmarked cheer, sliding a chargrilled patty onto my paper plate. ‘Buns and ketchup are on the table.’ I thank him and head over to where everything is. People have each brought a little something; noodle salad, guacamole and potato salad sit temptingly in mismatched bowls from different homes, and I love the community spirit of it all.

  I take a spoonful of everythi
ng and head towards the fire, where Harry has just sat down on a deckchair with teeny legs that allow him to stretch his own out in the sand. There are about twenty people of all ages and walks of life gathered nearby. A family of four sit on a picnic blanket, a nomadic-looking man sits strumming an acoustic guitar in a world of his own, and Harry chats animatedly to the woman I saw arrive earlier. I eat and enter into polite chitchat with some of the local people, but I don’t feel as comfortable as I did when I was sitting with Ethan. I suppose large groups intimidate me a little because I’m not used to them. Maybe that’s why I’m getting nowhere in the boardroom.

  ‘This is Sam, who I was telling you about.’ The sound of my name jolts me out of my thoughts. Harry smiles at me then back at the lady. For a second, I wonder what’s going on. ‘Macy here has two children. Perhaps one of them could help with our little project?’

  I tilt my head slightly, wondering what project he means, and then it dawns on me. ‘The Rocks campaign?’ Macy turns to call her children over, and I take the opportunity to give him a quizzical look.

  ‘Give me the shoes and trust me,’ he mouths. I dutifully pull off the trainers and hand them over. Harry disappears, so I pinch his chair, then slip off my trainer socks and pop them into my beach bag before digging my toes into the cool, damp sand. It feels heavenly.

  ‘Is the burger no good?’ Ethan sits down beside me, and I realise I’ve only taken a bite.

  ‘It’s great. I just got lost in my own little world for a while.’ It’s dark now, and little red-orange sparks spew from the fire and float down to the sand.

  Ethan is cutting a steak with wooden utensils. He glances up, and the glow from the fire catches the side of his face. ‘Wooden party utensils are more eco-friendly. It’s irresponsible to bring single-use plastic to the beach,’ he says, apparently anticipating a question I’m not sure I’d have asked.

  ‘We need more people like you who care about the environment. Though I’m not sure how eco-friendly those Jeeps you rent out are,’ I joke.

  ‘I know! But I think you’ll find I’m the bicycle guy. And I’m on kayak duty way more than I’m on Jeep duty.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ I say, taking a bite of my burger.

  ‘Hey, Zac.’ Ethan waves his arm in the air before turning to me. ‘My little brother.’

  A huge guy comes over accompanied by a petite blonde lady in a plain red slip dress and thong sandals. She has that stunningly effortless beachy look going on that I’ve never managed to pull off.

  ‘Hey, bro,’ he says, slapping Ethan on the back. Zac, I notice, appears to be made of one hundred per cent pure muscle. He makes Ethan look short and slim, even though I’ve always thought him quite tall and beefy.

  Ethan introduces us, and Zac takes my hand and kisses it. When I see my tiny pale hand in his gigantic sun-kissed one, it reminds me of a scene from Beauty and the Beast. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. Sorry to rush off but I need to eat,’ he says. His voice is deep but affable.

  The blonde lady smiles and gives a shy wave. ‘Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Cindy. Hope we’ll get to chat once the big guy has been fed.’ She smiles again, and they walk over to Barney, who is still taking his chef role ever-so-seriously.

  ‘My brother and Cindy are married, and Cindy has just found out she’s pregnant,’ Ethan says casually. I glance over and get a pang of something that I try not to acknowledge as jealousy, but I’m kidding nobody. It was the path Kev and I had been destined for. We would have made great parents. He was so patient and young at heart, playful too. My eyes moisten, and I use the sleeve of my hoodie to pat them before anyone notices.

  ‘That’s great. Have they been married long?’

  ‘Two years.’ He stands up. ‘I’m going to get another beer. Do you want one?’ I nod and he walks away. It seems a little strange that he’d start a conversation and then disappear, but then I see him chatting to Zac and Cindy. I guess he wanted an excuse to go and catch up.

  When he returns, I’ve finished my food, and the beverage couldn’t have come at a better time.

  We chat some more, about work and our school lives, and it seems we’re a similar age. We went through all the same phases, and I have to laugh when it turns out we were both addicted to Eerie Indiana when we were tweens, despite living thousands of miles apart and whilst I fancied the pants off the main character, he wanted to be him. He talks about how he did lab research in marine biology after he’d graduated and then came back to Cape Cod after a few years. He doesn’t say why and I don’t ask. I do notice that he doesn’t ask me if I’m married or have a partner. I don’t know why it seems so odd, he probably couldn’t care less, but it’s such a go-to question that I’m always ready for it. It’s refreshing that it doesn’t come up. The level of respect I have for him rises a little more.

  Perhaps he’s suffered something terrible like I have. It’s plausible and I realise now that the reason he was so off with me in Boston could be connected and my stomach knots at the thought that it was me who was so out of order. Some of the things I said to him were awful.

  ‘Ethan, I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you.’

  He frowns but then relaxes his face almost immediately. ‘It’s fine, I was a jerk.’

  ‘I was a cow and all this time I’ve thought it was you who was the arse, but I think I share a big chunk of the blame. I should have left you alone—’

  ‘I should have just taken the picture.’

  ‘No, you weren’t obliged to do anything. You’re actually a really nice guy. Harry and Barney were right about that. I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you a little better.’

  ‘There you are.’ Harry collapses just behind us. ‘Come on, we’re all ready for you.’

  ‘Someone’s ears were burning,’ I whisper to Ethan, who laughs and waves me off as Harry pulls my hand and leads me over to another fire further down the beach.

  ‘Move away, people, private area,’ Harry says to two men walking hand in hand, obviously spoiling their moment.

  Macy’s daughter, who I think is called Kayla, is sitting cross-legged by the fire, messing about on her phone. She’s wearing my Rocks.

  ‘It was a case of whoever the shoes fit,’ Harry says. As I take in the scene, the initial ideas I’d had for the campaign start to develop. She’s definitely the right age and seeing her playing on her phone looks so right. ‘Harry, you are brilliant.’ I jump up and kiss him on the cheek.

  ‘Why thanks, Sam, I’m not one to turn down a compliment but I’m hoping you’ll be quite brilliant too. So, what are you thinking?’

  I’m already making my way around the fire, taking in the angles, the lighting. ‘This is perfect.’ The girl tears her eyes away from the phone for a second. She’s beautiful. Caramel skin, braided black hair, and dressed in denim cut-offs and a baggy white T-shirt. She has an effortless flair about her that’s perfect.

  ‘Are you sure you’re happy to do this, Kayla?’ Harry asks. She shrugs and looks back at her phone. ‘Perfect.’ He smiles.

  ‘Okay, I’ll get to work.’ I move to Kayla’s right, where the light from the fire catches her silhouette perfectly. She’s now lying back, head propped on a huge hooded sweater, legs crossed with one foot in the air. I pull out my phone and start filming in reportage fashion, taking candid footage of her scrolling away through Instagram, making sure to get the shoes in. I capture her facial expressions as she scrolls. They range from smiles to grimaces, and the way she lounges in the sand with one leg flung over her opposite knee is so very teen-like.

  When I’ve taken enough footage, I walk back over to Harry. ‘This is exactly what I needed, thank you.’

  ‘Not a problem. I’m happy to help.’

  I spot a skateboard near Kayla. ‘Can you ride this?’ I ask, picking it up.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ she says, her face glowing in the bluish-white light of her screen. Brilliant. I have another idea.

  After thanking Kayla and letting her get back to her digital world, I sit wi
th Harry as I crop bits of the video and play it back. It needs some dancey-pop music, but as a prototype idea, I think it will work. The second part of the video plays. Kayla is in the carpark. She jumps off a skateboard, flicking the back so it leaps up into her hand. The lighting isn’t great – in the absence of lighting technicians, Harry had to shine his phone torch on her – but you can get the gist. It’s so much more than pigtails and teeny-boppers. This is the Rocks brand; I can feel it.

  ‘Harry, I think this is going to work.’ I can hear the giddy excitement in my voice.

  ‘I think it gets your message across perfectly. You go in there on Monday and knock their socks off.’ He nudges me playfully.

  ‘You’d better get back to your party,’ I say, feeling more than a little guilty for dragging him away.

  ‘I guess so.’ He stands up and dusts his shorts down. When I don’t move, he says, ‘You’re not coming?’

  ‘I might just sit here for a while and check the video again. Maybe see if I can figure out a way to add music.’

  ‘Okay. Don’t be too long though. I’ve heard Mrs Penny the baker has made her signature salted caramel chocolate brownies, and you do not want to miss those.’

  ‘Definitely not.’ I smile at him warmly and when he’s satisfied I’m okay, he heads back to the party.

  I get nowhere with the video, but I’m sure there will be an app I can download when my phone is connected to Wi-Fi again. And to be honest, I quite enjoy the quiet time. When I look over to the barbecue, the crowds have dwindled, and people have broken off into small groups. Harry is nestled in Barney’s arms, and I don’t want to spoil their moment. Cindy is between Zac’s legs, wrapped up in his arms, gazing at the fire. I catch Macy walking Kayla and her brother off the beach. I scan the group for Ethan. He’s chatting to an attractive brunette woman who is laughing and flicking her mane around wildly. His body language suggests he’s at ease, his arm resting lazily on his bent knee with one leg outstretched in front. I smile at the scene but then get a twinge of something uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Not wanting to break anyone’s special moment, I slip off back to my hotel room.