Midsummer Fling - Abby Knox Page 0,9

and my mom’s favorite movie of all time.”

Josh doesn’t know he’s pushing too far. I know he means to be protective of me, a tourist, but he doesn’t get it. “Sorry, but you know they charge money just to walk in front of that building.”

Haughtily, I reply, “As they should. It’s that beautiful.”

He shakes his head. “Nothing is that beautiful.”

I stare down at my half-empty coffee cup, trying to hide my hurt feelings.

“Well, Somewhere in Time was filmed there. I used to watch it with my mom. Whenever I was sick as a child, she would pop that DVD in, and we’d sit together and watch it, and she would cry. One day, she told me how I got the name Penny. It’s from the movie. That box…I wanted to bring her with me, to…” I have to stop talking now. He didn’t mean any harm, and I don’t want him to see me cry.

“The box is…your mom’s ashes?”

I nod silently, keeping my eyes down and squeezing my lips shut.

Josh is agonizingly apologetic. “Oh my God. I am such an ass. Penny, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to crap all over your favorite movie. Or your mom’s memory. It’s fine if you like it. I was a dickbag. I am a dickbag. Please accept my apology.”

I recover, setting my emotions aside for a moment. “I guess we both learned a lesson today. Don’t shit on things other people like. You never know what it means to them. I’d love to get a lift into town with you. Thank you for offering. And if you want a ride to Saint Ignace when I go to catch the ferry, just let me know.”

He grins. “Saint Ignace? Sure, drop me off at the Mystery Mansion.”

Now I have to laugh. “And you’re warning me about ripping off tourists. We went there as kids, you know it’s all an optical illusion,” I say, referring to the house designed to trick the mind into thinking gravity works differently, with all sorts of weird angles built into the floors, walls, and ceilings.

He nods and lifts one shoulder in acknowledgment. “Yeah, but I broke my crooked souvenir shot glass. Where else am I gonna find that?” The wink he floats my way flutters all the way down my body. I am not prepared, and I know he sees my cheeks turn red.

“I can’t let you live without a crooked shot glass. Consider it a date.”

Chapter 8

Josh

A “date” she called it. I heard it, loud and clear. I’ll have to make sure she meant what I heard her say.

I’m so flustered when I’m packing my cooler and fishing gear into the boat that I can’t seem to get the motor started. Which is weird. I just did this yesterday.

I pull the rope a second, third, fourth time, my frustration growing.

“You’re flooding it, you’re going to have to wait a minute.”

I turn around and see her, Penny, standing there in a rainbow two-piece swimsuit, her hair tied up.

“I what?”

“Flooded the engine. Might as well chill out and swim with me while you wait.”

Stupidly, because I can’t take my eyes off all of her exposed, tanned skin, I reply, “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

She spreads out a beach towel and plops down on the end of the dock, raising a hand to block out the glaring sun. “You go on vacation to the lake without a swimsuit?”

I hop off the pontoon boat and make my way closer to her, using my height to block out the sun.

“Thank you,” she says, lowering her hand.

“And you book a vacation at a fishing resort without planning to fish?”

She smiles. “Well, I booked it for the nostalgia.”

I laugh. “This place is old as shit.”

She pats the spot on the wooden dock next to her, where she’s slowly swinging her legs in the water. “Sure is. Same old boat dock, same everything. In fact, right on this spot, one of my most vivid childhood memories took place.”

Curious, I sit down next to her.

“Really?”

Penny nods and says, staring down into the water. “This is where I had my first kiss.”

I’m having trouble identifying the feeling I’m experiencing at this news. Is it jealousy? Envy? Anger? Not exactly.

Confused, I blurt out, “With who?” And then I hear it. The jealousy. Okay, yes, I’m jealous over who might have kissed her.

Penny looks me dead in the face, as sober as can be. “You, Josh. It was you.”

Any sane man would play along as if he remembered. I could