Summer of Second Chances - Andrea Hurst Page 0,124
major despite my father’s wishes. She’s enrolled in art school, and her parents are freaking out.”
Shelby could only imagine how much guts that had taken for Madison to make that choice. “Good for her.”
“Let’s walk,” Logan said, leading the way.
They hiked up a narrow path that looked like more of a deer trail curving through a tree-lined hill. From the higher viewpoint, she could see a few stragglers lingering on the beach below. Eventually the path opened, revealing a small cove below that she recognized as Turtle Pond.
“I know this place," Shelby said as they scrambled down.
Logan shook out the towels and laid them on the sand and put his pack on top. He pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it down as well. "Let's have a swim,” he said.
Shelby peeled the shorts off from over her suit, and they raced each other into the water. They swam along the shore, matching each other’s pace like two dolphins popping up, smiling at each other, then diving deep again. Logan made a turn to swim back and Shelby reluctantly followed. She wished they could go on like this forever…splashing, laughing, not a care. When they reached the shallow area, Shelby stepped out. Suddenly flailing, she lost her footing on a slippery rock beneath the surface.
Logan threw out his arms and she fell into them. “I’ve got you,” he said, pulling her close. Wrapped in each other’s arms, her body melded into his. She lifted her head and his lips met hers. She swayed with the intensity of the kiss that they both knew might be their last.
"I'm going to miss you," he whispered in her ear.
"I'll miss you so much,” she said.
They clung to each other for several moments, the silky water dancing at their ankles. Shelby knew she had to let go. It was time.
"Race you back to the towels," she said, breaking the poignant moment.
Logan ran through the sand and snatched the towels. “I beat you,” he said, tossing one to her.
Shelby grinned. “I let you.”
"We'll have to have a rematch when I get back," he said, drying off. "At the latest, it'll be Christmas."
The thought of four months without seeing Logan seemed unbearable. And there was her mother wanting her to come to Florida for the holiday. She wouldn’t think of it now. They lay back down on the towels to dry off in the sun. Shelby shook out her hair, water droplets scattering everywhere.
“Hey,” Logan said kiddingly.
“You can handle it,” Shelby said.
Logan picked up his backpack and reached inside. “I got you something,” he said, holding up a small box.
Shelby lifted the lid and pulled out a blue, black, and silver beaded bracelet. A flat turquoise center stone had a turtle etched into it. “It’s beautiful,” she said. A lump formed in her throat. It would forever remind her of their time together at Turtle Pond.
“I saw it at the craft fair last week and thought of you. Turtles do seem to be a totem for us, don’t they?”
She slipped the delicately crafted bracelet on her wrist and held it up for him to admire. “It’s a perfect fit,” she said. Shelby doubted she would ever take it off.
A cooling breeze rustled through the trees, reminding them the afternoon was turning toward evening.
“You’ll be starting school soon too,” Logan said.
"Next week,” Shelby said. “I'll start looking into colleges and scholarships and what requirements I need to finish. Are you excited for college?"
"I am," he said. “I know it's going to be tough, but it’s one of the best programs in my field. I'll be studying day and night, but just know I’ll be I thinking about you all the time."
"Me too. I mean thinking of you.”
Logan laughed. “I wish we didn’t have to, but we better start back now.”
She knew Logan had a lot to do before he left tomorrow. And her grandmother was waiting with dinner for her. They navigated the trail back, lingering as they walked, stopping to glimpse the colors of dusk spreading across the lake. When they reached Shelby’s house, Logan accompanied her to the porch. The day was waning and the street darkening.
Shelby forced herself not to cry. She hated partings. There’d been far too many in her life. "I'm not going to say goodbye," she said.
"Why would you, when it’s only ‘see you soon’?” Logan said, flashing her a smile.
Logan’s eyes held sadness, but he was trying, and she would too.